Batteries & Chargers for Digital Photographers

During any given wedding, we go through roughly thirty AA batteries. In the past, it has always been a huge pain to make sure they were all charged and ready to go. Also, typical consumer grade chargers are poor or ineffective at detecting a bad battery. So, I've finally invested in some decent chargers. The Vanson chargers are computer controlled and can charge from 1-10 AA or AAA batteries at a time. They charge each battery individually, rather than in groups or banks. This means that each battery is optimally charged and detected if it is bad. It's not the fastest charger available, but that's okay. As one of my mentors, Gino Lucadamo of Story By Photo pointed out, "Quick charge means quick deplete." This couldn't be more true with the high-drain flashes we use. Also, there has been much debate on which batteries are best. Most often pro-photographers are using either Energizer or Powerex batteries. I personally prefer the Energizers because they are readily available and I don't have to go through the hassle of ordering them if I have a few batteries go bad. Both however significantly outperform non-rechargeable batteries.