Hi everyone,
I use the unleashed on a Sony A7IV. Works great, but it drains the battery pretty quick. The unleashed occupies the USB C port that can power the camera. There is another micro-USB port but it won't charge the camera.
I am curious what approaches other users have adopted to power the camera during long time lapses. The only thing I can think of is a dummy battery plugged into a power bank. It's not ideal but could work. Are there other ideas/approaches/suggestions?
Regards,
pierre
Power solutions for long time lapses
I'm using a battery dummy with a special piece of hardware, QCCP stick, which makes sure that the camera gets the exact voltage needed in combination via a QC capable Powerbank. Just a battery dummy connect to a powerbank soemtimes does not work.
Here the link to the guy producing the QCCP Stick: https://tlpbf.de/?lang=en
Otto
Here the link to the guy producing the QCCP Stick: https://tlpbf.de/?lang=en
Otto
Regards,
Otto
Otto
Thanks Otto. I think I am going to try something simple first with a cheap dummy battery and the power bank I already have. If that turns out to be a bust, I might well come back to your web site.
I appreciate the knowledge.
regards,
Pierre
I appreciate the knowledge.
regards,
Pierre
Just want to report some success with a $30 dummy battery with just a USB-C cable and a small 2-year old small-ish power bank from Anker.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LNTPLCK
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096TP4B1T
I tested that this solution powered my Sony A7IV, my Sony A7RV, and my Sony A6700. I did a more thorough test on the Sony A6700 (the only one that has a flap to thread the cable of the dummy battery through so that the battery door can shut tight with the dummy battery seated).
I put the camera in intervalometer mode with 650 shots and 30 second exposures, indoors, with the power bank fully charged. The camera could take all 650 shots, and lasted quite a bit after that (I had turned auto power off). About 8 hours in total.
I will do another test that is more realistic, using the unleashed on the Sony A7IV, and outdoors (temperature is slightly below 0 celsius at the moment where I live). But this seems very promising for any time lapse I might run. And if you are the kind of person who really does shoot super long time lapses, then just get a beefier, more modern power bank. Amazing!
Pierre
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LNTPLCK
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096TP4B1T
I tested that this solution powered my Sony A7IV, my Sony A7RV, and my Sony A6700. I did a more thorough test on the Sony A6700 (the only one that has a flap to thread the cable of the dummy battery through so that the battery door can shut tight with the dummy battery seated).
I put the camera in intervalometer mode with 650 shots and 30 second exposures, indoors, with the power bank fully charged. The camera could take all 650 shots, and lasted quite a bit after that (I had turned auto power off). About 8 hours in total.
I will do another test that is more realistic, using the unleashed on the Sony A7IV, and outdoors (temperature is slightly below 0 celsius at the moment where I live). But this seems very promising for any time lapse I might run. And if you are the kind of person who really does shoot super long time lapses, then just get a beefier, more modern power bank. Amazing!
Pierre
My Sony alphas (iii, iv, rv) all work great with a dummy battery connected to a usb power bank. No extra power regulator has been necessary for me beyond what is built into the dummy battery. When temps are below zero (Celsius) I warm the usb power bank with a hand warmer and wrap it in fleece cloth to keep it at a decent operating temperature. I keep some cloth between the hand warmer and battery to reduce overheating risk. I’ve used this set-up for a six hour timelapse (8 second interval) with the Unleashed ‘22 and Sony a7iv at temps of -20 C and had plenty of power left to go at least another six hours (with a high capacity power bank).