Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com
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First tests
Accessories First tests We get our hands on the latest kit and share our first impressions – so you know whether or not to add it to your wish list
Reviews by Will Cheung & Kingsley Singleton
Hähnel ProCube Twin Charger £49.99
Specs
Price £49.99
In the box ProCube charger, UK, Euro and US plugs, 12V car lead, AA tray, tool for swapping battery holders Compatibility Two models: Canon: LP-E6, LP-E8, LP-E17 Nikon: EL14, EL15 Olympus: BLN-1, BLS-5 Sony: NP- BX1, NP-TW50 Other features Integrated 2.1A USB charger – detects and charges most USB devices Contact hahnel.ie
Swapping from camera battery holder to another is a simple process and takes seconds.
Verdict
We all know the importance of having fully charged batteries and the charger that came with your camera does an excellent job so youmight be wonderingwhy gadgets like this Hähnel ProCube exist. The appeal of the ProCube is its versatility. It comes with mains adapters for the UK, Euro and the US plus there is a 12V car charger lead and then there’s a tray that accepts four AA rechargeable NiMH cells. But the very clever thing is that the ProCube comes with twin battery holders that are suitable for a wide range of different cameras. Twomodels of the Hähnel ProCube are available, one for
Canon and Nikon and another for Olympus and Sony products. In each kit, you fit the battery holder relevant to your camera. Obviously it depends on what cameras you own but in all probability you will fit one battery holder and never change it. But if you have to, the process to change holders takes seconds. A little tool that comes supplied is used to release the attached holder and then you just unplug one holder and replace it with the new one before clicking it into position. You can charge one cell or two at the same time and the LCD panel tells you percentage charge of the cells.
The AA battery charger sits on top of the camera tray – minus any cells – and is held in place with magnets which means you can’t fit it incorrectly. If there is any downside it’s that four cells have to be loaded before charging starts. The final charging option is via a USB socket. Here you can charge your smartphone, tablet or even your bike light – but not while camera batteries or AAs are being charged. Charging time is respectably fast. A Nikon EN-EL15 cell took 105mins to charge from 8% to 100% charge. A set of four flat 2900mAh NiMH cells took 90mins. WC
The ProCube is a neat gadget that works really well and its versatility gives it a major advantage over the charger that came with your camera. Pros Versatile, performs well, good price Cons Four AAs charged at a time, no Fujifilmmodule option yet
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