Nikon Camera Power

Solar Charger for the
Nikon EN-EL9 Battery
and options for powering your Nikon dSLR anywhere

Looking for a solar charger for your Nikon EN-EL9 battery? This application note covers the products & methods used to charge your Nikon EN-EL9 battery pack far from any grid power.

The Nikon EN-EL9 is a 7.4V battery pack. As such, taking it portable requires some special equipment to support your Nikon charger or 3rd party aftermarket charger. We also present alternative chargers that offer more versatility for operating off-grid and taking your Nikon on serious wilderness expeditions.

There are 3 key components to your portable power system for the EN-EL9...

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

See our demonstration video to see how these parts go together.

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.).

Let's look at each component...

The EN-EL9 charger base...

At 7.4V, the EN-EL9 battery is typical of many dSLR batteries. The charger that came with your Nikon 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 EN-EL9.These are ones that can plug into 12V solar panels & solar storage batteries (in addition to your car & home power).

We recommend the following advanced universal chargers, and dedicated AC/DC charger...

Select: Ansmann Digicharger Vario Pro
A universal charger that will work with all your camera batteries, and offers both AC, DC (car), & world adaptors.

Want to use a dedicated DC charger?...

-OR- Select: EN-EL9 Charger
This is a AC & DC charger that will operate at home, in your car, or from any standard 12V solar power system.

The Portable power system...

Properly charging a Nikon EN-EL9 7.4V battery pack while out in the field requires a portable power system. At the core of this is a battery pack that stores power to run your DC battery charger. The best options are lithium battery packs offering enough reserve to charge your Nikon EN-EL9 battery pack at least two times before it will need to be recharged itself.

We recommend the following products...

Select: The Voltaic V60 Battery
Small, light, offering 3+ charges of the EN-EL9, & a huge range of device support including 12V DC for the Ansmann Digicharger Vario Pro

-or- Select: The Brunton Sustain
The Brunton Sustain offers over 4+ charges for the LP-E5, 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?
These battery packs are large enough to handle iPads, laptops, and more, but you will want to do a proper sizing to calculate the total load. Click here to have our solar calculator give you a real-world estimate of what you should use.

The Portable Solar Power Source...

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 more than one complete EN-EL9 charge every day
The smallest, lightest option available

Option #2: PowerFilm 10 folding
* Generates more than 2 complete EN-EL9 charges every day
Any extra power can be used to charge other electronics

Option #3: PowerFilm 7 rollable
* Generates up to 2 complete EN-EL9 charges every day
The best water resistant option for marine environments

Just about any other solar panel will work with the Brunton Solo packs, provided that the panel offers a standard 12V output (and cigarette socket). For just the camera, 5 watts is usually plenty. If you have other equipment to charge (laptops, GPS, iPods, etc), then consider a larger panel.

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 Nikon D200, or any of the other electronic equipment you need to pack along, 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.