"Jake" <m...@privacy.com> wrote:
> Anyone had any experience with photographing
> for over a week where there is no electricity.
I looked into it back in 2004 & again in 2006.
> I am guessing that the two main options are to
> take a lot of charged batteries, or maybe the
> safest way would be to take film bodies instead.
Or a combination of both, for risk reduction.
> Are there any other viable solutions to be
> able to shoot digital without worrying about
> power, such as solar charging devices, etc?
Solar can sometimes be an option, but it depends a lot on your
situation for why you're without plug power.
The simple bottom line is that "effective" solar collectors get pretty
big very fast, so if you're weight or size constrained, you'll
probably not be willing to lose that much of your size/weight budget
to the necessary sized solar panel that you'll need.
OTOH, if you're simply going to be driving your SUV up to a log cabin
up to a clearing in the woods and carrying along a 3ft x 5ft panel
isn't any problem, then you can...just recharge your stuff off of the
SUV's 12v jack :-)
FWIW, I say "effective" because it is technically possible to recharge
a couple of AA batteries off of a palm-sized solar charger. The catch
is in the fine print of the recharge rate: expect it to take roughly
2 days (16+ hours strong daylight) in order to do a single set. As
such, you'll fall behind very quickly, assuming that your excursion is
into the sunny Sahara, as opposed to being on the floor in a triple
canopy Jungle or Rainforest, as this terrain on average blocks roughly
95% of all sunlight.
Finally, the other 'gotcha' with this is that your itinerary has to be
compatible with having your solar recharge panel deployed optimally
during the peak hours of sunlight (10AM-3PM). The thing to remember
here is that you'll get the panel's rated output level only:
- during mid-day, and
- when it is oriented properly, and
- with an unobstructed view of the sun, and
- on a clear/sunny day.
Unless you have all of the above, your recharge capacity is going to
be significantly curtailed, which means that your time 'on panel' for
a recharge will increase significantly. YMMV, but I'm of the opinion
that these constraints pretty much makes the viability of rechargers
limited to itineraries where you can leave it statically set up, back
at camp, unattended.
>Are there any other viable solutions to be able to shoot digital without
>worrying about power, such as solar charging devices, etc?
You can buy roll-up and fold-up solar panels intended for portable /
field use applications. Typically they are intended to recharge a
12-volt lead-acid battery, but you could also use them to run a
charger for a different battery voltage (a buck-mode switching-type
charge regulator will probably be the most electrically efficient)
Most brands seem to come in a panel size rated for around 5 watts in
full sun - around .3 amperes at 15 volts or so. Sizes / capacities /
prices go up from there.
I've seen one type which has a split solar-panel arrangement, where
each side of the system produces around 6-7 volts nominal in full sun.
The two sides can be hooked in series (to recharge a 12-volt battery),
or can be reconnected in parallel to provide a higher current at a
lower voltage (allowing faster charging of a battery in the 3.6 - 4.8
volt range, with a suitable charger).
You can buy soft-side backpacks which have thin-film solar cells on
the back surface. One of these might be a good solution for carrying
camera accessories and solar-charging a spare battery at the same time.
--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!
Jake wrote:
> Anyone had any experience with photographing for over a week where there
> is no electricity.
>
> I am guessing that the two main options are to take a lot of charged
> batteries, or maybe the safest way would be to take film bodies instead.
>
> Are there any other viable solutions to be able to shoot digital without
> worrying about power, such as solar charging devices, etc?
>
>
Read Thom's ideas
"Jake" <me@privacy.com> wrote in message
news:xbSdnfzoCPOBxe_VnZ2dnUVZ8q2dnZ2d@pipex.net...
> Anyone had any experience with photographing for over a week where there
> is no electricity.
>
> I am guessing that the two main options are to take a lot of charged
> batteries, or maybe the safest way would be to take film bodies instead.
>
> Are there any other viable solutions to be able to shoot digital without
> worrying about power, such as solar charging devices, etc?
Will there be a place to buy batteries near where you will be? If so, you
could see if there is a battery grip available for your camera that allows
you to use AA batteries in addition to the rechargable batteries that the
camera takes. I have a battery grip for my 40D that takes two camera
batteries, or an insert that holds 6 AAs. Have not had to use it with AAs
so I don't know how many shots I would get, but if I was going on a trip
where I would not have a power source, I would take a couple of charged
batteries, and a few sets of AAs. I would take less AAs if I could buy them
locally. Let us know what kind of camera you have and what type of trip you
are taking.
Jake wrote:
> Anyone had any experience with photographing for over a week where there
> is no electricity.
>
> I am guessing that the two main options are to take a lot of charged
> batteries, or maybe the safest way would be to take film bodies instead.
>
> Are there any other viable solutions to be able to shoot digital without
> worrying about power, such as solar charging devices, etc?
Shoot film on a mechanical body or an SLR with long battery life.
(Note: I'm doing exactly that next week. 1 DSLR, 2 SLR's. 1 SLR
doesn't have batteries of any kind. (Well I'm bringing a meter too with
batteries...).
Jake wrote:
> Anyone had any experience with photographing for over a week where there
> is no electricity.
>
> I am guessing that the two main options are to take a lot of charged
> batteries, or maybe the safest way would be to take film bodies instead.
>
> Are there any other viable solutions to be able to shoot digital without
> worrying about power, such as solar charging devices, etc?
>
>
Will you have access to a car or truck? If yes, and the vehicle has no
power outlet, then you can buy aa unit that plugs into the cigarette
lighter socket, and converts to 110 volts A.C..
"Jake" <me@privacy.com> wrote in message
news:xbSdnfzoCPOBxe_VnZ2dnUVZ8q2dnZ2d@pipex.net...
> Anyone had any experience with photographing for over a week where there
> is no electricity.
>
> I am guessing that the two main options are to take a lot of charged
> batteries, or maybe the safest way would be to take film bodies instead.
>
> Are there any other viable solutions to be able to shoot digital without
> worrying about power, such as solar charging devices, etc?
>
Will you have your car there?
On Mon, 7 Jul 2008 18:52:29 +0100, "Jake" <me@privacy.com> wrote:
>Anyone had any experience with photographing for over a week where there is
>no electricity.
>
>I am guessing that the two main options are to take a lot of charged
>batteries, or maybe the safest way would be to take film bodies instead.
>
>Are there any other viable solutions to be able to shoot digital without
>worrying about power, such as solar charging devices, etc?
>
You need to answer 2 questions...
How many pictures are you taking, with what digital camera?
How much weight can you take with you?
If you use a DSLR, you can get 500 or 700 or maybe more pics on 1 charge... A
P&S camera will only take a few dozen...
If you can carry a fair amount of weight, you can bring a big battery and an
inverter to run your cameras charger. Search for camping equipment! I've seen a
package that has everything in one, turn it on and get 120vac, weighs around 20
lbs or so I guess, has gell cells I think.
Jake wrote:
> Anyone had any experience with photographing for over a week where there
> is no electricity.
>
> I am guessing that the two main options are to take a lot of charged
> batteries, or maybe the safest way would be to take film bodies instead.
>
> Are there any other viable solutions to be able to shoot digital without
> worrying about power, such as solar charging devices, etc?
"http://www.amazon.com/Brunton-SolarRoll-14-charger-external/dp/B000FKQJP0"
would probably work in conjunction with 12V charger. However I'd try the
charger _before_ buying the solar panel, limiting the DC input to the
charger to 1A with a series resistor (the charger may not work with such
a low current, however you could always charge a 12 volt lead acid
battery with the solar charger, then charge the Li-Ion cells from that.
There are some hand cranked 12V dynamos but it would take a LOT of cranking.
Note that it would probably be cheaper to buy a bunch of Li-Ion
batteries, depending on the type of body you have and how much the
Li-Ion packs cost. The days of AA batteries being less expensive than
Li-Ion are long gone for the mass market digital cameras. I.e., for my
D-SLR, I can buy 20 2000mAH Li-Ion packs for $8.40 each, or $168, with
free shipping. "http://sterlingtek.com/20xcabp18bap.html." I can't buy
six eneloop AA cells (about the same voltage and mAH) for $8.40.
Alternately, I could buy 120 eneloop AA cells and use six of them at a
time in the battery grip (7.2V * 2000mAH), but this would be a little
more expensive to achieve the same mAH.
See the web site on battery information for digital cameras for more
information, it's at "http://batterydata.com/".
Photographing Where No Electricity Source 
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