Delkin Dual Universal Battery Chargers
Update: I now prefer the Pearstone Dual Charger, read my full review of it here.
When you start doing any kind of serious shooting with Canon DSLR’s you have to invest a decent supply of batteries, on an average 7hr day shooting with two DSLR’s I usually go through around 4 – 6 batteries. Quite often though the biggest challenge comes not from having enough batteries but from making sure they can be re-charged and ready go in time for the next days shoot.
If you’re trying to use the chargers that came with your DSLR you’re going to either have a very restless night as you keep waking yourself up to swap batteries on the chargers or you need to invest in a better solution.
In addition to my canon chargers I use two Delkin Dual Universal chargers which charge a pair of DSLR batteries each at the same time. Each charger handles it’s pair of batteries simultaneously and each battery is monitored and controlled individually providing the perfect charging cycle for each battery.
To make the chargers compatible with many battery types Delkin provide a range of charging plates that snap on to the sides of the chargers. The charging plates have to be purchased separately.
LED gauges on each side of the charger report individual battery charge status, once each battery is fully charged all of the LED’s on that side of the charger go out and the charger automatically stops charging that battery. The charger also has automatic 110/220V switching which allows you to take your charger with you on trips abroad.
In addition to the power brick the chargers are also supplied with a 12v car adapter which could prove invaluable if you need to be charging your batteries while driving to your next location.
I’ve been using these chargers for a few months now and highly recommend them. They sometimes seem to take a little longer to charge the individual batteries than the Canon chargers but the fact that I can leave four to six batteries charging overnight and know that I’ll have enough power for the next days shoot when I wake up is great.
Update: I now prefer the Pearstone Dual Charger, read my full review of it here.
Buying in the US
Calumet Photographic sell the Dual Universal chargers for $49.99 and the Canon LP-E6 charging plates for $5.99 per pack of two.
Buying in the UK
Warehouse Express sell the Dual Universal Chargers for £35 and the Canon LP-E6 charging plates for £9.99 per pack of two.
I’ve been using two of these for years and love them. They’ve never failed me. As to the led blink speed and actual charge time – that’s not an issue for me. I usually have enough batteries for a shoot anyway, so charging mostly happens after the shoot, when time isn’t critical.
I will run one or two batteries half way down for a wedding and drop them on the charger early (just in case) but usually wind up using only two more full batteries up and by then the ones on the charger are full (remember the half way part).
Why doesn’t Delkin make plates for the BP-955/975??? I now have a C100 and I’m hating the idea of getting a Canon charger for each battery…searching for a solution brought me here. I see your other review of the Pearstone, but your addendum makes it not seem like the way to go for C100’s…
Thanks!
Hi there, Paul.
I bought the dual charger but yesterday, when I tried to charge my batteries for the first time, the leds were blinking all together so that I cannot understand anything about the charging progress. Since I had to work, I used the camera charger to be sure to have enough power. Have you ever noticed this kind of problem with your chargers?
Thanks for your reply.
I ordered two of these but I haven’t been hugely impressed by their performance. Charging my original Canon LP-E6 batteries is a slow process and the LED readouts are inaccurate when compared to the camera info on the battery. (eg charger indicates less than 25% while the camera states 45%)
The chargers seemed to perform better with third party batteries though. So I think I’ll charge my original Canon batteries on original Canon chargers and keep these for third party batteries or overnight charges.
OK but not great.
The Hahnel Twin charger might have been a better (if more costly) option.
bought this piece of shit, doesnt charge on my battery, no led light, no charge.
Sorry to hear that, both of mine are still working perfectly so maybe you have a defective unit.
Thanks Paul for your work, you’re a mine of information about events, hello Alessandro
No problem Alessandro, thanks for staying in touch.
tnx for your post… molto interessante.
That’s a really useful widget – cheers for sharing…
Tel