charging batteries in the car?

[Rimwalker]

Alright, this seems like a stupid question, something google should have cleared up in seconds, but I'm stumped.

I have a Canon XSI (450D), and it came with LP-E5 battery and charger. The charger has prongs to go straight into the wall, and a whole for adapter cords (I'm guessing)

So my question is; is there a cord for the charger to car (cigarette) plug? Do I need a whole new charger? Can I get an adapter to turn car into wall?

Cheapest (reliable) way wins.

Thanks.

[Nick5]

I have a Promaster battery charger that can plug into the AC outlet and it has a car adaptor.
I keep it in the car at all times.

[gofer]

Alright, this seems like a stupid question, something google should have cleared up in seconds, but I'm stumped.

I have a Canon XSI (450D), and it came with LP-E5 battery and charger. The charger has prongs to go straight into the wall, and a whole for adapter cords (I'm guessing)

So my question is; is there a cord for the charger to car (cigarette) plug? Do I need a whole new charger? Can I get an adapter to turn car into wall?

Cheapest (reliable) way wins.

Thanks.

According to the manual, the XSI comes with either a LC-E5 charger or a LC-E5E both of which are mains only chargers. If you need to charge your battery from your car battery you'll will need a CBC-E5 charger (apparently). Page 176 shows the options.

quick edit: you'll probably be better looking for an aftermarket charger. The CBC-E5 in rip off Britian is around the £90 mark!!!!! Probably be 'bout half that the other side of the pond.

[bohdank]

Or just buy a 12/120v inverter and you can plug just about any 120v electronic into it, such as your existing battery charger. It saves buying an endless list of car chargers.

I charge batteries, cel phone, Bluetooth headset, laptop....etc...etc.. that way.

[Wilt]

Or just buy a 12/120v inverter and you can plug just about any 120v electronic into it, such as your existing battery charger. It saves buying an endless list of car chargers.

I charge batteries, cel phone, Bluetooth headset, laptop....etc...etc.. that way.


No, very dangerous to your charger! The output from cheap inverters is often a square wave, not a sine wave, and the square wave can damager/kill electronics!!! (I know of what I speak...a long time ago I killed a cell phone charger by charging it into an infereior unit!

[bohdank]

Then don't buy an inferiro one :-)

I bought one for about $30 that has, so far, worked fine.

I believe the instructions that came with my Maha charger says it can be used with an inverter (I'll have to double check).

Not everything can be used with an inverter. Do a Google search.

[LowriderS10]

look around online...I found a BP511 (XXD battery) car charger for $2.95 ;)

[yabbie]

I bought stirlingtek car chargers for both cameras - for solar power while trekking. They worked fine.

[r.morales]

1st - get a second battery .
2nd -The solar chargers take to long . Nice toys when hiking , but a spare battery or 2 takes up less room .
3rd - a good inverter [ about 30 ] will charge laptops phones [ you should already have a car charger for phone . ] It will also charge AA's for flash and flash light .[ if you have the charger ]

[Rimwalker]

Thanks for the advise everybody.

I do have a second battery, although more may be better since my two batteries are sometimes in the grip together, draining together.

It sounds like a good converter won't be a problem with square vs. sin vs. rhombus waves? (I just made up rhombus waves, I think, trying to be funny. Never mind).

The inverter sounds appealing with a cell, phone, AA's for my strobs, a lap top, etc.

Last questions: I live in the boonies, actually the mountains overlooking the boonies, so without having all sorts of retail easily accessable, where should I look for a good inverter?

[Woolburr]

No, very dangerous to your charger! The output from cheap inverters is often a square wave, not a sine wave, and the square wave can damager/kill electronics!!! (I know of what I speak...a long time ago I killed a cell phone charger by charging it into an infereior unit!

I have used an inverter to power my chargers for years....with no ill effects to any of the gear involved.

[Wilt]

I have used an inverter to power my chargers for years....with no ill effects to any of the gear involved.


??? I know the conventional wisdom is to NOT use inverters to power AC studio strobes unless it is a quality sine wave output invertor. I also know that I have used a 240v-to-110v AC adapter internationally, plugged in my 110v battery charger for my cell phone and fried it! One anecdotal post to that very point... http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=6642193&postcount=9

I also know that simply because you 'have done it' does not make it the right thing to do. Like firing a Canon speedlight as fast as it can recycle for many shots continuously...there are those who have done it without consequence, and there are those who fried several flash units before they wised up (POTN members have posted to that point!)

[r.morales]

I was in the area of 300 shots before batteries went to 2 bars , 3 shots later dead .
The number of shots depends on so many things that after about a 100 I switch batteries .
I use flash on camera as fill sometimes , almost always have it on Raw + jpg , leave camera on if chance of picture , Have IS lenses - all use power .

[Rimwalker]

Sorry to dredge this thread up again, but I've done some more reading on sign vs. square waves, and it appears ~$30 converters have "approximate sine wave conversion" and expensive ones ($200+) have "pure sine waves."
Any idea on approximate sine waves and our camera batteries?