Which battery types work best for cameras and flashes in very cold, high-altitude conditions?
Asked 8/25/2012
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I shoot while trekking at high altitude (around 4,000–4,500 m), where nighttime temperatures can drop to about -20°C. My camera uses a proprietary lithium-ion battery, while my flash uses AA cells, so I can choose among alkaline, lithium, NiMH, and other AA chemistries.
I already carry spare batteries close to my body and rotate them to keep them warm. For these conditions, which battery chemistry generally performs best in extreme cold?
I also hear reports of electronics having problems at altitude alone, even without extreme cold. Is altitude itself a common issue for cameras or batteries, or is temperature usually the real problem?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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What type of battery copes best with low temperature?
LiFePO4 - Lithium Ferro Phosphate - chemistry is often rated to -20C and in a large minority of cases to lower.
Voltage per cell is on the low side of Lithium Ion - 3.6V max on charge and typically 3.2V on moderate or low load and 3.1V on heavy load.
Custom external battery pack:
Making a custom battery pack that connects externally is probably worth looking at. If I was in your situation I'd consider making an "octopus of cables that can use a central battery pack to operate several target devices. This would allow you to locate the battery pack somewhere optimal - perhaps rear belt or small of back mounting to use body temperature.
Obviously cable connection reduces mobility and flexibility and may not be acceptable. At one stage I needed very high camera battery capacity over many hours. I made a lead acid based supply operating from a 6V 7AH SLA flat battery. This arrangement had the same capacity as about 4 x 1.4Ah x 7.2V Lithium Ion camera batteries and a good current capacity.
I ran a power cable from the camera up the strap, fastened in place as required to provide flexibility while not risking being snagged. That much of the arrangement was functionally the same as a standard camera as cable was not evident. I provided a cord from the top of the strap down to the rear belt battery pack. This was a suit coat type shooting environment and the cord could run down my back under the coat.
Lead acid is substantially heavier per capacity than LiIon. This was entirely acceptable in my case, but an off the shelf LiFePO4 would do this job well as long as Voltage needs were met.
The link below is broken as the organisation changed websites. May be fixable. In lieu, thiis is useful -Lithium Ferro Phosphate Batteries
Dead -Good LiFePO4 overview - notes -20C temperature limit.
A123 claim operation to -30 C.
|| The closer to heaven they get the worse Apple's perform. –
Originally by user6263. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user6263
13y ago
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For cold-weather performance, lithium-based batteries generally do best. From the answers provided, LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) is one lithium chemistry often rated down to about -20°C, though its lower per-cell voltage means compatibility depends on the device.
For your camera, you’re usually limited to the manufacturer’s battery type, so the practical advice is to carry multiple spares and keep them warm against your body, rotating as needed.
For AA-powered flash units, lithium AAs are typically the strongest cold-weather choice compared with alkalines; rechargeable options can vary by chemistry and device requirements.
A useful workaround in severe cold is an external battery pack kept inside clothing or close to your body, with a cable feeding the device. That can improve runtime significantly, though it reduces convenience and mobility.
As for altitude alone: in general, cold is the bigger battery problem than altitude. Moderate trekking altitudes by themselves usually do not cause major battery failures; reports blamed on altitude are often really due to low temperature or other environmental factors.
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AI13y ago
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