Battery power options for the Sony a6300, a6400, a6500 (and A7R II, A7S II, RX10 II)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ค. 2016
- UPDATED VIDEO HERE: • Sony Alpha Power Optio...
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Exploring several on- and off-camera battery options, and sharing my favorite DIY lightweight, professional looking on-camera power solution for less than $20.
No, this does NOT work on the a6000, A7 II, nor anything released earlier than the models listed in the title of this video. USB power is a relatively new feature.
*Below are affiliate links to products mentioned in the video. The small commission earned when these links are used makes these videos possible. If you're a person who buys stuff online, and you like this content, then you can have it all by clicking a link and buying yourself something nice... for the team. :)
Sony a6300
Amazon US: amzn.to/2uaCTu5
Amazon CA: amzn.to/31GSPl0
Amazon UK: amzn.to/2tA1ZkC
Drok USB 2.0 multimeter
Amazon US: amzn.com/B00J3JSEG6/?tag=pa202...
Amazon CA: amzn.to/352OTNl
QD 185-TY LED 18650 Battery Charger/Power Bank
*** This is apparently permanently out of stock on Amazon, but you might hunt it down on eBay.
6x Panasonic 18650 3400mah batteries
amzn.com/B00GS48XRE/?tag=pa202...
NP-FW50 Dummy Battery/AC
Amazon US: amzn.to/2ZuVjVM
Amazon UK: amzn.to/2ACTrMI
Amazon CA: amzn.to/34WbhIx
Parts for the USB power solution in the video -
Aukey PB-N37 5000mah Power Bank
Amazon US: amzn.com/B015E363IK/?tag=pa202...
Amazon CA: amzn.to/2QlAf0B
*** If this is out of stock you can substitute the Anker PowerCore 5000
Amazon US: amzn.to/2pD5z9O
Amazon CA: amzn.to/31GJPfK
Short right angle microUSB cable
Amazon US: amzn.com/B00S8GTVIK/?tag=pa202...
Amazon CA: amzn.to/2M5PMwa
4x Hot Shoe Screw mount adapter
Amazon US: amzn.com/B019T15TJM/?tag=pa202...
Amazon CA: amzn.to/31GTDGy
From a hardware store, you'll also need a 1/4"-20 nut or coupler, 1/4" rubber washer and a 1" Cushion Clamp/Wire Loom Clamp (be careful here, these vary wildly - the one I found at Lowes was good, as is the one at Home Depot - you want one that has longer tabs/flanges or whatever they are called).
#sonybattery #sonyalpha #battery #a6100 #a6300 #a6400 #a6500 #a7rII #a7sII #a7riii #a7iii #rx10II - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I've got an update to this video here: th-cam.com/video/O3moTEM3JZY/w-d-xo.html . It includes power information for the a7RIV / a7III / a7RIII / a9 along with *more* information for the new a6600, a6500, a6400, a6300 and a6100.
You can find the blog post for this video here: photonarmy.com/battery-power-options-for-the-sony-a6300-and-a7r-ii-a7s-ii-rx10-etc/
J
Hi jeff thanks for your very detailed vedio and may I know if this setup will be ol for Sony alpha A6000 ? Thanks.
@@nilangauyan3327 it lacks the USB power feature. It can only charge ( when switched off ) it cannot supply continuous power when turned on like other models.
@@Photonarmy thanks Jeff so dummy battery will be the only option then ? Isnt it?
@@nilangauyan3327 Effectively yes. You *could* use a USB battery, but it would only charge the camera while the camera is off. So if you're in the habit of turning off your camera between bursts... that can help, but it cannot supply power/charge while the camera is on.
@@Photonarmy I want continuous power for long time laps and so, will dummy battery setup work with couple of NP-F970 s?
What an elegant and effective solution. I actually like how that looks. I've been all over looking at cages and dummy battery connectors and the 970 as an alternative and it just looks and feels ridiculous. What I really like about this option is that, if you plan on using a mic or monitor or whatever, this works with a cold shoe mount so you could really place it anywhere on the cage. Really well done.
Outstanding solutions to power the Sony a6500 camera bodies. This is a fantastic solution. Thank you for all you have done for us.
super straight forward video, super well done and thank you....no going shopping or coffee time and then its 5 mins in and we get to the topic..,, rant over Jeff, just a very good example of a perfect tutorial .
Just scored an a6300 on Amazon and got a 20% discount on the camera and all the parts to build your excellent battery pack. Thank you for the links to all the parts great job.
that cylinder mount is pretty clever, I'm doing a modified version for my a6300 action video rig, I'll be sure to show you the results.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Wow excellent idea you saved me so much money, time and probably some annoyance with charging multiple batteries. I will invest in a few of the usb chargers at $10 each and have 12 + hours of power. Again thanks for posting this, looking forward to more videos on the a6300. Just bought mine.
Ingenious! Looks sleek too, as TechMadeEasy said, almost as if it was made for the 6300. Subscribed!
Wow I think this is the most simple & effective walk around thank you so much cant wait to try this with my A6500 when I get it in 2 weeks!!!
Regarding the constant energy draw, I think it has to do with the camera never truly turning off. Take the battery out and put it back in, it takes a longer time to power up. I think turning it off is putting it in sleep mode.
Makes sense...
Wow super good video. Good to see that multimeter analysis, very in depth!
Thanks for this video. Such a cool mod you created. I was going to go with a battery grip but might just try this first.
Looks really good aesthetically, as if it was made for the camera.
Thanks :)
Thanks man! Awesome info... just ordered the USB solution based on your recommendation!
Hi Jeff, thank you so much for this. I'm out all day taking videos of my kids and this seems a much better solution than pocket full of spare batteries, particularly given the over heating issues I've read about. I bought a smallrig cage and all being well will attach your solution to that. Thank you - Tim
Did this solution fix the overheating issues for you? I'm wondering because I can't find one that fixes it for me
Yes, no problem for me. It might depend on how long you record for at once. I rarely do more than 5-10 minutes with small breaks in between, but I'll do that all day. My gear is here amzn.to/2m7zfIQ and since I posted above I now use an upside down bullhead arm to hold the battery. Hope that helps - Tim
Great many options there Jeff. Thanks heaps mate. I love that mounted setup heaps but for me I use the 970 with the dummy battery inserted. I mainly do astrophotography so its mounted on a solid tripod for hours and he 970 is held on via Velcro. works a treat for my needs. I also use the a7s which is handy as they all use the same batteries as you well know. Love what Sony has introduced for us all to enjoy. Seems they have started the "advance" for tech to take us where Canon and Nikon didn't want us to be so soon. I am a confessed "ship jumper" from Nikon. Will never go back. just love this gear.
Thank you so much for doing all the research and sharing this totally thorough and super useful video.
Awesome guide. Will use the same setup. Thank you!
Just made this and it super awesome and easy , thanks Jeff for the info . Side not that if you are rocking a L Bracket that the angle wire jeff is using wont have the clearance to plug in . But the straight plug that comes with the Aukey Battery works like a charm
The best recommendation so far! Thanks.
Two questions:
Can the USB power solution you showed at the end work with a sony a7ii?
& does getting something like a battery grip for the camera along with the USB power make a signifiant difference as opposed to just the single battery and the USB?
Really great solution!!! Thanks for sharing this - it's been perfect for my timelapse work!!!
Thanks :) glad it's working out :)
Thanks aLots. A wonderful presentation about you such a excellent solution for power supply to A6300 camera.
I really appreciate you for this informative video making. Thanks again
Great solution for my a6300, thanks for sharing!
EXCELLENT video - working on battery solutions for my Sony RX 10 2 - I like the Aukey solution very much - WELL DONE SIR!
SUBSCRIBED!
that setup looks amazing...
Very thorough video, thanks a lot for verifying the power draw. I am planning on using the DTAP on the CAME-MINI 3 to power my camera and RodeLink from the main gimbal battery. Now I need to find out how much the RodeLink draws, since the adapter will only produce 1.6A from the DTAP.
Great video Jeff. As some have said on here it's the circuit inside drawing power. Nothing to worry about, it's just the way the whole camera circuit is set up. As you say, just disconnect if it's sitting overnight or packed away for a few days. I also found you can only charge original Sony batteries whilst in camera, 3rd part ones have to be charged out of camera in a battery charging cradle. Kind regards.
The battery draining stuff. I think I got a clue of that. When you pull out the battery and replace with a new one. The camera will require a lot more time to finish the boot up. If you just shut it off without removing the battery, the boot time will be super fast.
This happens to my A7 II. I think it's draining a little bit of power to keep the camera ready and steady when you want to use it. When I prepare my battery for the trip. I always put it in the camera and make sure that the camera has been switched on once. So when the time comes, I won't miss the opportunity to take some memorable photos.
Been reading on other forums it could be lens related, also
This might be the case. The camera is just powering the RAM.
I have a Samsung TL500 camera. The camera drains the battery when it is in the camera and the camera is shut off, so I never leave the camera with a battery in it. The camera, with all it's metal parts, represents a negative pole, even when it is shut off. The shut off switch is only there to turn the mechanism off, but the current continues to flow from the battery. This is, the way I see it, a deep problem which the manufacturers have not met face on, but rather left on the side for the consumer to fumble with.
It's not a bug, it's a feature XD
Excellent arrangement! Thanks for sharing..
Thanks, appreciate the note.
you didn't press record?!?
You, sir, are one thorough guy. Thank you so much.
Thanks for sharing this tip! Love the USB volt meter too.
Hi Jeff, great video, very well done. I've just noticed that the Amazon links for the USB power solution don't work, at least here in Italy. Cheers
Very well done and informative video. Thanks for sharing this...
Hi Jeff,
Think about the camera on/off circuit itself. The micro-controller must retain power just to recognize the on/off function.
There are other circuits that also need power, in order to bring the camera up to speed quickly when you do in fact power up.
So, a tip to your viewers...remove those batteries when you put the camera away for any length of time.
PCFXR4U
very helpfull video!
Thanks for this my friend.
Very nice DIY, another thing that you might consider doing is DIY for custom eyecup. Hoodman sells eyecups for some cameras but not for bridge ones like Sony RX10 (M1/M2/M3). It is really easy to adopt the Hoodman (or any other similar eyecup) to be used on other cameras with Sugru self setting rubber.
Many thanks for the link to the usb right angle cables. Much appreciated...!
Great video - how long do you get on a standard battery time wise and how much of a boost do you now get in terms of total time.
Great, helpful video, man! Thanks a lot.
if using POWERBANK, whether the original battery must be removed, or left at the location? if it remains at the site, did not keep overheating? If the original battery is removable, whether the camera can be ON only with POWERBANK?
When using USB to power the camera, the battery must still be inserted. The camera will consume about 2/3 power from the USB, 1/3 from the battery. when the camera is off the USB battery will charge the internal battery.
ok thank you for your clear explanation. very helpful.
great video, thanks for sharing. Might try it out on my a6300
Thanks for the easy to digest info. I'm a beginner and found this beneficial in understanding my camera and its power usage. I do have a thought on the power drainage even while it's off... does it still draw power if a lens isn't attached to it? Maybe that contact is somehow pulling power.
really helpful thank you , I do a lot of surf shoots and mains power can be hard to find, I have 11 batteries for my a7sii but that can still be worrying at times , the Aukey is dirt cheap and has stopped me worrying about where my next charge comes from
So the 5V option can only go through USB?
How about a 5V going into a 7.4V dummy battery via a USB > 5V DC cable?
Would it just not work? In your example you used 7.5V into the dummy battery.
BapMokja and Haeppy Correct, USB standard is 5V only. the camera will convert that to what it needs. the power coming from the battery does not get converted, so it needs to be what the camera wants (7.6v, give or take).
Thanks so much! Will look for some USB to dummy solution then! :)
The draining of the battery when in switched off condition is because, the camera needs some power to maintain your GEO data, date and time. The camera is designed to hold little charge in its capacitors tgat is barely to hold your GEO data and date/time, to a duration of changing your dead batteries. Remember, you will always re enter the GEO data and date/time every time you removed and loaded your battery for a long time.
I could get this thought being an Elect Engineer.
You gave a fantastic explanation about the ways and means of connecting different batt sources.
I may add a DIY for you to think it for you.
NP F970 battery charger is a throw away cost. Break and bring out the DC wires soldered to the terminals and connect to dummy battery socket.
To make a dummy battery, use a dead FW50 battery, breal and remove all the dead stuff and retain only the terminals. Connect a + and - wire well soldered and bring it outside. Close the broken battery box with a quick fix.
Now you can connect NP F950 7.5 v directly to this dummy battery.
Sorry, I could cone across your vid only now.
So the reply you wanted is delayed for 4 years.
Dr B N Rajan
Chennai
India
That was awesome. Best solution I've seen yet. I love Sony cameras and you can't deny they're kicking ass, but why the hell don't they come up with something like this?
This was an awesome solution!
Awesome small compact solution. Not sure what is drawing the power if its off.I was going to say Pre-AF but thats only if its on.
thank you very much for the info and all your work
This is gold! Great idea, 4x battery life on a gimbal coz its ligthweight setup. I’m on! Thanks!
What about overheating issue?
great video Jeff, going to use this system. Do you know of anyone who has removed the doors that protect the input ports?All they do is get in the way.
Great video! It happens to work just fine with the a6000. I did not like the right angle USB cord however. The angle points south (downward) and makes it awkward. Maybe a left angle would accommodate but a short USB cord works just fine. Cheers
first off all, you just made my day.
second is that everything what sony had built is a battery drainer, walkmans, game console, minidisk, and so on .
I don't know why, but sony was always having this problem
True story: The battery life in my Discman determined the duration of my study sessions in college. "Oh, it's dead already? Party time."
The draining of the battery when in switched off condition is because, the camera needs some power to maintain your GEO data, date and time. The camera is designed to hold little charge in its capacitors that is barely to hold your GEO data and date/time, to a duration of changing your dead batteries. Remember, you will always re enter the GEO data and date/time every time you removed and loaded your battery for a long time.
I could get this thought being an Elect Engineer.
You gave a fantastic explanation about the ways and means of connecting different batt sources.
I may add a DIY for you to think it over?
NP F970 battery charger is a throw away cost. Break & remove the charging board and bring out the DC wires soldered to the terminals and connect to dummy battery socket.
To make a dummy battery, use a dead FW50 battery, breal and remove all the dead stuff and retain only the terminals. Connect a + and - wire well soldered and bring it outside. Close the broken battery box with a quick fix.
Now you can connect NP F950 7.5 v directly to this dummy battery.
Sorry, I could cone across your vid only now.
So the reply you wanted is delayed for 4 years.
Dr B N Rajan
Chennai
India
Hi jeff, Great tip and very innovative. My question is related more to the adapter for your Canon lens. I have a Canon 10mm to 22mm f3.5-5.6. I used the Metabones 3 adapter presently. It seems to track slow on auto-focus of stills but horrible on video. You mention the Sigma MC11. What is your experience on auto-focus image tracking with that lens adapter? Possibly I should sell the 10-22 and the Metabones adapter and buy the Sony 10 to 18 f4. Any input on this?
Man love this. good work. cos i about to purchase the Cam but the over heating issue and battery life is what is pushing me away. hope the over heating issue is stopped by using this your method? please let me know. thanks
Great vid and a thumbs up. I want to move to mirrorless camera feom a gopro but i have the camera continuously record for 10 hours ever time i fish. Do u know a small and light camera that will not overheat and not freeze for 10 hours? Only gopro 4 has been able to do that. I bought and returned gopro 5 through 8 for freezing. I thought bigger cameras will not iverheat but i hear they still do. I just want a new camera that can take video all day.
very clean setup
I like your solution. I think the "OFF" power draw is perhaps a battery maintenance thing. I read that when storing for a long time Lithium cells should have a 1/2 charge in them. One other thing is the video possessor in digital still cameras (some more than others) get hotter than normal digital video cameras do and they do get warm.
This is fantastic !! Thanks for sharing 👍
This is such a good idea!
This is fantastic ergonomically. For some productions I can deal with a larger solution, but this is great for quite literally everything else. And it still looks pretty slick!
The power-draw-while-off thing is a phenomenon I've noticed with every alpha camera I've had. A7s, a7sii, and a6300. Maybe it's spying on our private conversations? Who knows! Hopefully enough concern will prompt a firmware update from Sony. Interesting and weird that it happens, though.
Thanks for the note. The power draw is odd, I still haven't found a solid reason for it to use that much (internal clock should draw something, but 40mA is crazy.)
very helpful video. Thanks for sharing.
Still haven't pulled the trigger on an A7 II but this video has taken me one step closer to doing so! Do you know of any good grip extenders (kinda like Fuji's), that aren't also battery grips?
great solution! thanks for sharing!
Dude. I really like this. Very cool. I could put my VideoMicro on top of that little 1/4-20 rod, then slap the whole thing on my Zhiyun Crane no problem should I ever need more juice. Might do that if I got to SEMA this October. Thanks!!
great video brother! got my sub!!!
Thanks so much for this this is genius!
I think that the camera may have a dc-dc convert to upconvert the 5V to 7,2V and that would explain the de 40mA drain it probably is build infront of the switch so that you can also use the higher power for charging the battery.
This sounds likely. Great video Jeff.
Yes. While there have been intermittent issues with phantom drain from the internal battery - it's MUCH lower than 40 mA. However, the camera is almost surely designed assuming external power is typically readily available and 40 mA isn't a problem - so the camera likely keeps the charger/BMS fully powered in case the battery needs any juice. Also, we know that the camera runs Android on the applications processor, and Sony may have implemented external charging in the same manner as Android where the CPU is operational and supervising the charging process. (Android calls this low power mode, or LPM - many users call it "charging when off"). Until very recently, Android devices would NOT enter suspend when externally powered, so the CPU would always be active (but idle) and 40 mA seems like a reasonable number for a very simple device in LPM.
As to the observation that the camera peaks at around 0.87A - I think the observation there is a current limit past which it draws from the internal battery is correct. If externally powered, with video recording in standby but feeding an external HDMI device - the internal battery WILL slowly drain.
Would be interesting to see an ammeter in line with the dummy battery.
its a damn 2 years and still i see now ^ that seems maybe correct
nice work man
Very good power solution.
Very elegante solution! Thanks for the video.
Great video, i just carry my power bank and plug it in while im resting between shoots.
Have you tested how long the small battery records/powers the battery for? The reason I ask is that I've been using 10,0000 mlAmp battery and in theory it should be able to power battery for a full day. Yet it only stays charged for about 3-4 hours in real world use. My stock Sony batteries run for about 1-1.5 hours a piece. I am interested in your option though! Also, I'm using an IndiProTools dummy cable with 7.4v limiter not in the battery portion, but the cable portion), and was wondering: does the camera have a limiter inside the USB port so it is safe to plug in my 10,000 mlAmp 9v/12v battery? Thanks!
great solution! thanks
what a great video man!!!
Well done. Nice video.
fantastic idea!....... brilliant!
Great video, I am using a similar setup with my A6300 which is the main reason why I got it. I have discovered that the camera by default will always need a charged battery in camera so it draws a trickle power from its battery while receiving trickle power from the the powerpack. Apart from keeping the clock running The camera may also be running background software to retain app settings and catche. Could it also be running background functions such as how the camera has the ability to send images via wifi after switching off when you have the sync app running and to send images when camera switches off. As an example...
What powers the display on the USB volt meter? If there is not a battery in it, maybe that's the draw that you are seeing when the camera is off? Thanks for the video - So many batteries for different devices - I have several power bars charging batteries constantly -
I am planning a trip to East Africa and will have an uncertain availability of electrical power on several (I hope intedrmittent) days so was delighted to read your solution of external power bank supply. One question - once charged , how long does the external power bank keep its power?
You are a godsend. THANK YOU!
@Jeff Ello I want to believe the reason it keeps drawing power is because turning the camera off isn't totally turning it off. That is why it is possible to transfer pictures to your phone when the camera is turned off.
Nice idea, you could have a bunch of those battery packs ready to swap in for very cheap.
love it! thanks! sir, what's the brand of that battery charger?
Thanks Jeff. Wonder if have to have the internal battery in when you use the Aukey setup? thanks again, Iz
The 0.04 am is NOT coming out of the camera's battery but rather of the USB power for feeding up to the internal step-up-voltage from 5v to 8.4v charging-circuit build-inside the camara, which keep converting the 5v to 8.4v, regardless to wither the camera's battery charging or not. So the camera itself doesn't suck power while off.
Once the external USB power disconnected, the build-inside camera charging circuit will not suck power from the NOT connected USB.
great idea. thanks for sharing.
FWIW, Sony PMW-EX1 camera could drain BP-U30 battery (14.4v 1.95Ah) overnight. Turned off.
Sony released firmware but it only marginally improved drain.
Great video, thanks
Great Review
Very interesting, thanks for that
thank you for the great video, but I plugged a USB power bank similar to yours in and it doesn't seem to work, does it matter what USB settings you choose on the Sony camera settings?
Amazing vdo! thank you
thank you for your video and interesting idea, but how you can shot with the camera while it charging ? which USB mode do you use ?
thanks so much for making this video :) about to shoot a airshow this weekend and am too cheap to buy another sony battery lol, plus i can always use a battery charger for on the go to charge my phone as well :) was looking at this same battery pack before watching this but was not sure if i should get a bigger pack of different shape one. now im for sure getting this one. how is the weight of pack. does it add much to the camera? also is that 90* usb cable the cable that came with the Aukey battery or did you buy that separate?
A better battery with a better reputation and customer service are the RAV Power power sticks. this one or similiar they have many: www.amazon.com/Smallest-Powerful-Portable-Charger-RAVPower/dp/B00ZZYBAI2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1467269561&sr=8-3&keywords=rav+power
Quick question, how is that battery better?
I have avoided getting battery packs with power buttons. In most cases, when the load is too light, they shut off automatically. I was concerned that it may shut off in between shots, and I won't notice it, then wear down the internal battery unnecessarily. So going with an always-on battery pack is one less thing to remember. If anyone has tried this arrangement with a battery pack that shuts off automatically, please let me know your experience.
They don't ship the batteries to Sweden..
Hey Jeff, quick question, but first of all thank you for the awesome video! I love the setup. Now, it was working fine but for some reason, a few days ago I tried plugging it in but it would not recognize it.
For a brief moment it says "usb connecting.." then it goes the preview screen. I tried it with the camera off.. then on and same results. I checked the usb settings but it looks normal. The "usb power" is on. On "usb connection" it's on auto. Do you have any idea why it's doing that? Thank you!
You rock! Thank you so much
I like the look of your solution. However, I usually do real estate photography and weddings and just having a couple extra batteries on hand seems to work best for me.
just for me to be sure, I can power this camera with a regular USB power supply plugged into the usb port on the camera? thanks. I like your mod and will probably go that route.