What battery option when traveling?

Hi there!

Next year I will probably make a 2 week long amazing trip to Japan, where I and a couple of friends will travel around the country by train and stay a couple of days at every place to have time to explore and experience. In other words, we will travel around a lot, walk a lot and stay at hostels and hotels mostly in cities.

Needless to say I want the company of my 7D. I figure I'll be taking the body, my 24-105, probably an UWA (which I don't own yet) (and maybe, just maybe, my 430ex II flashgun) with me to have a powerful but reasonably light combo. I haven't decided what battery option I should choose though. If I leave the batterygrip at home I will have a light camera, but I'll be stuck with the battery pack, which I currently just own one of. If I leave the batterygrip on the body, as I always have it otherwise, I can use several sets of rechargeable AA batteries (which will also work with the flashgun). In case of battery problems or electricity issues I can always head out to the nearest store and by some ordinary AAs.

What options would you guys go for?

Another thought: How would you do the backing up of images while on the trip? Having important images as only one single digital copy makes me feel uneasy.

I currrently use 2 lp-e6 batteries and 6 AA imdedions as back up in their grip cradle, also have another 4 imedions in the flash unit and 2 imedions spare.

This is a trip for 2011? We're barely through Q1 of 2010! That's what I call planning ahead!

You say you will be staying and hotels, hostels, YMCAs, etc. All those places have electricity. You can easily charge your camera batteries in the evenings after a day of shooting. Take a second battery for each of your cameras so you have a spare. On the flash, get a set of rechargeables and do the same. Lots of folks use the Eneloop AA batteries and a LaCrosse recharger.

During your trip, you'll have access to places where you can purchase additional batteries or charge them up. Don't sweat this. It's not like you'll be out in the back-country for two weeks.

lannes wrote in post #10016569
I currrently use 2 lp-e6 batteries and 6 AA imdedions as back up in their grip cradle, also have another 4 imedions in the flash unit and 2 imedions spare.

Ok. So your vote is for lugging around the battery grip?

tgara wrote in post #10016591
This is a trip for 2011? We're barely through Q1 of 2010! That's what I call planning ahead!

You say you will be staying and hotels, hostels, YMCAs, etc. All those places have electricity. You can easily charge your camera batteries in the evenings after a day of shooting. Take a second battery for each of your cameras so you have a spare. On the flash, get a set of rechargeables and do the same. Lots of folks use the Eneloop AA batteries and a LaCrosse recharger.

During your trip, you'll have access to places where you can purchase additional batteries or charge them up. Don't sweat this. It's not like you'll be out in the back-country for two weeks.

Haha! Yes. It'll be a very thoroughly planned trip. I'll probably do some not so planned trips before this one too.

I see your point. But would you lug around the battery grip or would you leave it at home?

By the way. What's so good about the Eneloop batteries? (I haven't looked them up.)

I never travel without battery chargers and adapters..

Taking your battery grip or not is your choice but I'd still take the "normal" battery or two instead of using AA, including the charger..

For your flash take two sets of full charged Sanyo Eneloops.. These should see you through your trip..

yogestee wrote in post #10016729
I never travel without battery chargers and adapters..

Taking your battery grip or not is your choice but I'd still take the "normal" battery or two instead of using AA, including the charger..

For your flash take two sets of full charged Sanyo Eneloops.. These should see you through your trip..

I will bring the normal battery anyway, but I'd like to have backup batteries when out. Why do you consider the normal battery better than AAs?

JimAndersson wrote in post #10016728
But would you lug around the battery grip or would you leave it at home?

By the way. What's so good about the Eneloop batteries? (I haven't looked them up.)

I don't own or use a grip. For me, a grip takes up too much space and adds extra weight. I will take an extra battery with me sometimes. But the way I shoot, I can get through a whole day on a full charge of the regular battery. At the end of the day, I pop it out and charge it up overnight, so it is ready to go the next day.

The Eneloop batteries (made by Sanyo) hold a charge for a long time. Lots of people here use them for this reason.

http://www.amazon.com …ics&qid=1271597​311&sr=8-6

JimAndersson wrote in post #10016709
Ok. So your vote is for lugging around the battery grip?

Not necessarily, you could just get more lp-e6 batteries, but I do like the ability to back up both the camera and the flash with the AA batteries in the grip. It's a pity the Canon BG's are not like the Nikon BG's which don't have the large connector, which makes them more space efficient and easier to carry.

As an alternative to the eneloops, I would also consider the Maha Imedions.

Get a second (or third) battery for the camera. It wouldn't be a bad idea to pick up a second charger either; I've had them die on me. Still cheaper and lighter than the grip.

In a place like Japan -- as in my trip to Korea about 2-3 years ago -- you'll be moving a LOT and especially by foot. I'd highly suggest that you take everything out of your traveling case except for the most essential. To me, the first thing that I'd leave at home is your grip. It's cool, it's nice, it's useful -- but it's not essential.

Since you'll be traveling in Japan only for two weeks, get yourself a bunch of new Powerex 2700s. Eneloops are great because they don't lose charge, but their advantage is really for a long period of low self discharge. When it comes to just two weeks, though, new Powerex 2700s not only retain a full capacity but their extra 700 mAh over eneloops means a lot more shooting power -- great for traveling for a short period, as you don't need to recharge them as often.

When I was traveling in South Korea for a month, I duplicated the saving of all my images onto two WD portable external HDs at the day's end. Worked great.

Jon wrote in post #10017238
Get a second (or third) battery for the camera. It wouldn't be a bad idea to pick up a second charger either; I've had them die on me. Still cheaper and lighter than the grip.

I already own the grip. Spending a lot of money on more canon batteries seems less smart when I already have the grip that takes AAs. It's the size that bugs me when it comes to lugging it across the world. What's your opinion on third party battery packs?

lannes wrote in post #10017152
Not necessarily, you could just get more lp-e7 batteries, but I do like the ability to back up both the camera and the flash with the AA batteries in the grip. It's a pity the Canon BG's are not like the Nikon BG's which don't have the large connector, which makes them more space efficient and easier to carry.

As an alternative to the eneloops, I would also consider the Maha Imedions.

What's your impression of third party battery packs?

SYS wrote in post #10017289
In a place like Japan -- as in my trip to Korea about 2-3 years ago -- you'll be moving a LOT and especially by foot. I'd highly suggest that you take everything out of your traveling case except for the most essential. To me, the first thing that I'd leave at home is your grip. It's cool, it's nice, it's useful -- but it's not essential.

Since you'll be traveling in Japan only for two weeks, get yourself a bunch of new Powerex 2700s. Eneloops are great because they don't lose charge, but their advantage is really for a long period of low self discharge. When it comes to just two weeks, though, new Powerex 2700s not only retain a full capacity but their extra 700 mAh over eneloops means a lot more shooting power -- great for traveling for a short period, as you don't need to recharge them as often.

When I was traveling in South Korea for a month, I duplicated the saving of all my images onto two WD portable external HDs at the day's end. Worked great.

If I decide to leave the grip at home any AAs are useless (well, not for the flash, but I'm not sure I will bring it).

So you brought a laptop with you?

JimAndersson wrote in post #10017357
What's your impression of third party battery packs?

Good..I've been using them for years..