You have no idea how happy I am to see this video properly explaining the various voltages, risks and options to powering a camera through an external battery. I have a Nikon Z6 and I shoot timelapses and this is immensely helpful. Now I know what to look for and what to be wary of when I am buying an external battery solution. Thank you!
I use the Electric Ray E1 to power my Sony A6400 via a dummy battery and a 13000mah usb battery bank. After 4hrs of continuous recording I had 84% battery. The iFootage Electric Ray E1 outputs 8.4 volts from the 5v battery bank. It's a nice device. I have 2, one to power my Sony a6000 as well.
I don't know how you're getting such little power draw from the a6400's internal battery. Mine doesn't sip it's internal power as little as stated in this video as you are stating here... I'm recording non-stop 4K right now with a usb battery stick with a meter reading (4.89v, 0.89A and 4.25w). It's been recording for over 2 hours and the internal battery is at 30%... Not sure what's going on...
Brother, I am about to drop a chunk of cash and this video helped me save some of it. Thank you for taking the time to show off even the obscure options for power!!!!
Well spoken, you just solved my problem.😀 Am I the only one who thought external battery charger can charge the camera directly without a dummy battery or an internal battery?
No, you are NOT the only one. I have tried SOOO may option to charge WHILE using the camera and all have failed. I saw the "charge" icon and thought it was doing that. Nope! If I were NOT using the camera, yes, it would truly be charging it. This video was so extremely helpful.
That voltage converter you are using is a boost converter , not a buck converter . A buck converter steps voltage down and they are way more efficient than boost units .
Correct you are. I usually call them step-downs or step-ups... But since in photography the term step-ups/down is usually used with rings, I opted for buck and completely forgot step-ups is also called boost. You got me. :)
It should be noted they older aXXXX series cameras plugging in the usb to power won’t work at all. The micro usb port thinks any cable connected is for data. Only USB-C will work to run off the battery.
OMG!! I have tried practically every option you've included here and have failed to understand why it was "appear" to be charging my camera (A7IV) while in use, but even with a double battery pack GRIP, it would fail to keep me "juiced-up" for long periods of time. I only shoot stills and not video, but need a portable (wear on my hip) type option to power up my A7IV for many hours (weddings, etc.) shoots at a time. I think you may have given me the answer I need. I guess it would need to be a dummy battery then one of the batteries with the blue level indicator lights. I just get so concerned about messing up my camera with a dummy battery. I have read so many horror stories, but replacing the individual batteries can be a hassle as well. REALLY uses up battery power. I guess, gulp, I will try a dummy battery (hopefully one is "approved" by Sony) get gear insurance and hope for the best. I SO appreciate all of your hard work and helps me validate my hard work trying to get the results I need.
Great and extremely thorough video 🙏 My a6300 is dummy battery powered by a usb plug into an outlet in the wall that has 4 spots to plug in usb. So does that mean I’m only giving it ~5v and it’s underpowered? Seems to work great?
Hey buddy. The reason the splitter doesn't work is because one male connector is for data and the other is for power. You have to use a Y splitter that doesn't separate data and power. Another issue you may have is that the power bank may detect the voltage of what it's supplying power to so it knows when to turn off when the device it's charging is full. The way around this would be to find a power bank that stays on indefinitely until turned off or one that turns on when lower that full charge is detected.
Technically, one port is power, one port is power+data. While someone might make power-only splitters, I haven't seen one, so I demonstrated what will happen when anyone attempts to use one. And also yes, at the time of the video there were very few (good) power bricks that offered low power mode. Nowadays that is an option, so when I redo this video to include Power Delivery options available on the SIII/A1 cameras and later, I will include that scenario. Thanks :)
@@sandro6691 They do indeed... the SIII/a1 and later models accept Power Delivery. While you still need to have a battery in the camera, the camera will draw all the power it needs from USB, if you use a Power Delivery capable brick. It does, however, lead to somewhat higher body temperatures, so there are downsides, but under most conditions it's great.
Confused; I watched your other video. You suggest 4k video will draw 8A roughly, but the power bank is just 1amp. I just bought a power bank 28600mAh 5v 1 amp and 2.1 USB. How is this going to power my 4k Sony if it needs 8 amps? AND...do you have to have a battery in the compartment when using a power bank?
This was most helpful, thanks! I just got a dummy battery and an adopter and plan on using a Sony NPF batteries. It says on my Sony a7iii it takes 7.2V, but the adopter outputs 7.4..same as my Sony’s NPF’s…is it safe to power the camera using this ? Thanks
The full range of a battery (NP-F or NP-FZ) is 7-8.4V. A fully charged battery will be around 8.4-ish volts. As it drains, the voltage decreases until about 7.2V-ish, which the camera understands as "empty". So 7.4V is fine, so is 7.5V or 8V. Depending on the voltage you feed the camera, between those two extremes, the camera's battery icon will show different percentages of charge. At 7.4V, the camera may read 20% or so on the battery icon.
Great video! Can you plug the camera via USB into the wall instead of using a battery pack? What USB to AC/DC power adapter do you recommend when plugging into the wall?
If i connect a powerbank(18w)with automatic voltage 5v 2.4A or 9V 2A which voltage does the a6400 operate on??? If it take 9v is it safe for my sony a6400...which runs on 7.2v ???
I would not personally recommend feeding 9v to the camera... and I have no idea what will happen with auto-voltage. It may work, it may not, but either way it's out of spec, voltage wise, so it's not recommend.
Very helpful video. I have a question about the need for a buck converter though. On the a6400, Sony's manual shows the output of the AC adaptor as being 5v, which would seem to mean that 5v dc from any source should work fine. Is it being up-converted in camera? Or is it simply just charging the battery with the battery supplying power to the camera's systems? Thx!
So which one is the best and safest option? What did you use for indefinite power? And how long does a6400 and a7iii records 4k continuously with a usb battery pack? A7iii with atomos.
Hi - very informative video thank you. So as I understand it (pls correct me if I’m wrong) plugging in a power brick will not charge the Sony in camera battery, but will prolong its record time. That would still mean that eventually the Sony battery will run out? Using another option of the dummy battery which I understand can also be powered by a power brick when out in the field or in a wall socket in the house, that would make the Sony battery completely obsolete - or am I missing something? Your help in this would be very much appreciated. Cheers, Peter. 😊👍
If you have a Sony camera that supports USB power, it will prolong record time, yes. But when you are not recording, the internal battery will charge. That is true of most recent models (the a1, a7SIII and FX3 work a little differently because they can take more power via USB). The dummy battery replaces the internal battery entirely, yes. The dummy battery is a great solution, but you need to take greater care to ensure that your power supply is the correct voltage and polarity. Some people fail to do the due diligence. Don't be one of those people. :)
Hey, thanks for the video! I have a question, maybe you can help because you have the right equipment. I want to buy a6400/a6600 and I have the scenario, that I always want to leave the camera in the “on“ - position and turn in on and off via the dummy, that is connected to a Power strip so that I can turn the camera on and off from a distance and get a Video via hdmi into the Computer. For our gh4 it works, but I heard that on the a6000, you have to press a button first, because it goes into a sleep mode first. Do You know if the newer Sonys like a6400/6600 can do this?
I can't speak to those exact models... but I *think* what people may be referring to is that error that comes up about not using an authentic Sony battery, every time you turn the camera on.... which is annoying. In that scenario, what is needed is a "decoded" dummy battery. Some dummies now have a chip built in that makes it appear to the camera to be a genuine Sony battery. This will prevent that irritating nag message when the camera turns on. Note also that if you leave a camera off long enough, the internal battery that keeps the settings memory will run dry. Not sure if that is days or weeks, but after that point you have to reconfigure the camera as though it is out-of-box. In my case, one of my cameras actually runs 24/7. I turn the rear monitor off and just let it run. Not saying that this is healthy... but it's been like that for the entire pandemic (minus power outages), and it seems fine.
I use an a6000 and the batterylofe is very poor so I was thinking of powering it using a power bank so what powerbank output should I go for as per the requirements of the camera?
Thanks. I did not, purely because v-lock and d-tap are super rare outside of the pro/prosumer community. If you know they exist, you probably don't need the video. :)
You do not lost power (aka watts) when converting voltage, you lose voltage and is called voltage drop. Also, electronic/electrical items draw one of two things: voltage or amperage but never power. The work done by something using the voltage is power. Nothing can allow 4 watts to enter through the USB port, so I presume you meant volts or amps?
All conversion circuits come with loss, none are 100% efficient. Buck converters tend to be particularly inefficient, so losses can be in the 25% range, depending on the type of diode in use.
you vidoe was very informative. I have a Sony 6300 - I am looking to set p a rig with a monitor, Mic, Light . What would your suggestion be for the best external setup to power camera - external power bank or NPF battery system
Typically yes but you need to use a power-only cable. There is also a little plastic peice that can be printed that disables the data pins on your usb cable. Then the cable becomes power only.
great in-depth video. You deserve a Sub and 👍. I would like to share my experience regarding my A6300 setup where the internal battery [Rav power 100% charged] is dropping to around 30% whilst recording 4K@25P in 35mm when filming continously for 30 mins. Anker PowerCore Slim 10,000 mAh is plugged in via USB [all the time]. My question is if this is normal or the internal battery should not drain so fast or not drain at all when a 10,000 mAh is connected to the USB port? Or is it something to do with the cable or Anker PowerCore Slim? Sorry I don't have a sony battery so I can't compare but it use to give around 40 mins of filming time on its own, on a full charge. Any user with a similar setup and Sony battery, please share your experience. Sorry for the long explanation, any help will be great, Thanks all 👍
Yes, on the a6300 the internal *should* drain when recording video, even when hooked to USB, just slower than without. Typically, usb power will extend battery time by 3x to 4x before the internal battery is depleted. However, the vast majority of 3rd party np-fw50 batteries like ravpower do not store the advertised amount of power to begin with, and tend to degrade faster than sony batteries or other top shelf batteries. That's why they're cheap. So you're likely being impacted by poor battery performance, even though everything is technically working properly.
@@Photonarmy wow . thanks for a quick reply. I really appreciate your help. You are right with the RAV battery logic. It does give me a little more time with USB power as compared to just using the internal battery. But no way near as sony battery might give. Is there any other 3rd party battery that you would recommend for this setup? Thanks again
No, I do not believe so. However, when the camera is off, it will charge the internal battery. So it's just a matter of turning it off on occasion to keep the battery topped off.
As in the video, the a6100 won't "charge" while shooting video continuously, but it will drain very slowly. I would expect it to take many hours to drain if continuously supplied via USB and continuously recording (assuming you start with a full battery). Any time you stop recording, it will start replenishing the battery.
Hi, I like your video. So if I understand correctly: charging via a dummy battery to a np-f790 will give you 2,5 hours and charging via mini usb to a powerbank wil last for 8 hours? Thanks again.
Hey, so I'm wondering what I need to invest in here. Or if I even need to invest in anything at all. I have two small power banks (one has a 2600mAh capacity, the other doesn't say but I reckon it's about 2000) How long do you reckon I can go for recording 4k with those? I imagine, I'll have to invest in something with a bit more oomf! 300 000 mAh seem to be ten a penny though on ebay and co. Why then invest in the whole dummy battery + NP F970 set up which is a good deal more expensive and hard to track down while only providing about 10 000 mAh? This is not a rethorical question, I'm genuinely asking. Will a one or two of those actually keep me running far longer than say 4 large power banks? I'm not very clued up about this stuff and also living in Columbia at the moment where it's hard to get stuff delivered. For info I am using the Sony a6400.
For the a6400 specifically, I would stick to USB power options for now. The 2600 and 2000 mah USB batteries would get you many hours of continuous record time. My guess would be something like 6-8 hours continuous or so? You just have to make sure you are aware when the first power bank is empty and swap it out fast, so you don't accidentally drain the internal battery too much.
No... Only the models that support USB power. I am pretty sure the original a7s does not. Earlier cameras can charge via USB, but not provide power in use. However, any model that supports USB power does need the battery in the camera for it to work.
I can't tell you anything is safe, but I can tell you that the cameras expect anything between 7.2v and 8.4 ish volts. Outside of that range is definitely unsafe. Most power adapters you can buy with dummy batteries will put out between 7.5 and 8 volts.
It will work like it does with a battery + USB. It will pull as much as it can from USB... then the rest from the dummy. In the case of something that sips power like the a6400, there would be a tiny draw from the dummy until the USB battery runs out.
Hello! Thank you for the video! XO PR-107 10000mAh PD+QC3.0 18W - Quick Charge 3.0 и Power Delivery(18W) Capacity, mA • h 10000 Max. output current 3 A Output voltage 15-20V Can I use this bank for the sony a6500? Thank
@@user-os4ud3zh9p Нет. Он будет заряжать аккумулятор только в режиме ожидания. При записи батарея разряжается, но медленнее. Примерно 2/3 энергии будет поступать от USB, 1/3 от батареи во время записи.
That's a new one on me... Does it ever run out? If the dummy or power supply is providing inconsistent voltage, I could see that happening... But under normal circumstances, that would not happen. The battery level is based on the voltage the camera detects.
@@Photonarmy thank you! I’m going to run the camera tomorrow and see what happens if it goes to 0. For reference, I purchased the F1TP ACPW20 AC Power Supply Adapter and NP-FW50 Dummy Battery Coupler kit.
@@Photonarmy well ..I want this battery that go inside of camera and come outside with usb port and from there this usb port to have an option for conecting to a car or normal USB charger .. 2.4 A wich I already have.. so I can use my camera as Webcam
I'm testing my a6400 right now with usb power ( 3350mAh stick) and after recording 4K non-stop for 2 hours, the internal battery is around 30%. So I'm not getting as good of a draw for the a6400 as stated in this video and another commenter down below. I did test the power with a usb meter and got a reading of 4.89V, 0.88A. So, 4.25 watts between the usb battery and the a6400. I tested larger batteries as well (all Anker) and got nearly identical readings on the meter. Not sure what's going on... any help would be appreciated.
I updated the a6400 firmware, turned off the EVF sensor, and put the a6400 in airplane mode which hasn't helped. FWIW, the a6400 appears to be a little picky about how much power it pulls from a given source. It also seems the usb meter I have will enable more power pull, but it isn't practical nor desired to have the meter in between the battery and the camera at all times/on shoots. So I just did basic, manual testing: filming for an hour in 4K and seeing how much the internal battery drops in percentage with different usb batteries. The one that gave the most external power to the a6400 was a large, TalentCell battery that I use to power an external monitor. After one hour of filming 4K with that battery, the internal battery of the a6400 only dropped 9%. Other smaller batteries like the one I mentioned above, the internal battery will drop 34% in an hour of filming...
@@Photonarmy I make short films. Never had to film a Continuous shot for 10 hours but definitely have shoots that have lasted that long but obviously we're not filming that whole time
@@HermitOfTheHills In that case I'd favor several smaller packs than one big one... I always assume someone (me) is going to forget to charge something.
For heaven sake, why don't they just let you plug in a friggin power cord!!! Batteries are nice for mobility but there are situations where you want to record for long periods of time.
You have no idea how happy I am to see this video properly explaining the various voltages, risks and options to powering a camera through an external battery. I have a Nikon Z6 and I shoot timelapses and this is immensely helpful. Now I know what to look for and what to be wary of when I am buying an external battery solution. Thank you!
No problem. May your timelapses be long and continuous. :)
What a video, blown away!
OH MY .... THIS IS THE BATTERY VIDEO I WANTED FOR SOO LONGER
years later and this still is helpful
I use the Electric Ray E1 to power my Sony A6400 via a dummy battery and a 13000mah usb battery bank. After 4hrs of continuous recording I had 84% battery. The iFootage Electric Ray E1 outputs 8.4 volts from the 5v battery bank. It's a nice device. I have 2, one to power my Sony a6000 as well.
I don't know how you're getting such little power draw from the a6400's internal battery. Mine doesn't sip it's internal power as little as stated in this video as you are stating here... I'm recording non-stop 4K right now with a usb battery stick with a meter reading (4.89v, 0.89A and 4.25w). It's been recording for over 2 hours and the internal battery is at 30%... Not sure what's going on...
You sir, are a genius!
This is freaking good thank you
Nice physics lesson. Man you’ve got answers for every problem :)
Best video full stop on this subject 👌👏👏👏
Thank you kindly
Thank you for the video! Keep it up 🤛
Great video! Thanks!
this video blew me away
This video is awesome! So detailed on just the specifics of power! Love it!
Awesome to find a video this detailed. Thank you.
Brother, I am about to drop a chunk of cash and this video helped me save some of it. Thank you for taking the time to show off even the obscure options for power!!!!
Glad to help, I specialize in obscure.
This really answer alot of questions. Thank you
This man needs 900k subscribers immediately. Amazing video😀
I mean... Why not round it up to a cool million? :) Thanks
Well spoken, you just solved my problem.😀 Am I the only one who thought external battery charger can charge the camera directly without a dummy battery or an internal battery?
No, you are NOT the only one. I have tried SOOO may option to charge WHILE using the camera and all have failed. I saw the "charge" icon and thought it was doing that. Nope! If I were NOT using the camera, yes, it would truly be charging it. This video was so extremely helpful.
Great video, very detailed! Thank you for sharing all of the powering options you've found.
GREAT Video!
I love your professional style. Great info
This is a great video.
One of the best about power options for Sony E-Mount.
Hi Jeff, just reached out to you about a Dummy Battery question. Hope to hear back from you soon. Thank you.
Informative content and great production quality!
That voltage converter you are using is a boost converter , not a buck converter . A buck converter steps voltage down and they are way more efficient than boost units .
Correct you are. I usually call them step-downs or step-ups... But since in photography the term step-ups/down is usually used with rings, I opted for buck and completely forgot step-ups is also called boost. You got me. :)
Incredible work! Thank you!
It should be noted they older aXXXX series cameras plugging in the usb to power won’t work at all. The micro usb port thinks any cable connected is for data.
Only USB-C will work to run off the battery.
Helpful mate. I just got some of those powerextra batteries. Thanks
OMG!! I have tried practically every option you've included here and have failed to understand why it was "appear" to be charging my camera (A7IV) while in use, but even with a double battery pack GRIP, it would fail to keep me "juiced-up" for long periods of time. I only shoot stills and not video, but need a portable (wear on my hip) type option to power up my A7IV for many hours (weddings, etc.) shoots at a time. I think you may have given me the answer I need. I guess it would need to be a dummy battery then one of the batteries with the blue level indicator lights. I just get so concerned about messing up my camera with a dummy battery. I have read so many horror stories, but replacing the individual batteries can be a hassle as well. REALLY uses up battery power. I guess, gulp, I will try a dummy battery (hopefully one is "approved" by Sony) get gear insurance and hope for the best. I SO appreciate all of your hard work and helps me validate my hard work trying to get the results I need.
Very , very helpful, thanks. However I did get my number 2 pencil out awaiting a final exam.
Wow! Thank you bro!
This is amazing!!! thanks
very, very, helpful
Great video, thanks for all the information!
Excellent information
Great and extremely thorough video 🙏
My a6300 is dummy battery powered by a usb plug into an outlet in the wall that has 4 spots to plug in usb.
So does that mean I’m only giving it ~5v and it’s underpowered?
Seems to work great?
Came here looking for the best dummy battery to purchase for mii Sony. Left with the knowledge to build mii own power grid LOL
Power engineering is a solid fall-back career if photography doesn't work out. :)
@@Photonarmy Definitely LOL
Thank you!
Great!
Thank you much
Hey buddy.
The reason the splitter doesn't work is because one male connector is for data and the other is for power. You have to use a Y splitter that doesn't separate data and power.
Another issue you may have is that the power bank may detect the voltage of what it's supplying power to so it knows when to turn off when the device it's charging is full. The way around this would be to find a power bank that stays on indefinitely until turned off or one that turns on when lower that full charge is detected.
Technically, one port is power, one port is power+data. While someone might make power-only splitters, I haven't seen one, so I demonstrated what will happen when anyone attempts to use one. And also yes, at the time of the video there were very few (good) power bricks that offered low power mode. Nowadays that is an option, so when I redo this video to include Power Delivery options available on the SIII/A1 cameras and later, I will include that scenario. Thanks :)
@@Photonarmy
Thanks for the info. It'll be interesting to see if the USB-C Sony cameras will accept more power through the USB.
From South Australia.
@@sandro6691 They do indeed... the SIII/a1 and later models accept Power Delivery. While you still need to have a battery in the camera, the camera will draw all the power it needs from USB, if you use a Power Delivery capable brick. It does, however, lead to somewhat higher body temperatures, so there are downsides, but under most conditions it's great.
@@Photonarmy
Great news! I love the direction Sony are heading in overall. It's great that they listen to their customers and deliver.
Confused; I watched your other video. You suggest 4k video will draw 8A roughly, but the power bank is just 1amp. I just bought a power bank 28600mAh 5v 1 amp and 2.1 USB. How is this going to power my 4k Sony if it needs 8 amps? AND...do you have to have a battery in the compartment when using a power bank?
Thanks
This was most helpful, thanks!
I just got a dummy battery and an adopter and plan on using a Sony NPF batteries. It says on my Sony a7iii it takes 7.2V, but the adopter outputs 7.4..same as my Sony’s NPF’s…is it safe to power the camera using this ?
Thanks
The full range of a battery (NP-F or NP-FZ) is 7-8.4V. A fully charged battery will be around 8.4-ish volts. As it drains, the voltage decreases until about 7.2V-ish, which the camera understands as "empty". So 7.4V is fine, so is 7.5V or 8V. Depending on the voltage you feed the camera, between those two extremes, the camera's battery icon will show different percentages of charge. At 7.4V, the camera may read 20% or so on the battery icon.
@@PhotonarmyThank you, because I couldn’t decide if I can power a7iii from neeweer v mount batter to dummy with 8v.
Great video! Can you plug the camera via USB into the wall instead of using a battery pack? What USB to AC/DC power adapter do you recommend when plugging into the wall?
If i connect a powerbank(18w)with automatic voltage 5v 2.4A or 9V 2A which voltage does the a6400 operate on??? If it take 9v is it safe for my sony a6400...which runs on 7.2v ???
I would not personally recommend feeding 9v to the camera... and I have no idea what will happen with auto-voltage. It may work, it may not, but either way it's out of spec, voltage wise, so it's not recommend.
Very helpful video. I have a question about the need for a buck converter though. On the a6400, Sony's manual shows the output of the AC adaptor as being 5v, which would seem to mean that 5v dc from any source should work fine. Is it being up-converted in camera? Or is it simply just charging the battery with the battery supplying power to the camera's systems? Thx!
So which one is the best and safest option? What did you use for indefinite power? And how long does a6400 and a7iii records 4k continuously with a usb battery pack? A7iii with atomos.
Hi - very informative video thank you. So as I understand it (pls correct me if I’m wrong) plugging in a power brick will not charge the Sony in camera battery, but will prolong its record time. That would still mean that eventually the Sony battery will run out?
Using another option of the dummy battery which I understand can also be powered by a power brick when out in the field or in a wall socket in the house, that would make the Sony battery completely obsolete - or am I missing something? Your help in this would be very much appreciated. Cheers, Peter. 😊👍
If you have a Sony camera that supports USB power, it will prolong record time, yes. But when you are not recording, the internal battery will charge. That is true of most recent models (the a1, a7SIII and FX3 work a little differently because they can take more power via USB).
The dummy battery replaces the internal battery entirely, yes. The dummy battery is a great solution, but you need to take greater care to ensure that your power supply is the correct voltage and polarity. Some people fail to do the due diligence. Don't be one of those people. :)
@@Photonarmy Thanks Jeff - I will research further with the dummy battery/correct voltage and polarity. Keep up the great work. Peter.
Hey, thanks for the video!
I have a question, maybe you can help because you have the right equipment.
I want to buy a6400/a6600 and I have the scenario, that I always want to leave the camera in the “on“ - position and turn in on and off via the dummy, that is connected to a Power strip so that I can turn the camera on and off from a distance and get a Video via hdmi into the Computer.
For our gh4 it works, but I heard that on the a6000, you have to press a button first, because it goes into a sleep mode first.
Do You know if the newer Sonys like a6400/6600 can do this?
At 10:08 it worked, but thats an a7 camera I think. And maybe it only works if the camera has been turned on a few minutes ago.
I can't speak to those exact models... but I *think* what people may be referring to is that error that comes up about not using an authentic Sony battery, every time you turn the camera on.... which is annoying.
In that scenario, what is needed is a "decoded" dummy battery. Some dummies now have a chip built in that makes it appear to the camera to be a genuine Sony battery. This will prevent that irritating nag message when the camera turns on. Note also that if you leave a camera off long enough, the internal battery that keeps the settings memory will run dry. Not sure if that is days or weeks, but after that point you have to reconfigure the camera as though it is out-of-box.
In my case, one of my cameras actually runs 24/7. I turn the rear monitor off and just let it run. Not saying that this is healthy... but it's been like that for the entire pandemic (minus power outages), and it seems fine.
@@Photonarmy thanks a lot for your answer! Maybe I have to look for that decoded dummy.
My powerbank is 5.1v/3.6A will it work with dummy battery supposed to be used with a6500?
Let me know if you figure this out please
Mask_with _me sure buddy
I use an a6000 and the batterylofe is very poor so I was thinking of powering it using a power bank so what powerbank output should I go for as per the requirements of the camera?
great video. What option would you chose for streaming for atleast 8hrs?
Hey great video. Did you talk about V-tap batteries? I don't remember seeing that in this video. But overall great video.
Thanks. I did not, purely because v-lock and d-tap are super rare outside of the pro/prosumer community. If you know they exist, you probably don't need the video. :)
You do not lost power (aka watts) when converting voltage, you lose voltage and is called voltage drop. Also, electronic/electrical items draw one of two things: voltage or amperage but never power. The work done by something using the voltage is power. Nothing can allow 4 watts to enter through the USB port, so I presume you meant volts or amps?
All conversion circuits come with loss, none are 100% efficient. Buck converters tend to be particularly inefficient, so losses can be in the 25% range, depending on the type of diode in use.
you vidoe was very informative. I have a Sony 6300 - I am looking to set p a rig with a monitor, Mic, Light . What would your suggestion be for the best external setup to power camera - external power bank or NPF battery system
Can you not use the usb c port with the mains?
With the a6400, could you use USB plugged into a computer (instead of a battery) to power the camera?
Typically yes but you need to use a power-only cable. There is also a little plastic peice that can be printed that disables the data pins on your usb cable. Then the cable becomes power only.
great in-depth video. You deserve a Sub and 👍. I would like to share my experience regarding my A6300 setup where the internal battery [Rav power 100% charged] is dropping to around 30% whilst recording 4K@25P in 35mm when filming continously for 30 mins. Anker PowerCore Slim 10,000 mAh is plugged in via USB [all the time]. My question is if this is normal or the internal battery should not drain so fast or not drain at all when a 10,000 mAh is connected to the USB port? Or is it something to do with the cable or Anker PowerCore Slim?
Sorry I don't have a sony battery so I can't compare but it use to give around 40 mins of filming time on its own, on a full charge. Any user with a similar setup and Sony battery, please share your experience.
Sorry for the long explanation, any help will be great, Thanks all 👍
Yes, on the a6300 the internal *should* drain when recording video, even when hooked to USB, just slower than without. Typically, usb power will extend battery time by 3x to 4x before the internal battery is depleted. However, the vast majority of 3rd party np-fw50 batteries like ravpower do not store the advertised amount of power to begin with, and tend to degrade faster than sony batteries or other top shelf batteries. That's why they're cheap. So you're likely being impacted by poor battery performance, even though everything is technically working properly.
@@Photonarmy wow . thanks for a quick reply. I really appreciate your help. You are right with the RAV battery logic. It does give me a little more time with USB power as compared to just using the internal battery. But no way near as sony battery might give. Is there any other 3rd party battery that you would recommend for this setup? Thanks again
can i use a a6000 with out the battery on it and conected to usb only for photos?
No, I do not believe so. However, when the camera is off, it will charge the internal battery. So it's just a matter of turning it off on occasion to keep the battery topped off.
Can you usb charge the a6100 while video recording? Thanks!
As in the video, the a6100 won't "charge" while shooting video continuously, but it will drain very slowly. I would expect it to take many hours to drain if continuously supplied via USB and continuously recording (assuming you start with a full battery). Any time you stop recording, it will start replenishing the battery.
PhotonArmy thank you so much for the explanation 🙏🏻 does the same hold true for the a6400?
Sorry if you get angry asking this qustion, i have a7iii, is it safe to recorder video while chaging from power bank (usb-c)?.
Hi, I like your video. So if I understand correctly: charging via a dummy battery to a np-f790 will give you 2,5 hours and charging via mini usb to a powerbank wil last for 8 hours? Thanks again.
Hey, so I'm wondering what I need to invest in here. Or if I even need to invest in anything at all. I have two small power banks (one has a 2600mAh capacity, the other doesn't say but I reckon it's about 2000) How long do you reckon I can go for recording 4k with those? I imagine, I'll have to invest in something with a bit more oomf! 300 000 mAh seem to be ten a penny though on ebay and co.
Why then invest in the whole dummy battery + NP F970 set up which is a good deal more expensive and hard to track down while only providing about 10 000 mAh? This is not a rethorical question, I'm genuinely asking. Will a one or two of those actually keep me running far longer than say 4 large power banks? I'm not very clued up about this stuff and also living in Columbia at the moment where it's hard to get stuff delivered.
For info I am using the Sony a6400.
For the a6400 specifically, I would stick to USB power options for now. The 2600 and 2000 mah USB batteries would get you many hours of continuous record time. My guess would be something like 6-8 hours continuous or so? You just have to make sure you are aware when the first power bank is empty and swap it out fast, so you don't accidentally drain the internal battery too much.
Wait, so the A6100 and the A6400 are both limited to 4w? Why put a usb c port only in the a6400 if you don’t get extra power delivery?
Why indeed. And yet, true Power Delivery was only added to the a7SIII, a1 and I would assume future cameras.
Can you power a dummy battery with a power bank + usb to circle power chord?
Did I hear him correctly that any standard power bank can power the a7s with a USB so long as the battery is in the compartment?
No... Only the models that support USB power. I am pretty sure the original a7s does not. Earlier cameras can charge via USB, but not provide power in use. However, any model that supports USB power does need the battery in the camera for it to work.
Can i use powerbank whrn taking photos with a6000 when i plug it it says mass storage
The a6000 does not support USB power that I am aware of.
The A6000 only charges or uses USB as data transfer. Not for using as a battery source.
Does the dummy battery work even in still mode....???
I cant find buck converter tv to 7.4v
Having seen this, I feel more intelligent.
My apologies... I hope it is neither painful nor persistent. :) (thanks)
Any solution for a Sony A7iii?
Thanks, just to make it safe: if I plug a dummy battery into my Alpha 6400, from a v mount plate that puts out 8 Volt, the camera won't fry?
I can't tell you anything is safe, but I can tell you that the cameras expect anything between 7.2v and 8.4 ish volts. Outside of that range is definitely unsafe. Most power adapters you can buy with dummy batteries will put out between 7.5 and 8 volts.
@@Photonarmy Thanks!
Have you tried powering via the dummy battery w/ one USB pack and the camera USB-C port with another pack?
It will work like it does with a battery + USB. It will pull as much as it can from USB... then the rest from the dummy. In the case of something that sips power like the a6400, there would be a tiny draw from the dummy until the USB battery runs out.
Hello!
Thank you for the video!
XO PR-107 10000mAh PD+QC3.0 18W - Quick Charge 3.0 и Power Delivery(18W)
Capacity, mA • h
10000
Max. output current
3 A
Output voltage
15-20V
Can I use this bank for the sony a6500?
Thank
Я не вижу в этом проблемы
@@Photonarmy Подскажите, он под заряжает батарею во время записи и тем самым продлевает ее время? и он напрямую работает, без всяких обманок? Спасибо
@@user-os4ud3zh9p Нет. Он будет заряжать аккумулятор только в режиме ожидания. При записи батарея разряжается, но медленнее. Примерно 2/3 энергии будет поступать от USB, 1/3 от батареи во время записи.
anyone have an issue with a dummy battery showing a decreasing percentage on screen though it's obviously plugged in?
That's a new one on me... Does it ever run out? If the dummy or power supply is providing inconsistent voltage, I could see that happening... But under normal circumstances, that would not happen. The battery level is based on the voltage the camera detects.
@@Photonarmy thank you! I’m going to run the camera tomorrow and see what happens if it goes to 0. For reference, I purchased the F1TP ACPW20 AC Power Supply Adapter and NP-FW50 Dummy Battery Coupler kit.
Great video!
Can I use a dummy battery for Sony a6400 from a 8V DC?
7.4V to 8.5V is the normal voltage range.
@@Photonarmy Thanks for answer! Then I will go for the 8V instead of the USB dummy 👍
hahaha so for my Sony a7II NOTHING ? I need buck convertor + usb splitter please.. where I can find those ? including the battery usb from the camera
So you want two USB battery packs feeding a dummy battery into your a7ii?
@@Photonarmy well ..I want this battery that go inside of camera and come outside with usb port and from there this usb port to have an option for conecting to a car or normal USB charger .. 2.4 A wich I already have.. so I can use my camera as Webcam
time and date saving draws battery power thus 0,04 when cam is off...
I'm sure you know by now
Yes, that's just a *lot* of power to run a clock.
I have the a6000 and a dummy battery, link provided for it and the pack I use, and the dummy works for video but not for stills. Any tips or clues?
Battery pack: www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07YHM784N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
www.ebay.ca/itm/Andoer-NP-FW50-Dummy-Battery-Adapter-Cable-for-Sony-NEX-3-5-6-7-A35-A55-a7-A6000/303389594333?hash=item46a36dd2dd:g:v9IAAOSwxFVdw5MZ
My setup is an andoer Dummy battery with power bank....video recording runs fine...bt cant take still pictures...any suggestion???
u should use high-end power bank, it supports more real volt ;)
@@sonbik.makevideo I am using a 3A powerbank.
I'm testing my a6400 right now with usb power ( 3350mAh stick) and after recording 4K non-stop for 2 hours, the internal battery is around 30%. So I'm not getting as good of a draw for the a6400 as stated in this video and another commenter down below. I did test the power with a usb meter and got a reading of 4.89V, 0.88A. So, 4.25 watts between the usb battery and the a6400. I tested larger batteries as well (all Anker) and got nearly identical readings on the meter. Not sure what's going on... any help would be appreciated.
That is unusual. Is it the stock sony battery? What lens?
@@Photonarmy Hey, thanks for responding. Yeah it's a stock Sony battery and the Sony 24mm f/1.8 lens. Bought the camera new from B&H.
I updated the a6400 firmware, turned off the EVF sensor, and put the a6400 in airplane mode which hasn't helped.
FWIW, the a6400 appears to be a little picky about how much power it pulls from a given source. It also seems the usb meter I have will enable more power pull, but it isn't practical nor desired to have the meter in between the battery and the camera at all times/on shoots. So I just did basic, manual testing: filming for an hour in 4K and seeing how much the internal battery drops in percentage with different usb batteries. The one that gave the most external power to the a6400 was a large, TalentCell battery that I use to power an external monitor. After one hour of filming 4K with that battery, the internal battery of the a6400 only dropped 9%. Other smaller batteries like the one I mentioned above, the internal battery will drop 34% in an hour of filming...
Boss
Do I need to get a 1A output power bank or is 2-3A okay for USB charging?
You're the MacGyver of Sony cameras, hah!
So do I want the 5000 mah USB battery bank or the 13000 mah USB battery bank for the a6400?
It's all a quotation of run time. 13000 is a lot of run time. Do you film continuously for 10+ hours often? :)
@@Photonarmy I make short films. Never had to film a Continuous shot for 10 hours but definitely have shoots that have lasted that long but obviously we're not filming that whole time
@@HermitOfTheHills In that case I'd favor several smaller packs than one big one... I always assume someone (me) is going to forget to charge something.
@@Photonarmy Thank you so much :D
@@Photonarmy hey, I bought the larger one but it is only extending the battery life of my a6400 by an hour?
For heaven sake, why don't they just let you plug in a friggin power cord!!!
Batteries are nice for mobility but there are situations where you want to record for long periods of time.