Dustin Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 I have a nikon d5300. What would be the best solution to power my camera for a shoot lasting longer than 2-3 hours? This camera eats thru batteries fairly fast. I have seen this video but does anyone know if this or another option would be best? I am not wanting to spend a ton of money and I don't want to damage my camera. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupp Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 I have three of those batteries shown in the video (except mine are the XTPower brand). I used them for monitors and cameras that take 9-12 volts, but it is best to avoid using them directly on cameras that use 7.4 volt internal batteries, such as your Nikon D5300. One can use 9v batteries on 7.4v cameras, but there is the possibility of extra heat being generated by the higher than necessary voltage, which can increase noise and diminish camera life, not to mention that power is wasted generating that heat. I bought an inexpensive, solid-state adapter that efficiently knocks down 9v/12v to 7.5v. However, for most DSLRs and mirrorless cameras that use 7.4v, a more compact and less expensive method is to use clones of the Sony F550/f970 batteries along with a cheap battery cradle, as shown in this FrugalFilmmaker video: The cradle and clone batteries can be purchased at Ebay and Amazon (links on the video's YouTube page), and they are already run 7.5 volts without any modification. You could even get two battery cradles and wire them in parallel to allow hot swapping batteries while you are shooting. By the way, the FrugalFilmmaker guy also made a video in which he mounted two cheaper and shallower battery cradles: A lot of smaller monitors also take these Sony clone batteries. You could also just simply use a 7.4v AC adapter for your camera. Just avoid connecting anything to your camera that is also running off of AC (monitor, audio mixer, etc.) to avoid frying your camera in a reverse ground situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 So essentially I buy a sony f550 battery and the cradle then a dummy battery for my d5300. Check. I now have to leave the battery door open since the cable won't obviously fit through. I've been looking at buying some sort of rig to mount both batteries and my tascam recorder. What would I then buy that would give me enough clearance to keep the battery door open? What about a battery grip how much more time would that give me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotchtape Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Battery grip obviously doubles the battery life since you have 2x batteries. On small DSLRs the battery life is terribad. I also created my own NP-F mount in parallel. IF you can DIY, you just hook two plates up in parallel and mount it to something. I used a cheap electronics box and a 15mm rod mount. I usually have some form of rig to attach that too, but if not you can also just use a hotshoe ballhead or something. - Plates = $4 each (buy the charger for Sony NP-F batteries then just use the removable plate) For the dummy battery you can make your own by sacrificing one. I just got a cheap aftermarket battery and wired it up. I have done this to several Canon and Nikon Cameras no problem. Running two Sony NP-F 970s basically lasts you for around 8 hours or more. tupp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupp Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 10 hours ago, Dustin said: I now have to leave the battery door open since the cable won't obviously fit through No. You probably don't need to leave the battery door open -- look for a small rubber piece on/near the battery door that opens to allow a cable/connector to pass through. 5 hours ago, scotchtape said: For the dummy battery you can make your own by sacrificing one. I just got a cheap aftermarket battery and wired it up. I have done this to several Canon and Nikon Cameras no problem. Or just get a ready-made AC adapter for the camera, and cut the cable and put mating male/female plugs on each cable end at the cut. That way, the adapter can be used both with batteries and with the AC power supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgreszcz Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Look at this guy's blog http://www.grahamhoughton.com/tech-talk for the subject "Building a USB to 8.4v power supply to power your camera for longer periods out doors". It refers to Panasonic, but I'm sure you can do much of the same for any camera that has a "dummy" battery on the market. I've ordered the voltage/current converter and dummy battery and I'm going to use it with external USB battery packs for longer time-lapse video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotchtape Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 It is easier to buy pre made dummy batteries except that for some cameras they are quite expensive. For Canon they are cheap and plentiful. But for the "big boy" nikons that use el-en15 (d600 d750 d800 etc) it costs like $30 just for the dummy. For Canon ep-6 it's like $5 for the dummy or like 15 incl tax adapter (can't member now). That's why I made my own for like 1/3 the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted September 5, 2016 Author Share Posted September 5, 2016 On 9/2/2016 at 0:37 AM, tupp said: No. You probably don't need to leave the battery door open -- look for a small rubber piece on/near the battery door that opens to allow a cable/connector to pass through. I can't seem to find that spot. Here is the battery compartment on my d5300. The outside battery door is rock solid with no cutouts. However I have looked at my tripod and it seems it does have room to open but I'm just worried it might fall out.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupp Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 6 hours ago, Dustin said: I can't seem to find that spot. Here is the battery compartment on my d5300. The outside battery door is rock solid with no cutouts. However I have looked at my tripod and it seems it does have room to open but I'm just worried it might fall out.. What is the thing shown inside the yellow circle?: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bugg Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 That is a rubber boot that can be pulled back and which allows the cable from a dummy battery to exit the body with the battery door closed. Here it is on the D750 with dummy battery inserted. tupp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted September 6, 2016 Author Share Posted September 6, 2016 16 hours ago, Richard Bugg said: That is a rubber boot that can be pulled back and which allows the cable from a dummy battery to exit the body with the battery door closed. Here it is on the D750 with dummy battery inserted. You sir are the mvp. thank you! Richard Bugg 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bugg Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 As it turns out I didn't know this either until tupp pointed it out a few posts back. I just happened to get my dummy battery/AC power adapter a few days ago (Nikon knockoff via ebay) to help record an event to a Blackmagic video assist without the camera batteries cutting out. That's the value of a community putting ideas into the melting pot. tupp had the knowledge; I had a couple of pictures. Bam! Problem solved. tupp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted September 6, 2016 Author Share Posted September 6, 2016 3 hours ago, Richard Bugg said: As it turns out I didn't know this either until tupp pointed it out a few posts back. I just happened to get my dummy battery/AC power adapter a few days ago (Nikon knockoff via ebay) to help record an event to a Blackmagic video assist without the camera batteries cutting out. That's the value of a community putting ideas into the melting pot. tupp had the knowledge; I had a couple of pictures. Bam! Problem solved. So with that setup though you're still confined to where an outlet or extension strip lies. Which I guess might not matter depending on your needs. Yes the eoshd community is great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bugg Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 34 minutes ago, Dustin said: So with that setup though you're still confined to where an outlet or extension strip lies. Which I guess might not matter depending on your needs. Yes the eoshd community is great! Not necessarily - for example you could plug it into a standard lead acid battery via an inverter, or into a lithium battery with AC outlet like the Paul Buff Vagabond, or similar. You could also put another plug on the end and connect directly to a more portable battery as long as it had the appropriate voltage. I have a vagabond so it I were to run a long time lapse sequence I'd just plug it into that. It would be an expensive item just for occasional use, but if you have a portable strobe like the Einstein or you want to do a lot of power hungry work away from domestic power it would be a pretty good solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupp Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 1 hour ago, Dustin said: So with that setup though you're still confined to where an outlet or extension strip lies. No. This issue was already covered in several instances above. By making a simple modification to the AC adapter, you can use the same dummy battery for both AC power and external battery power. If you don't understand, it might best to go back and thoroughly review each post and video in this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupp Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 On 9/5/2016 at 4:37 PM, tupp said: What is the thing shown inside the yellow circle?: On 9/6/2016 at 5:46 PM, Richard Bugg said: That is a rubber boot that can be pulled back and which allows the cable from a dummy battery to exit the body with the battery door closed. Here it is on the D750 with dummy battery inserted. Thanks for the photos, but I already knew the answer to my question. I guess that I mistakenly supposed that the OP would find the hatch after I circled it in bright yellow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 1 hour ago, tupp said: Thanks for the photos, but I already knew the answer to my question. I guess that I mistakenly supposed that the OP would find the hatch after I circled it in bright yellow. No need to be snarky here. I woke up to both Richard and your posts and simply happened to see both of them at the same time. I'm not a complete dumbass - I just don't have that much electrical know-how. Jeez. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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