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As someone who first picked up a camera at 10 years old and has been shooting professionally for the last 20 years, I thought I had everything I needed in my kit bag. That is, until I came across the NEEWER PS099S Mini V Mount Battery, now an essential kit item that I don’t plan location shoots without.
Being a seasoned photographer, I am well-versed when it comes to prepping for a shoot to ensure that I have everything I need and plan ahead of time: batteries charged, SD cards formatted, and kit bags fully packed with a checklist ticked off as I load up to ensure that nothing is left behind on shoot days.
Thanks to advances in technology, photography equipment has become more portable over the years. This makes essential items increasingly transportable with the help of integrated batteries and battery packs, which are preferable over wired units reliant on fixed power sources to take your shooting further. While shooting on location, there has always been somewhat of a race against time when it comes to keeping items charged, such as strobes and laptops for lighting and reviewing images. Power banks are useful—I have a few that keep supporting items charged—but I have never found such a robust product as NEEWER’s Smart Mini V Mount Battery, which keeps my shoot going, even powering LED lights. It’s small enough to pack into most kit bags and sturdy enough to easily manage travel and extended use.
I’ve used a few different power banks before, but usually with one device in mind—for example, a small power bank that fits in my pocket to give my phone an extra charge on days out, or as I have previously written, a dedicated power bank to power my MacBook, allowing me to work on editing and admin-based tasks away from home. But I had never before considered seeking a battery that works well enough to power all the devices you need during location photoshoots.
Key Specs of the NEEWER Smart Mini V Mount Battery
- Battery Type: V-Mount
- Battery Capacity: 6,800 mAh/99 Wh
- Output Voltage: 14.5 VDC
- Battery Chemistry: Lithium-Ion
- Accessory Mounting Thread: 1x 1/4″-20 Female, 1x 3/8″-16 Female
- Dimensions: 4.5” x 3” x 2.4” / 115mm x 77mm x 60mm
- Weight: 1.5 lbs / 675 g
Powering Your Shoot
Lately, I have incorporated constant LED COB lighting into my repertoire, which is something that many photographers, videographers, and content creators rely on for their work. The NEEWER V Mount Battery, when attached via the longer D-Tap power cable (sold separately), gives consistent output to power my NEEWER FS300C LED COB Light for an impressive 1.5 hours when set at 50% output. It is worth investing in a V Mount clamp to attach the battery pack to your light stand.
On top of powering LED lighting, attaching to the camera with the aid of the NEEWER PS015 V Mount Quick Release Battery Plate allows creators to shoot continuous video and photography over extended periods of time.
This will power multiple devices, keeping everyone connected, allowing for tethered shooting while keeping laptops powered up. The range of different connection ports—two USB-C, one USB-A, both DC 8V and DC 12V, as well as D-Tap and BP connections—supports a wide range of compatible devices.
Other Uses
After the first time shooting supported by this battery pack, I realized how useful it would also be for a camping trip a few weeks later. I must admit, I am a camper who likes her comforts, taking items of convenience to ensure my trip is as restful and comfortable as possible. Even so, I am still off-grid, away from power sources, which would usually cause me to limit use of my devices unless necessary. In the absence of owning a camping power station, bringing the NEEWER V Mount Battery totally transformed the trip, and that is not an understatement. While I would normally capture only key moments during the trip and minimize communications, this battery pack allowed me to entertain myself as I would closer to home, by creating as much content as I wanted to document the trip and then relaxing while streaming movies on my iPad during rainy nights without worrying about battery life.
The camping trip lasted four nights, spread over two locations in the West Highlands of Scotland, and I made it home with 43% power left in the battery after it was used to charge multiple phones, an iPad, my Apple Watch, and my camera battery.
What I Liked
The features I most appreciated were the 100 W fast charging via multiple ports and the OLED display, which shows the power consumption levels in real time as part of the Intelligent Battery Management System. This can be monitored either on the battery screen or through the NEEWER App.
What I Didn’t Like
This battery is described as one that can be held in the palm of your hand; however, as a female photographer, I find it a bit too bulky for that. Realistically, you are not going to use the battery handheld, and it is still worth finding the extra space in your kit bag to take it along on your shoot. Although I found the OLED screen useful, it was hard to read in direct sunlight.
Final Thoughts
Is power useful when shooting on location? Absolutely, and this battery pack performed well without ever worrying about running out of power. As you can tell from the positive tone of this article, I found the NEEWER PS099S V Mount Battery an extremely useful addition to my kit. Priced at $159 in the US and £189.99 in the UK at the time of writing, this battery pack is on sale in both locations with excellent discounts, reducing the price by around $100 and £110 respectively. There has never been a better time to invest in power!