VERY long (23x) battery life for nex/alpha 7x - easy and cost effective solution

[Signejul]

Hello,

 

I was inspired by the recent video post on the almost infinite battery life for nex/alpha 7x. I liked the posted solution but wanted something with no modification, soldering,... This prompted me to do some more research, and found a nice solution that fit my needs.

 

I like to do time lapse in the field with my a7r and a7s and have been looking for a while for a cost effective, portable and easy solution for very long battery life. I also like to shoot videos with my a7s but have suffered of short battery life....

 

For time lapse, Typically my a7r would go for 300-500 shots at best and max 3 hours on a standard np50 battery. There exist power plug solutions but there is not always a plug around in the middle of the mountains or New York city....

 

if the equivalent of 23x batteries for approx. 120$ In a very portable package sounds good to you, with just plugging two cords, here is a simple solution:

 

Buy a NEX/alpha 7x power supply like this one:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Adapter-AC-PW20-SLT-A33L-SLT-A55V-SLT-A55VL/dp/B0083EQS3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420798972&sr=8-1&keywords=Sony+nex+power+supply

 

Buy usb multi voltage battery like this. Other models may work as long as they deliver 9v. I bought this model and it works great. 23 0000 mAh vs 1000 for the np50 battery , in a portable, rechargeable 1lb package...

 

http://www.amazon.com/RAVPower®-23000mAh-Portable-External-Multi-Voltage/dp/B00HFMUBYG/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1420799170&sr=8-10&keywords=RAV4+multi+power

 

Voila, just connect the dummy battery to the DC output cable of the portable battery, and you have 48h of continuous power!!!!

 

happy shooting....

 

julien

[Signejul]

Below are the pictures of the setup.

I just did another time lapse test with this. After 960 images time lapse over 8hours (30s interval), the battery is showing less than 30% drain!!!

THe rav4 model below is of solid construction, aluminum casing and comes with a handy pouch that could be attached to the hook of the tripod...

I can see some long nights shooting time lapse ahead!...

 

Very simple setup. Plug the battery into the a7x/NEX, and the connector into the DC connector of the Rav4 rechargeable battery.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y8xvvsn5au4ft9b/setup-battery.jpeg?dl=0

 

The second 8h+ time lapse in a row...the battery is still showing 65% charge....amazing!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5gbxdz74gblt34e/setup.jpeg?dl=0

[JoeriPeeters]

 

Below are the pictures of the setup.

I just did another time lapse test with this. After 960 images time lapse over 8hours (30s interval), the battery is showing less than 30% drain!!!

THe rav4 model below is of solid construction, aluminum casing and comes with a handy pouch that could be attached to the hook of the tripod...

I can see some long nights shooting time lapse ahead!...

 

Very simple setup. Plug the battery into the a7x/NEX, and the connector into the DC connector of the Rav4 rechargeable battery.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y8xvvsn5au4ft9b/setup-battery.jpeg?dl=0

 

The second 8h+ time lapse in a row...the battery is still showing 65% charge....amazing!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5gbxdz74gblt34e/setup.jpeg?dl=0

 

 

Thanks for this information. Will need a solution like this when I go to Norway for the Northern light.

[screwmount]

This would be great with the unit put in a small backpack or maybe on a belt clip for all day walk around shooting without having to change batteries.

[melovesushi]

I got the expro sony on the move pack, comes complete with the dc coupler and a 7600 mah battery pack

which can be clipped to a belt or put in a bag/pocket, I also got an adapter for the dc coupler cable for 0.50p less than a euro

which plugs into my 20,000 mah anker power pack , which I have not needed to use yet ,but they all work well

with my a7ii

[guzy]

Hi guys, I am trying to make similar setup using standard 16000mAh powerbank (xiaomi), DC step-up converter module (to make the 5v usb output become 7.5v) & NP-FW50 DC coupler dummy battery. In theory this setup should work and it was, the camera can turn on. However, when I press the shutter it was acted like it's reset and no image were capture. Are you guys have any idea what is wrong in my setup and give some suggestion?

[robocomp]

Why the need for a dummy battery especially since there is some negative feedback on amazon. Why not just plug in sony power cord to external usb power pack???? The A7R II can be powered while turned on and you would just need any usb external pack??? Thanks!

[Akilr]

@robocomp, The A7R2 can be charged directly from a battery pack but the op is not using a A7R2. I'm not sure about the other A7's. NEX cameras and my A6000 cannot be charged while shooting in the same way i believe.

[guzy]

Why the need for a dummy battery especially since there is some negative feedback on amazon. Why not just plug in sony power cord to external usb power pack???? The A7R II can be powered while turned on and you would just need any usb external pack??? Thanks!

 

 

@robocomp, The A7R2 can be charged directly from a battery pack but the op is not using a A7R2. I'm not sure about the other A7's. NEX cameras and my A6000 cannot be charged while shooting in the same way i believe.

 

 

I am using a7ii which not support this feature. Even though it could, I still use the camera usb connector for tethering to the computer, which consume more battery power than normal shooting. It's why I need to use dummy battery to powered the camera.

 

I found this problem only happened when tried to shoot still image, and it's working when shooting video...confusing!

[supersaw]

Hello,

 

I was inspired by the recent video post on the almost infinite battery life for nex/alpha 7x. I liked the posted solution but wanted something with no modification, soldering,... This prompted me to do some more research, and found a nice solution that fit my needs.

 

I like to do time lapse in the field with my a7r and a7s and have been looking for a while for a cost effective, portable and easy solution for very long battery life. I also like to shoot videos with my a7s but have suffered of short battery life....

 

For time lapse, Typically my a7r would go for 300-500 shots at best and max 3 hours on a standard np50 battery. There exist power plug solutions but there is not always a plug around in the middle of the mountains or New York city....

 

if the equivalent of 23x batteries for approx. 120$ In a very portable package sounds good to you, with just plugging two cords, here is a simple solution:

 

Buy a NEX/alpha 7x power supply like this one:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Adapter-AC-PW20-SLT-A33L-SLT-A55V-SLT-A55VL/dp/B0083EQS3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420798972&sr=8-1&keywords=Sony+nex+power+supply

 

Buy usb multi voltage battery like this. Other models may work as long as they deliver 9v. I bought this model and it works great. 23 0000 mAh vs 1000 for the np50 battery , in a portable, rechargeable 1lb package...

 

http://www.amazon.com/RAVPower®-23000mAh-Portable-External-Multi-Voltage/dp/B00HFMUBYG/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1420799170&sr=8-10&keywords=RAV4+multi+power

 

Voila, just connect the dummy battery to the DC output cable of the portable battery, and you have 48h of continuous power!!!!

 

happy shooting....

 

julien

 

Your camera needs about 7.5V to operate but the RAVPower power bank outputs 9V. Won't be the camera damaged?

[camera_rob]

Below are the pictures of the setup.

I just did another time lapse test with this. After 960 images time lapse over 8hours (30s interval), the battery is showing less than 30% drain!!!

THe rav4 model below is of solid construction, aluminum casing and comes with a handy pouch that could be attached to the hook of the tripod...

I can see some long nights shooting time lapse ahead!...

 

Very simple setup. Plug the battery into the a7x/NEX, and the connector into the DC connector of the Rav4 rechargeable battery.

 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y8xvvsn5au4ft9b/setup-battery.jpeg?dl=0

 

The second 8h+ time lapse in a row...the battery is still showing 65% charge....amazing!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5gbxdz74gblt34e/setup.jpeg?dl=0

Hi thanks for this helpful info. I'm new to the Sony worlds and wondering will this set up work on a Sony a6000 or only for the a7 line up? Thank you.