EOS R7 firmware update for in-camera battery charging

[LoveWeims]

I was particularly iinterested in the new firmware update announcing a new Canon battery (LPE6P) which will allow in camera charging.  Although I am pretty good at watching my battery levels (and I have multiple backups), I wanted to include in my collection this particular battery for its additional functionality.  HOWEVER....and it seems more often than not...this battery is on "backorder" with no delivery date in sight.

This is the part about Canon that is most frustrating...I also have on order a lens that has been on "backorder" since June.  Maybe the lens makers are working hard on inventory to ship for the holidays (one can hope I guess).  

Are there any "aftermarket" batteries that are actually available for shipment NOW which can also support in camera chargining AND are compatible with EOS R7 cameras.

Also, when I see in specs that the accessory (any) is compatible with "EOS R" (no additional info), does that usually mean all Rs (7,8, etc.)

[Tronhard]

Hi again

The ability to chrge the canera is dealt with by the camera not the specific battery so any LP-E6N or later variant should work.

I also use SmallRig batteries and some of them can be charged via their own USB C port. Which is handy if you are say in a car and meed to charge but want to use thw camera. They even supply a cable.

Google Smallrig and check ou their site. 

[LoveWeims]

Ok good.  So my current nearly new batteries should now be rechargeable in camera.  They are Canon LP-E6NH

i got a USB cable already.  And Will look at SmallRig.

thank u!

[p4pictures · Accepted solution]

You don't need the update to do the charging in-camera. EOS R7 was able to charge LP-E6N and LP-E6NH batteries in the camera since it was introduced. 

[LoveWeims]

Thank you.  I thought i read somewhere it could not.  And the way the firmware description was written seemed to confirm that so I never tried it.  Appreciate the correction to my thinking!  I will try it out today 

[p4pictures]

It needs quite a powerful power supply to do in-camera charging. A standard phone charger is not going to cut it. I’ve used a 96W power supply from my MacBook to charge my batteries in camera 

[LoveWeims]

Good to know.  Hope i don’t get that desperate and always have charged batteries then

[Tronhard]

I get a sense that this USB-C charge feature is a sort of trickle charge effect.  I have charged the battery from SmallRig via its charging port and it's slow.  So, I would consider it a backup option, or to be used when on the road and wanting to charge a battery as I drive, via an in-car USB port.  The benefit of the direct connection to the battery is that one is not monopolizing the camera to do it, as would be the case when using the USB C port on the body.  I have collected sufficient AC chargers that I prefer to charge my batteries overnight at home or in my travel accommodation and that should cover me for the next day, especially since I have a battery grip with dual battery capacity.

What is more interesting to me is that the move to update legacy bodies to the new LP-E6P capacity suggests that Canon will abandon the earlier versions.  I have suspected that this was a required precursor for using more energy-hungry components in the camera - such as more powerful processors and likely global shutter.