Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Is that a power bank in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? That was my first thought when I was introduced to this beast delivering over 462Wh of power. That’s right, 124,800mAh at 3.7V.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love power. I always have a Xiaomi 20,000mAh in my backpack and I’ll take an Omni 20 or Ultimate out for production, but this… this is far beyond any photographer’s wildest dreams.
One of the biggest issues for photographers and filmmakers working on location is that of power. Many of us carry spare batteries of multiple kinds in our bags whenever we go out to shoot – for me, that’s usually 6 batteries each for 2 cameras, a couple of big USB power banks and my Novoo. Maybe a few LiPo batteries if I need LED lights. But all of those are a hassle.
Core SWX has an option that can help deliver power to all of my devices and more, cutting the number of different types of batteries one needs to take out with them. It’s called the Powerbase Edge, and we had a chat with Core SWX about it at NAB 2019.
I’ve been keeping an eye on portable power options for probably about a decade now. Most of my work is on location, I’m often away for several days at a time, and much of my equipment requires power or some kind or another.
Recently, I was asked if I wanted to check out the Novoo AC Power Bank. It looked an intriguing little unit so I agreed to have a look. While I waited for it to arrive I was expecting to be entirely underwhelmed, but it’s actually really impressed me.
If you are shooting with a Sony camera, you know that they eat and spit batteries faster than I eat M&Ms. One trivial options is carry another set of batteries (though originals are about $45 each). What I am doing is using off the shelf power banks to run the Sony for much longer than its original battery.
Now this is an idea I think we can all get behind. Anything that keeps us charged faster and for longer while out shooting can’t be bad. So, imagine being able to go out and shoot as much as you want for as long as you want without having to worry about your battery life at all. And if it does run out, you can recharge it in just a few seconds.
Such batteries are the vision of scientists at the Univercity of Central Florida, using supercapacitors. Supercapacitors store more energy and can be recharged more than 30,000 times without degrading. Using phones a a comparison, most phone batteries tend to last only around 1,500 charges before severe degradation kicks in. This is why your 3 year old iPhone barely lasts til lunch despite charging overnight.
If you’re a photographer on the move, you’re probably in a constant state of battery anxiety. Many of us carry a couple of USB battery packs with us, but with the new generation of USB-C computers coming to market, it’s possible to charge all of your gadgets – including your laptop -on the go using Anker’s new PowerCore+ power banks. [Read More…]
Tether Tools has announced the Case Relay system, a camera attachment that they claim to be the world’s first device that will allow you to provide uninterrupted power to your camera using a standard wall outlet or USB battery pack, such as the ones you use to charge up your smartphone.[Read More…]
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
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