The Digital Power Struggle

The Digital Power Struggle

This is an actual unretouched photo of the makeshift charging station being utilized over its capacity on a recent dive trip.

Whether you are shooting film or digital, you're probably very familiar with the need for POWER! With more and more shooters on every dive trip, even the best dive boats may fall short of space and plugs to fill the demand.

If you're just getting into digital photography, you might want to consider some of these details.

Always bring along your own power strip and/or extension cord and write your name on it.

If you are traveling internationally, check with the boat or resort ahead of time to see what power requirements are. Most battery chargers today are 110 and 220 compatible, but might need a special cord. In the worst case, you might need to carry a transformer with you, but they are very, very heavy and not much fun to lug around and will likely be unnecessary unless you are going someplace really remote.

Afraid someone's going to unplug you prematurely? Try using plastic ties to secure your plug so they are still in place when you need those fully charged batteries. You'll need to cut them off, but they are cheap and will keep others from unplugging you.

If you find that you need to carry many power cords for all these chargers, think about cutting down the cords so they are only 12" long. You can purchase new plugs at most hardware stores and they install in a snap. Make sure you pay attention to whether or not your plug is grounded or not and purchase the appropriate plug. This also cuts down on the space they take to pack.

Don't be a power hog. In most cases everyone ends up tapping into each other's power strips, but if everyone is courteous there will be plenty to go around for everyone.

Article from: The Underwater Photographer (loads of other great tips here!)