Solar Chargers for Digital Cameras
What Voltaic solar chargers can I use to charge my camera?
With the right cradle, every one of our solar chargers can power your digital camera. There are wide performance differences and exceptions, so we suggest you watch our Solar for DSLR Cameras video below. Click here to see our USB camera chargers.
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What adapters or accessories do I need?
The charger supplied with your camera most likely requires AC power and will likely not have the DC power input required for solar charging. We carry a variety of battery charger cradles available that accept USB input and have been tested to work well.
To get the correct camera cradle, identify your battery type and purchase the appropriate model. Simply remove your battery and look for the model number on the pack. This is typically a short alpha-numeric code. Below are examples of the Canon NB-2LH.
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How do I use solar power to charge my camera battery?
You can use any Voltaic solar charger or battery and our USB Camera Cradles to charge your DSLR camera. Our USB camera battery chargers are fast and deliver up to 800mA at 7.4 Volts (5.9 Watts) to your camera battery. If you’re trying to charge multiple professional DSLRs a day or a DSLR and a laptop, we suggest using either our Arc 20W Kit, Fuse Laptop Solar Charger, Array, or 17 Watt Kit. For occasional DSLR charges, look for any of our tablet chargers. For point and shoot cameras, any of our smartphone chargers will do.
Charging from the Voltaic battery
- Connect the USB cable from battery to cradle and activate the power output of the battery.
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Do I need to test before I leave on my trip?
Yes. Camera batteries can be slightly trickier to charge than cell phones. We highly recommend testing your setup before you leave on your trip and contacting us with any questions.
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How long will it take to charge my camera battery?
On the battery, you'll see a Voltage (typically 3.7 or 7.4 V) and capacity (e.g. 1200 mAh). Multiply these numbers together and divide by 1,000 to calculate Watt-hours. A 7.4 V, 1200 mAh battery is an 8.9 Watt-hour battery. With our 4-Watt solar bags and solar chargers, each Watt-hour of battery capacity takes about 35 minutes to charge in direct sun. So an 8.9 Watt-hour battery will take about 5 and a half hours to charge. For our 9- and 10-Watt bags, each Watt-hour takes about 18 minutes. Our 17 Watt and 20 Watt laptop chargers will be even faster.
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