If you’re a photographer or a filmmaker shooting in the field all day, you may need a solution to reduce the number of batteries and chargers you pack in your bag. X-tra battery offers a solution, and it seems like many creators are eager to get one. It has nearly twice more power capacity than most other batteries, it helps you get rid of additional accessories, and it spares you a few other headaches you may have when switching batteries. So let’s see what it has to offer.
In terms of power capacity, the X-tra holds 3,700 mAh, which is two times the charge of Canon’s LP-E6. of course, you could double the capacity by using two separate batteries within a battery grip. But with X-tra, you only need one battery so you’ll eliminate an additional piece of gear in your bag.
When it comes to the size, X-tra is similar to the battery found in the Canon 1DX. The physical profile of the X-tra extends just beyond the bottom of the battery compartment on compatible camera models, so it provides you with a solid grip.
There’s another handy feature of X-tra that will be useful for those of you who mix up fresh batteries with dead ones. It features a charge level indicator that will show you how much juice you have with the press and hold of a button. There are four illuminated indicators that will tell you what to hope for if you pop your battery into the camera.
There are times when you need your camera to work constantly beyond the life of a single battery (such as timelapse shooting). In such cases, you can plug the X-tra into another source of external power via a USB-C connection. It can be a wall outlet, a car charger, or another larger battery.
There’s another cool charging feature and it could be especially handy for vloggers. X-tra allows you to plug peripheral gear and accessories into the battery even while it’s in use by your camera. You can use the USB-C port to charge your LED light, external mic, or any other piece of gear.
The X-tra comes with a special fast-charging case which serves two purposes. First, it allows quick charging of your X-tra battery via USB-C. Second, the X-tra battery can be used as a power bank for any device when mounted in the charging case, so you can also recharge your phone on the fly.
The X-tra battery is, for now, compatible only with certain Canon, Sony, and Blackmagic cameras. Nikon compatibility is coming soon, but there’s no word on other popular brands like Fuji, Panasonic. or Olympus. Here are the compatible cameras:
- Canon: EOS R, EOS R5, EOS R6, 5D IV, 5D III, 5D II, 5Ds R, 5Ds, 6D, 6D II, 7D, 7D II, 90D, 80D, 70D, 60D
- Sony: α7 III, α7R III, α7R IV, α7S III, α6600
- Nikon: z6、z6 II、z7、z7II、Z50、D500、D600、D610、D750、D780、D7000、D7100、D7200、D7500、D800、D800E、D810、D810A、D850、P520、P530、V1
- Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K/6KB
The X-tra battery is available on Kickstarter. It’s been funded with over $36,500 out of $10,000 goal at the moment of writing this article, with 30 more days to go. One X-tra battery with the accompanying charging case costs $99, and it should start shipping globally in the first half of 2021. Make sure to check out the Kickstarter campaign for more details and prices of different offers, and if you like it – make your pledge.
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