p.2 #1 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
stanj wrote:
I do exactly the same, Ron. one of the important things to consider is that the actual power strip/power cube is voltage independent (100-240V). I blew the circuit breakers on a cruise ship twice by plugging in a US-specd power strip. Since then I use Anker power cubes. They have three borderline useless USB ports in them, but most importantly they're genuinely voltage independent, and no problems since.
I agree that many hotels have only one power plug that's free, and usually it's buried somewhere inaccessible, and this solves the problem, paired with a multi-port PD power brick
When I search for Anker power cube, I find a device to wirelessly charge 3 Apple devices simultaneously, which I doubt is what you were talking about. I did find the Anker 321 Power Strip which seems closer. Is that what you have? If not, can you post a link?
p.2 #2 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
vbnut wrote:
I did find the Anker 321 Power Strip which seems closer. Is that what you have? If not, can you post a link?
Yes that's the one. I think back in the days they made one with more power but that's mostly irrelevant as it was insignificant. This one is multi voltage, you can buy a single plug adapter "whatever-to-US" and then plug US based things into it, such as my favorite power brick of which I have at least five.
p.2 #3 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
I have several including this fancy Anker 160W to power my gambling laptop and other stuff. I like that it has an internal temperature display and BlueTooth to monitor if it is getting too hot.
p.2 #4 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
stanj wrote:
I do exactly the same, Ron. one of the important things to consider is that the actual power strip/power cube is voltage independent (100-240V). I blew the circuit breakers on a cruise ship twice by plugging in a US-specd power strip. Since then I use Anker power cubes. They have three borderline useless USB ports in them, but most importantly they're genuinely voltage independent, and no problems since.
I agree that many hotels have only one power plug that's free, and usually it's buried somewhere inaccessible, and this solves the problem, paired with a multi-port PD power brick
You can find plenty of power strips online that have a NEMA 15 (USA/Japan) plug and are rated 240V. Otherwise you can use a simple USA power strip with no electronics. We do see people using power strips, etc. with MOVs and other electronics (like USB power ports) that are fit only for 120V.
It's a good idea to test products at 240VAC in the States with a 2:1 power transformer made for the purpose. I do this as burn-in testing anyways.
p.2 #6 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
vbnut wrote:
One more question. What makes the USB ports borderline useless? I assumed I could use them to charge my phone, earbuds, etc.
20w max. The 4-port battery charger I recommended requires 65w. An iPhone can charge at around 35w. My MBP at 100w and 145w, respectively. So you can slow charge your phone with it, or your headphones. But nothing "real", which is fine, because that would create heat and that's what the power bricks are for.
p.2 #7 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
EB-1 wrote:
I have several including this fancy Anker 160W to power my gambling laptop and other stuff. I like that it has an internal temperature display and BlueTooth to monitor if it is getting too hot.
The beauty of "mine" is that it comes with firm slip-on adapters for UK, EU, AU. The UK one is super useful for airplane use because that baby is not coming out (US plugs are about the worst for this purpose). So for travel purposes, I have found these to be unbeatable.
p.2 #8 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
stanj wrote:
The beauty of "mine" is that it comes with firm slip-on adapters for UK, EU, AU. The UK one is super useful for airplane use because that baby is not coming out (US plugs are about the worst for this purpose). So for travel purposes, I have found these to be unbeatable.
FWIW, the one at the Amazon link doesn't seem to come with those adapters.
p.2 #9 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
vbnut wrote:
FWIW, the one at the Amazon link doesn't seem to come with those adapters.
I just clicked on the link in my post and it comes with the UK and EU adapters. Over the last 4 years I bought older versions that also came with the AU plug, which you now have to buy separately. I used to fly to AU all the time so it mattered to me at that time, but may be irrelevant to most people, which is I guess why they saved a few pennies.
The Anker doesn't come with the adapters; that one you would have to plug into your own adapter. The problem with that is less the extra cost as the connection: the US plug is notoriously unstable, it tends to fall out of just about everything, including a plug adapter. "My" brick has the advantage that the supplied plug adapters are firmly locked in place and can't be trivially dislodged.
p.2 #10 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
I have a bunch of PD power supplies such as 45/65/100/140/160W and they are all fine in a power strip. I'm not counting on wasting a precious wall outlet in many locations like on safari with just one PD charger. Or even so the outlet may be in a weird place. So many items don't charge with PD anyway or need a special 2-pin NEMA 15 charger.
p.2 #11 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
stanj wrote:
I just clicked on the link in my post and it comes with the UK and EU adapters. Over the last 4 years I bought older versions that also came with the AU plug, which you now have to buy separately. I used to fly to AU all the time so it mattered to me at that time, but may be irrelevant to most people, which is I guess why they saved a few pennies.
The Anker doesn't come with the adapters; that one you would have to plug into your own adapter. The problem with that is less the extra cost as the connection: the US plug is notoriously unstable, it tends to fall out of just about everything, including a plug adapter. "My" brick has the advantage that the supplied plug adapters are firmly locked in place and can't be trivially dislodged....Show more →
Oh, I misunderstood. I thought you meant the Anker came with adapters.
That brick does look sweet. The only problem is that it doesn't come with a South Africa converter
p.2 #12 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
vbnut wrote:
I'm going on a photography safari with Pangolin in October, 3 days on the Chobe River and 3 days in Chobe National Park. I'm planning to take two R5IIs, although I clearly can only shoot with one at a time, and I'm trying to figure out how many batteries I need to bring to get through each day, and presumably charge them each night. I don't chimp a lot, but I do have precapture turned on most of the time, and I do shoot a moderate amount of video (both of the latter are relatively new, which is why I'm uncertain).
For those of you that have taken the R5II on a safari (or other intense camera usage situations), how many batteries did you go through in a day?
Can you characterize the camera usage that gave rise to that battery usage?...Show more →
Been on that trip. Fabulous.
2 R5 MkIIs with an extra battery for each. Occasionally used the second battery. (mostly on the RF 100-300 f/2.8)
Easily charge everything overnight on the boat or the hotel. If i recall there were charging points in the land vehicles as well.
I don't shoot video so all stills. Lots of pre-capture. That's why I needed the second battery on the cam with the 100-300 as I used it a lot with the 1.4TC.
p.2 #13 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
Any recommendations for a power adapter that covers types C, D, G, M, and N?
10 years ago, I purchased a 5-pack of Ceptics adapters. It includes types C and G, but none of the others. I'm considering this one, which should cover just about everywhere (I can take only the types I need), but I'm wondering how reliable/rugged the plugable SWadApt technology is. Anyone have any experience with it?
p.2 #14 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
I'm sure the one you listed is fine if not pulling much power from the USB. I've used this Septic one with 33W PD for a while, but not in so many countries. I also use these kind of Septic plug adapters in Africa/UK countries. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZD5T3E?th=1 They have a bunch of different kinds.
Are you traveling for months at a time and need so many outlet types in just one adapter?
p.2 #15 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
EB-1 wrote:
I'm sure the one you listed is fine if not pulling much power from the USB. I've used this Septic one with 33W PD for a while, but not in so many countries. I also use these kind of Septic plug adapters in Africa/UK countries. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZD5T3E?th=1 They have a bunch of different kinds.
Are you traveling for months at a time and need so many outlet types in just one adapter?
EBH
My trip is less than 4 weeks, but I'll be spending nights in 5 different African countries. Pangolin sent me a PDF showing I might need type C, D, G, M, and N. I couldn't find anything that had only those 5, so I figured I might as well get one that will cover those plus anything I might need for future travel.
I have not one yet, so cannot verify their claim of approximately two hours to charge two batteries simultaneously, but should receive one in the next couple days. Based on appearance, a benefit would be its smaller size and how it nearly envelops the batteries, meaning that charging while on the go and while attached to a power bank would more likely ensure the batteries stay properly connected and might be more easily tucked into the nook of a bag, etc.
p.2 #17 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
It looks like there are some issues leaving the batteries in the charger like melting. There is also an indicator light for overheating, which is not a very good sign. Without any cooling in a 2oz. cahrger and the enclosed design I imagine the battery may get warm.
I'm assuming it is yet another of the not-really-smart 2-wire chargers.
It might actually charge at 1.2A which is more than some 1A chargers but not twice as fast as any but some cheap chargers of old times.
I already have over a dozen chargers of various types; not sure if it is worth trying this one.
p.2 #18 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
We'll see... the selling point for me was that it can charge two batteries simultaneously via USB and is small. Two hours is OK because I generally don't have a dire shortage of available batteries. But sometimes events are such that if they run long enough, it would be convenient to have 2-4 batteries charging and usable, just in case.
p.2 #19 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
My recollection, from several years ago, when I was investigating rechargeable AA and AAA batteries and chargers for devices around the house, is that fast charging and long battery life are largely in conflict. I don't know if that is still the case.
One of the reasons I started this thread was to try to ensure that I would have enough battery capacity that I only need to charge at night (and maybe during a break in the middle of the day), especially since it seems unlikely that I will be able to charge in the safari vehicles.
p.2 #20 · R5II battery usage on safari (or other intense camera usage situations)?
I generally agree you want to charge on the slower side, but there are times when you might need faster. From all I've read, repeated fast charging will impact battery longevity. But it's not like you only get a handful of charges. One graph I recently saw suggested that very rapid charging of LiFePO4 batteries (which I believe are a different chemistry than what is in the LPE6P batteries) can cut lifespan down from ~3000+ charges to ~500. But that also doesn't necessarily mean the batteries are dead after that number of charges. Usually these stats quote charge cycles until a battery reaches 80% capacity compared to new.
The charge time for the SmallRig charger isn't much different from Canon's own charger, so I'm not that concerned it will be overly harmful for the batteries. EB-1's point about the batteries being mostly enclosed is a valid concern if there is excessive heat build up, which could be the case if it was a true rapid charger. Probably a reason why the charger Stan linked, the batteries are mostly exposed to air circulation. The one review where the charger melted suggests by the wording that it happened while using the charger just to hold the batteries. This would be somewhat concerning, but there has only been one review about such a problem. More common is the complaint that it does not consistently charge Canon branded batteries to 100%. We'll see how significant this is. But from my perspective, the portability of this charger and the likelihood that it will be useful while in the field, general outweighs whether or not it charges to only 85-90% rather than 100%.
With a charger like the SmallRig, you could charge while in a vehicle via a suitable USB battery with less concern about the charger being disturbed and batteries being knocked loose. I should receive the charger Monday and while I don't have much scheduled in terms of shoots, hopefully I'll be able to give it a rundown and observe if there are any obvious heat concerns.
