Bruce n Philly
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 R5/R6 - Battery / Coupler / Charging in the field - lessons & questions | |
UPDATE- SOLVED: Per Joe Tomasone, I purchased a higher output PD battery, a RavPower 20000mAh 60W PD and it will power the camera (without a battery grip) fine. I got 20/fps in electronic shutter (did not use mechanical or 1st curt)... I shot lightly for seven hours and the battery showed one light out of four dark. I view this issue as solved. All you need is the high output PD battery and a USB cable (included with battery). The lower output Anker I noted below still works well but as a charger only and you can charge in between shooting... but get the higher power unit and be done with this issue for good... and for only $50... less than the price of a Canon NH battery.
RavPower 20000mah, 60W PD battery:
https://www.amazon.com/Portable-RAVPower-20000mAh-High-Capacity-Compatible/dp/B082PGS78L/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=60w+usb+battery&qid=1606412052&sr=8-2
60 w PD Charger to charge the battery, it charges up the battery from 50% in like 1 hour… amazing :
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-5-Port-Charger-Ports-Delivery/dp/B07PBCKZZ4/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=amazon+basic+charger+5+port&qid=1606412154&sr=8-2
The two biggest makers of these batteries are RavPower and Anker… both are good.
Update:
UPDATE:
Both JoeTomasone and Atlasman2, are running their R5s using an Anker PowerCore+ 26800mAh PD 45W with 60W PD Charger bundle.
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Issue: I am unsatisfied with this R5's battery life. Sorry, no way around saying it, for me, it sucks.. so...
Questions:
1) Will Canon's DR-6 dummy battery coupler present itself as an NH battery and give you GREEN H+ shooting?
2) Anyone know of alternative DR-6 dummy battery coupler that presents itself as an NH battery?
For 2 above, I tested a Gonine alternative with an Anker battery and it runs the camera for basic shooting but not giving GREEN H+ shutter speeds. I found an alternative on Ali-Express that claims to be NH but.. I am not wasting my cash to test that one.
The Canon DR-6 is currently out of stock where I looked.
I am shooting birds in flight for the most part with a tripod. Here are my lessons learned and some questions for others. Maybe you can post your lessons etc. so this thread can be of service to those just acquiring their new R5 (and I suspect R6).
Dealing with Batteries Only
The following is unacceptable to me, but what I was doing: Just using batteries, it appears you are stuck with either buying a bag of batteries and or setting you camera to continually shut down to conserve battery life. My settings:
- Display 30 sec
- View Finder 3 min
- Auto Power 10 min
The problems with this approach are three, 1) Canon batteries are expensive, 2) the camera is a bit slow to wake.. it appears to me to wake in two stages, the first is the sensor/viewer becomes active, then the focus system comes on line. I have lost shots when the camera was asleep (not Auto Power off) and a bird burst into view, and 3) Older Canon batteries may or may not give you GREEN H+ shutter speeds.
Use of non-LP-E6NH Batteries
I only tested using Canon batteries. I tested using the supplied LP-E6NH, a LP-E6N (old), and a LP-E6 (real old). All batteries had a full charge and are very usable. They all operated the R5 fine for basic shooting.
Summary:
- Using Mechanical Shutter, NH and N gave me GREEN H+, the E6 did not.
- Only the NH would charge in camera.
In the Field Battery Charging
This can be done in two different ways, charging a 2nd battery off camera using a charger powered by a big battery or charging one battery inside the R5 using a big battery that has Power Delivery (PD) protocol. I chose the latter, to charge the battery right inside my camera while shooting. It works but has issues. See pic below for how I configured my camera, tripod, and battery.
Parts:
- Anker 20000 Essential PD w/supplied USB C-C cord $50 (a 10000 model will work well and is cheaper)
- Strain support thingy supplied with your R5
- Long Velcro straps
I left the battery plugged in the whole day while shooting. No issues at all. The camera will not use the external battery for operation via the USB C port, only for charging... it is either operation or charging, not both. The camera will charge from two different states:
1 - Power switch off - turn the camera switch to OFF, and green lamp lights and the battery charges
2 - Auto Power Off - with your camera switch to ON, when the camera auto powers off, the green lamp lights and the battery charges. It will not charge with just your Display and or View Finder timing out.
This can work well depending on how ready your camera needs to be... with some dead time, this work very well. If your camera needs to be at the ready all the time, this will not work.
Charge vs Discharge timing: It appears ... not real sure... that the battery discharges at a bout the same rate as charging... maybe. I ran some tests and using the Anker battery, I charged it undisturbed in camera for 1/2 hour and it charged: 69% to 89% in 1/2 hour.
How much was drained from my Anker 20000 PD battery after being plugged into the R5 for about 7 hours? Like nothing... seriously, the thing still showed full power. So.. the 20000 model is overkill; they make a cheaper 10000 PD unit that I am sure is fine.
What does Canon say about Power Delivery compliance? I don't know. Canon would not say when I contacted Canon Support Services. The Canon USB Power Adapter part number is PD-E1... so it appears... appears.. to be a PD compliant interface. If so, and I believe it is, any PD battery can be plugged into this port.
Using a DC, Dummy Battery Coupler
Now in the field, using a DC Coupler will require it to be attached to a battery. I purchased, for testing, a Gonine ACK-E6 coupler from Amazon for $29. This consists of two items, a dummy battery for the insertion into the R5, and a coupler. The side of the coupler that attaches to a battery via USB C-C is Power Delivery compliant. So it is a perfect marriage to my Anker battery. The other side outputs 8.4 volts. I measured its output and it was spot on to what it specified. I measured the output of my fresh, fully-charged LP-E6NH and it output 8.3 volts (it is spec'd for 7.2v) so I am comfortable using this Gonine unit given it is only .1 volt off from a Canon product.
Not shown in the picture below, I used the Gonine setup out in the field. It powers the camera totally fine, but does not allow for GREEN H+. When I checked the battery information in the menu, it showed the battery to be a LP-E6.
Summary, this particular setup is not acceptable to me as I want the fast shutter. Maybe the Canon coupler will work?
What Does Canon Say?
I contacted support at Canon Professional Services twice.... in short, they do not support any product that is not Canon and would not comment on using a battery to power or charge the camera. They noted there are too many different products out there and they can't test them all.
There is some confusion, however, in that the support person and R5 manual denotes the Canon Coupler DR-6 will work on the R5. Neither B&H nor Canon Direct shows the R5 as supported by the DR-6 (I let the rep know this omission).
Canon does not sell an external battery solution via the coupler, only AC and car battery/cigarette lighter.
Now of course, you can present to Canon's DR-6 any power source that meets the requirements for input and a battery with a proper delivery circuit can do that, and of course, you will need the correct plug. What is a mystery to me, is will the DR-6 dummy battery present itself as an NH battery and give you GREEN H+. Anyone know this?
Some additional information for the curious... I tested the output those three batteries with fresh, full charges. They are spec'd for 7.2 volts but all output way more.
- LP-E6 8.18v Approx 8 years old
- LP-E6N 8.05v Approx 4 years old
- LP- E6NH 8.3v new
- LP- E6NH 7.67v w/59% charge
Oh, and this new Power Delivery standard is appearing to grow so you most likely will be buying a PD AC-to-battery charger in your future. To charge the Anker the fasted and safest way is to use a PD charger. I purchased an Amazon Basics 5-port PD charger for $27.
Peace
Bruce in Philly
Charging straight from a PD battery to the R5.. the lower output Anker battery works as a charger only and only with switch OFF or when camera auto-powers off. With the higher output RavPower battery, the camera works straight off of the external battery and does not touch the internal battery... and will run forever! Anker and RavPower are the leaders in these batteries and both make high powered units.
Anker PD battery and Gonine coupler.. will work fine for normal shooting but won't give H+ shutter.
Gonine coupler outputs 8.4 volts exactly as spec'd by Gonine, I tested my fully charged LP-E6NH R5 Battery and it output 8.3 volts.
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