USB charging - why?

[Alan Sh]

Been thinking about this from the negative comment regarding the M50 review. Why would USB charging be an advantage?

I'm out in the field and I WILL have spare batteries. There's no power while I'm walking around so USB charging doesn't do any good.

I'm back home - I stick my batteries in the charger. If I had to use USB charging, I have immediately tethered my camera and it's not available for use if I need it.

I have a Panasonic which has USB charging and it's a right pain. I've since bought a spare battery and an external charger for it - and that makes life so easy.

So, I ask again, why would you prefer USB charging? what does it bring to the table?

Alan

 

[MichalEs]

There's nothing stopping Canon from offering both USB charging and a dedicated charger. USB charging has the advantage that if you don't have a spare battery, or you've run out, you can use a generic power bank, generic phone charger, a laptop. etc. It's just another option you can, but don't have to use.

 

[MingTzu]

Been thinking about this from the negative comment regarding the M50 review. Why would USB charging be an advantage?

I'm out in the field and I WILL have spare batteries. There's no power while I'm walking around so USB charging doesn't do any good.

I'm back home - I stick my batteries in the charger. If I had to use USB charging, I have immediately tethered my camera and it's not available for use if I need it.

I have a Panasonic which has USB charging and it's a right pain. I've since bought a spare battery and an external charger for it - and that makes life so easy.

So, I ask again, why would you prefer USB charging? what does it bring to the table?

Alan

I thought it was a useless feature as well, until I rented the Fuji XT2 for a recent trip. That camera has USB charging and I'm absolutely sold on that feature after using it.

Everyone's needs are different but USB charging allowed me to charge the battery in-camera using my power bank, rather than the bulky charger and charging cable. I had spare batteries as well but not a power user, so the ability to charge via USB cable meant two less things (e.g. charger and cable) for me to pack on the trip.

The only drawback for the Fuji was that only the battery in the camera could be charged, not the spares. But it was fine with me because, as mentioned, I didn't shoot more than one battery anyway. I do plan on buying a USB charger for my m5 though, that can charge two batteries at once outside the camera. Gonna try it out on an upcoming trip in July so will see how that works.

 

[Ed Wren]

As an iOS user, USB charging isn't that critical to me, as it's an extra cable to pack I don't otherwise have a use for. I'm also not usually carrying around a power bank. I can understand why a lot of people find it useful, though, and Canon should add it as a feature to appease them.

Personally, I find it more objectionable when USB charging is used as an excuse not to include a battery charger with the camera, as I understand Sony does.

 

[Ben Herrmann]

Exactly what I was thinking. All this "subjective" bickering about lack of USB charging, something which I've yet to utilize with many of my cameras that happen to have that feature. And the bad part about this is that in today's "read it and believe it" environment, folks will read the USB part missing and automatically discount the camera in their minds (pitiful little minds). The thing is that the end goal - IQ - is all but ignored in many reviews now-a-days.

 

[Helen]

Been thinking about this from the negative comment regarding the M50 review. Why would USB charging be an advantage?

I'm out in the field and I WILL have spare batteries. There's no power while I'm walking around so USB charging doesn't do any good.

I'm back home - I stick my batteries in the charger. If I had to use USB charging, I have immediately tethered my camera and it's not available for use if I need it.

I have a Panasonic which has USB charging and it's a right pain. I've since bought a spare battery and an external charger for it - and that makes life so easy.

So, I ask again, why would you prefer USB charging? what does it bring to the table?

Alan

I feel that way too. I see the advantages USB charging fans are getting at, but when a camera is supplied without a separate charger, forcing me to USB charge until I can get a charger, I don't like it. This is because (a) assuming I have spare batteries, I can still use the camera whilst the other battery is charging with a separate charger, which I obviously cannot do if the camera has to be the charger; (b) why would I want to connect an expensive camera to somewhat surge-prone mains? Even with a surge protector, I'm not quite sure it's completely protected; (c) if I put the camera on the floor whilst charging so it can't fall, someone in the family will most likely tread on it or catch the cable and cause an interesting accident, whilst if I put it up on some furniture, someone might still catch the cable and drag it off, to fall on the floor... Yes, I'm a born pessimist! :-D

 

[Tonkotsu Ramen]

Been thinking about this from the negative comment regarding the M50 review. Why would USB charging be an advantage?

Charging anywhere, anytime, with a USB battery pack that's cheap and readily avail.

I'm out in the field and I WILL have spare batteries.

You might, you might also run out, or have forgotten. USB charging give you one more charging option. It does not take any charging option away.

There's no power while I'm walking around so USB charging doesn't do any good.

USB battery packs can be smaller than a wallet and still fully charge a camera 2-3 times. My USB battery pack is about the size of my smartphone but double the thickness. It fully charges my phone 4-5x or keeps any USB charging capable camera topped up for days without needing to look for a power outlet to recharge the battery and spares

I'm back home - I stick my batteries in the charger. If I had to use USB charging, I have immediately tethered my camera and it's not available for use if I need it.

That's just inconveniencing yourself. If you get home, you can use the charger or use USB. Like I said above, one option does not remove the other.

I have a Panasonic which has USB charging and it's a right pain. I've since bought a spare battery and an external charger for it - and that makes life so easy.

Whether they include a normal charger or not, is up to the company. It seems Japanese companies have taken the "lets milk our customers for more money" way by generally not including the normal charger, instead of "lets offer our customers more value and convenience" by offering both options in the box.

That does not change the way USB charging works, it just means the companies are willingly making things inconvenient for additional profit.

So, I ask again, why would you prefer USB charging? what does it bring to the table?

Try to think outside of the box once in a while.

 

[Steve Siegel]

There's nothing stopping Canon from offering both USB charging and a dedicated charger. USB charging has the advantage that if you don't have a spare battery, or you've run out, you can use a generic power bank, generic phone charger, a laptop. etc. It's just another option you can, but don't have to use.

Most of Canon's current equipment uses 7.2v batteries, which can't be successfully charged at 5v (standard USB voltage). So we're now adding a charging circuit to the camera, plus a physically larger battery (~30%) to accommodate the same mAh out of a 5v battery instead of a 7.2v battery. There's also the issue of heat dissipation within the camera due to the charging circuit and the charging of the cell. All that contributes to a physically larger camera. And let's not forget the Galaxy Note 7 battery fiasco as an example of what could go terribly wrong.

While it might be convenient to use a power bank while in the field, I personally don't like the trade-offs.

 

[Tonkotsu Ramen]

Been thinking about this from the negative comment regarding the M50 review. Why would USB charging be an advantage?

I'm out in the field and I WILL have spare batteries. There's no power while I'm walking around so USB charging doesn't do any good.

I'm back home - I stick my batteries in the charger. If I had to use USB charging, I have immediately tethered my camera and it's not available for use if I need it.

I have a Panasonic which has USB charging and it's a right pain. I've since bought a spare battery and an external charger for it - and that makes life so easy.

So, I ask again, why would you prefer USB charging? what does it bring to the table?

Alan

I feel that way too. I see the advantages USB charging fans are getting at, but when a camera is supplied without a separate charger, forcing me to USB charge until I can get a charger, I don't like it. This is because (a) assuming I have spare batteries, I can still use the camera whilst the other battery is charging with a separate charger, which I obviously cannot do if the camera has to be the charger; (b) why would I want to connect an expensive camera to somewhat surge-prone mains? Even with a surge protector, I'm not quite sure it's completely protected; (c) if I put the camera on the floor whilst charging so it can't fall, someone in the family will most likely tread on it or catch the cable and cause an interesting accident, whilst if I put it up on some furniture, someone might still catch the cable and drag it off, to fall on the floor... Yes, I'm a born pessimist! :-D

A lot of your complaints are actually related to how far behind camera companies are with their tech, or just being plain money hungry. Things like not including a battery charger, not being able to use the camera while it's usb charging, etc

Everyones phone charges via USB. Do you worry that your phone will short circuit because of this design? No.

You can use your phone while it's charging via USB. Why are cameras not designed in such a way? Huge companies with hordes of engineering teams surely are able to figure out a workaround, but they choose not to.

The way they choose to approach this is confusing for everyone. Hopefully they can update and standardize things soon. Until then, it is rightly pointed out every single time such a useful feature is excluded, much like the lack of a battery charger should be picked at, in all reviews.

 

[abruzzopat]

Been thinking about this from the negative comment regarding the M50 review. Why would USB charging be an advantage?

I'm out in the field and I WILL have spare batteries. There's no power while I'm walking around so USB charging doesn't do any good.

I'm back home - I stick my batteries in the charger. If I had to use USB charging, I have immediately tethered my camera and it's not available for use if I need it.

I have a Panasonic which has USB charging and it's a right pain. I've since bought a spare battery and an external charger for it - and that makes life so easy.

So, I ask again, why would you prefer USB charging? what does it bring to the table?

Alan

I don't "prefer" USB charging. On a recent trip, I discovered that I left my charger in another bag. I was able to go to the supermarket, buy a USB cable and charge my Canon G7Xii, and although the charging is slow, it saved me from having a dead camera.

 

[MikeJ9116]

Been thinking about this from the negative comment regarding the M50 review. Why would USB charging be an advantage?

I'm out in the field and I WILL have spare batteries. There's no power while I'm walking around so USB charging doesn't do any good.

I'm back home - I stick my batteries in the charger. If I had to use USB charging, I have immediately tethered my camera and it's not available for use if I need it.

I have a Panasonic which has USB charging and it's a right pain. I've since bought a spare battery and an external charger for it - and that makes life so easy.

So, I ask again, why would you prefer USB charging? what does it bring to the table?

Because wherever you can charge a phone you can charge the camera. There are a bazillion places to charge a phone from a USB power source.

 

[MikeJ9116]

Been thinking about this from the negative comment regarding the M50 review. Why would USB charging be an advantage?

I'm out in the field and I WILL have spare batteries. There's no power while I'm walking around so USB charging doesn't do any good.

I'm back home - I stick my batteries in the charger. If I had to use USB charging, I have immediately tethered my camera and it's not available for use if I need it.

I have a Panasonic which has USB charging and it's a right pain. I've since bought a spare battery and an external charger for it - and that makes life so easy.

So, I ask again, why would you prefer USB charging? what does it bring to the table?

Alan

I feel that way too. I see the advantages USB charging fans are getting at, but when a camera is supplied without a separate charger, forcing me to USB charge until I can get a charger, I don't like it. This is because (a) assuming I have spare batteries, I can still use the camera whilst the other battery is charging with a separate charger, which I obviously cannot do if the camera has to be the charger; (b) why would I want to connect an expensive camera to somewhat surge-prone mains? Even with a surge protector, I'm not quite sure it's completely protected; (c) if I put the camera on the floor whilst charging so it can't fall, someone in the family will most likely tread on it or catch the cable and cause an interesting accident, whilst if I put it up on some furniture, someone might still catch the cable and drag it off, to fall on the floor... Yes, I'm a born pessimist! :-D

A lot of your complaints are actually related to how far behind camera companies are with their tech, or just being plain money hungry. Things like not including a battery charger, not being able to use the camera while it's usb charging, etc

Everyones phone charges via USB. Do you worry that your phone will short circuit because of this design? No.

You can use your phone while it's charging via USB. Why are cameras not designed in such a way? Huge companies with hordes of engineering teams surely are able to figure out a workaround, but they choose not to.

The way they choose to approach this is confusing for everyone. Hopefully they can update and standardize things soon. Until then, it is rightly pointed out every single time such a useful feature is excluded, much like the lack of a battery charger should be picked at, in all reviews.

Canon wants to sell you as many $60 overpriced OEM batteries as possible. Along with $100+ power adapters for supplying direct, constant DC power to the camera. Of course they could allow USB charging while powering the camera on. This capability has been around so long, in so many devices, that the only excuse not to provide it is so they can keep digging into your wallet for accessory purchases.

 

[nnowak]

There's nothing stopping Canon from offering both USB charging and a dedicated charger. USB charging has the advantage that if you don't have a spare battery, or you've run out, you can use a generic power bank, generic phone charger, a laptop. etc. It's just another option you can, but don't have to use.

Most of Canon's current equipment uses 7.2v batteries, which can't be successfully charged at 5v (standard USB voltage).

Yet, almost every camera with USB charging uses a 7.2V (approx.) battery. The buck/boost circuits to convert DC voltsges are small and cheap

So we're now adding a charging circuit to the camera, plus a physically larger battery (~30%) to accommodate the same mAh out of a 5v battery instead of a 7.2v battery.

Nope, everyone is still using standard 7.2V batteries

There's also the issue of heat dissipation within the camera due to the charging circuit and the charging of the cell.

There are already circuits within the camera to change the 7.2V to many other voltages. Also, you can discharge a battery inside the camera much, much faster than you can charge it. Basically, you are generating far more heat inside the camera when you are using it than when you are charging the battery.

All that contributes to a physically larger camera. And let's not forget the Galaxy Note 7 battery fiasco as an example of what could go terribly wrong.

The Note 7 had defective OEM batteries. The problem had nothing to do with external charging.

While it might be convenient to use a power bank while in the field, I personally don't like the trade-offs.

Except, there are literally no trade-offs.

 

[lungdoc]

Agreed. Amidst the complaining about the M50 battery life (which seems ok actually so far to me but haven't pushed it) , it is easy to forget the advantage of using the older LP-E12 : cheap and fully functional third party batteries, that work with the Canon charger. I picked up 2 Wasabi's with a charger for 19 bucks. The newer model Canon batteries like the one for M5 are coded so the replacements don't work with the battery meter and charger which is annoying. No way I am paying >50 bucks for a battery.

 

[MikeJ9116]

Agreed. Amidst the complaining about the M50 battery life (which seems ok actually so far to me but haven't pushed it) , it is easy to forget the advantage of using the older LP-E12 : cheap and fully functional third party batteries, that work with the Canon charger. I picked up 2 Wasabi's with a charger for 19 bucks. The newer model Canon batteries like the one for M5 are coded so the replacements don't work with the battery meter and charger which is annoying. No way I am paying >50 bucks for a battery.

Another reason for M camera users to get irritated is that the SL2 uses Wasabi batteries just like OEM batteries. Why screw over M users when the SL2 uses the same battery?

 

[Jefenator]

...

Personally, I find it more objectionable when USB charging is used as an excuse not to include a battery charger with the camera, as I understand Sony does.

Ugh - too true (at least with the base model I just bought). :-|

 

[nnowak]

Been thinking about this from the negative comment regarding the M50 review. Why would USB charging be an advantage?

I'm out in the field and I WILL have spare batteries. There's no power while I'm walking around so USB charging doesn't do any good.

There is likely a USB charger in your car that you could use to top up your camera while you drive.

I'm back home - I stick my batteries in the charger. If I had to use USB charging, I have immediately tethered my camera and it's not available for use if I need it.

Just because a camera has USB charging does not mean you can't use an external charger.

I have a Panasonic which has USB charging and it's a right pain. I've since bought a spare battery and an external charger for it - and that makes life so easy.

So, I ask again, why would you prefer USB charging? what does it bring to the table?

Alan

I have a larger mirrorless camera and a small compact that both have USB charging capabilities. When I am home, I can leave the cameras plugged in via USB and they are always at 100% whenever I need them. No more grabbing a camera out of the bag only to find the battery drained 50% while sitting unused.

As I mentioned, there is also the possibility to top off your battery while driving, or on an airplane, or in an airport, or any other public place with usb charging outlets. More than once this has saved me when the unexpected happened.

A third benefit is the option to pack lighter. On my last vacation, I brought some spare batteries for both cameras, but intentionally left the dedicated chargers at home. I have a multi-port brick for charging several phones and tablets. It is great being able to plug the cameras in alongside all of the other devices.

If you are burning through four batteries in a day, solely relying on USB charging would not be optimal. For more average use, USB charging can offer real advantages. With the ubiquity of USB chargers, my need for spare batteries has significantly diminished. I even have an adapter for my cordless drill batteries that allows me to charge other devices via USB

 

[R2D2]

Get the best of both worlds with the Wasabi USB charger (charges your batts from any 5v USB power source). Very compact, and even charges genuine Canon batts. You can get the (very light and compact) dual-port charger and 2 batts for about $25...

Wasabi kit at @mazon

I've always had great luck with Wasabis over the years.

R2

 

[Steve Siegel]

There's nothing stopping Canon from offering both USB charging and a dedicated charger. USB charging has the advantage that if you don't have a spare battery, or you've run out, you can use a generic power bank, generic phone charger, a laptop. etc. It's just another option you can, but don't have to use.

Most of Canon's current equipment uses 7.2v batteries, which can't be successfully charged at 5v (standard USB voltage).

Yet, almost every camera with USB charging uses a 7.2V (approx.) battery. The buck/boost circuits to convert DC voltsges are small and cheap

And provide less current than an external charger = slower charging.

So we're now adding a charging circuit to the camera, plus a physically larger battery (~30%) to accommodate the same mAh out of a 5v battery instead of a 7.2v battery.

Nope, everyone is still using standard 7.2V batteries

You need about 8.4v to charge a 7.2v battery, about double the nominal (80% efficiency) v of USB. With the current loss (Ohm's Law), you have no choice but increase the charge time.

There's also the issue of heat dissipation within the camera due to the charging circuit and the charging of the cell.

There are already circuits within the camera to change the 7.2V to many other voltages. Also, you can discharge a battery inside the camera much, much faster than you can charge it. Basically, you are generating far more heat inside the camera when you are using it than when you are charging the battery.

All that current at multiple voltages is distributed to multiple locations around the circuit board(s). A little different when it's all in one place. Plus you still need additional space to house the added circuitry. Agreed, it's small, but these boards are already extremely dense.

All that contributes to a physically larger camera. And let's not forget the Galaxy Note 7 battery fiasco as an example of what could go terribly wrong.

The Note 7 had defective OEM batteries. The problem had nothing to do with external charging.

You missed the point there. Yes, phones rarely have removable batteries in this era. The point was internal charging of any battery powered device comes with inherent danger of a battery failure...and the destruction of the equipment housing the battery. I have a large collection of both amateur and commercial radio equipment that I never charge with the battery mounted...not even those rated as "intrinsically safe". You would be shocked at how many commercial grade Lithium batteries fail catastrophically or simply swell and cause physical damage to the device housing.

While it might be convenient to use a power bank while in the field, I personally don't like the trade-offs.

Except, there are literally no trade-offs.

And you probably have not had to replace a $3K Motorola APX resulting from a LiIon failure. That's a definite trade-off in my view...and I don't want to do that again.

Now...if you want to give me an external adapter to charge a 7.2v battery from a 5v/2A USB charger that say snaps on the end of a LP-E17...I'd help fund that project!

 

[MikeJ9116]

Get the best of both worlds with the Wasabi USB charger (charges your batts from any 5v USB power source). Very compact, and even charges genuine Canon batts. You can get the (very light and compact) dual-port charger and 2 batts for about $25...

Wasabi kit at @mazon

I've always had great luck with Wasabis over the years.

With in-camera USB charging, you just unplug your phone and plug in the camera. You don't have to carry anything extra. You can buy a charger for the camera at a convenience store. For every reason that exists for a phone to support USB charging it can also apply to a camera. The only reason it is not in all cameras is to sell the user expensive OEM accessories.