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Product Description
Canon CP-E4 Compact Battery Pack: Batteries in your Speedlite 580EX II, MT-24EX and MR-14EX flash units will usually provide more than enough power for most uses but sometimes you want to take lots of pictures with flash, the flash needs to recycle really quickly, you might want to use a high power burst of flash frequently. The Canon CP-E4 battery pack provides an extra power source to help you to do this.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By Path
I have BOTH the Canon CP-E4 and some 8 battery power supply from a knockoff company named Yangshuo. I am writing because I have something very simple to say that can help lots of people...
THEY ARE IDENTICAL. So much so that I think the knockoff one must be the OEM for Canon. I mean the dimensions, the curve, the texture, the hole, the cord, the sleeve, the plastic hardness, etc. it's IDENTICAL (except for the label).
Do yourself a favor and save. This is not like some high-tech device, it just holds batteries. Pay $160 or pay $40. Even $40 is high for a rectangular piece of plastic.
Question to my fellow shooters... I don't know how to tell when the batteries are low (other than vague lag time). The problem is I have rechargeables in this thing to prevent drainage of my lithium batteries in the flash, but I end up killing the lithium because I was unaware the power was out from the battery pack. I guess I wish it had a select switch so I could clearly choose which power source to draw from.
THEY ARE IDENTICAL. So much so that I think the knockoff one must be the OEM for Canon. I mean the dimensions, the curve, the texture, the hole, the cord, the sleeve, the plastic hardness, etc. it's IDENTICAL (except for the label).
Do yourself a favor and save. This is not like some high-tech device, it just holds batteries. Pay $160 or pay $40. Even $40 is high for a rectangular piece of plastic.
Question to my fellow shooters... I don't know how to tell when the batteries are low (other than vague lag time). The problem is I have rechargeables in this thing to prevent drainage of my lithium batteries in the flash, but I end up killing the lithium because I was unaware the power was out from the battery pack. I guess I wish it had a select switch so I could clearly choose which power source to draw from.
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful
By M. Scott
I'm a wedding photographer by profession. I put off buying this because it was so expensive and I was doing just fine carrying extra batteries and changing them when I noticed they were running low. I purchased it the other day because I was getting sick of missing 1 or 2 out of 5 pictures in quick-sequence shots (bouquet-tossing, cake cutting, etc).
After just one shoot, I have completely fallen in love with it. I was able to fire off sequences without missing anything, it recycles my flash supremely quickly and I only wish I'd bought it sooner. I will actually be getting rid of my 430ex backup flash so that I have two flashes that are compatible with this.
After just one shoot, I have completely fallen in love with it. I was able to fire off sequences without missing anything, it recycles my flash supremely quickly and I only wish I'd bought it sooner. I will actually be getting rid of my 430ex backup flash so that I have two flashes that are compatible with this.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
By Jim Krupnik
Amazon Verified Purchase
I have been using the CP-E3 as a high voltage battery pack for my two 580EX, and single MT-24EX flash units. It works very well. It's light, carries 8 AA NiMh batteries, and will power an entire wedding shoot without choking.
When the 580EX II flash was announced, it featured weather sealing, and the weather sealed CP-E4 was announced at the same time. I added a 580EX II to my flash arsenal, and recently bought a CP-E4 to go with it. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the CP-E4 is pretty much identical to the older model, except for the weather sealing. It is so nice to not have to worry about rain invading the battery pack, and the new flash connector also makes a water tight seal at the flash unit.
As a bonus, the old 580EX unit is not weather sealed, but when used with the new CP-E4, it's high voltage connection IS sealed. That makes a huge difference when shooting in misty drizzle. The CP-E4 is a perfect update to the CP-E3, which was almost perfect to begin with.
Besides, at it's current price, it is easy to have backup units with fresh batteries ready to go at a wedding or other shoot.
When the 580EX II flash was announced, it featured weather sealing, and the weather sealed CP-E4 was announced at the same time. I added a 580EX II to my flash arsenal, and recently bought a CP-E4 to go with it. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the CP-E4 is pretty much identical to the older model, except for the weather sealing. It is so nice to not have to worry about rain invading the battery pack, and the new flash connector also makes a water tight seal at the flash unit.
As a bonus, the old 580EX unit is not weather sealed, but when used with the new CP-E4, it's high voltage connection IS sealed. That makes a huge difference when shooting in misty drizzle. The CP-E4 is a perfect update to the CP-E3, which was almost perfect to begin with.
Besides, at it's current price, it is easy to have backup units with fresh batteries ready to go at a wedding or other shoot.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By Photoleif
Amazon Verified Purchase
The Canon CP-E4 battery pack holds 8 AA batteries and provides the active professional and semi-pro photographers the ability to shoot hundreds of flash photos before re-loading batteries. Mine has seen moderate use for 4-1/2 years, and still looks great, works as well as day 1, and I expect will continue to provide service for many more years.
Pros
* Provides 12 AA batteries total (8 in this pack, 4 in your 580EX II or other high-end speedlite) for many hours of shooting
* Includes two mounting methods (belt and velcro strap for a stand or bracket)
* Ballistic nylon construction is very tough, essentially indestructible for what photographers do
* Case has two closures (snap and velcro)
* Provided 1/4-20 screw to mount it to your rack
* Internal plastic case is tough and will withstand abuse when housed in the protective nylon case
* The internal plastic case can be reversed so the coiled power cable comes out either the left or right side of the nylon case
* Refresh rate is extremely high with fresh batteries (especially NiMH, which are ideal for flash refresh)
Cons
* High price but worth it for a buy-once, use-forever item
* Provides only one output (fine for single 580EX II or higher users, but if you have two such flashes, you need two battery packs)
* Lacks a semi-sticky surface directly below the strap side, to keep it from sliding down a light stand (can be remedied, of course, but Canon should have done this for us)
* The battery case (the hard plastic inner one) cannot be top-bottom reversed so the power lead comes out at the snap side. It only exits at the Velcro side, which essentially requires you to make some noise when you remove it.... Read more ›
Pros
* Provides 12 AA batteries total (8 in this pack, 4 in your 580EX II or other high-end speedlite) for many hours of shooting
* Includes two mounting methods (belt and velcro strap for a stand or bracket)
* Ballistic nylon construction is very tough, essentially indestructible for what photographers do
* Case has two closures (snap and velcro)
* Provided 1/4-20 screw to mount it to your rack
* Internal plastic case is tough and will withstand abuse when housed in the protective nylon case
* The internal plastic case can be reversed so the coiled power cable comes out either the left or right side of the nylon case
* Refresh rate is extremely high with fresh batteries (especially NiMH, which are ideal for flash refresh)
Cons
* High price but worth it for a buy-once, use-forever item
* Provides only one output (fine for single 580EX II or higher users, but if you have two such flashes, you need two battery packs)
* Lacks a semi-sticky surface directly below the strap side, to keep it from sliding down a light stand (can be remedied, of course, but Canon should have done this for us)
* The battery case (the hard plastic inner one) cannot be top-bottom reversed so the power lead comes out at the snap side. It only exits at the Velcro side, which essentially requires you to make some noise when you remove it.... Read more ›
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By "Clark W."
Amazon Verified Purchase
This pack really helps to extend the performance of a canon 580 EX flash, and is a must for wedding work and other long shoots. The enhanced weather sealing is also a good feature. Besides the price, my only concern is that the top, where you thread a stap through seems flimsy. It's also right where the seam in the plastic housing is. Most photographers that I have seen using it have attached their straps through the belt loop on the nylon protective sleeve,and this causes the unit to hang a bit awkwardly. Why not also include a cheap strap with it? I'm also concerned that the connecting cord is permanently attached to the unit. Cords have a tendency to eventually need replacing, and that doesen't seem possible on this unit. Overall though, it does do the job.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Product/Expensive
I would expect this to last than the cheapy one I bought. I got this 1st before I got the cheapy one. So you can really tell the difference by just holding it. Read more
Published 6 days ago by J. YAP
5.0 out of 5 stars
nice
this can let the flash get more fast to repower or rechager to the flash and can make the flash working much more longer time.
Published 7 months ago by Chuang
5.0 out of 5 stars
Paying the extra money for the name brand product saves you time and...
I purchased the Pixel TD-381 battery Power Pack for for Canon Speedlites 580EX II, EX580, EX550, MR-14EX,MT-24EX, extremely stable fast recycle time 1.24S first to save some money. Read more
Published 16 months ago by D. Brennan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent product
I am a professional photographer and this is a perfect product. I don't have to change more batteries in one wedding night.
Published 19 months ago by Mariano
5.0 out of 5 stars
an excellent battery pack
I use it for my Canon 580EX II's - these battery packs are irreplaceable - they allow the flashes to be used without any stress for battery change during use and provide quick... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Hafizh
5.0 out of 5 stars
For heavy flash users, this thing is a must.
To get this out of the way up front, yes it's expensive relative to the cheap knockoffs. However what you get with the Canon branded unit is a guarantee of quality that you don't... Read more
Published 21 months ago by J. Howell
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must have for wedding photographers
I'm a wedding photographer and i was looking for a solution to changing out my flash batteries so often. I found a great solution with this extended battery pack for the flash. Read more
Published on April 30, 2011 by Cors
3.0 out of 5 stars
two of mine blew up
I shoot a lot of roller derby, and these work great with my 580 flashes-- doing everything as advertised. Read more
Published on December 27, 2010 by jason
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent product compared to the high cost ones
I ordered 2 of the CP-E4 and and very happy on there performance. It has reduced the flash recycle time by 5 to 6 seconds and almost double the battery life. Read more
Published on October 19, 2010 by Juan Rivera
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great addition, but no longer the best option.
I've had the CP-E4 for a couple years now, and use it every time I go out. It adds that extra bit of power to the 580EXII to get you through the day (or shoot, as the case may... Read more
Published on July 17, 2010 by MiRSD
