Don't Miss That Perfect Shot Because of a Dead Camera Battery
Most of the time my photo walks take less than an hour. But sometimes I venture farther or stop to take more pictures than usual. That's when it really pays to have extra camera batteries. Here's why I bought my set of Powerextra batteries with chargers included.
It was a perfect day to walk by the Salinas River. It was rainy season and the river was full. I decided to walk all the way to a bridge at least half a mile away. I knew that the river would be wider there and I could get a unique shot. It was a fairly warm day for spring, and the walk was longer than I usually take. (You can see highlights of the walk here.)
There I encountered many scenes I wanted to photograph as I walked toward the bridge. I got distracted by wildlife, signs of human activity, trees, shrubs, and, of course, the river itself. I had taken over a hundred photos, and I hadn't started with a fully charged camera. I hadn't expected to take so many photos.
I was pretty hot and tired by the time I got to the bridge. I walked from the trail to street level to get on the bridge. Here's where my path approached the bridge.
I was almost to my goal. Once on the bridge, I took my first shot, the first of many I had planned, but not the special shot I had really wanted. And that's when my camera battery died. Along with my hopes of getting not only the other shots from the bridge, but also more shots I'd been planning to get on the walk back to my car.
Choosing Extra Batteries
That night I decided it was time to buy some extra battery packs. I can never predict how many photos I will want to take. Obviously I didn't correctly predict it for this walk. So I went right to Amazon as soon as I had time. My camera is a Canon PowerShot SX410 IS. See how I tested it when it was new.
When I looked up the replacement battery Canon made for my camera, the price blew me away. At $42.25 as I write this, it still blows me away. For just one battery! So I checked for alternatives. I discovered the Powerextra battery for my camera. And not just the battery, but a whole battery kit with two batteries and an extra charger for the house, as well as a car charger. For about one fourth of the price of one Canon battery!
Naturally I was suspicious! How could I get so much more for so much less? Oh! The Powerextra is made in China. But so is the camera and the Canon battery. Frugal as I am, I decided to buy the Powerextra kit and try it. I'd only lose about twelve dollars if the batteries didn't work. I could still purchase the Canon batteries if necessary. It was worth the risk. It paid off for me.
I have been using both the house charger and the batteries for over four months. They all work well. I can now have one battery charging and one extra in my camera bag so that I will always have a charged battery when I need one. I don't have to skimp on pictures for fear of losing power. And I won't have to miss the shot I want most.
I have not yet tested the car charger because I haven't been on any drives long enough to try it out. I will add the results here after I do have the chance to test it.
I highly recommend the Powerextra batteries if you want to save money. They are available for most major brands and models of digital cameras. I think they offer great value for the price.
Powerextra 2 Pack Replacement Sony NP-FW50 Battery and Smart LCD Display Dual Channel Charger for Sony Alpha a6500, a6300, a6000, a7s, a7, a7s ii, a7s, a5100, a5000, a7r, a7 ii Digital CameraPowerextra 2 Pack Replacment Canon LP-E12 Battery and Charger for Canon EOS M EOS Rebel SL1 EOS 100DPowerextra 2 Pack Replacement Battery and Dual Battery Charger for Nikon EN-EL14, EN-EL14a, and Nikon P7000, P7100, P7700, P7800, D3100, D3200, D3300, D5100, D5200, D5300, Df
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Barbara, thanks so much for your money-saving recommendation for the Powerextra battery kit for camera batteries. As you know, I have the exact same Canon camera, so this battery kit would work well for me too. Always good to know about a less expensive alternative when needing to purchase accessories.
ReplyDeleteI think I may have bought my camera because of your review. But I don't remember now, since I've had it a couple of years. When I saw the price of the brand replacement batteries it reminded me of how you can buy a cheap inkjet printer and then find out it isn't as cheap as you thought when you see the price to replace the ink cartridges.
DeleteI remember you DID buy your Canon camera because of my review, Barbara, and I remember being delighted that my review helped you decide which camera to get. :)
DeleteAn excellent idea! I don't know how many times I have heard myself say something like, "oh man! The battery is dead" when I am trying to take a picture. I have 3 batteries for my Nikon 3100 camera, but only the one for my smaller Canon camera that I carry in my pocket. I do hate it when the battery is dead. I definitely need to buy a second battery for that camera too! I don't know why I haven't thought to do that before. Excellent suggestion and review!
ReplyDeleteI really miss my Nikon pocket camera which I somehow lost. I used to use it as my backup. I'd stick it in the pocket of my camera bag with my Canon camera and I'd always have a backup camera. Maybe that's one reason I needed to buy the backup batteries now -- I don't have a backup camera anymore. The extra batteries at least take up less room in the bag than an extra camera.
DeleteThat's a hard lesson to learn Barbara, missing that one special shot when it's so close! I never ever go out without battery backups and I'm glad to hear this one is such a great deal. When I need another, I will definitely keep this in mind.
ReplyDeleteGood you learned this lesson early. I did have a backup for my Nikon, but now I don't have the camera.
DeleteGreat info, the battery life on my camera is sketchy. Thanks for the review and I look forward to always being ready to take the hero shot!
ReplyDeleteIt really hurts to miss the exact shot you want for lack of battery power. I really like that the charger that came in the Powerextra kit has the adapter that can plug into a car lighter.
DeleteYou can never have too many camera batteries. That is my motto. I'll have to see if they have a kit for my Nikon. Thanks for the lead.
ReplyDeleteThey probably do have one for your camera. I think I saw almost every major brand and model among the offerings. I only put links to a few here, but I saw Fuji, Sony, and other brands, as well.
Deletewait... what?! Oh man, I needed this review. Thank you for writing it. I'm often getting low on my camera battery... so I just stop taking photos and miss so many things I'd like photos of. The last time I was at The Shack, my battery was running out. I took my battery and charger and sat in a gas station/store for a period of time... to recharge. I am definitely checking out these chargers/batteries.
ReplyDeleteI like that these were so reasonably priced. The charger that came with my set included a car adapter for charging in the car. That will make it easy to charge my batteries on the way to wherever I may be going if they are low.
DeleteThis sounds like a good gift idea for one of my sons. He's recently taken up photography and spent big bucks on camera, and he's always out taking pictures. Will be keeping this in mind.
ReplyDeleteIt really is nice not to have to worry anymore about my camera losing power. The best camera in the world won't work without power.
DeleteJust ordered from them and saw this. lol, I can take 3000 in a weekend so I ordered 8. But sounds like these will do for that. I used to have to keep about 20 of another off brand for a different camera. Hope these work as well for me as they seem to for yall
ReplyDelete