USB Chargeable Battery (w/in Camera)

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #10106826
Transfer CF cards with a card reader.
Using the camera and USB cable for this is the worst option.

That I disagree with. It is pretty hard to bend a CF pin if you aren't constantly removing and inserting the CF card. The USB transfer works very well.

Only time I've used a USB cable on any of my cameras is to set the Owner's Name field. Only connectors I ever use on them on anything approaching a regular basis are the remote trigger releases. If you need to recharge 2 (or more) batteries, what do you do?

tkbslc wrote in post #10106944
That I disagree with. It is pretty hard to bend a CF pin if you aren't constantly removing and inserting the CF card. The USB transfer works very well.

If you don't have many photos. And if you don't ever have to change cards.

Jon wrote in post #10107138
If you don't have many photos. And if you don't ever have to change cards.

True it won't prevent every card change, but it will prevent quite a few. And honestly, I rarely do change cards anymore with the cheap and large cards we have available today.

I'm not against card readers, but the "I never plug anything into my camera" stance seems a bit much.

As for plugging things in: I routinely use the trigger/remote release socket, the USB socket when tethered to my laptop (for time lapse), and have used the flash socket with long cords (until I bought cheap wireless triggers, which aren't very reliable compared to a corded flash!).

As for bringing the extra charger, you all are right, it isn't that much weight or size, but I am probably smaller than you (5'8" and 140 lbs), so every lb really adds up. I do what I can to travel comfortably whilst still getting the shots I want/can.

And finally, while I hate to argue with a moderator:

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #10106826
Minority is not even the correct word,. 40% is a minority,. we are talking infinitesimal percentage here.

A majority is anything more than half of a given population, and a minority is anything less than half of a given population. Period. You are probably 100% correct in your belief that the percentage is infinitesimally small, but incorrect in your assessment that they are not a minority. And with that: please don't ban me!

Rather than having a plug in solution to your camera, i would rather have a battery that you could pop out and charge with a usb camera cable. If you're shooting professionally having at least one spare battery is part of the trade. In the mean time the other battery could be charging off your laptop. That would be a huge convenience factor, especially for those who carry their camera chargers with them in their bag.

(i never saw that logic) ^

c2thew wrote in post #10107705
Rather than having a plug in solution to your camera, i would rather have a battery that you could pop out and charge with a usb camera cable. If you're shooting professionally having at least one spare battery is part of the trade. In the mean time the other battery could be charging off your laptop. That would be a huge convenience factor, especially for those who carry their camera chargers with them in their bag.

(i never saw that logic) ^

I could agree that an external charger would be fine, too. Mostly, I'm trying to consolidate all my various gear to more generic chargers. Even my iPhone charger is just a simple tip that comes off, allowing me to charge Blackberry's, bluetooth earpieces, GPS units, etc.

I know, wishful thinking!

I don't particularly desire this feature, but the fact that 5V is all that's available is irrelevant. A tiny switching supply could easily be built that would step the 5V up to whatever is needed for the battery.

The other day in a thrift store I saw a "coffee warmer" (You set your cup on it) that plugs into a USB port. Ridiculous, of course.

tkbslc wrote in post #10106944
That I disagree with. It is pretty hard to bend a CF pin if you aren't constantly removing and inserting the CF card. The USB transfer works very well.

How common is this really anyway? I've never bent a pin in my cameras and don't know anyone that has (other than the occasional story online). The guides on the cards and in the slot seem to do a pretty good job.

phreeky wrote in post #10110475
How common is this really anyway? I've never bent a pin in my cameras and don't know anyone that has (other than the occasional story online). The guides on the cards and in the slot seem to do a pretty good job.

Now you can say you've met someone!

I bent a pin in my former 1D, and was lucky and patient enough to fix it. The camera worked fine of course, but I was scared I had fudged it up.

I think the progress Canon makes with battery life is better spent R&D money than designing a usb-charger built-in. The MKIII and 7D (and other late models) show what you can do with technology, and the fact that you may only need 2-3 batteries in a typical outing.

440roadrunner wrote in post #10110256
I don't particularly desire this feature, but the fact that 5V is all that's available is irrelevant. A tiny switching supply could easily be built that would step the 5V up to whatever is needed for the battery.

The other day in a thrift store I saw a "coffee warmer" (You set your cup on it) that plugs into a USB port. Ridiculous, of course.

But as soon as you add a switching supply, or what most refer to as a power supply or converter, why not just take a charger again rather than a power brick with cords on both sides? Even though it would be small due to the low amount of current being dealt with, once you enclose it you may as well just have the charger.
Once you add a switching power supply it's no longer just a cable anymore that can go to any such device that has the USB port. The other option is it another thing that has to get put in the bag and then plugged into the camera which is then plugged into by the cable.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #10111592
I think the progress Canon makes with battery life is better spent R&D money than designing a usb-charger built-in. The MKIII and 7D (and other late models) show what you can do with technology, and the fact that you may only need 2-3 batteries in a typical outing.

This is an important point. The battery life of the 5D2 plus the built-in min-analyzer that predicts future battery failure have combined to reduce the number of batteries I need onhand by 1/3. I used to need six batteries for two cameras (four to shoot with, three in case of unexpected failures), now I can't find a good business case for more than four and could actually live with two.

I don't need the two spares because I get a good prediction of any imminent failures. Even with heavy Live View use, I rarely get below 1/2 power during a session with two batteries in my grips. I could probably live with a single battery in the grips, perhaps with an occasional swap.

ImRaptor wrote in post #10112114
But as soon as you add a switching supply, or what most refer to as a power supply or converter, why not just take a charger again rather than a power brick with cords on both sides? Even though it would be small due to the low amount of current being dealt with, once you enclose it you may as well just have the charger.
Once you add a switching power supply it's no longer just a cable anymore that can go to any such device that has the USB port. The other option is it another thing that has to get put in the bag and then plugged into the camera which is then plugged into by the cable.

You would not be able to use it interchangeably with cables that comply with the USB voltage limitation--it would burn out any device that was designed for 5v. Good design would therefore require a differently shaped jack to prevent erroneously using it with regular USB devices. Literally, it would not a "USB" cable any longer.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #10106826
Again, I absolutely think it's a horrible idea to add battery charging circuitry, heat, etc. to the camera body itself.

VERY true comments.

Jon wrote in post #10107138
Only time I've used a USB cable on any of my cameras is to set the Owner's Name field.

Ditto.

A card reader is MUCH more practical for moving files from a card to a computer's drive. When I'm moving files off my CF cards, I put them directly into various folders in my computer based on the subject material and when they were made. I also separate the .JPG and RAW files during the initial transfer (I always shoot RAW + Large JPG, and all RAW files go into a sub-folder below where the .JPG files go). This would be very impractical with the slow nature of the transfers from the camera via USB.

ImRaptor wrote in post #10112114
But as soon as you add a switching supply, or what most refer to as a power supply or converter, why not just take a charger again .

This would NOT be a very big device, and would not be a fast charger under the USB power specification. It COULD be build right into the camera, therefore you would still have "just a USB cable."

RDKirk wrote in post #10112731
You would not be able to use it interchangeably with cables that comply with the USB voltage limitation--it would burn out any device that was designed for 5v. .

This is absolutely untrue. A power supply---any supply-- switching or otherwise can be designed with current limiting to protect both the source and the output. I'm not saying this is a "great idea" only that from a design standpoint, it could be done.

Ever sawed into some batteries? I've successfully---and unsuccessfully!!!!!!! rebuilt a few. May laptop batteries especially (Thinkpads) have an INCREDIBLE amount of circuitry inside the battery housing, considering that they are supposed to be a "battery."