Sekonic L-358 with rechargables?

Does anyone know if the Sekonic L-358 can be used with rechargeable batteries such as the RCR123A by Tenergy? I emailed Sekonic tech support a few months ago but they never responded.

I cant answer your question but the regular battery last about a year, I question if its really worth it.

Grend said:

Does anyone know if the Sekonic L-358 can be used with rechargeable batteries such as the RCR123A by Tenergy? I emailed Sekonic tech support a few months ago but they never responded.

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http://www.TheSBimage.com

I don't know if you'll get an answer from Sekonic other than "we don't recommend it." I agree with the other poster that if your goal is saving money, I generally change my light meter battery once a year if it needs it or not (usually not, but I do anyway to be safe) and I use the pocketwizard card which should drain the battery quicker. Rechargeables would need to be recharged every couple weeks, not just because of their lower capacity but also their tendency to drain even when not being used.

It would be an interesting study to determine which is worse for the environment to buy one new battery each year and recycle the old one or recharging a reusable battery 26 times a year. How many recharges are the recharbables good for before they deteriorate?
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~Kurt

I have not used rechargeables in my 358 because the Lithiums that are specified for it last forever. I use mine with the PW transmitter built-in and I haven't had to replace the battery in over a year.

I would not use rechargeables because when they start to lose their charge, they put out less power. This may cause the meter to be incorrect. At least with the regular batteries they work and then they don't. There won't be a point when they are putting out less power but still working.
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DeanT
http://www.tomasulastudio.com

I don't know about Tenergy but I used Delkin with my SU-800 last year. It started malfunctioning few weeks after I started using it. Checked the voltage on the battery and it was putting out 4.4V. Stopped using them and the SU-800 hasn't given me any problems since. I don't know how sensitive your light meter is to using 4.4V instead of 3.2, but would it be worth it?
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