Gear

As any one taking a digital camera like a digital SLR camera with them on their travels and then get stuck because you’re middle of nowhere & these no place to plug it in.

Well I think I’m going to be in that position in which I don’t want to be in, so how or what’s a good solar panel charger, but portable one on the market these days?

(Example a Canon SLR Digital EOS 350D camera battery has a rechargeable battery: Uses and an output of Li-ion 7.4V 570mAh)

If you plan on using it just for a 350D, don't bother with a solar charger. Just but the Grip for the camera. Not only does it hold 2 batteries but comes with an adaptor that takes 6 AA batteries. Get some Li-ion and they should be good for a while.

The grip costs +/-£100 and makes the whole camera much more manageble to boot.

I get three days of shooting and reviewing time out of a Canon rechargable Li-ion battery, then I have to recharge. I use two of those batteries, so I have to be able to recharge before a week is done. I'd be interested in a solar charger for long trips, and I really don't want to have to carry massive weights of batteries over the mountains, or have to leave the mountains just to get replacements.

I don't really want to carry extra batteries around with me, as I be more likely be away from any where I can charge it up.

So thats why I'm looking a solar panel to charge the batteries on the go.

bear in mind that the 350D's charger is 240v straight in with no transformer.

Yeah - I just got home last night after a week of scorching sun on the bleak and barren volcanic El Hierro (last Canary Island before America) - and I'm not sure a portable solar panel would have come up with that amount of charge even in such optimal conditions!

The communications mast on top of 1500m Malpaso seems to be charged entirely by solar panels. I didn't count them, but there must have been a dozen or so mounted on a building near the mast.

in Trail magazine this month.there is a charger called a PowerPocket which i see Jon from OM had on test. charger appears to work/charge at a faster rate than the silva version and at 200g for the 6.5a version its light (360g for the 'double panel as in Trail). all you need is a male car charger component. Jon reckons it works well - tested in Nepal!

Well that may do it, I've looked at the home site of PowerPocket (http://www.esc-outdoor.co.uk/pocketinfo.htm) and it may work using the Canon or any other SLR camera's.

These another site I've just found it witch maybe usefull too - http://www.solarenergyalliance.com

Some interesting developments in flexible solar cell technology have been made in the last few years. Unfortunately, they're still relatively inefficient, but I suspect they'll get better.

New Scientist article

O'Neill H2 Series Solar Backpack
more fun stuff

Don't see how they would work. Admittedly it's been a long time since I did electrical engineering but it's output is still 12v and the 350 charger requires 240v. the only option I can see is that combines with the Car Battery Charger CBC-NB2. That pushes the cost to over £200.

for smaller items like the sony cybershot, my ipod and my SPV C550 smartphone, I use the Solio charger (about £45 from amazon or direct from solio uk).

Works for me and charges fine after a couple of initial wall charges.

I've got a canon 20d pro kit and just use a second set of Li-Ion batteries for the battery grip as suggested above (cheap from kea photo 'ebay seller' ~£25) and they last me about 3000 shots with image show on the camera screen for each shot.

Helpful?

Dave

I got a unit from Maplins for a tenner, just the size of a normal recharger, but the lid has solar panels instead. It's a bit too big to carry for charging 2 AAA batteries, but maybe useful for longer treks when being self-sufficient is important.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=10438&criteria=solar&doy=11m6

I'm keeping an eye out for a wind-up charger for my mobile phone.

Before i went travelling in africa about 3 years ago, i bought one of those battery chargers which Duncan links to above from Maplin. not wanting the bulk and weight, i took it apart, soldered that little thing which stops the power reversing back to the panel onto the back of the panel and had a wire which ran to an AA cell battery holder, much lighter and low bulk

---i also had a switch and plus a resistor, plus an adapter so that i could use it to run my shortwave radio which was what i mostly used it for :-) , or well that was after i managed to ripp the wire off the battery holder through poor packing :-o

has anyone used any products which utilise powerfilm,

have a look here
http://www.powerfilmsolar.com/products/mainbrochure.htm

and here
http://www.energyenv.co.uk/PowerfilmHome.asp

Good links, Hamish. I wonder if anyone'll pick up on the solar tarp idea?

I'm off to check the list provided on http://www.energyenv.co.uk/PowerfilmBatteryCharging.asp

Ouch. Just seen the 95 quid for the panel. Got me wondering about wind-up instead, then found a mention that it'd take 2 hours to charge 2 AA batteries with a small wind-up generator.
Source: http://www.the-mrea.org/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1137530362/4

This one looks quiet good, but is 60 euros:
http://www.solarcosa.com/Home/Shop/3612_S.cfm?rid=463
and there are some more options at:
http://www.greenshop.co.uk/acatalog/index.html?http%3A//www.greenshop.co.uk/acatalog/Greenshop_online_Household_102.html&CatalogBody
The Scotty unit is also sold by Maplin.

Hay, those panels from Power-Film-Solar look quite good, just going to email the company to see if it will accept the charging requirements from Canon.

Have spoken to a company about Power-Pocket and all Canon’s tech support (not very helpful) has said that we can say that the Canon Car Battery Charger CBC-NB2 will charge the 350D’s NB-2LH batteries. It requires a 12-volt DC input, and has a cigar lighter adapter to plug into a car's socket. The normal charger for the 350D, the CB-2LTE, accepts 100V-240V inputs, via a "figure-eight" socket. It draws 0.17amp at 100V, or 0.10amp at 240V.

The output of the charger is 8.4V DC, 0.5amp.

Just tracked down the Silva Solar II, which is the new version, as the old one 'just' charge AA batteries. The v2 model provides power to an adaptor that you can plug a 'cigarette lighter' plug into. Then you can choose to get the phone charger, or battery charger from elsewhere and plug it into the solar unit.

PDF manual from Silva:
http://www.silva.se/manuals/solar_manual.pdf
Sample of price and details:
http://www.sailgb.com/p/silva_solar_ii_12v_charger/

Though for 60 quid, I might leave it and get one of these units instead:
http://www.sailgb.com/p/solar_cool_cap/
maybe rig it up by the door of the tent, or to ccol my Pimms?

The Silva Solar II is fine for charging up small items like a mobile phone, but it has not got the power (output) to charge a SLR digital camera.

Ps. I spoken to Silva already about the above.

Ach weel, Iron_Cactus, when you hear back from the SolarFilm people, please post the number of panels they recommend. Their stuff looked good until I saw the 95 quid for the smallest one.

Roll on new tech like power cells, and cheaper solar panels for rucksacks.

Hay to anyone who whats to read this regading about the canon digital slr 350:

The solar panel from PowerFilm Solar (www.energyenv.co.uk) puts out a DC at 15.4V, and it indicates the charger is a 12V DC device, which works out fine, and it draws 5.3W, which works out to 440mA of current.

Our R15-600 or F15-600 put out 600mA of current, so those will work fine.

Also what would work is the 12W Sunlinq would work too from Select Solar.co.uk