Sony's AC-VQ900AM Battery Charger gets the job done when time is tight.
Written: Mar 27 '09 (Updated Mar 27 '09)
Product Rating:
Pros: Intuitive interface, quality build, rapid charge time, not too bulky.
Cons: AC adapter cord can't be removed, no simultaneous charging, expensive.
The Bottom Line: Highly recommend for photojournalism use, or any other type of shooting that requires a lot of charging in a short amount of time. Well designed and well built.
jvandegr's Full Review: Sony ACVQ900AM AC Adapter and Battery charger
Introduction
I'm writing this review as I'm charging several batteries from a long assignment with my Sony A350 this week. Even though Sony's batteries have very good life, a few thousand frames in cold conditions requires a lot of battery charging at the end of the assignment. This is exactly why I purchased this charger. The single battery charger included with all Sony cameras works great, but it's not designed to keep up with demands of photojournalism. Let's see how the AC-VQ900AM charger does.
Specifications
Weights and Measurements:
* Dimensions (Approx.) : 4 7/8 x 1 15/16 x 5 3/8" ( 123 x 48 x 135mm) * Weight (Approx.) : 1lb1oz (490g)
Power:
* Battery Charging (Approx) : NP-FM55H (Full Charge 130 min / Normal Charge 70 min) * Output Voltage : DC8.4V / 2.9A - Adapter in Charging Mode * Power Consumption : 33W * Power Requirements : 100-240V; 50/60Hz
Operating Conditions:
* Operating Temperature : +32 to +104ºF (0 to +40ºC) * Storage Temperature : -4 to +140ºF (-20 to +60ºC)
As of Spring 2009, this unit is selling for $115 - $150 from US online dealers. Included in the box is the power cable, attached AC adapter cable, warranty card, and an instruction manual.
Compatibility
According to Sony's website, this charger is compabitable with the following Sony battery models:
The first characteristic I noticed upon removing this charger from its box is its weight. It feels much more substantial than the single battery chargers included with Sony cameras. It is about 2.5 times the size of those chargers, but this was expected. Both cords seem sufficiently shielded and I've never had a problem connecting either to my camera or a power outlet. Mostly, this charger sits in my studio waiting for action. I take it on assignment when I'm far from the office and know that I'll be needing to frequently charge batteries. After a little bit of abuse in camera bags, hotel room floors, and so on, it is no worse for the wear. I've never had a single problem with this charger. Indeed, this is one of the better quality "Made in China" items I've encountered lately.
Ergonomics
When a battery is charging, the LCD indicates how much battery life has accumulated. In other words, it displays the estimated amount of life in the battery, in terms of hours and minutes. It also shows this by a graphical icon, similar to that on Sony's cameras. The LCD is sufficiently large and the text is easy to read from 1-2 feet away. Unfortunately, it is not backlit. By pressing the display button located next to the LCD, you can also see the time to "normal" charge (aka "quick charger"). Another press of the display button shows the time to a "full charge". The unit emits a quiet "beep" every time the display button is pressed, but I have not found it to be annoying at all. The unit emits the same beep when a battery is inserted. A red LED next to the display button shows which battery this information applies to. On the side of each battery bay is a yellow LED that indicates which battery is currently being charged. This LED turns off when the battery has completed a full charge (but not when it has completed a normal charge). When you need to use this unit as an AC adapter, there is a switch near the LCD that must be toggled into the "VCR / Camera" position. Since I rarely use this unit for this purpose, I leave it in the "Charge" position most of the time.
The NP-FM500H batteries that I use snap in and out of this unit with ease. Still, once they are locked into charging position, they will stay put even if the unit is bumped. The power cord is approximately six feet in length, which is sufficent for most desktops. I haven't had a chance to measure the AC adpater cord yet, but it appears to be similar in length.
My biggest complaint about the ergonomics of this unit is the permanently attached AC adapter cord. Most users will use this unit as a battery charger most of the time. Therefore, this cord should be removable because it's just something else to get caught or snagged inside my camera bag. I'm not sure why Sony sees the need to keep it attached.
Performance
All of the dual camera battery chargers that I have used suffer from a common problem: they are not able to simultaneously charge two batteries. Obviously, this would be much more ideal as I could cut the amount of time for my batteries to charge in half. It seems like it would be possible to easily design a unit that has this capability, so I'm not sure why it's not available from the camera manufacturers. My Nikon MH-19 has the same problem. That being said, just having two battery bays are a big help because I can throw in two batteries and forget about them; the unit automatically charges them sequentially without any additional input from me.
Otherwise, I have no complaints about the performance of this unit. I can give a NP-FM500H battery a normal charge in about one hour, if that battery is completely depleted. If not, charge time is even less. Compared to Sony's single battery chargers, this cuts charging time in half. A full charge requires just under two hours with the NP-FM500H, but this is still much less than the single chargers. So, how many more shots can you take on a full charge compared to a normal charge? Not many, but it's tough to say. Assessing this difference would require a very controlled shooting environment because the temperature and the type of shooting will have a bigger impact on battery life, in my experience. In other words, both charges will provide hundreds of frames so if you can't wait for a full charge, don't.
This charger also supports some of Sony's "SQ", or "SuperQuick" charging batteries. None of my batteries have this feature so I have not been able to test it. An LED on the front panel indicates whether this type of battery is charging in SuperQuick mode, or just Quick mode.
Conclusions
This charger is easy to recommend for anyone needing rapid charging, and a lot of it. Mostly, this will be the photojournalism crowd. At a retail price of $150, weekend nature photographers would be better off buying a spare battery for $40 and keeping it charged using the single battery charger included with Sony's digital SLR cameras. The ergonomics of the AC-VQ900AM are quite good, as is the performance and build quality.
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