Canon Camera Power

Solar Charger for the
Canon LP-E6 Battery
and options for powering your Canon EOS dSLR anywhere

Looking for a solar charger for your Canon LP-E6? This application note covers the products & methods used to charge your Canon LP-E6 battery pack far from any grid power.

The LP-E6 is a 7.4V battery pack. As such, taking it portable requires some special equipment to support your Canon LP-E6 battery charger (LC-E6 or CBC-E6 chargers). We also present alternative chargers that offer more versatility for operating off-grid and taking your Canon EOS on serious wilderness expeditions.

There are 3 key components to your portable power system for the LP-E6...

1. Charger base
2. Solar storage battery
3. Solar panel

Which products you choose will depend on the number of shots you take, your travel destination, the time of year, and the nature of your trip (ie how much time you spend in camp vs hiking/kayaking, etc.).

Popular system configuration...
LP-E6 AC/DC Charger
Novuscell 24 Battery Pack
PowerFilm 10 (or PowerFilm R-7)

Let's look at the details that go into selecting the right equipment for you...

The LP-E6 Charger Base...

At 7.4V, the LP-E6 battery is typical of many dSLR batteries. The LC-E6 charger that came with your Canon EOS is AC only, meaning that it was designed for plugging into the wall. Since creating AC power requires additional equipment & system complexity, and since you are not likely to encounter an outlet where you are going, we will look into DC chargers for the LP-E6.These are ones that can plug into 12V solar panels & solar storage batteries (in addition to your car & home power).

Choose a charger base...

Generic LP-E6 AC & DC Charger
The affordable way to go mobile. Works at home, in the car, and from a solar panel or solar power system

-OR- Select: LP-E6 Car Charger from Canon
Canon offers a DC 12V charger base for the LP-E6. Rather expensive, but available through most Canon dealers.

Universal charger option?...
Unfortunately, the Ansmann Digicharger Vario & Vario Pro do not fit the LP-E6. The contacts on the battery are too narrow for the Ansmann and other universals we have tested. This is first major battery pack that we have come across that the Ansmann is not able to handle. So, until Ansmann redesigns the Vario & Vario Pro chargers, we will recommend using a dedicated charger for the LP-E6.

BREAKING NEWS!!!
Apparently there is some issue with the LP-E6 battery & the new on-camera battery management system that Canon has introduced with the EOS 5D & 7D. From our own research, combined with the experience users have posted to various photography forums, we've arrived at the following...
1. Canon chargers will not charge 3rd party batteries
2. Canon camera bodies will accept 3rd party batteries, but will not 'manage' them (ie track charging & state-of-charge)
3. 3rd party chargers WILL charge Canon batteries, and the camera battery management systems operate properly.
CONCLUSION: You will have far more versatility if you adopt 3rd party & generics for your chargers. Making the choice to use generic DC chargers for your Canon batteries will serve you well.
However, since we are talking about lithium battery chemistry, we advise using only Canon & name-brand batteries since they have higher manufacturing standards.

The Solar Storage Battery...

Properly charging a Canon LP-E6 battery pack while out in the field requires a portable power system that can provide a constant source of power to the charger base. This will permit the charger to operate at normal charging rates.
At the core of this is a battery pack that stores the power produced by the solar panel. Without this solar storage battery, your LP-E6 charger would be at the whim of the sun, with the charging rate fluctuating throughout the day, plus you would not be able to charge at night, which is often the most convenient time. A solar storage battery also permits your charger to operate at its normal performance level.

Q: Do you have to wait until the storage battery is full?
A: No. Plug your charger in any time.

Q: Do you have to unplug from the solar panel before connecting your charger to the storage battery?
A: No. Plug the charger into the storage battery whenever you need to, and take advantage of having the solar panel do some of the work.

The best options for solar storage batteries are lithium battery packs offering enough reserve to charge your Canon EOS battery pack a little more than two times before it will need to be recharged itself.

We recommend the following products...

Select: The Novuscell 24
The Novuscell 24 offers over 1+ charges for the LP-E6, plus USB port. Ideal for short trips and expeditions where less than a full LP-E6 battery capacity will be used in a day (ie top-off the LP-E6 each day).
Best solar panel match: 5-10 watts

-or- Select: The Novuscell 50
The Solo 7.5 stores approx 3 charges for the LP-E6, plus offers USB port. Small & light, it is the right choice when you need additional insurance against bad weather affecting your solar panel performance.
Best solar panel match: 10-25 watts

-or- Select: The Brunton Sustain
The Brunton Sustain offers over 4+ charges for the LP-E6, plus offers three output voltages to handle most laptops & car adaptors, plus a USB port that is Apple-friendly for the fussiest devices.
Best solar panel match: 20-30 watts

Need to charge more than just the camera?
Click here to have our solar calculator give you a real-world estimate of what you should use.

The Solar Panel...

Want to be able to charge as you go by using a small solar panel that will provide your camera with endless power?
Choose one of the following solar panels designed for lightweight expeditions. These connect easily to the battery packs listed above, or direct to the battery chargers listed at the top of the page...

Option #1: PowerFilm 5 folding
*Generates one complete LP-E6 charge every day
The smallest, lightest option available
Works best with Novuscell 24

Option #2: PowerFilm 10 folding
*Generates 2 complete LP-E6 charges every day
Any extra power can be used to charge other electronics
Works best with Novuscell 24 or Novuscell 50

Option #3: PowerFilm 7 rollable
*Generates a little more than one complete LP-E6 charge every day
The best water resistant option for marine environments
Works best with Novuscell 24 or Novuscell 50

For just the Canon LP-E6 battery, 5-7 watts is usually plenty. If you have other equipment to charge (laptops, GPS, iPods, etc), then consider a larger panel, and use a larger battery pack (ie Novuscell 50 & larger)

Solar Direct...
If you want to go solar direct to the LP-E6 car charger, then use a larger panel (at least 10 watts). The charger needs at least 4 watts to operate, and in portable applications you rarely get ideal sunlight.

Check our Solar Panels page for a complete listing of the folding, rolling, & flexible solar panels we carry.

Want additional advice?

Not all needs are the same, so if you need any advice or direction in creating a portable battery charger for your Canon EOS camera, or other equipment, please send us the details...
Email: customers@modernoutpost.com

You might also find it useful to see what our real-world solar calculator suggests. Click here.

* Solar panel performance is based on typical mobile usage patterns during summer months (May through Aug). It is recommended that the panel be deployed for most of the daylight hours for best results.