One of the first things that strike you when using a digital camera is that they have a huge appetite for batteries; this is mainly due to the power needed for the LCD monitor. The more recent digital cameras have moved away from traditional and globally available ‘AA’ type batteries to more specialised types, often Lithium Ion batteries. A number of spare batteries should be taken on a birding trip as they rarely power the camera for the length of time that manufacturers quote, though the modern Li-Ion batteries only require 2 hours to fully charge.
Instead of taking a pocketful of batteries with you, consider an external battery pack such as the Dual Force Pro (distributed by EagleEyeOpticZooms ). This will give you a full day of shooting without the worry of dead batteries just as that ‘mega’ lands in front of you.
Basically the Dual Force Pro consists of two separate rechargeable batteries in one unit (about cigarette packet sized) with a power cable that plugs into the external power supply socket of the camera. The main battery unit can be carried in a pocket or on your waist belt or better still, fixing the battery pack to the tripod or the scope body will prevent any tangles with the power cable.
There are a number of homemade designs for externally powering the cameras, some using the batteries from remote controlled models. Some knowledge of electronics is advisable before attempting a project like this.
Instead of taking a pocketful of batteries with you, consider an external battery pack such as the Dual Force Pro (distributed by EagleEyeOpticZooms ). This will give you a full day of shooting without the worry of dead batteries just as that ‘mega’ lands in front of you.
Basically the Dual Force Pro consists of two separate rechargeable batteries in one unit (about cigarette packet sized) with a power cable that plugs into the external power supply socket of the camera. The main battery unit can be carried in a pocket or on your waist belt or better still, fixing the battery pack to the tripod or the scope body will prevent any tangles with the power cable.
There are a number of homemade designs for externally powering the cameras, some using the batteries from remote controlled models. Some knowledge of electronics is advisable before attempting a project like this.