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Test explores which rechargeable AA batteries work the best over the long term

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AA batteries are becoming less common amongst photographers as they once were as more flash systems switch to lithium-ion power solutions, but they haven’t disappeared altogether. Many devices do still require them, though, and so photographers and filmmakers still use them.

Some photographers opt for something like regular Duracell Alkalines because they’re just less hassle, but a lot go for rechargeables. How good are rechargeables over the long term, though? YouTube channel Project Farm has been abusing a bunch of different brands of AA battery over the last year, and now they’re taking a look to see which ones have withstood the test of time.

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This handy guide offers five tips to extend the life of your Godox and other Lithium-Ion batteries

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Godox has been getting an unfair, I think, hard time lately about its batteries. With reports of them spontaneously catching on fire or just dying completely. But as I’ve said before, this isn’t something that’s unique to Godox. The fact of the matter is that lithium-ion battery technology can be dangerous when not respected. Lack of proper care can also cause them to become useless fairly quickly, too.

In this video, photographer Wes Perry, who has a background in engineering and alternative energies, walks us through five simple tips to prevent our lithium-ion batteries from catching fire or exploding and to extend their life for as long as possible.

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Anton Bauer has shrunk their Titon SL batteries to pack more power into less space

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These days, almost everything we use for photography or video is battery powered, from cameras themselves to sliders, gimbals, monitors, lights, portable backup solutions and all other kinds of doohickies. One of the biggest names in batteries for photographers and filmmakers is Anton Bauer, but their batteries are shrinking, with the new Titon SL series offering larger capacities in smaller cases. We caught up with them at IBC 2019 to find out more.

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The Omnicharge Ultimate is a beast of portable AC, DTAP and USB power

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The Omnicharge Ultimate has a whopping capacity of 34,800mAh. This is a lot of juice. If you are looking for V-mount compatible, you’d be looking at about a 125Wh battery. But, I am jumping ahead of myself. Let’s start again.

The Omnicharge Ultimate is basically a power bank on steroids. It is similar to your 10,000mAh power bank that you carry everywhere because your phone battery gets nuked by midday. Only it is three and a half times as strong and features an AC outlet, a super-detailed LCD monitor, a variable DC output and a 3 USB ports.

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How I prevented a Godox speedlight from setting my studio on fire

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Yup, is a harsh title, clickbaity even. Sadly, it’s true. I do think that this story (and lesson) could have ended up very differently. Luckily, no one is hurt and no harm as done to my studio aside one dead battery.

I am a big Godox fan. I shoot quite a bit with the AD600, AD200 and the V860II for Sony. Well, mostly with the AD600 and AD200. The 860II is many times waiting in the drawer for when we need an extra light. Since it is rarely used, I don’t top off the battery. It usually stays in the drawer next to the strobe. I charge it before a shoot and sometimes after a shoot as well. Now, before I talk about exploding homes, let’s take a look at the tech that powers the V860II.

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DJI Matrice 200 drones are crashing due to faulty batteries, DJI says

DJI has recently confirmed that some of the Matrice 200 drones are randomly falling out of the sky. The drones lose power mid-flight despite the indicator showing that there’s more battery life. And after investigating the issue, it turns out that the problem is in faulty batteries.

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Portable power – Everything you ever needed to know about V-Mount batteries

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At one point, V-Mount batteries weren’t very common outside of high-end production. These days, though, they’re starting to become much more prolific as the devices that utilise them are becoming more affordable. But V-Mount batteries can be pretty expensive, which puts a lot of newcomers off even considering them. But should you?

In this video, Caleb Pike goes over just about everything there is to know about V-Mount batteries. He talks about the devices he uses them with, the various adapters available, powering multiple devices from a single battery, and even touches on battery capacity limits for flights.

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Everything you need to know about flying with Li-ion batteries and TSA restrictions

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Since the Samsung Galaxy’s exploding battery issue, people have become concerned about flying with Lithium-Ion batteries. TSA has some restrictions when it comes to carrying them on a plane, and it can be confusing and frustrating if you need to travel for a photo shoot. In this video, Jay P. Morgan shares plenty of useful information that will help you prepare your batteries for a flight and arrive happily and safely to your shooting destination.

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DIY Options for Charging Drone Batteries Off-Grid

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If you have a drone, sooner or later you’re going to want to charge your drone battery off-grid.

The problem is that drones use big batteries, so to charge a big battery you need an even bigger battery – a simple solar panel USB charger might be good enough to charge your phone, but it isn’t going to provide enough current to charge a drone battery.

There are a few commercial options available that can charge your drone batteries without an AC outlet, but I decided to build my own…(spoiler – don’t bother!)

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