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Any advice on battery charger for Europe vacation?

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Civil Guy

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Will be in Europe for 3 weeks this Fall (40th wed. anniv.) and plan on taking lots of pic's with my new H9. Still practicing like crazy here in Canada. I've got 2 LI batteries but hate the thought of bringing along the 'standard' issue Sony charger (so slow) and buying a power converter just to use in France and Germany. Is there anything on the market right now, in one package, that will work equally well in Europe and N. America? Maybe even do a bonus quick charge? Appreciate the input.
 
Civil Guy said:
Is there anything on the market right now, in one package, that will
work equally well in Europe and N. America? Maybe even do a bonus
quick charge?
Click to expand...
Almost certainly there will be. I'm on the other side of the world so there's no point in quoting brands at large, although the Maha (PowerEx) products are highly regarded and should be available in your neck of the woods.

What you need to look for is a charger that has the following characteristics:

• A switchmode power supply -- either built-in or in the form of a plug-pack -- and commonly marketed with the description "switching power supply". These almost always will run directly from any AC mains voltage/frequency combination you'll find worldwide, and have the added advantage of being much lighter in weight than the traditional step-down transformer type. The term "travel charger" has become commonplace in describing these, in association with phones, shavers, etc. as well as digital photographic gear.

• A charge time of, say, 1 to 3 hours. A reasonably fast charge is regarded as optimal for NiMH cells -- better than slow charging over 12-24 hours, for example -- but the ultra rapid 15-minute type is probably better avoided.

• Multiple overcharge protection strategies, e.g. temperature as well as -dV charge termination sensing.

• Look for a charger with individual channels, or, at minimum, one which will allow you to charge groups of either 2 or 4 cells.

• A built-in discharge function can be useful, though you don't need it regularly for NiMH cells.

• These are commonly (though not always) sold bundled with a car cigarette lighter adapter -- more often in the case of the plug-pack systems -- which may be worth having as well. Just something for your check-list.

Here are some sites worth visiting. The first one has some links, towards the bottom of the page, to charger tests, though these were tending to crash the browser when I tried a few minutes ago (they normally work OK). The second is a mine of information on rechargeable batteries in general, though the company behind it caters more to the industrial sector and there's a LOT of reading to get through:
http://www.users.on.net/%7Emhains/Reviews.html
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/
http://www.powerstream.com/NiMH.htm
http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/Index.asp

--
Mike
Melbourne

 
Every charger for every device I've ever owned has worked fine in Europe as is. All you need is a 2-prong adapter that allows a US power cord with flat prongs to plug into a round-holed European socket. Most drugstores sell these adapters for a couple of dollars. Once you have a couple of these you can plug virtually anything bought in the US into a European wall outlet.

The reason for this is that European power is 50 cycle 220 volts. US is 60 cycle 110 volts. Except for devices like clocks that synch to the power frequency its only the voltage that matters. Virtually everything sold in the US for the last 10 or more years will run fine on 220 or anything in between 110 and 220. Just look at the label on the device you are considering. It will give you both the frequency and voltage ranges it will handle.

Bottom line: it's the plug that matters, not the power.
--
Birk Binnard
http://www.birkbinnard.com/photography
 
I've been using chargers from the following company for a few years now (for the batteries for my V1 and V3, my wife's P150, as well as my Sony video camera), and they've been working great.

They are compact (the plug folds into the charger), rapid, and come with both car and European adapters.

AND they are pretty cheap (especially when compared to Sony brand chargers)

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/CTA-Mini-Rapid-Charger-Kit-for-Sony-NP-BG1-Battery/2537287/product.html?IID=prod2537287

I highly recommend them.
  • k a g e
PS: I've also used these in Japan... so they work there as well.
 
I am from The Netherlands, a two-pin plug is what we use, so they do in germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France. The UK mostly uses a three-pin plug, but on the mainland two will do mostly I guess. And what is wrong with charging up one battery as you sleep, you will empty one whilst the other is recharging. Especially when shooting in broad day light, and not using flash, I know from experience any cam shoots more pictures than you exspect.

Well anyhow, enjoy your stay but bear one thing in mind. Don't "do" europe in just 14 days and then say you saw it all as I have seen many Americans do. LOl and then state they are the experts about European issues. Europe is big, very much things to see both scenicwise and culturewise. Take your time at things, you will see more, and have better pictures than the hapsnap-gotta-go pictures.

Lol, would be similar me coming to the USA and doing three states in one day, stay for a fourthnight and then say I have seen all of America. I would have missed the beauty of your country completely. I hope you will enjoy your vacation
 
I can understand using a simple prong adapter going from one country to another as long as they're a common voltage. But plugging in a 110V device to 220V?
 
Sonn Franken said:
And what is wrong with charging up one battery as you sleep, you will
empty one whilst the other is recharging. Especially when shooting
in broad day light, and not using flash, I know from experience any
cam shoots more pictures than you exspect.
Click to expand...
If I get 200 shots on 1 battery charge I'm lucky, that's why I have 2 now. I may even get a 3rd before I leave for Europe. I plan on taking lots of pictures and won't have time running back to the hotel to 'recharge' batteries before the sun goes down.
Sonn Franken said:
Well anyhow, enjoy your stay but bear one thing in mind. Don't
"do" europe in just 14 days and then say you saw it all as I have
seen many Americans do.
Click to expand...
Where I come from in Canada, my province of Ontario makes Europe appear tiny. Nontheless, we are going to take our time and enjoy a few days in Paris and the remaining time in the southern corner of Germany.
 
Jerry R said:
If your charger label says "100 - 240 AC 56-60 Hz" you can use it
in the US and Europe with the proper plug adapter.
Click to expand...
Well I'll be....exactly what the label shows. Plug adapter here I come! Funny though, when I asked at the Sony Style store here about using my charger in Europe and needing an adapter, they suggested I just buy the European model when I get there. Some advice!
 
mamallama said:
This looks the same as this from Sterlingtek that's a little
cheaper. I have several of these for different batteries. Works
great.

http://sterlingtek.com/sobceqacbach.html
Click to expand...
Thanks for the lead mamallama. I'll check that too. The way this is heading with all the info I've received, I'll probably get a prong adapter to use with my current charger and use it as back-up and pick up another charger similar to what you and Olga suggested for quicker charging and a car adapter to boot.
 
Civil Guy said:
Well I'll be....exactly what the label shows. Plug adapter here I
come! Funny though, when I asked at the Sony Style store here
about using my charger in Europe and needing an adapter, they
suggested I just buy the European model when I get there. Some
advice!
Click to expand...
There's been several recent threads about the help (or misleading help) you get at the Sony Style Store. Many clerks there are part-time college students, some are liberal arts major who don't have the slightest notion about anything technical. But they have to sound cool and knowledgeable.

I've had a similar experience as yours at the San Francisco Sony Store.

--mamallama
 
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