USB Chargeable Battery (w/in Camera)

Is it just me, or would others like to see future cameras capable of charging the battery through the USB port while in-camera?

For that matter, how about an external USB battery charger? I frequently take trips for extended periods with 2-3 cameras (1 DSLR and a few P&S's) and hate packing up 3 different camera chargers, a phone charger, possibly a laptop charger, etc.

Instead, I'd like the ability to take a USB cord and a laptop, or a USB cord and 120V AC to 5V DC adapter for charging. Leaving the batteries in camera and charging would allow me to charge overnight and reduce the amount of bulk I carry.

So, is it just me? Does anything like this exist? Yes, I have looked, but cannot find the right "search terms" to find anything like this in Google.

For that to work the camera batteries would have to be reduced in voltage to 5V.
The reason you can't find anything is you can't charge a higher voltage battery using only 5V (ie 5V supply cannot charge a 12V or 7.4 camera battery without first being converted)

I don't see how this would be beneficial. You would have to leave your laptop on all night to charge your camera? And an AC adapter with a USB cable would be just a big as the nice travel chargers canon supplies.

Also it seems odd to be complaining about packing too much stuff when you are bringing 4 cameras, phones, laptops, etc. If you don't want to bring 5 chargers, don't bring 5 devices.

It would be nice, but either the voltage of the battery would have to be reduced, or the usb would have to be increased, tbh, I can't see either happening, plus it isn't all about voltage, it is about wattage as well (i.e. ampage as well)

tkbslc wrote in post #10096665
You would have to leave your laptop on all night to charge your camera

When my laptop is in standy, the usb ports stay active. I charge my phone & mp3 player this way.

buurin wrote in post #10096792
When my laptop is in standy, the usb ports stay active. I charge my phone & mp3 player this way.

Exactly!

And besides, the iPhone charger (like many others) is a small AC to 5V adapter and I can plug ANY device that has a USB "tail" on it. If each camera could be charged internally, then I would only need 1-2 USB cords and one outlet adapter, which is quite small (smaller by far than any one battery charger for the cameras).

As for "complaining" about bringing so many devices, I did say 1 is a DSLR, 2 are P&S's. The chargers are almost as big as a P&S, so now it's like bringing another 3 P&S's, which does add bulk unnecessarily. I'm not a big person and I hate checking bags, so any extra space or less weight definitely helps.

And thanks to everyone regarding the actual reason it won't work. The fact that the amps/volts wouldn't be sufficient really helps to understand why my request is not going to happen.

I would love it! But I have a body on my desk all the time. So it would be nothing out of the norm for me. The only thing i would need to do differently is plug it in. But alas as mentioned it will never be....

Keeping in mind that a lower voltage is harder to get amperage out of in a battery: FPS rates would be hard to achieve, accuracies in functions are more difficult to maintain, etc.
Nikon is stretching the limit in the D700 already, in which it requires the grip to provide for added power to get the full fps out of the camera.
The only real solution in my mind would be similar to what portable 2.5" drives are doing with using 2 USB connectors for power. Now it's not quite the same as the drives are using the ports to gain more amperage on 5V and not more voltage, but change your wiring a bit and you've got 10V to work with, which would charge a Rebel or xxD series camera, and the 5D and 7D I believe; still not a 1D camera though.
Using 2 ports for 10V the charge rate would be horrible for a camera. Leave it over night and ope it's done in the morning sort of horrible as it's only 450mA for the entire bus.
An increase in USB voltage would never happen as it would loose the compatibility for existing USB devices. If you loose the compatibility one a device you may as well make a new standard.
Coupled with the fact that USB 3.0 is still in it's infancy we won't be seeing any voltage changes from USB or similar anytime soon in regards to technology life spans.

I don't see the benefits of a USB charger for cameras for a few reasons..

Many photographers if not most aquire their images via a card reader.. Electricity mains chargers will be quicker charging batteries than via USB.. It's also easier to have a couple of spare charged batteries on hand.. Having a mains charger and spare battery you can always have a battery charging whilst shooting..

In reality, camera chargers aren't that heavy and don't take up much room..

For me it has nothing to do with transfering images or even travel space concerns. I would like the USB charge idea because for some unknown reason, I keep my bodies on my desk, by the editing computer. If I could plug them in, I would know they are allways at 100% battery life. I would never have to think if the battery is full or if I need to swap them out. Or forget them in the charger when leaving. 99% of the time I do not have to swap batteries in the field. So even if it takes all nite, I would know that it would be ready in the at a moments notice.

^

OK,,lets think about this.. You are shooting an event and your battery runs dry.. You have a spare in your bag along with a charger.. Do you go find a power outlet to charge your spare battery whilst still shooting?? Or do you wait until you get home??

Any pro or semi photographer worth his/her salt would never leave home without a couple of spare batteries.. Batteries have always been the nemesis for photographers..

yogestee wrote in post #10099316
^

OK,,lets think about this.. You are shooting an event and your battery runs dry.. You have a spare in your bag along with a charger.. Do you go find a power outlet to charge your spare battery whilst still shooting?? Or do you wait until you get home??

I have more than enough to wait till I get home. No need to find a place where I will forget about them.

yogestee wrote in post #10099316
Batteries have always been the nemesis for photographers..

Exactly the point. Extra battery's are a forgone conclusion for a photographer worth his salt, professional, or even a half interested amateur. It is simply about having the one in the camera at 100% all the time. A semi active photographers battery is almost never at 100%, because the camera is in continual use. If you could set it down ( and plug it in) it will refresh itself while it is waiting for the next assignment. So every time you grab it, the first battery is at 100%. If you shoot enough to swap so be it. But that first battery started at 100% rather than 75% or as it happens to any working photographer now and then... 30%.

Obviously you can just charge them when you get done and have them all at 100% in 90 minutes. But if you are one who is constantly playing with the camera... set up shots... kids acting funny...quick documentation shots... birds out the window....anything other than just sitting on a shelf, that battery is not at 100%. I end up shooting things on my desk while waiting for downloads....etc...etc​..

If I could have it plugged in I just need to grab it and throw it in the bag. I do not have to think about swapping batterys before I leave. Or once I get to the location.

If I didn't keep the camera out and ready at a half seconds notice, and in half sporadic continual use. I would agree there is no point in USB charging. But It is always on my desk. So why not be able to plug it in and keep it topped off.

I would venture to guess you are in the tiny minority that keeps their camera on their desk.

I have never ran out of power when out shooting. Then again, I have 4 batteries which is overkill on a one day shoot.

i'm with the OP, i guess some people don't understand why this would be useful, but for me i have to carry a blackberry for work, i also carry an iphone and sometimes an ipod and instead of carrying multiple chargers i carry a wall charger that has 2 usb ports on it so i can charge two devices at once. Also in a pinch if i'm working on my laptop and i'm plugged in i'm happy to plug into the laptop. Sure it's slow but if i'm working 8-10 hours then it's no big deal to have things plugged in.

at the moment if i bring my dslr i have to bring a charger, i have a travel charger which is smaller then the canon one but still it's once less thing to carry if i could get ride of it.

i don't think canon will allow direct charge of the battery through the USB cable anytime soon so we have to look at other options. I remember a few years ago you could get something like this for the canon BP511, but now i can't find it anymore. I think this would work, especially if you used a USB extension cable.

http://cgi.ebay.com …rgers&hash=item​2a060d50dc

It's just you.
Charge batteries in a charger,. we don't want all that extra circuitry and weighing down our cameras and certainly don't want to limit it's life span with all the heat that charging a battery generates.
Minority is not even the correct word,. 40% is a minority,. we are talking infinitesimal percentage here.

Transfer CF cards with a card reader.
Using the camera and USB cable for this is the worst option.

Use USB once to update your info on the camera, or for the odd ones that like to shoot tethered.

Again, I absolutely think it's a horrible idea to add battery charging circuitry, heat, etc. to the camera body itself.