Which AA battery for flash and camera? NiMH batteries compared

The pack says 2800 mAh, but your flash gives up halfway through, and after four weeks in your bag the battery is dead even though you never used it. If you work with analog cameras and flashguns, you know the feeling. The number printed on the wrap tells you little about whether a battery actually suits your use.

We took a closer look at the common AA and AAA NiMH batteries. Three of them we measured ourselves on a component tester; for the rest we rely on the discharge measurements from the independent tester HKJ (lygte-info.dk) and on manufacturer datasheets. What you get at the end is a recommendation based on what you actually do: feed a light meter, get a Metz flash ready to fire again quickly, or run the motor of a medium format body.

Why the mAh number answers the wrong question

Three properties decide whether a NiMH battery suits your camera. Capacity is only one of them, and for many analog uses not even the most important.

How long does the battery last?

Capacity in mAh tells you how much charge is stored. It matters for anything that runs continuously over a long time: a light meter that keeps working for months, or a flash that needs to manage hundreds of shots over a whole day. The manufacturer's figure is often flattered. Cheap cells from mass production often deliver 10 to 14 percent less in reality than what's printed on them, while good brands stay close to their stated value.

How quickly is the flash ready again?

That depends on internal resistance, and hardly anyone talks about it. A flash capacitor draws a strong current while charging. The higher the internal resistance of the cells, the more the voltage sags under that load, and the longer recharging takes. The same applies to the motor of large medium format cameras.

To give you a sense of scale: at 5 amps, the difference between 18 and 84 milliohms adds up to a good 0.3 volts per cell. We saw what that means in practice with our battery pack for the Metz 60: with ten high-resistance, high-capacity cells, the flash took 15 to 17 seconds at full power before it was ready again.

Is it still full when you need it?

Modern LSD batteries (Low Self Discharge, often sold as "ready to use") hold their charge for months. Older high-capacity cells without LSD technology, or those marketed as "Photo", are down to half charge after four weeks in the drawer. For a camera that sits unused for weeks between shoots, that's a dealbreaker, no matter how high the capacity looks on paper.

What we measured ourselves

We measured the internal resistance of three cells directly on a component tester, rather than relying on datasheets:

• Eneloop Pro 2500: 18 mΩ, barely any voltage sag under load.
• AmazonBasics High Capacity 2400: 23 mΩ, practically on par and noticeably cheaper.
• Camelion 2700: 84 mΩ, more than four times as much. The worst choice of the three for flash and motor use.

Eneloop Pro and AmazonBasics High Capacity are both made in the same Japanese FDK factory, which explains why they're so close. For the Varta Recharge Accu Power 2600, the manufacturer states 35 mΩ, Ansmann quotes under 30 mΩ for the maxE+ 2500. These manufacturer figures are AC measurements at 1 kHz (Varta states 60 mΩ for DC) and aren't directly comparable to our tester, but the order of magnitude fits: both are closer to the Eneloop Pro than to the Camelion.

AA batteries (Mignon) compared

The capacity figures come from HKJ's discharge charts, read off at low load (0.2 A) and under high load (5 A and 10 A). That way you see not just total capacity, but also how much of it actually gets through in fast flash operation. HKJ measured the heating at 10 A for every cell. It's a good point of comparison, because the higher the internal resistance, the more energy is turned into heat inside the cell itself.

Two things stand out. First, Varta and Eneloop Pro deliver practically the same real capacity under normal load, but in June 2026 the Varta cost only just over a third (cheapest retail price on Geizhals versus Amazon). The Eneloop Pro plays out its advantage when things get tough: below 10 A it heats up less, delivers more capacity there, and holds its charge a bit longer.

Second, the EBL 2300 and Varta 2600 are almost neck and neck when it comes to heating. The gap to the FDK cells exists for both, not just for the budget brand. Below 10 A, the IKEA LADDA and the two Eneloops heat up the least, with AmazonBasics High Capacity close behind. That points to a low internal resistance, and for the Eneloop Pro and AmazonBasics we measured it ourselves.

AAA batteries (Micro) compared

With AAA, things get tight. The small form factor tolerates less current, and the differences between cells are greater than with AA. HKJ only tests AAA up to 5 A, since most cells can't handle more than that anyway.

The Ansmann 1100 has the highest capacity in the field but is still ruled out, because without LSD technology it's more than half discharged after four weeks in a drawer. That makes it unsuitable for a camera or flash that sits between uses. Varta 1000 and Eneloop Pro deliver the same capacity at 5 A and heat up almost equally. The black AmazonBasics drops noticeably under load, and HKJ explicitly recommends other cells for good performance.

Which battery we recommend for which use

There isn't one single best battery, only the best one for your use.

The Varta Recharge Accu Power is enough for most people

If you don't want to dig into every detail, get the Varta. It delivers the same real capacity as the much more expensive Eneloop Pro, holds its charge for months as an LSD cell, and its internal resistance is enough for the vast majority of flashes and motors. For light meters, compact flashes, motorized 35mm cameras, and normal reportage use, it's the sensible choice, in AA as well as AAA. That's why since September 2026 we've been selling Varta batteries, as packs and in sets with our battery cases: the Varta AA 2600 mAh and the Varta AAA 1000 mAh, plus a charger with 12 bays that charges a whole set at once. Disclaimer: we sell some of the products mentioned here. The article is still meant primarily as a help, not as sales copy.

Getting as many shots as possible from one set

If you want to get as many shots as possible from one set in a single day, real capacity is what counts. Under normal load, Varta 2600, Eneloop Pro, and IKEA LADDA lead with around 2,500 mAh; under high load, Eneloop Pro and AmazonBasics High Capacity hold the most. All four come close to their rated capacity, unlike many cheap cells.

The Eneloop Pro handles fast flash at the limit

If you need the shortest possible recycle time, say with a power-hungry handle-mount flash firing continuously, the Eneloop Pro gets you that last bit extra. At 18 mΩ, it was the best cell on our tester. You pay almost three times the price of the Varta for it. For most people that's not worth it, but for hard continuous use in a studio it is.

For devices that run rarely, the Eneloop Standard is the right fit

An emergency flashlight, a backup light meter, a device you need once a year: this is where the Eneloop Standard wins. According to Panasonic, it still holds around 70 percent of its charge after ten years. Capacity is secondary here, what matters is that the battery is full when you pull it out of the drawer.

What you should steer clear of

• High-resistance cells for flash and motor: The Camelion 2700 came in at 84 mΩ in our measurements. For a light meter with tiny power draw, that doesn't matter, for anything power-hungry, it does.
• "Photo" or high-capacity cells without LSD: That sounds professional, but after four weeks in storage it's half empty. Look for the label "LSD" or "ready to use".
• Weak AAA cells for high current: The small format sags under load with many brands. If you're using AAA, choose an LSD cell that HKJ has cleanly tested at 5 A.

Frequently asked questions

Is 1.2 volts from the battery a problem for my camera?

Mostly not. NiMH batteries deliver a nominal 1.2 V instead of the 1.5 V of an alkaline cell, but they hold that voltage very steady right up until near the end. Many cameras actually cope better with this than with an alkaline cell, whose voltage drops continuously. It only gets tricky with a few old light meters that are calibrated to a specific voltage. Suitable adapter solutions exist for those.

How often can I charge NiMH batteries?

Good LSD cells manage several hundred to over a thousand charge cycles, depending on the model. Over their lifetime, even an expensive cell ends up many times cheaper than disposable batteries.

Does high current harm the battery?

Not within specification. Cells with low internal resistance heat up less under high load, because less energy is burned off inside the battery itself. For the Varta 2600, the manufacturer states up to 5.2 A continuous current.

The right battery is only half the job

Many older cameras and flashes don't accept AA or AAA batteries directly, but need a matching battery cage or adapter. We make these at Ausgeknipst, such as the battery cages for Metz flashes (45, 60, 76) or adapters for cameras that were built for battery types no longer available.

If you're not sure which solution your camera needs, just drop us a message with the model name. We'll tell you what fits.

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Methodology: Internal resistances of the Eneloop Pro, AmazonBasics High Capacity, and Camelion 2700 measured ourselves on a component tester (May 2026). Capacity at 0.2 A, 5 A, and 10 A read from HKJ's discharge diagrams (lygte-info.dk), heat buildup from the same tests. Internal resistance of the Varta 2600 from the manufacturer's datasheet (type 5716, 35 mΩ at 1 kHz, fully charged). Sample cells were tested; the batch available in stores may vary. Sources per cell: Varta AA 2600, Eneloop Pro AA, AmazonBasics AA, IKEA LADDA AA, Eneloop Standard AA, EBL AA 2300, Varta AAA 1000, Eneloop Pro AAA, Eneloop Standard AAA, Ansmann AAA 1100, AmazonBasics AAA, Varta datasheet 5716.