Rechargeable Batteries- Sanyo Eneloop

The photographers quest for perfect batteries is never-ending.  There is NO perfect solution out there.  I've tried just about everything and for a long time gave up on rechargeables.  I'm not a wasteful person so running through batteries and throwing away money on them is incredibly annoying.  In my opinion, everyone shooting flash should be using rechargeables.  I have not tried every option out there by any means, but I've found a solution that works well for me.  Enter the Sanyo Eneloop battery.

(Product Shot taken with Nikon D3S, using SB-900 flash unit with LumiQuest SoftBox 3 under the batteries, and one SB-900 bare unit from above and left.  All triggered via PocketWizards.)

Not only does it look cool (coolness is very important to my generation) but it has the performance to back that up!  I used to use the energizer rechargeables and found myself disappointed that I would put the batteries in my flash, use them for a few shots, try and shoot the flash again a week later, and the batteries were almost dead.  The problem with most rechargeables is that they lose their energy very quickly if stowed away and not used within a few days of charging.