Power is the lifeblood of video photography. You can’t shoot a video without a camera source, and a camera won’t work without power. This power is supplied by batteries. Batteries are convenient because they allow for a camera to be moved freely from location to location without the hassle of having to unplug, rearrange, and secure cables before starting to film. Depending on the battery chemistry, its characteristics and how the battery cells have been packaged will ultimately determine overall quality and performance. Lithium ion batteries are the latest in battery technology and they have certain advantages over traditional batteries. It might be worth your while to take a look at these batteries and see what advantages there are in Lithium ion.
Lithium ion batteries work by the movement of lithium ions from a negative electrode to a positive electrode during discharge. The current of electricity is carried by the lithium ions in the direction of the electricity flow. While they’re charging, a higher voltage is applied to the battery’s chemistry, reversing the direction of the energy flow and returning the lithium ions to their original positions within the batteries. At that point, the ions are ready to move back from negative to positive, providing power once again.
There are many advantages to using lithium ion batteries. They can be adapted to many different shapes and sizes, so they’re useful in a variety of applications and can be made to fit efficiently and conveniently into the devices utilizing them. They are also much lighter than traditional batteries because they don’t use a liquid to facilitate the ion flow. Finally, they don’t suffer from the “memory effect,” in which traditional batteries lose their ability to hold a charge over time. For most of its shelf life, a lithium ion battery will charge up and provide the same amount of power that it did when you first bought it. Lithium ion batteries, also recyclable, have a high ratio of capacity-to-weight resulting in a long shelf life and minimal loss of charge over many months.
There are a few “cons” to lithium ion batteries, too. Every time you use them, deposits will form inside the electrolyte, eventually diminishing the capacity of the cell. If you undercharge them, it could cause irreversible damage to the batteries. And if you don’t handle them properly, they can be volatile. All in all, the advantages of using a lithium ion battery have made this technology grow rapidly in popularity over the past few years, making it a solid choice to power your equipment.