Battery / Power Bank recommendations + Mistfilter

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Ado Wolf

Ado Wolf

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I recently watched a video on YouTube where a photographer recommended having a power bank instead of multiple batteries. Then it struck me, of course, that makes absolute sense, specially when you have different camera models that use different batteries: Z50, Z6/8, D3400, Olympus TG, etc.

Any recommendation for a battery power bank that is strong enough to charge a Z8, but small enough to be portable?

On a different Topic, but same video mentioned above, the photographer mentioned using a Black Mistfilter for forest photography. Apparently it helps with the depth separation and gives it mystical look (similar to when it is foggy). Has anyone experience with Mistfilters. Apparently it also helps with portrait photography, which might come in handy when I photograph my kids in the woods..

Thanks and have a nice day.
 
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John Navitsky said:
also remember you need cables that support power delivery (pd) and you need to configure your camera and that you can charge or power, not both at the same time
Click to expand...
Thanks John, and good tip regarding the cable (i did not have this in mind).
I do have a spare battery, but I admit.. on a good day, where I take wildlife and landscape photos, I come close to draining my second battery (particularly with the Z50 and Z8)
 
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I use this one bought from Amazon sind June 2019. The primary purpose was charging/running mobile device on business trips without being dependent on finding a mains socket for the Apple charger and carrying adapters on me. You have input for charging via Lightning, Micro-USB and USB-C and have four outputs 1 x USB-C and 3 x USB-A. Beacuse there is one USB-C port you have to choose whether you want to load via USB-C or you use the port as power supply.
It's always in my office backpack, I have used it for various iPhones, iPads as well as emergency backup for a Macbook.
It ha been used on a regular basis and didn't cause any issues up to now.
The Z8 also likes it. In fact I had a couple of occasions where I had it hanging off the tripod in its sleeve/pouch feeding the camera. With a sufficiently long cable you could even keep it at your body in low termperature.
 
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Ado Wolf said:
I recently watched a video on YouTube where a photographer recommended having a power bank instead of multiple batteries. Then it struck me, of course, that makes absolute sense, specially when you have different camera models that use different batteries: Z50, Z6/8, D3400, Olympus TG, etc.

Any recommendation for a battery power bank that is strong enough to charge a Z8, but small enough to be portable?

On a different Topic, but same video mentioned above, the photographer mentioned using a Black Mistfilter for forest photography. Apparently it helps with the depth separation and gives it mystical look (similar to when it is foggy). Has anyone experience with Mistfilters. Apparently it also helps with portrait photography, which might come in handy when I photograph my kids in the woods..

Thanks and have a nice day.
Click to expand...

I use the SmallRig VB99 which has a mini V mount so can also be used as part of a rig. They just came up with a 212 version I am considering.
 
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I just bought a Tiffen Black Pro Mist 4 100mm Cine filter. No highlight flair like normal diffusers and it softens without too much loss of detail. Also lowers contrast and adds a dreamy quality. Most are 1/8 to 1/2 and used to smooth skin tones. I went with a #4 for the dream effect, still experimenting. I bought mine used in excellent condition from a cine equipment company as they are expensive new.
 
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Woodpecker said:
I use this one bought from Amazon sind June 2019. ..
You have input for charging via Lightning, Micro-USB and USB-C and have four outputs 1 x USB-C and 3 x USB-A...
The Z8 also likes it...
Click to expand...
Vielen Dank Woodpecker. This comes very handy in my case, as I currently have more USB-A type cables than USB-C. Thank you also for confirming that it works with the Z8. Schönen Tag und viele Grüsse.
 
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Nimi said:
I use the SmallRig VB99 which has a mini V mount so can also be used as part of a rig. They just came up with a 212 version I am considering.
Click to expand...
Thanks Nimi for the tip. It looks like a good product but the weight is quite considerable.. specially when I am on the move. I have some thinking to do.
 
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Mal Paso said:
I just bought a Tiffen Black Pro Mist 4 100mm Cine filter. No highlight flair like normal diffusers and it softens without too much loss of detail. Also lowers contrast and adds a dreamy quality. Most are 1/8 to 1/2 and used to smooth skin tones. I went with a #4 for the dream effect, still experimenting. I bought mine used in excellent condition from a cine equipment company as they are expensive new.
Click to expand...
Thanks Mal for the feedback. I too am a noobie in this area and haven't tried any so far. So I appreciate any feedback on this matter. I tend to like photos the natural way (not so contrasty and vivid), particularly for portrait.. so too dreamy is something I will try to avoid.. that is why I guess I will first try the 1/8 (which is weaker than the 1/4, according to my research). Good look with further experimentation : )
 
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Ado Wolf said:
Vielen Dank Woodpecker. This comes very handy in my case, as I currently have more USB-A type cables than USB-C. Thank you also for confirming that it works with the Z8. Schönen Tag und viele Grüsse.
Click to expand...

ATTENTION ! I have to apologize ...

I haven't used my power bank on the camera since about about mid of March, just with my mobile devices.
Today I tried to verify something in relation to the color code of the power/charge control LED on the camera and had to realize that my POWER BANK STOPPED WORKING WITH THE CAMERA !

I'm really sorry for my message above, but I wasn't aware about it and I am really dissapointed about it myself.

All I could I could find out up to now:
  • My mobile devices including the Macbook are still cooperating with the power bank, only the Z8 stopped doing it.
  • In another forum I found a message of somebody saying that his Z7II doens't take power sources that do not deliver min. 3A. The output of my power bank is rated exactly with hese 3A. So may be I was just lucky that it was working for a certain time.
  • In this Nikon Support article you can see that there are power banks recommended. Something that strikes me is that für some cameras - one of which is the Z8, they recommend a power bank with much higher output (87W) than for the other cameras (45W). Whether this is a consewquence of the seuqnce in which the article was updated because of relasing camera models or this really means that the cameras have different demand if it comes to chargers, I don't know. I would expect that this part of hte Nikon hardwareshould be identical in all cameras, so the 45W should be sufficient, although more output would speed up the charging.
  • During the tests it turned out that my camera doesn't accept any source for PD and charging anymore. Even on a Thunderbolt/USB-C Hub with verified 98W the camera wouldn't charge a battery or work from external source, although the setup of the camera is right to allow USB-C PD. Even with the power supply of my Macbook Pro (140W) my camera isn't charging anymore.
Against this background I have to withdraw my receommendation, because I can't currently verify that it is still valid for the Z8. Apart from that the Charmast device is still a great and compact electric companion.

SORRY ABOUT THAT.

BTW: For further diagnostic I found these devices . I will get mine on Wednesday . Hopefully it doesn't tell me that my camera has a problem.
 
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Thank you for the update. It is possible for things to stop working, when software updates have such an impact on the way the hardware works. I think I will ask Nikon Customer Service if they can recommend power banks (like they recommend memory cards). I will post an update here if I receive an answer back.
 
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Ado Wolf said:
Thank you for the update. It is possible for things to stop working, when software updates have such an impact on the way the hardware works. I think I will ask Nikon Customer Service if they can recommend power banks (like they recommend memory cards). I will post an update here if I receive an answer back.
Click to expand...

I did that already. What I found was this support article and this information from the online manual .

Apart from the fact that they don't publish proper system requirements for power supplies (e.g. no techbnical data for the power supply for chargeing the batteries Nikon EH-7P) it seems difficult to get reliable information.
Something that is interesting and a bit confusing:

In the article above they recommend a powerbank with 45W output power for any camera compatible with USB-PD, apart from the Zfc, der Z30 and the Z8 where the recommendation is 87W. Whether this is just cosincidence with the sequence of publishing the cameras or the timing for updaten this article in relation to the availability of the ANKER powerbanks, I don't know. But I have found lots of indicationb that people work with all sorts of power banks successfully up to guys running running Canon R5 in video production for a full day from it.

I have also started an inquiry at Nikon Support to find out whether thea know anything about constellations that can lock-up the USB-PD function permanently and to get proper spec criteria thresholds for power supplies and powerbanks.
After my last comment I tried everything from pwer supplies, cables and even different lenses (built-in VR and without), switching VR on and off, but nothing works and I really think the problem is on the side of my camera. It even ignores the 140W power supply of my Macbook Pro.
 
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Woodpecker said:
I did that already. What I found was this support article and this information from the online manual .

Apart from the fact that they don't publish proper system requirements for power supplies (e.g. no techbnical data for the power supply for chargeing the batteries Nikon EH-7P) it seems difficult to get reliable information.
Something that is interesting and a bit confusing:

In the article above they recommend a powerbank with 45W output power for any camera compatible with USB-PD, apart from the Zfc, der Z30 and the Z8 where the recommendation is 87W. Whether this is just cosincidence with the sequence of publishing the cameras or the timing for updaten this article in relation to the availability of the ANKER powerbanks, I don't know. But I have found lots of indicationb that people work with all sorts of power banks successfully up to guys running running Canon R5 in video production for a full day from it.

I have also started an inquiry at Nikon Support to find out whether thea know anything about constellations that can lock-up the USB-PD function permanently and to get proper spec criteria thresholds for power supplies and powerbanks.
After my last comment I tried everything from pwer supplies, cables and even different lenses (built-in VR and without), switching VR on and off, but nothing works and I really think the problem is on the side of my camera. It even ignores the 140W power supply of my Macbook Pro.
Click to expand...
I think you're confusing recommendations and requirements. Nikon has not been very transparent with respect to minimum requirements and they have modified their website/online manual several times. It's important to note, the charger/powerbank needs to be USB C PD compatible and capable of supplying at least 15 W (Nikon's own battery charger the EH‑8P is rated at 45W). I've never tried to use a 15W PD powerbank to supply power in lieu of the battery and am unable to guarantee that one would work. In my own experience, I have an inexpensive Yoocas powerbank which delivers a total of 95W (65 W maximum from one USB-C port) and it easily powers my Z8. It has two USB-C and a USB-A ports, is compact, and is simple to attach to a leg of a mono/tripod for all day shooting.. https://www.amazon.com/stores/yoocas/page/ECBF9592-F658-4B73-832B-4B5BDBCC61DA?ref_=ast_bln
 
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ajrmd said:
I think you're confusing recommendations and requirements. Nikon has not been very transparent with respect to minimum requirements and they have modified their website/online manual several times. It's important to note, the charger/powerbank needs to be USB C PD compatible and capable of supplying at least 15 W (Nikon's own battery charger the EH‑8P is rated at 45W). I've never tried to use a 15W PD powerbank to supply power in lieu of the battery and am unable to guarantee that one would work. In my own experience, I have an inexpensive Yoocas powerbank which delivers a total of 95W (65 W maximum from one USB-C port) and it easily powers my Z8. It has two USB-C and a USB-A ports, is compact, and is simple to attach to a leg of a mono/tripod for all day shooting.. https://www.amazon.com/stores/yoocas/page/ECBF9592-F658-4B73-832B-4B5BDBCC61DA?ref_=ast_bln
Click to expand...
Thanks for this one. Although I flicked through the camera manuals and searched in the Nikon Support Q&A I couldn't find anythink like this.
The good news is that with this minimum of 15W almost any USB-C charger should do, although a more capable one would accelerate charging.
The bad news is that in this case I am almost certain that the problem is my camera. It's a bit annoying because it used to work since I got the camera and now - after some time I didn't have to use the option it doesn't anymore ...

... but where's a problem there will be a solution... let's see what Nikon support comes up with.
After we have people with Z8 and Z9 freezing, I wouldn't be too astonished if there were some particular conditions where you can cause a permanent blockage of USB-C PD.
 
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Ado Wolf said:
I recently watched a video on YouTube where a photographer recommended having a power bank instead of multiple batteries. Then it struck me, of course, that makes absolute sense, specially when you have different camera models that use different batteries: Z50, Z6/8, D3400, Olympus TG, etc.

Any recommendation for a battery power bank that is strong enough to charge a Z8, but small enough to be portable?

On a different Topic, but same video mentioned above, the photographer mentioned using a Black Mistfilter for forest photography. Apparently it helps with the depth separation and gives it mystical look (similar to when it is foggy). Has anyone experience with Mistfilters. Apparently it also helps with portrait photography, which might come in handy when I photograph my kids in the woods..

Thanks and have a nice day.
Click to expand...
Hey, Ado

When I‘m back country for days at a time I carry a couple of INIU 20,000 mAhr powerpacks.
They’re inexpensive and I’ve had pretty good luck with them.

I also carry a Goal Zero submersible 20mAhr pack for the kayak, but I’ve found that I never needed the submersible feature — I just pack the power packs in a submersible bag.

Cheers!

Tom
 
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Woodpecker said:
Thanks for this one. Although I flicked through the camera manuals and searched in the Nikon Support Q&A I couldn't find anythink like this.
The good news is that with this minimum of 15W almost any USB-C charger should do, although a more capable one would accelerate charging.
The bad news is that in this case I am almost certain that the problem is my camera. It's a bit annoying because it used to work since I got the camera and now - after some time I didn't have to use the option it doesn't anymore ...

... but where's a problem there will be a solution... let's see what Nikon support comes up with.
After we have people with Z8 and Z9 freezing, I wouldn't be too astonished if there were some particular conditions where you can cause a permanent blockage of USB-C PD.
Click to expand...
No, one won't find any technical discussion on the Nikon website, though assuming that the EH-P8 charger which Nikon lists as being "compatible" (or sufficient) for the Z8, one can extrapolate what the minimum power requirements are. Interestingly, Nikon lists the EH-P8 charger output as:

DC 5.0V/3.0A,15.0W;
DC 9.0V/3.0A, 27.0W;
DC 15.0V/3.0A, 45.0W;
DC 20.0V/2.25A, 45.0W

Thus, I believe that's the origin of the 15W minimum. Even more intriguing is the experimental observation posted by one user on DP, where he claimed that the wattage required for charging a depleted battery on the Z8 was around 10+W and the Z8 used a PD 3.0 protocol with a 45W maximum (see: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4721764). Unfortunately, I do not have a functional meter currently to validate that user's claims nor am I able to test to see how many watts are required to power the unit. What I can say is that the powerbank that I am currently using which uses the PD 3.0 protocol and can deliver 65W through a single USB-C is sufficient to charge or run the Z8 without any difficulties. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have not tried powering the unit with the 15W USB-C port.

As far as your individual issues are concerned, assuming that you have PD charging properly enabled, are using the proper USB port on the camera, and are using a charger/powerbank with a PD 3.0 with at least 15W of power and are not able to charge/power the camera, the most likely culprit is the cable. Ensure that it is a PD compatible cable and not simply a communication cable and that it is rated at 45W or more. If that doesn't fix the problem, then it is possible that there is an issue with the camera's USB-C port or board.
 
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ajrmd said:
No, one won't find any technical discussion on the Nikon website, though assuming that the EH-P8 charger which Nikon lists as being "compatible" (or sufficient) for the Z8, one can extrapolate what the minimum power requirements are. Interestingly, Nikon lists the EH-P8 charger output as:

DC 5.0V/3.0A,15.0W;
DC 9.0V/3.0A, 27.0W;
DC 15.0V/3.0A, 45.0W;
DC 20.0V/2.25A, 45.0W

Thus, I believe that's the origin of the 15W minimum. Even more intriguing is the experimental observation posted by one user on DP, where he claimed that the wattage required for charging a depleted battery on the Z8 was around 10+W and the Z8 used a PD 3.0 protocol with a 45W maximum (see: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4721764). Unfortunately, I do not have a functional meter currently to validate that user's claims nor am I able to test to see how many watts are required to power the unit. What I can say is that the powerbank that I am currently using which uses the PD 3.0 protocol and can deliver 65W through a single USB-C is sufficient to charge or run the Z8 without any difficulties. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have not tried powering the unit with the 15W USB-C port.

As far as your individual issues are concerned, assuming that you have PD charging properly enabled, are using the proper USB port on the camera, and are using a charger/powerbank with a PD 3.0 with at least 15W of power and are not able to charge/power the camera, the most likely culprit is the cable. Ensure that it is a PD compatible cable and not simply a communication cable and that it is rated at 45W or more. If that doesn't fix the problem, then it is possible that there is an issue with the camera's USB-C port or board.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and information. I am waiting for an adapter that allows checking the PD function of USB-C cables, so I'll wait for that to arrive and then continue my checks.
 
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afaik, pd devices will negotiate to combinations they both support, but here’s what i get when hooking up the z8 and mh-34 charger

IMG_2096.jpeg
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