Sorry if this has been asked before but my A7R II arrived today however, my Metabones adapter does not arrive until tomorrow so only been able to update the firmware and charge the batteries. What has come to light after charging my three batteries is how unbelievably slow they charge. Obviously no experience yet but hearing the batteries not lasting very long and the horribly slow charge times I need a better charger? The hähnel ProCube looks like a good solution but any recommendations?
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A7R II Charger
- Thread starter gazwas
- Start date
4season
Well-known member
This is larger but more universal, and there's no external power brick:
http://www.poweredbywatson.com/detail?sku=837349
Not particularly fast, but very handy.
http://www.poweredbywatson.com/detail?sku=837349
Not particularly fast, but very handy.
Annna T
Active member
If I remember correctly, the first time you charge the batteries, it will take longer than the usual charges. So don't despair !
The A7r2 and A7r batteries and charger are slightly different. The new charger I got with the A7r2 seems faster than the older one with the A7r batteries. What I don't like is that the batteries don't click when you push them in. Sometimes they weren't fully pushed and I found out they weren't charging as expected.
The Sony BC-VW1 Battery Charger is designed to charge W batteries in 1-2 hours so that is what made me look for others. The ProCube looked interesting as it could charge two batteries simutanioualy and did use one of their chargers for years with Phaae One batteries without issue.
Hahnel ProCube Twin Charger - Sony/Olympus (1000 561.0) - Wex Photographic
Does anyone use the ProCube or shall I just go for the Sony quick charger - both seem to be well regarded in the small number of reviews I've seen?
V
Vivek
Guest
You must be new to Sony and A7 series?
Since NEX-5, it is the same battery and they used to include the BC-VW1 with their cameras, earlier. It was never designed charge anything within 1-2 hrs. Definitely not the first few cycles.
Yes, about 19 hours of ownership!
Got my numbers wrong on the charger model, it should have been the Sony BC-QM1 which is a quick charger.
Annna T
Active member
I have two battery chargers :
- I got the BC-TRW for the A7r because there was none included
- The A7r2 came with the BC-VW1 included.
I was pleasantly surprised by the second one : it charges the batteries that came with the A7r2 faster than what I have got for the A7r.
My take on this : wait a little and when you have loaded the battery a few times things will get faster. After a few cycles you will know whether you still want another speedier charger.
ICHBINSpunktDE
New member
I've changed my charging strategy to "USB only" and i'm very happy about it:
One Power brick with 10 USB outputs and a bunch of good micro USB cables (0.2 - 1m) to charge my A7RII, a6000, a charger for two NP-FW50 batteries by Patona, smartphones, tablet, headlamp, powerbank and my girlfriend's RX100.
One 2port-USB power brick as a backup in case of failure and one 2port 12V adapter in the car.
It's universal, it's compact... i don't have to charge one battery in no time, i rather have four batteries and a powerbank charged overnight.
One Power brick with 10 USB outputs and a bunch of good micro USB cables (0.2 - 1m) to charge my A7RII, a6000, a charger for two NP-FW50 batteries by Patona, smartphones, tablet, headlamp, powerbank and my girlfriend's RX100.
One 2port-USB power brick as a backup in case of failure and one 2port 12V adapter in the car.
It's universal, it's compact... i don't have to charge one battery in no time, i rather have four batteries and a powerbank charged overnight.
Good idea!
Best to check its not just the first few charges that are slow. It was just a shock coming from my 1Ds3 to see that tiny battery still charging after 3½ hours.
Thats some serious charging!
USB charging is normally slow in my experience so how long does the A7R take to charge from low/flat?
ICHBINSpunktDE
New member
Can't tell about the A7R... but on the A7RII, in camera USB charging is very slow if you use the power brick provided by Sony. Using a decent power brick, things are speeding up considerably... but I've never taken the time, to be honest.
I've got the BC-QM1 charger which is big but can charge two batteries at one time (one in the charger and the other through USB). It also charges other batteries, notably my camcorder ones. It is fast enough (not timed it though) for me.
I had read it charged two batteries but couldn't figure out how looking at pictures of the charger. How does the battery attach to a USB cable? Is some special connector included with this charger?
V
Vivek
Guest
RTM or the earlier posts.
Your camera can charge a battery via USB.
Go to ebay, look for NP-fw50 charger, look for the lowest (incl.ship). You will find quite a few for < US $5. Buy a few. Problem solved.
ICHBINSpunktDE
New member
If you examine your A7RIIs box closely... Sony packed a camera in it - it's the special connector to charge your battery via USB. In case of the BCQM1, only if you don't quick charge the battery. See why i went the USB way? Too many ifs and maybes on Sonys way for my personal taste.
So the Sony BC-QM1is in fact not a dual charger but a single charger with a USB charging output option.
The ProCube still looks the best option for a busy shooting day as I just don't trust the cheap chargers on ebay, however I will give the supplied charger a couple of tries just to see if its a fluke first charge. The Metabones adapter has just arrived so I'll be able to give the batteries a good pounding over the next few days while getting used to the new camera.
Thanks everyone.....
The Watson charger mentioned by 4season (http://www.poweredbywatson.com/detail?sku=837349) is a dual battery charger. It is very well made. I have been using mine for a couple of years now and I couldn't be happier with it. It does not take 6 hours to charge a flat battery, more like 2.
Actually the BC-QM1 does charge one battery placed in it and also provides power to the USB port so you can plug your camera into it and charge the second battery inside the camera. It does take a while but if you need to charge two batteries together without having to swap the first one out (say when you are going to sleep at night), it does a good job.
For me the other advantage was that it charges my Sony handycam battery too.
I've used cheap third party chargers before and my own experience has not been good - they failed at critical times. When you own a camera system costing thousands, it is worth spending some money on these essentials. For this reason I will never used third party batteries even though I admit OEM prices are sometimes ridiculous. Of course some have found them to be great and more power to them.