Which battery charger do you use?

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Bryan Conner

Bryan Conner

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I am curious as to which charger you are using, if you are using one. Also, I am especially interested if any of you use a dual charger and if so, which brand/model?

I am a battery grip user, have been since my Elan IIE film camera 30 years ago. I am not old, but just experienced...haha. I got used to a battery grip then and have had one for every camera since. So I always have two batteries to charge when I charge.

Canon used to produce a dual charger for the early DSLRs, I know that I had a Canon dual charger for my BP-511 batteries back in my wedding days, but now they don't offer one...I wish they would though.

Thanks
 
I have two chargers ready to use, a neweer double charger and the canon R5ii charger, depending on the number of batteries I use normally the neweer then the canon ( I use Canon LP-E6P or the neweer version of the LP-E6P batteries in the R5 and R5ii) I still have some older batteries but do not use them. I also PD charge the R5ii when I use the cable to download, the R5 will not PD charge from the same cable :unsure:
 
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When I bought the R, way back when, I had one Canon LP-E6 battery and charger. About six month into shooting I purchased two LP-E6NH batteries and dual charger from Firstpower. I like it because it has a USB type C port as well as the older USB-Micro port.

I have never had a problem with switching batteries and chargers around and it works great with my R5 as well with no issues.

Under $30 (US) on Amazon

The price includes two batteries as well.

Untitled.jpg
 
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Dean Wilson said:
When I bought the R, way back when, I had one Canon LP-E6 battery and charger. About six month into shooting I purchased two LP-E6NH batteries and dual charger from Firstpower. I like it because it has a USB type C port as well as the older USB-Micro port.

I have never had a problem with switching batteries and chargers around and it works great with my R5 as well with no issues.

Under $30 (US) on Amazon

The price includes two batteries as well.

View attachment 40311
Click to expand...
Amazon Germany doesn't have FirstPower products, so I guess they don't sell in Europe. But it looks very similar to one K&F sells here. Does your brand charge the Canon batteries ok? I have two different 3rd party chargers and none of them will reliably charge original canon batteries. They will charge overnight and the charger will still indicate that it is charging and the battery will only show as around 95% +- in the camera. The battery will be cold to the touch before removing it from the charger, so I don't think it is actually charging.
 
I use the Hahnel cube at home, does two at once for my R5 Mkii, and i use the below when out and about

Llano 2 in 1
 
I have the Canon charger that came with my R7, plus I have a Newer dual usb charger, which takes up less space in my camera bag. I tend to use the Newer charger more regularly, as the R7 can get through batteries quite quickly. What is clear however is, the photographer needs to improve his skills. :ROFLMAO:
 
ACEkin said:
Although I have two Canon chargers that came with our cameras, after I reviewed the llano charger with an external power pack, that has become my favorite:
www.keptlight.com

llano Camera Batteries, Charger, and Power Pack: Elegant and Useful - Kept Light Photography

A camera battery is the lifeline of a camera. We all carry spare camera batteries even on quick visits to locations. They can be fussy, and finicky, and stop
www.keptlight.com www.keptlight.com
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm a Llano guy too. I've tried a bunch and that's what I've settled on so far. No regrets. Cemal's review hits all the high points.
 
@Bryan Conner, yes the charge plays well with Canon batteries. Still showing three green lights under "Recharge performance"
 
This is my "dual charger". Simple as it is, right? I have the original EOS R6 MK1 with a BG-R10 battery grip that holds two batteries. One charger came bundled with the camera, the other one I bought separately. With this setup I can charge my two batteries simultaneously overnight without the need to wake up in the middle of the night to change them. This is a bliss when on a trip abroad in a hotel room after a massive shooting spree in the daytime. Rumor has it that there might be issues with third party chargers. Never looked into those allegations, but frankly to be on the safe side I just bought genuine Canon accessories. Might be a bit more pricey, but hey, we don't buy chargers every day, do we? YMMV

20251015_211134.jpg
  • Join to view EXIF data.
 
ShipleyNW said:
Yeah, I'm a Llano guy too. I've tried a bunch and that's what I've settled on so far. No regrets. Cemal's review hits all the high points.
Click to expand...
I reviewed two llano chargers, but use the smaller one.
 
Ferenc MÓGOR said:
This is my "dual charger". Simple as it is, right? I have the original EOS R6 MK1 with a BG-R10 battery grip that holds two batteries. One charger came bundled with the camera, the other one I bought separately. With this setup I can charge my two batteries simultaneously overnight without the need to wake up in the middle of the night to change them. This is a bliss when on a trip abroad in a hotel room after a massive shooting spree in the daytime. Rumor has it that there might be issues with third party chargers. Never looked into those allegations, but frankly to be on the safe side I just bought genuine Canon accessories. Might be a bit more pricey, but hey, we don't buy chargers every day, do we? YMMV

View attachment 40337
Click to expand...
My biggest beef with the Canon chargers are the plugs. The ones shown here have the detachable cords, which are bulky and proprietary. The other kind have the fold-out prongs that plug directly into the outlet. But, you have to get down on your knees to use them most of the time. I dislike both equally.

I need a portable charger and the USB chargers I use are stand-alone units that I can plug in with the same cords and power sources I use for my phone, laptop, etc. I've never had any problems with aftermarket chargers with either OEM or aftermarket batteries. All the pieces work the same, mixed or matched.
 
Dean Wilson said:
@Bryan Conner, yes the charge plays well with Canon batteries. Still showing three green lights under "Recharge performance"
Click to expand...
Do the batteries report as 100% in the camera? I have one charger that leaves the Canon batteries at around 95%.
ACEkin said:
Although I have two Canon chargers that came with our cameras, after I reviewed the llano charger with an external power pack, that has become my favorite:
www.keptlight.com

llano Camera Batteries, Charger, and Power Pack: Elegant and Useful - Kept Light Photography

A camera battery is the lifeline of a camera. We all carry spare camera batteries even on quick visits to locations. They can be fussy, and finicky, and stop
www.keptlight.com www.keptlight.com
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing your article Cemal. I have a question, after charging the original Canon battery to 100% in the llano charger, did the camera report it as being at 100% as well?

I had a few 3rd party chargers that I had collected over the years, and they either would not charge newer batteries (EOS R and later) to 100% but either stop at about 50% on the charger, or indicate 100% on the charger but in the high 90's in the camera. I have one charger that will never stop charging, albeit probably at a trickle charge. It never indicates the battery is fully charged.
 
Ferenc MÓGOR said:
This is my "dual charger". Simple as it is, right? I have the original EOS R6 MK1 with a BG-R10 battery grip that holds two batteries. One charger came bundled with the camera, the other one I bought separately. With this setup I can charge my two batteries simultaneously overnight without the need to wake up in the middle of the night to change them. This is a bliss when on a trip abroad in a hotel room after a massive shooting spree in the daytime. Rumor has it that there might be issues with third party chargers. Never looked into those allegations, but frankly to be on the safe side I just bought genuine Canon accessories. Might be a bit more pricey, but hey, we don't buy chargers every day, do we? YMMV

View attachment 40337
Click to expand...
I thought about this approach as well, but I have more 3rd party batteries (mostly Patona) than original Canon. My new Canon charger that came with my R6MKII will not charge my non Canon batteries. The old charger that came with my EOS R will.
 
Bryan Conner said:
Do the batteries report as 100% in the camera? I have one charger that leaves the Canon batteries at around 95%.

Thanks for sharing your article Cemal. I have a question, after charging the original Canon battery to 100% in the llano charger, did the camera report it as being at 100% as well?

I had a few 3rd party chargers that I had collected over the years, and they either would not charge newer batteries (EOS R and later) to 100% but either stop at about 50% on the charger, or indicate 100% on the charger but in the high 90's in the camera. I have one charger that will never stop charging, albeit probably at a trickle charge. It never indicates the battery is fully charged.
Click to expand...
Bryan, I believe it does, but I will test and report again.
 
Bryan Conner said:
I am curious as to which charger you are using, if you are using one. Also, I am especially interested if any of you use a dual charger and if so, which brand/model?

I am a battery grip user, have been since my Elan IIE film camera 30 years ago. I am not old, but just experienced...haha. I got used to a battery grip then and have had one for every camera since. So I always have two batteries to charge when I charge.

Canon used to produce a dual charger for the early DSLRs, I know that I had a Canon dual charger for my BP-511 batteries back in my wedding days, but now they don't offer one...I wish they would though.

Thanks
Click to expand...
I use the chargers that come with the camera. After a day of shooting I charge what needs charging. I have 3 batteries for my R7 but thus far have only needed to swap one in a day of shooting.
 
I just fully charged the original Canon battery and the Firstpower battery I bought June 2021. These are the results of Battery info on my R5

Canon: One Red Bar

Canon.jpg
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Firstpower: Three Green Bars

Firstpower.jpg
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ACEkin said:
Bryan, I believe it does, but I will test and report again.
Click to expand...
I charged one battery, took a picture of the charger at 100%. I inserted the battery into my R7, located the battery information in the menu, and took a picture. They both show 100%. Below are the two shots. (I don't know how to suppress the EXIF info; the images are not staying side by side as I see in the edit window, sorry!)


20251016_153604.jpg
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20251016_153830.jpg
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Dean Wilson said:
I just fully charged the original Canon battery and the Firstpower battery I bought June 2021. These are the results of Battery info on my R5

Canon: One Red Bar

View attachment 40334

Firstpower: Three Green Bars

View attachment 40335
Click to expand...
I've seen discrepancies between charger readouts and camera readouts. The differences are negligible so I just blow through that. Heck, my little R10 doesn't even show a number in the menus, just the icon. If it's more than half full, we'll call that full. The measurements aren't that fine.

All aftermarket batteries show 3 green bars in the Recharge Performance meter all the time. That's the main difference between OEM and aftermarket batteries. Canon batteries have proprietary circuitry that runs that meter. Without that, the battery can't send info to the camera's battery management system. I haven't been able to figure out what else the management system does besides run that meter.

The default is 3 green bars and aftermarket batteries can't change that. When using OEM batteries, I don't know what the significance of the Recharge Performance meter reading is. If it's one red bar, should I worry? Is that battery used up? I don't want to carry that in the field. Right? I've looked and haven't found a good answer to that question. Seeing those 3 green bars on my aftermarket batteries is kinda comforting. Blissful ignorance.

I've had batteries expire, both Canon and aftermarket. You can tell when they're done. When a Canon battery dies, I blame age. When an aftermarket battery dies I blame poor manufacturing. I have no evidence to back up either opinion but thankfully neither happens very often. Aftermarket batteries are cheap enough that I can replace them when they come out with a new LP-E6 version. Canon missed a huge opportunity to upgrade their battery platform with mirrorless bodies. The LP-E6 is -- what? -- 15, 20 years old. Battery technology has improved quite a bit since then.
 
I still have the regular Canon 1 slot charger for Canon batteries, but I also switched to these Small Rig ones where you just plug a USB cord from a standard charger into the battery. Surprised Canon hasn't done this. I have found so far that the Small Rig work just as well as the OEM ones and are way cheaper at $30 US on Amazon.


Screenshot 2025-10-19 123408.jpg
 
I sometimes need to charge two batteries, and just do them in sequence when I get back from a shoot. I have two Canon chargers, but don't see a need to get both out.

When I'm on vacation, the situation changes. First of all, I feel I need a backup charger. Secondly, in remote lodges, electricity might not always be available. So I bought a solar panel with USB output, and a USB battery charger. That satisfies the requirements. That USB charger is tiny. I've tested the solar panel and charger, and they both work.
 
Speaking of vacation... I really hate the electrical outlets at motels. Usually the only ones available are out of reach, in use or both.
For many years I would just back a power strip, then a power strip with USB... and of course with USB-A connections which required an AC adapter for USB-C connections 😒.

Now, I just pack the power strip and a 200W charging station with (2) AC, (1) 65W USB-C, (2) 25W USB-C, and (3) 15W USB-A ports.
 
A lot of my pictures come from solo car trips and I tend to stay in cheap motels. I carry a good 10', 14 gauge extension cord with a 2-prong adapter and a 3-way splitter. I can usually find one outlet I can tap into and put the splitter on a table. It packs away pretty small. I've got a Jackery. That's a good idea. But it already feels like it takes forever to unload and reload the car. A power pack is just another 15 lbs I'd have to lug back and forth.
 
I have a charger for the LP-E19, but I never use it. I don’t even have a charger for the LP-E6 type any more; I lost one and included the other (and all of my batteries) with the 7D2 when I sold it.

I just plug the R3 and R7 in with USB-C and charge the batteries in place now. I have no spare batteries.
 
I guess for me I am sort of like the old dog, I can't learn new tricks....meaning that I have always used external chargers because back when I started with DSLRs that was the only way to charge. I don't think I have ever charged a battery in a body/grip. I never think about it I guess. Thanks for the reminder, Anton.
 
Bryan Conner said:
back when I started with DSLRs that was the only way to charge.
Click to expand...
You young kids these days. My first camera (127 film) didn't need a battery and my first SLR only needed a battery for the light meter. Then again, with a light meter I didn't even need it then! 😂
 
Dean Wilson said:
You young kids these days. My first camera (127 film) didn't need a battery and my first SLR only needed a battery for the light meter. Then again, with a light meter I didn't even need it then! 😂
Click to expand...
We did have to bring along enough film though. No recharging of film by any means. I was an incident meter guy, so a camera battery was never involved. But I did carry that meter and a speedlite and motor drives, so batteries were definitely part of the game.

Edit: One more thought on this. When I was working for the school paper in college circa 1980, we had a reporter who carried around a manual portable typewriter when everyone else used IBM Selectrics. His thinking was, when the end of the world came, he could write the story. In that same vein, a Nikon F3, merely as a machine, wouldn't be a bad tool under those circumstances. Typewriter ribbon and film might be hard to come by, though.
 
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