SmallRig has announced its new PowerADC battery system. The system is kicking off with three different batteries for Canon, Sony and Fujifilm. Naturally, these are third-party batteries as far as camera manufacturers are concerned – which probably explains why there isn’t one for Nikon.
Two things separate them from the OEM batteries bought from camera manufacturers. First, there is their claimed capacity. The second thing is that they don’t require a dedicated charger for that specific battery model. You can charge them up straight over USB-C.
There are three batteries in SmallRig’s new PowerADC system so far. There are the LP-E6NH for Canon, the NP-FZ100 for Sony and the NP-W235 for Fujifilm. All three batteries are 2400mAh capacity and contain all of the usual lithium-ion protection circuitry along with USB charging. As well as charging over USB, they do also support charging in the regular chargers for the batteries they replace.
Each of the three batteries comes supplied with a battery cover and a 0.6m USB-A to USB-C cable. The cable lets you charge it up from a standard USB charger or using a USB power bank on location. The batteries take 5v at up to 2.2 Amps. SmallRig hasn’t stated exactly how long they take to charge over USB but power banks and chargers with lower current limits will naturally charge more slowly.
These aren’t the first USB camera batteries available. Nitecore released their UFZ100 battery for Sony (buy here) last year, which we reviewed here. They likely won’t be the last, either. As pressure mounts on manufacturers against locking out third-party battery manufacturers, camera companies themselves may be forced to implement this at some point. Of course, OEM batteries will still cost way more than third parties, but at least they’ll be able to keep up with the latest tech and user demand.
Price and Availability
The SmallRig PowerADC range is available to buy now from the SmallRig website. The LP-E6NH for Canon and NP-W325 for Fujifilm are available for $39.99 each. The NP-FZ100 for Sony costs $44.99.
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