There is some truth to each side of this issue. The representative from UnderDog and his pals from the camera companies agree that too many photographers do not understand how to prevent damage to their small, expensive, shoe-mount flash units. If smoke - followed by an odd odor and no flashing - is not your idea of good flashing...read on.

LOW VOLTAGE flash battery packs (UnderDog, Quantum's Battery 1+ & Bantam Battery and the old Texas Workhorse), and HIGH VOLTAGE flash battery packs (Dyna-Lite's Jackrabbit, Quantum's Turbo and Lumedyne's Minicycler) will not harm portable flash units if used properly.

P R O P E R L Y is the operative word.

Camera companies routinely trash the idea of using external battery packs (except their own). They'll mention how factory warranties will be voided and costly repair charges will result if it is determined a product other than their own has been used to power a broken flash in for repair. This misinformation will be heard at trade shows, during the NPPA's annual Flying Short Course tour, scheduled press events where camera repair clinics are operating and even over the phone when talking to camera company service departments.

If allowed to talk long enough, they'll have you believing the use of third party rechargeable external flash batteries is in some way responsible for troublesome fluctuations in the stock market, has been linked to male pattern baldness, might damage the camera's tripod screw mount and probably has something to do with hideous birth defects occasionally found among the usually good looking Komodo dragons in far away Indonesia.

Jon Falk Lights Ltd., Inc., presents BATTERY FACTS and THE RULE for safe operation right here.

FACT 1 - There is a huge difference between flash performance/stress on the flash (when comparing a wimpy set of 4-AA's to HIGH VOLTAGE [320 VAC] and LOW VOLTAGE [6 VDC] external flash battery packs). Trouble occurs when flashers don't know the facts and then fail to follow the rule for safe flashing. Most flash burn-outs using external batteries are caused by the person pushing the button on the camera. I know, I know, it's painful to be told photographers are sometimes their own worst enemies.

FACT 2 - LOW VOLTAGE external packs will recycle a flash faster than those stupid AA's, but not nearly as fast as a HIGH VOLTAGE external pack. It's easy to damage a flash using HIGH VOLTAGE packs (by shooting flash pictures repeatedly over a short period of time (say 36 full power pops in 36 seconds). This rapid method can overheat the flash tube or cause internal circuit damage to the flash. However, it's rare to experience a melt-down when using LOW VOLTAGE external packs, but it's been done. It never happens using AA's (see FACT 4 below). It won't happen with either external power pack if shooters don't "hammer" the flash (fire repeatedly on manual as fast as it will recycle) until it smokes and stinks.

FACT 3 - If an externally powered flash is set to moderate TTL/auto settings (say f:5.6, f:4.0), it will be nearly impossible to experience flash melt-down - no matter how fast the photographer mashes on the camera's shutter release button. Causing damage to a flash being used at moderate apertures will not usually happen. U S U A L L Y is the operative word.

FACT 4 - Those wimpy AA batteries can only cause harm to a flash if they leak vile stuff inside the flash unit's battery chamber. Using AA's WILL routinely result in longer recycle times, cause missed photo opportunities, be expensive to buy and act hostile to the environment. AA flash batteries will work just fine in audio-video remote control clickers, weather radios and pocket tape recorders.

THE RULE - When using an external battery pack, DO NOT trigger a flash repeatedly and rapidly if it is set to full power manual . . . without also allowing time for the flash to cool off between frenzied fits of flashing. The same rule applies when the flash is set to small aperture (f:16, 11) TTL/auto settings. Those who are wondering about TTL/auto flashing at f:8, it's a good idea to apply some cooling-off time there, too, especially if rapid flashing is required.