The Godox Propac pb-960
I have several speedlights which I use for most of my cosplay shoots. One of the main annoyances is having to constantly swap out batteries in the units. I bought a bunch of rechargeable AA batteries to try to save money, but even so still had to replace them frequently during the shoot, a lot of the times having to end the shoot due to a lack of power rather than having gotten everything I wanted.
I figured there had to be a better option…
That’s the Godox Propac PB-960. It’s an external power pack for speedlights. Allegedly it should allow for around 2000 full-power flashes from one charge. It’s also capable of powering two flashes simultaneously.
The other advantage is that it allows for almost instantaneous cycling after each shot, rather than the longer and longer times that result from AA batteries losing their charge. As a bonus, it also has a USB output port for charging phones, etc.
You still need to put AA batteries into the speedlight, but these are used strictly to power the electronics and controls of the unit, so will last for ages. All power for discharging the flash comes solely from the external battery.
The only minor complaint is the supplied cable to connect to the speedlight (you need to order the appropriate one for your unit) isn’t overly long, and is very tightly coiled, making the reach rather limited. I haven’t been able to find any alternate, longer cables anywhere so far.
The brand here is Godox, and that’s what you’ll see it sold as most frequently. But the exact same unit is sold under several different names as well.
I’ve only given it a preliminary test so far. I’ll play with it a bit more, and if the results are satisfactory the plan is to buy another one, which will cut down the need to swap out batteries drastically.
The price is around AU$200, depending on where you buy it.
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