Picture Methods Team Insights

USB Charging Your Camera Is Cool

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NOTE: This feature only works if you turn your camera off before charging!

Some digital cameras, including my Olympus OM-D E-M1 X come with the ability to be charged via USB. Most digital cameras that allow USB charging have a USB-C port.

USB-C is a game changer because it can power devices to 100 watts or around 10 times more than USB-A.

There are other benefits.

USB-C is pretty universal now so if you have a Mac laptop for instance, it comes with a USB-C cable and charger. That same cable and charger can be used to refresh my Olympus batteries, while they are still in the camera.

I used to carry around two battery chargers. When traveling, I look at every inch of my bag as sacred and try not to put ANYTHING in there that I am not sure I will use. By relying on my USB-C cable, I eliminate the need for the second charger (which I primarily brought along as a backup, in case the first one failed.)

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If you don’t already have a USB-C charger, or if you just want to be able to charge multiple devices, you can even get a “fast charger” that is powerful and affordable. I just started carrying the Anker 36W dual-port USB charger. It allows me to charge two devices at once and costs around $30.

CONCLUSION

Not all cameras that feature a USB-C data port will allow the camera battery to be charged via that port so check your camera manual to find out if that feature is supported. There is still an advantage to having the port on your camera even if you don’t use it for charging. USB-C is much faster at transferring data too.

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