Sony BCTRP Battery Charger for NP-FH Series Batteries by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony BCTRP Battery Charger for NP-FH Series Batteries
Digital camera Review: Convenience
Summary: 5 Stars
This product works as intended and does it flawlessly. It has a simple purpose and that is to charge your mini-dv batteries in a wall outlet. This is a much easier way to charge camera batteries and provides the extra convenience and benefit of ebing able to charge up an additional battery while filming with your other battery (assuming you have two, of course).Digital camera Review: Convenient
Summary: 5 Stars
This prodecut is small and the plug folds in. which makes it easy to travel with. I used it on may vacation this week. It was small with out long wires and easy to pack.
Ms. Budhoo
Digital camera Review: Does the job, but suffers from lack of foresight in design.
Summary: 4 Stars
Last month, I purchased a Sony DCR-SR100 hard disc digital camcorder. After a few weeks of use, I decided on two things:
1) I needed a larger battery to take advantage of the 7 hours of HQ recording the camera is capable of, and
2) I needed an external charger for the batteries so I would not have to plug the camera in, unused, for hours at a time while the battery charged.
I selected the largest available "P" series battery, and purchased both the battery and this charger through Amazon.
The charger is well made, compact, and features a power prong that folds sideways into the body, which is excellent for portability. I found that the charger and a spare battery fit perfectly into the side compartment of the camera bag I purchased with my camcorder.
Being able to charge one battery while using the other in the camera has freed me from the downtime and inconvenience I had experienced prior.
The problem I have with this charger is a poor choice on Sony's part with regards to charge indication. The instruction manual has a chart for each P Series battery, and lists the approximate "normal" charge time and "full" charge time. The difference seems to be that the "normal" charge is mostly -- but not fully -- charged.
The manual states that when you insert a battery and plug the charger in, the indicator light will come on. When "normal" charging is complete, the indicator light goes off. The kicker is that to achieve a "full" charge, the manual says to leave the battery charging for about an hour after the indicator light has turned off. There is no additional visual cue to tell you when or if a "full" charge has been achieved. You essentially have to guess when the battery is fully charged.
I would rather have seen a product with multiple indicator lights, or at least with "flash codes" for the single indicator light so you have a way of distinguishing if the battery is currently charging, and if the charge is "mostly done," or complete and full.
That being said, the unit does get the job done and free you to film while your backup is charging. The battery is usable after the charge light goes off, even if it does not have the maximum life. If you are in the habit of charging your battery overnight, then you can probably be assured that the battery will have a full charge in the morning, even if the charger won't tell you. Other than what some may consider to be a nit-picking gripe, I have no complaints.
Digital camera Review: EXCELLENT
Summary: 5 Stars
I had to buy this to replace the original that I lost. I love battery chargers plug directly into the wall outlet. This is great charger.Digital camera Review: Easy and Quick to Use
Summary: 5 Stars
I just used this on a trip to Hawaii. Easy to use, quick to plug in and allowed me to connect my Sony Camcorder to my laptop while a battery charged. One charging while one battery working. No problems.