Production Mooch: Cheaper Battery Backup for Cameras

One of the most elementary concerns for videographers is camera power. The last thing you want to ever happen to you in the field is to have your batteries die on you. Well, backup batteries for cameras can be very pricey. As of this writing, the batteries for my camera, the Panasonic HC-V750 cost $80 for the smaller one, $100 for the bigger one. After-market batteries can be purchased for some cameras (not mine) at a cheaper price, but some are unable to communicate things to your camera such as the battery status, which could be even more frustrating while on a job.

Well, there is a better solution for this. Since the mass adoption of the smart phone, backup power for these devices have recently flooded the market, and subsequently have been dropping in price. The great thing is that they can be used to charge and power most cameras, and in a lot of cases, come equipped with more power than your camera’s backup batteries, at a much lower price. If your camera can be charged using a USB cable, then you are in business.

Here is a quick chart for reference and understanding of battery capacity
for some common devices:

Device
GoPro Hero3
Iphone 6 Plus
Galaxy S5
Galaxy S4
HTC ONE
Iphone 6
Iphone 5s
Iphone 5c
Iphone 5

mAh
1050
2915
2800
2600
2300
1810
1570
1507
1440

They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are quite large. Others are as small as a lighter, and can be mounted on your rig with rubber bands. The smaller ones can be found for as low as $8, so you can purchase a bag full of these if need be. I scoured Amazon for the best prices on these batteries. See the links below. All the items I selected have excellent Amazon ratings.