Most of us use digital cameras, and know how quickly the internal batteries are depleted. I have bought an external flash for my Minolta (the HSD 3600), but now I have come across another product that will make my batteries last MUCH longer. It is an external battery pack that attaches to the underside of your camera, onto the tripod socket. A tripod socket is on the bottom of the unit, so you can use it on a tripod. The battery is from a company called DIGIPOWER, and is the model DPS-9000. All you do is attach a supplied cable from the battery, into the AC input of your digital camera. When you turn on your camera, it "thinks" it is running off of an AC adapter. The camera is running off of the external battery, not the internal ones. A series of LEDs on the side of the battery show the charge remaining. When the battery is down to it's last LED, just turn off the camera, remove the cable from the AC input, and turn the camera back on. The camera is now running off the internal batteries. When you get back to an AC source, you can charge the battery off of the supplied AC adapter. If you are in a car, you can charge the battery off the supplied DC adapter. The battery is a Lithium ion battery, so you can charge up a partially depleted battery without memory effects.
This battery will greatly extend the shooting times when out in the feild, away from power sources. The company provides cables and a compatibility chart for most major brands of cameras. My Minolta Dimage 5 was listed explictly. The unit cost $59, and is made by MIZCO INTERNATIONAL INC. They can be contacted at 886-347-6937 or digipower@mizco.com.
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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~