With the addition of the Speedlite 580EX it occured to me that we needed more power to unleash the full potential of our new toy, I mean tool.

The new external Compact Battery Pack CP-E3 improves flash recycle times significantly and increases the number of firings before batteries need to be replaced.

The pack takes optional rapid-change magazines that can be loaded with 8 AA-size batteries prior to a shoot to ensure fast, smooth transitions from one battery set to the next - important in critical shooting situations or to keep up momentum in the studio.

The Speedlite 430EX does not have a high voltage port, required for the CP-E3. High voltage packs (Turbo, Jackrabit, CP-Ex) all require the high voltge port found on the older 430EZ & 540EZ, as well as the newer 550EX & 580EX. This battery pack reduces full power recycling time from about six to 1.7 seconds and increases the number of full-power flashes per charge from approximately 100 to 432. this is one of the reasons we went with the 580EX instead of the less expensive 450EX.