Hahnel recently released some exciting and important updates to their Extreme Batteries. The latest mirrorless cameras now feature in-camera battery charging, which requires a slightly different battery. Hahnel packaging has also received a few updates, from colour schemes that make them easier to identify to new packaging that’s not just fully recyclable but also environmentally friendly.
New HLX-E6NH and HLX-EL15HP Batteries
The new Canon EOS R and Nikon Z cameras both feature in-camera battery charging. Plug your USB cable into an power source and the battery will charge without a separate charger. The main reason for this change is the manufacturer can save costs by no longer including a battery charger with their camera. Battery life in mirrorless cameras has gotten better, but it’s still not up to par with DSLR cameras. If you have more than one battery, I highly recommend Hahnel ProCube2.
If you’re like most photographers, you want the most performance at the best cost for your valuable loonies. Hahnel Extreme HLX batteries offer better performance than OEM batteries at a fraction of the cost.
In testing, the HLX-E6NH battery out-performed the more expensive Canon LP-E6NH battery by up to 11% – an incredible 320 images more than the Canon battery using EOS R5. That’s a significant difference. The bigger difference? The Canon battery is $120 while the Hahnel is only $82!!
The performance gains in Canon DSLRs, which are less-power hungry, are marginal. However, there is still the significant cost savings.
Hahnel Extreme batteries are also extremely durable with a special construction technique that makes them drop off up to 3m, as well as cold and heat resistant.
Environmental Packaging
Hahnel has recently colour-coded all of their packaging to help photographers find their next camera battery easier. In addition, they’ve eliminated difficult-to-recycle plastic from their packaging. All new packaging from Hahnel is made from 100% compostable, 100% recyclable, reclaimed cardboard and all printing is done with environmentally-friendly soy-based inks and clear water-soluble varnish. An added benefit of the new packaging is that it’s smaller and lighter, which means transportation costs are reduced for shipping the same amount of product. Less fossil fuels are burned shipping these batteries!
About the Author – Will Prentice (www.capturaphoto.ca) is a professional photographer based out of Whitby, Ontario and Brand Specialist – Lighting for Amplis.
