DSLR Battery solution wanted..

Tom D wrote:

"the_niner_nation" wrote in message
.. .

I am visiting Kenya, Africa in October for a 2 week safari vacation, and
very much looking forward to taking my Canon 400D along for the ride :-)

However, i have a challenge...my accomodation in Kenya will be a tent camp
(at varying locations) and as such, there isn't any access to electrical
power points etc ( or showers and toilets for that matter!)


I've gotten batteries from ebay in the past. Much, much cheaper than OEM.
I've not done any tests to see if they perform as well as the Canon
batteries. Since you have a while, maybe buy one and try it out. If it
performs sufficiently, then order a few more from the same supplier. Good
luck!

I got a 3rd party battery from Wolf camera for a Nikon D70, it crapped
out in 2 months & the replacement did too but others have done better
than me.

--
Paul Furman Photography
http://www.edgehill.net/1
Bay Natives Nursery
http://www.baynatives.com

"the_niner_nation" wrote in message ...

"cmyk" wrote in message ...
Hi,

I'll be doing the same sort of things in a few weeks - Nakuru - Masai Mara - Ngorogoro - Serengeti. I'll be using an EOS 30D,
with 8Gb storage and two batteries, plus a laptop, but I plan shooting somewhat more conservatively than you, so I expect to get
by just fine.

You could get some more batteries, or perhaps a voltage inverter to run your charger *and* media player from, via the safari
vehicle's battery.

Cheers



Ahh..I am in 2 minds about taking my lap top..my safari is on the rough'n'ready side...more rough than ready :-)

I also think i ought to shoot some RAW...I don't leave until october, so I have plenty of time to learn :-)

This is a dumb question....but where might i buy an 'inverter' ( i dont even know what one is!!) ??

Thanks!


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com


Hi,

An inverter converts DC voltage to AC, typically 10-15VDC to 230-250VAC.

One to suit your needs will cost £13.75 at Jaycar Electronics, and it'll supply more than enough power to charge both your camera
batteries and your media player at the same time. Do a search for 'MI5102' on the Jaycar Electronics website:
http://www.jaycarelectronics.co.uk

Cheers
--
cmyk

According to the_niner_nation :
I am visiting Kenya, Africa in October for a 2 week safari vacation, and
very much looking forward to taking my Canon 400D along for the ride :-)

However, i have a challenge...my accomodation in Kenya will be a tent camp
(at varying locations) and as such, there isn't any access to electrical
power points etc ( or showers and toilets for that matter!)

So, I now need a solution as I realise my 2 batteries for the 400d are NOT
going to be enough..I am hoping to take around 200-ish jpg photos a day for
9 days, and even storage is a problem, as I have an acrchos 500 media player
I was going to use to back up my photos onto, but using it would be a HUGE
drain on power for both the camera and the media player.

Note that as someone else suggested, the vertical grip also will
accept AA batteries.

There is probably a charger which will work from auto battery
voltage directly, so you don't need as much of a drain on the car's
batteries as an inverter would produce. (It is inefficient pumping the
voltage up from 12VDC to 120 VAC, then converting that back down in the
charger.

The Nikons (my D70 for example) have available (and it came
supplied with the D70, but not with later ones) an adaptor which will
accept three CR-2 cells and make them work in the camera. (There is a
projection on the adaptor to tell the camera that it is getting more
voltage than it would normally expect so it does not damage the camera.

CR-2 cells have a very long shelf life, though you can't get as
many shots from a set as you can from a fully charged normal Nikon
battery -- but you can buy a lot of them (they are expensive compared to
AA cells, but not compared to the rechargeable ones). I don't know
whether Canon offers a similar adaptor, but if so, it might make a more
compact way to carry enough batteries for the whole trip -- assuming
that the driver of the vehicle won't allow you to plug in overnight. (I
know that *I* would not, as a discharged vehicle battery in the middle
of a safari would be a quite awkward thing -- especially since the 2-way
radio probably operates from the same power source.

I carry the adaptor (pre-loaded with three CR-2s) in my camera
bag for emergencies, but normally operate from the two rechargeable
Li-Ion batteries which the camera was designed for.

If you are using IS lenses (VR on the Nikon side) realize that
they will draw the battery down somewhat faster than non-stabilized
lenses.

Enjoy your trip,
DoN.
--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

the_niner_nation wrote:
I am visiting Kenya, Africa in October for a 2 week safari vacation,
and very much looking forward to taking my Canon 400D along for the
ride :-)
However, i have a challenge...my accomodation in Kenya will be a tent
camp (at varying locations) and as such, there isn't any access to
electrical power points etc ( or showers and toilets for that matter!)

Does that imply moving in a car? Then an inverter will do nicely. The size
you need for charging batteries are neither expensive nor bulky and you can
get them anywhere.

Otherwise you may want to look for a lightweight solar panel and charger.

jue

Paul Furman wrote:
This is a dumb question....but where might i buy an 'inverter' ( i
dont even

Converts 12V DC into household AC (110V 60Hz resp. 240V 50Hz)

I seem to recall something like 250 watt $120

Yeah, but for charging batteries that is way oversized. 30-40W should be
fine.

jue

"Paul Furman" wrote in message
.. .

I got a 3rd party battery from Wolf camera for a Nikon D70, it crapped out
in 2 months & the replacement did too but others have done better than me.

I usually avoid imitation-look-alikes like the plague, but I have to say
that I make an exception with Canon batteries. A good clone (cell made in
Japan, battery assembled in China 1800mAH) in these parts goes for 1/3 the
cost of the genuine part, and lasts longer.

With regards to using AA cells in a battery grip - a word of caution - in
the 20D they're only good for about 60 shots (off memory, according to the
"manual") - I could never figure out why - but that's just the way it is.

Buy more battery packs.

On more up market safaris the vehicles will often have lighter sockets - get
a car charger for the camera batts; a couple of hours of game drive and they
will be recharged...
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-CBC-NB1-...tag=dogpile-20


Also check out solar chargers.
http://store.sundancesolar.com/sochforcanbw.html
http://www.solarhome.org/index.asp?P...ROD&ProdID=594

Otherwise it's a LOT of AA batteries.

I used the car charger option in a Land Cruiser through Pakistan up to K2
basecamp and kept both still and video camera batts charged over 2 weeks of
fairly intensive use.

Guy


the_niner_nation wrote:
I am visiting Kenya, Africa in October for a 2 week safari vacation,
and very much looking forward to taking my Canon 400D along for the
ride :-)
However, i have a challenge...my accomodation in Kenya will be a tent
camp (at varying locations) and as such, there isn't any access to
electrical power points etc ( or showers and toilets for that matter!)

So, I now need a solution as I realise my 2 batteries for the 400d
are NOT going to be enough..I am hoping to take around 200-ish jpg
photos a day for 9 days, and even storage is a problem, as I have an
acrchos 500 media player I was going to use to back up my photos
onto, but using it would be a HUGE drain on power for both the
camera and the media player.
I have friends kindly willing to loan me CF cards, so storage isn't a
HUGE problem, but what should i do about the battery problem?

I am willing to buy a further 2 MAYBE 3 more canon batteries, but
these things are not cheap at around £45 each.

All help appreciated

"the_niner_nation" wrote in message
.. .
I am visiting Kenya, Africa in October for a 2 week safari vacation, and
very much looking forward to taking my Canon 400D along for the ride :-)

However, i have a challenge...my accomodation in Kenya will be a tent camp
(at varying locations) and as such, there isn't any access to electrical
power points etc ( or showers and toilets for that matter!)

So, I now need a solution as I realise my 2 batteries for the 400d are NOT
going to be enough..I am hoping to take around 200-ish jpg photos a day
for 9 days, and even storage is a problem, as I have an acrchos 500 media
player I was going to use to back up my photos onto, but using it would be
a HUGE drain on power for both the camera and the media player.

I have friends kindly willing to loan me CF cards, so storage isn't a HUGE
problem, but what should i do about the battery problem?

I am willing to buy a further 2 MAYBE 3 more canon batteries, but these
things are not cheap at around £45 each.

All help appreciated

How about a cheap SLR and a bunch of film? I put a battery in my F3HP two
years ago--still going strong.

--
www.mattclara.com

On Mon, 07 May 2007 19:46:17 -0700, Paul Furman
wrote:

Don't cheap out, get a decent
one. Sell it to the driver when you're done if you don't need it! :-)

Don't cheap out!
*GIVE* it to the driver when you're done. :-)

--
THIS IS A SIG LINE; NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!

First Lady Laura Bush hosted a formal dinner
for Queen Elizabeth Monday. The dress code was
white-tie-and-tails for the men. They sometimes
had white tails at the Clinton White House but
the bunnies were always cleared out before
Hillary came home.

"the_niner_nation" wrote in message
...

"cmyk" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'll be doing the same sort of things in a few weeks - Nakuru - Masai
Mara - Ngorogoro - Serengeti. I'll be using an EOS 30D, with 8Gb storage
and two batteries, plus a laptop, but I plan shooting somewhat more
conservatively than you, so I expect to get by just fine.

You could get some more batteries, or perhaps a voltage inverter to run
your charger *and* media player from, via the safari vehicle's battery.

Cheers



Ahh..I am in 2 minds about taking my lap top..my safari is on the
rough'n'ready side...more rough than ready :-)

I also think i ought to shoot some RAW...I don't leave until october, so I
have plenty of time to learn :-)

This is a dumb question....but where might i buy an 'inverter' ( i dont
even know what one is!!) ??

Thanks!


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com


Or just get 12v chargers for everything. Personally I have both but then I
do a lot of camping.