R8 Power Issues for Time Lapse Photography

[Oyarsa]

I purchased an R8 back when it first came out. I love the camera, but the battery life is extremely frustrating. I have been trying to do long timelapses, but the battery dies so quickly. I purchased an Anker 747 power bank with which I hoped to be able to power the camera. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

For example, last night I tried to do a holy grail timelapse. At first, when I plugged in the battery bank, everything worked fine. The battery icon turned gray and the battery lasted several hours. I thought maybe everything was going to work, so I went to bed. I woke up around 4 in the morning to check on it, and at some point, the camera had died. Turning the switch to off, the green light came on that the camera was charging the battery. I tried turning the camera back on, unplugging the battery pack, etc. The battery pack would charge the battery when turned off, but would not power it while it was turned on.

I got a different battery that I thought was charged. Maybe it wasn't. When I turned on the camera, the battery showed as being almost dead. Wanting to continue shooting and not having another battery, I unplugged the battery pack and fiddled around and all of a sudden the camera battery icon showed as being fully charged. It was not grayed out, but I decided to let it run and see how long it lasted. Again, it lasted a few hours, but when I went back to check on it, it had just died (was showing the charge battery message).

So...any thoughts on why the battery pack sometimes is capable of powering the camera without using the battery and sometimes not? Is the Canon battery still being used a little even when the camera shows that it is running off external power? Any suggestions on how I can power the camera outdoors for 12 or so hours?

[Waddizzle]

I am not familiar with the Anker 747 power bank, how it should be used, or how you are connecting it.  If the power bank is giving you issues, contact the manufacturer.  

I am uncertain if your camera can be used while it is being USB charged.   You should check your User Guide to see if this possible.  I recommend that you use the Canon AC/DC power adapter, which eliminates the need to use a battery.  

[Oyarsa]

I am connecting it via a USB-C to USB-C OTG cable.

Unfortunately, the first issue is that I do not know which part is the problem. I believe the power bank is working as it should, but it could be the issue. I am unsure how I can pinpoint the problem, though.

The Canon AC/DC power adapter would be very difficult to use outdoors where there is nowhere to plug it in...

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

A USB-C PD will only charge the battery when the camera is off.  When the camera is on, it will run on USB-C PD power until it's depleted.  

Review this section, with the understanding that the behavior is the same for a USB-C AC adapter and USB-C PD, except the PD (example Anker) does not provided unlimited power.

Canon : Product Manual : EOS R8 : Using a USB Power Adapter to Charge/Power the Camera (start.canon)

Supplemental info.

[Oyarsa]

This is what made me believe that using the Anker bank would work. It should be powering the camera when it is on, and it seems to work that way for a while.

But, I do see the note that "The remaining battery level may decline when power is supplied to the camera." Maybe that is the issue. In which case, maybe there ISN'T a way to shoot for more than a few hours?

[Waddizzle · Accepted solution]

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@Oyarsa wrote:

This is what made me believe that using the Anker bank would work. It should be powering the camera when it is on, and it seems to work that way for a while.

But, I do see the note that "The remaining battery level may decline when power is supplied to the camera." Maybe that is the issue. In which case, maybe there ISN'T a way to shoot for more than a few hours?

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Correct.  It will only work for a while, but not long enough.

You need to use a battery eliminator.  The camera battery will eventually run out of charge when you use the USB charging cable.  Always.  There is no work around.  You need to use a DC adapter, which eliminates the battery altogether.

[shadowsports]

Agree with Waddizzle.  This is correct.  @Oyarsa if you want more than 3 hrs, I would suggest a vMount.  

Canon does not make mounts or extended batteries.  If you'd like some recommendations, PM me.

[Oyarsa]

I am not familiar with vMounts. I did a quick search and I think I get the concept. If I understand correctly, you either connect it to the camera via USB-C (which would still have the same limitation) or via a dummy battery.

Considering I already have the power bank, is a dummy battery a possible solution with the power bank that I have? I found this YouTube video which suggests it might work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knn_q4Yrwvk&t=2s

It recommends this dummy battery:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J3D56VG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also found this option:

https://www.amazon.com/HangTon-LP-E17-Battery-Camera-DR-E18/dp/B0BRV85T4Q?th=1

Would those work? I am on a bit of a budget, so these would be great, but I also don't want to just trust a random YouTube video. The USB-A dummy battery appears to have a nice long cable, which would be handy.

It seems odd to me that using a power bank through the USB-C port would still drain the battery when you can use the same power bank with a USB-C or even USB-A connection to a dummy battery without any battery whatsoever...

[shadowsports]

Check out a SmallRig #4064 and #3579 or 3580

A 99 watt hour battery (for example) will run your camera for at least 7-9 hrs. easily.