Vicintheshed
Member
Hi all, can anyone recommend a decent power bank with power delivery for Nikon Z cameras.
PD Power bank
- Thread starter Vicintheshed
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BlackRockArt
Well-known member
I use Anker brand power bank, mostly it works fine.
Oliver
Oliver
SoCalRick
Well-known member
I use an Anker USB-C Power Bank 20000mAh with 20W Power Delivery.
fcotterill
Well-known member
I use a RAV Power and a similar Mi block. Both are 20W PD and no problems charging a ENEL18d in approx 3 hours.
There's this detailed thread led by @BillW
bcgforums.com
There's this detailed thread led by @BillW
Z9 Battery Use Where No Access to Power for Multiple Days
I’m going on a trip this spring to the Grand Canyon with a photo group. 12 days floating on the river. No generators allowed except in emergencies. The trip leader says that solar charging has not worked well in the past at the bottom of the canyon. I’m thinking about how to ensure enough...
bcgforums.com
I'm using the same one mentioned by @SoCalRick. Haven't used it much other than to test it. In my test I charged the camera battery by plugging directly into the camera rather than using the charger. Worked fine.
Are you interested in operating the camera powered by an attached power bank? Charging batteries in camera with an attached power bank? Charging batteries with a charger (not in camera)?
Calson
Well-known member
I have used various power banks and USB-C power cables and found Anker to be the most reliable. Check the dimensions though as they vary. I now use the Anker 335 that is a little shorter and easier to fit in my sound bag pocket.
Lots of ways to attach them to a tripod and a pricey but very good one is the Tether Tools holder for quickly mounting any power bank on a tripod leg.
Lots of ways to attach them to a tripod and a pricey but very good one is the Tether Tools holder for quickly mounting any power bank on a tripod leg.
Vicintheshed
Member
Anger gets mentioned a lot, so am trudging through amazon for one. Many thanks everyone
Anker…but I think only the 10,000 one is air transport legal…and make sure you buy the PD model instead of the non Pd…the former is a little thinner but price from Amazon is almost the same.
I’ve been looking at this because of a trip to the Grand Canyon where I need to carry enough battery power for my cameras on the river for 12 days.
In the US, the FAA limit on the size/capacity of spare lithium ion batteries is based on watt hours. Batteries that are 100 WH and lower are generally allowed. Two batteries between 100 and 160 WH may be allowed, with airline approval. 10,000 and similar large ratings for batteries are usually based on milliamp hours. The battery will usually also be marked with its WH capacity. Converting mAh to WH requires knowing the voltage the battery will operate at.
Airlines may have additional rules. Delta appears to adopt the IATA international guidance and limit spare batteries to 20 in number (with the same capacity limits).
thelordofthelight
Well-known member
I use an anker powercore iii elite 26k 87w and it is an awesome product. I use it to charge multiple devices like laptops, phones, torches and my Z9. When I charge my Z9, I'm a bit conservative and use the MH-33 adapter instead of directly charging the camera using USB-C. There are 2 USB-C ports and one allows charging upto 87watts and the second one can be used to charge upto 30watts. I think the 2 normal USB ports allow upto 12Watts charging.
I just bought an Anker PowerCore+ 26,800 PD 45W power bank from Amazon. Two weekends ago, we lost power for four days, due to a severe storm and I decided to buy a powerbank to recharge phones, etc., if it happened again. The day it arrived we lost power again - this time for three days. Despite being only 1/3 charged when it arrived, it kept two iPhones, an iPad mini, and and a Samsung phone going all three days. It will also recharge the Nikon EN-El 18ds with the appropriate cable.
I highly recommend it. It also is just under the power limits on airline flights, so you can travel with it if needed.
I highly recommend it. It also is just under the power limits on airline flights, so you can travel with it if needed.
Thom Hogan notes that this Anker power bank is approved by Nikon for the Z9 and several other Z bodies. I have one and like it.
Battery Packs and Vertical Grips | Thom Hogan
Battery Packs and Vertical Grips for the Nikon Z mirrorless cameras
www.zsystemuser.com
Vicintheshed
Member
Have bought an Anker PD power bank
Calson
Well-known member
The TSA limit for any single lithium battery is 100 Watt hours and the Anker 335 provide 20 Watt hours or 1/5 the amount allowed. No limit on how many smaller capacity batteries with regard to carry-on bags. The TSA also states that up to two spare batteries with a capacity of 100-160 Watt hours per battery is allowed in carry-on bags.
Lithium batteries with more than 100 watt hours | Transportation Security Administration
Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only.
Of course TSA gate agents often ignore the regulations and get to play god with regard to what they allow through the checkpoints. For the little people the choice can come down to losing an item or missing a flight.
John Navitsky
Well-known member
when getting larger power banks, folks should look that they are marked as TSA COMPLIANT and know where on your device it’s marked so you can point this out to the TSA agent if needed
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I have several Anker power banks and all have worked well thus far. I have not see the TSA compiaint symbol on anyone of them.
how large (watt-hours) are the Nikon 18-series batteries?The TSA limit for any single lithium battery is 100 Watt hours and the Anker 335 provide 20 Watt hours or 1/5 the amount allowed. No limit on how many smaller capacity batteries with regard to carry-on bags. The TSA also states that up to two spare batteries with a capacity of 100-160 Watt hours per battery is allowed in carry-on bags.
Lithium batteries with more than 100 watt hours | Transportation Security Administration
Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only.www.tsa.gov
Of course TSA gate agents often ignore the regulations and get to play god with regard to what they allow through the checkpoints. For the little people the choice can come down to losing an item or missing a flight.
An EN-EL 18d is 36 watt hours. Prior versions of the EN-EL 18 may be a bit smaller.
I don't have the Anker 335. But online, it looks like it is a 20,000 mAh battery. I'd guess that is likely closer to 70 watt hours. Still ok under FAA/TSA rules for bringing on an airplane in checked luggage.The TSA limit for any single lithium battery is 100 Watt hours and the Anker 335 provide 20 Watt hours or 1/5 the amount allowed. No limit on how many smaller capacity batteries with regard to carry-on bags. The TSA also states that up to two spare batteries with a capacity of 100-160 Watt hours per battery is allowed in carry-on bags.
Lithium batteries with more than 100 watt hours | Transportation Security Administration
Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only.
Of course TSA gate agents often ignore the regulations and get to play god with regard to what they allow through the checkpoints. For the little people the choice can come down to losing an item or missing a flight.
20 watts is likely the power it can deliver, not the energy it stores. Anker batteries usually have the WH rating listed on them, as well as mAh and the wattage they can deliver.
PowerCore+ 26800 PD 45W is the one that Nikon recommended early on. It can be carried on a plane as it is rated 97.28 wH, which is under the 100wH rating allowed by TSA. It can charge the Z9 battery in the camera or by plugging it into the Nikon charger MH-33. Per the Anker User Guide, it is:
Product Number: A1376
Product Number: A1376
Recently switched to SmallRig VB99 for its mounting options and found out it's a great battery. I use it to power an external monitor and in a bind top off the camera.
Something to be aware of with regards to the ratings on these battery banks, the ratings you see in the advertisements are the rated capacity of the internal cells, NOT what the bank can deliver to devices that you're operating or charging. I've tested all the ones that I have, Anker, RAVPower and some others and most, fully charged, will deliver 60-75% of the rating of the actual cells used in the device. This is not at all surprising, but it is highly misleading to those not familiar electronics and battery systems. If you're trying to calculate how many times you can charge your devices or how long you can run one, you better derate by 60% or so...or do an actual test to be sure.
Unless Anker has changed, they do not publish their actual output capability after accounting for losses through their circuitry, though they do say in this attached graphic from their website that the rating is for the cells, not what you can expect to actually deliver to a device. In the case of RAVPower, the actual output rating is stated in the documentation that comes with the units that I have, but all the ads list the actual cell ratings, just like everyone else.
Note at the bottom of the graphic.
I have a load test module that I picked up when I started building DIY Lithium battery banks for my Truck Camper. The device allows me to set an adjustable load value, say 1.5A in the case of one of these types of modules, and it will monitor/record the total Mah or Wh until the output voltage reaches a cutoff voltage I set or until the battery bank shuts itself off. Very handy thing to have!
Cheers!
Unless Anker has changed, they do not publish their actual output capability after accounting for losses through their circuitry, though they do say in this attached graphic from their website that the rating is for the cells, not what you can expect to actually deliver to a device. In the case of RAVPower, the actual output rating is stated in the documentation that comes with the units that I have, but all the ads list the actual cell ratings, just like everyone else.
Note at the bottom of the graphic.
I have a load test module that I picked up when I started building DIY Lithium battery banks for my Truck Camper. The device allows me to set an adjustable load value, say 1.5A in the case of one of these types of modules, and it will monitor/record the total Mah or Wh until the output voltage reaches a cutoff voltage I set or until the battery bank shuts itself off. Very handy thing to have!
Cheers!
Thank you for the very enlightening info!
Alan Dixon
New member
This is a great thread, full of useful information, many thanks to all contributors! 