Tether Tools has released the Case Relay Power System, which allows you to connect an external power source such as USB battery packs or AC power. When the external pack runs low on power, you can hot swap to another USB battery pack without losing power to your camera.
Here’s how it works:
Simply insert the Relay Camera Coupler directly into the camera battery port. Then attach the Relay Camera Coupler to the Case Relay Camera Power System and power your camera with any standard 5V USB external battery (commonly known as a portable USB charger, which you can get most anywhere) or an AC power source, such as a wall outlet or generator.
The Relay Camera Coupler combined with the Case Relay Camera Power System provides constant, uninterruptable power for your camera and is perfect for time-lapse photography, photo booths, video production and power-hungry LiveView shooting or any long day on the set. Need more power? Hot swap in another power bank and continue shooting while never losing power to your camera.
Check out the video below for an overview of the setup.
The Case Relay Camera Power System retails for $99.99. You can find it and related accessories here on Tether Tools’ website.
This looks like it could be an interesting tool for Canon and Nikon. Same concept as adapting to (expensive) AB or V-Mount, but instead going to a (relatively cheap and easy to find) USB battery.
Not sure the newer Sony cameras will benefit from this – they apparently can be directly powered via USB battery already without the need for an adapter.
The Sony benefits that come to mind would be external power with tethering as well. And the Sony cameras love to chew through batteries… so I could see a use for it in studio work.
Badly overpriced, but a really necessary product.
I hope the manufacturer will supply couplers for cameras with “obsolete” batteries.