How To Make a Light and Portable Battery for
Night Photography
by Anthony James18 Jan 20150 Comments
This post is part of a series called Night Photography.
Everything but the Camera: More Essential Night Photography Gear
Observation, Visualisation and Composition for Night Photography
In the previous article I outlined a basic setup for most night photography situations and
investigated the variety of equipment readily available to photographers "off the shelf."
But night photography isn't just about developing a specific skill set and having the right
equipment, as an element of luck is also required. Subjects like fireworks, lightning and
astrophotography can be tricky to capture due to their unpredictable nature and fleeting presence.
To increase your chances of photographing these subjects, you need to use a combination of
specialised equipment and specific shooting techniques. By following these guidelines you can
increase your chances of "getting lucky."
Getting Lucky
Capturing a meteor as it enters the earth's atmosphere is difficult and requires some luck. To get
this shot of a meteor strike I took 300 individual frames over a period of ten hours.
The best way to photograph difficult subjects, like a meteor shower, is to have the shutter open for
as long as possible. You can do this by using a single long duration exposure, or by shooting a series
of shorter duration shutter speeds with multiple frames—my preferred technique.
For longer duration shutter speeds at high ISOs, you will also need to use some form of noise
reduction. If you choose to do this in camera, you effectively double your power requirements.
This means you will need to power the camera for very long periods of time, and it's unlikely your
cameras standard battery system will make the grade, so an alternative solution is needed.
Absolute Power
Digital cameras use direct current (DC) electricity to provide the power they need to run. They use
internal DC battery systems with voltages generally rated between 5 and 12 volts, or convert 240
volt alternating current (AC) power to the DC power that the camera needs.
Electrical power....for some night photography subjects you need plenty of it! The ability to power a
multitude of electronic devices as well as your camera in the field is crucial—especially when
filming in remote areas.
You can power your camera for extended periods in a number of ways: using an AC power supply
unit (PSU) with AC power, using an AC power supply with DC batteries and an inverter, or using a
custom DC power solution. All have advantages and disadvantages.
Using an AC power supply with AC power allows you to run the camera indefinitely from either a
mains power source or a generator, but this does limit the locations available to you for positioning
the camera.
Generators are heavy, noisy machines that require fuel, and transporting one around with you on
location is impractical if you need to move camera position frequently. Mains power has even more
limited accessibility.
Using an AC power supply with 12 volt DC batteries and an inverter is a better option and offers far
more flexibility in terms of where you can position your camera, as it is a more portable solution.
Unfortunately you lose up to 25% of the DC batteries' available power due to the three-step
process of converting 12 volt DC to 240 volt AC and then back to the DC voltage required to power
the camera.
This
D7000 is being powered by a 12 volt battery. It is connected to a 150 Watt inverter that is running a
Nikon EH-5a AC Power Supply Unit.
The best solution on offer is a custom-made DC power system, and this is what I use for powering
my cameras for extended periods. Batteries last longer using this method, as you bypass the DC-AC-
DC conversion process. It's also very portable—the best of both worlds.
I have built my own all-weather power packs that use 12 volt batteries and a step-down voltage
regulator to convert the 12 volts coming from the battery to the 9 volts my Nikon cameras require.
This system can supply the camera with all the power it needs to run continuously for not just hours
but days, depending on what battery I connect.
Until recently I have been using Lead-Acid deep-cycle AGM gel cells rated at 10-15 amp-hours to
power my cameras. They are cheap, safe to transport, and supply plenty of power, but they do have
some issues you need to be aware of.
Continuously discharging them at close to 100% will make their performance degrade rapidly. Even
the deep cycle versions which are designed to circumvent this problem will eventually fail if you
always fully empty them of their charge.
They are also very slow to charge—you can only supply about 10% of the rated amp-hour current
during charging. A 15 amp-hour battery being fed 1.5 amps will take approximately 10 hours to
return to full charge after it has been fully discharged. This means you would have to leave it on
charge all day to use it again the next night.
The other disadvantage is that because they contain lead, they are quite heavy and aren't terribly
good for the environment. The higher the amp-hour rating, the longer the battery will last, but the
heavier it will be. This limits their portability, and I am sure you don't want to carry around a 20kg
battery with you wherever you go.
Recently I have been experimenting with deep-cycle Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) alternatives,
and so far they are working really well and deliver close to full power until completely discharged.
They also tolerate being fully discharged much better, and can be charged far more quickly than
Lead-Acid batteries. They are also much lighter, environmentally friendly, and very safe to use,
unlike some lithium battery varieties, which are a fire hazard or can explode.
LiFePO4 batteries are a lot more expensive to purchase initially, but over time they should work out
cheaper, as they can be charged and discharged far more often than the lead acid alternatives.
A
variety of 12 volt battery options exist....Lead-Acid gel cell, Lithium Ion and LiFePO4 are just some of
the different types of batteries available that can power all manner of electronic devices.
Disclaimer: This next part will involve some electronic skills like soldering. If you aren't confident of
doing this yourself, you may need to have a technician do it for you, as there is a risk of damaging
your camera. If you reverse the polarity of the power going into your camera or supply it with too
much power, you may damage it beyond repair. You have been warned.
After deciding on a battery system, you then need to convert the 12 volts coming from the battery
to match the voltage required to power your camera, and there are several ways to do this.
One way is to take apart an old camera battery that is no longer working, or use a cheap after-
market battery available for your particular camera model. You then solder a couple of wires from
the output of a DC voltage regulator onto the positive and negative terminals of the battery.
Essentially you are using the old battery as a shell and connecting the new battery to its terminals
to supply power. You will need to do some research to find the battery voltage required by your
camera and which pins on the battery are the positive and negative terminals that supply DC
power.
You may also need to remove the old battery cells and bypass any electronics inside the battery, as
there is often a printed circuit board present. This PCB is used to monitor charging and other
battery functions, but is no longer needed.
Also, some camera manufacturers and third parties supply adapters, which allow you to do the
same thing without having to fuss with an old battery. If you can find an adapter for your camera
from a reputable source, this is the way to go.
When you insert this dummy battery into the camera, the wires running from it may prevent the
battery door on the camera from being closed, and this makes it more prone to water damage.
It also means that if your external 12 volt battery fully discharges during shooting, the camera may
not shut down correctly, and you could lose some data present on the recording media.
Making a DC Power System
A better alternative involves cutting the cable from an AC power supply unit and wiring a DC
voltage regulator to this cable to provide the required power from a 12 volt DC battery to the
camera.
I
purchased a cheap aftermarket power supply unit from a Chinese manufacturer rather than the
more expensive Nikon made EH-5a Power Supply Unit. The only part you will be using is the output
cable, which needs to be cut from the PSU. You then connect this to the output from a DC voltage
regulator.
DC
voltage regulators (inset) such as the one shown above can be purchased very cheaply via eBay or
electronic sales websites. I have mine housed in a plastic casing to protect it from water and dust
and cable tied to prevent the wires from being accidentally pulled loose.
Once you have cut the AC adapter cable from the PSU, it has to be connected to the output
terminals of the voltage regulator. I have soldered the AC adapter cable onto wires that are then
connected using screws on the voltage regulator.
You then connect the input terminals of the voltage regulator to an external 12 volt battery, making
sure you have correct polarity. I have added a 10 Amp fused male cigarette lighter plug connection
to this cable so I can easily exchange batteries.
All of my batteries use a female cigarette lighter connector to power my devices. This means I can
power my cameras using a variety of different battery types.
By
turning the voltage adjustment screw on the voltage regulator and monitoring the output, you can
match the voltage required by your camera.
After you have connected a 12 volt battery, the power coming from the step-down voltage
regulator needs to be adjusted to match the voltage required by your camera. In the case of my
Nikon cameras, it must be the same as the output from an AC PSU, which is 9 volts.
The
base of the Nikon AC PSU has all the information you need...the output voltage is listed as 9 volts at
4.5 Amps. The pinout assignment diagram for the AC output cable is also displayed, with the
alignment notch shown at the bottom.
You adjust the output voltage coming from the DC voltage regulator by turning the voltage
adjustment screw and monitoring this voltage with a multimeter until it matches the required
output.
You must connect the multimeter's probes to the AC output cable's pins with the correct polarity,
as shown on the PSU's pinout assignment diagram.
Insert
the probes from a multimeter into the pins from the output cable and measure the voltage coming
from the DC voltage regulator. It should match the polarity and normal output voltage from the AC
power supply. In this case the multimeter reads 9.22 volts with correct polarity... close enough to
the 9 volts needed by my cameras.
Once you have set the correct voltage and checked polarity, this cable is ready to connect to your
camera to supply power.
If you don't own a Nikon camera, you will need to modify the design of this DC power system to suit
your own needs according to the camera you have.
You will need to source an appropriate AC cable from a PSU that suits your make and model of
camera, and solder it to the DC voltage regulator with the correct voltage and polarity.
One advantage of this system is that when using it with certain cameras, if the external battery
becomes depleted it will automatically switch to the internal battery. This means the camera will
shut down correctly, storing camera settings and leaving all recorded media intact.
Newer
Nikon cameras like the D7000 (left) use an EP-5 battery adapter cable connected to the AC power
supply. The D700 camera on the right has a dedicated AC input terminal, meaning you can also
leave a standard Nikon EN-EL3e battery in the camera.
Do You Have Protection?
Once you have completed your modified DC power system, you should buy a weatherproof housing
to protect it from the elements. You need to buy one large enough to house the battery, DC voltage
regulator, and all of the cables.
By
placing all of the various components into a dry box, you can leave it unattended overnight without
worrying about rain or dust damaging the delicate electronics inside. The 12 volt LiFePo4 battery
shown has a cable with a female cigarette lighter connector added. This allows the custom-made
DC power cable to be plugged directly into it.
It is worth considering some form of protection for the camera as well. Having cables from an AC
power supply or a DC dummy battery exposed makes it vulnerable to damage from the elements.
The easiest way of doing this is to use a shower cap—they are cheap, readily available, come in
various sizes, and do a fantastic job of protecting your camera from dust and water.
You should also tether your tripod to the ground so that wind or a passing animal does not knock
over your tripod. You can see my method for tethering tripods in the previous article I wrote.
Out in the Field
Many night photography subjects are found in remote locations, and getting to them can be a
challenge. Having a reliable vehicle and the capability to power everything in the field is an
important consideration when running digital cameras in these areas.
It's not just your cameras that require electricity, but also the peripheral equipment you need for a
complete digital photography workflow. Batteries need to be regularly charged, digital data needs
to be managed and archived, and communications and other electronic equipment all require
power to function.
I have spent a great deal of time preparing my vehicle for filming in these locations. It has been
fitted with a C-Tek D250s dual battery charging system that allows a deep cycle lead acid service
battery to be charged by the alternator when the vehicle is running, or by a 120 Watt solar panel
when the vehicle is stationary.
The service battery has a 600 Watt inverter connected to it, which converts the DC electricity from
this battery to the AC power required by the electronics I need to run out in the field. I also have
two 150 Watt inverters that run from the cigarette lighter connections in my vehicle, giving me a
total of 900 watts of power to charge batteries and run electrical devices.
Inverters convert the DC power from a battery to the AC power needed by electronic devices.
The service battery has a female cigarette lighter connection permanently attached to it, which can
run DC-powered devices such as my laptop computers. I use a DC power supply for my laptops, as
they are more energy efficient, and none of the inverters I have are the more expensive pure sine
wave versions that many laptop AC power supplies require.
Using a
DC power supply is a more energy efficient method of powering a laptop computer from 12 volt
batteries, as it bypasses the three-step DC-AC-DC conversion process.
I have built two dedicated battery charging stations—one for my camera batteries and the other to
charge my lead acid and lithium battery systems. This allows me to maintain charge in these
batteries when I am driving or when I am camped at a location for several days, and helps to keep
everything tidy and organised.
This
custom made Charging Station / DC Power Box has two 1.6 amp-hour (Ah) lead acid battery
chargers and two 20Ah Lead Acid gel cells housed in an old Panasonic Video camera carrying case.
These are two stage battery chargers and can be used on both my Lead Acid batteries and the
Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries I use to power my
cameras.
This
charging station has three Panasonic battery chargers for the lithium ion batteries used to power
my Lumix cameras, and I also have a similar setup for my Nikon battery chargers. By securing the
chargers in place with cable ties, they can be easily removed if needed. These plastic cases are also
stackable, so you can place them on top of one another.
Safety is another important consideration in remote locations. When traveling in these areas you
should always take plenty of food and water with you, and consider hiring or purchasing a satellite
phone or an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) in case of an emergency. Better to
be safe than sorry.
The next article is my last on photographic equipment, where I will outline some recommended
setups for night photography. After that I will move on to a series of articles on shooting
techniques, the first of which is about observation, pre-visualisation and composition for night
photography.
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