Camera battery types

Types by chemistry and form

Rechargeable batteries are the general reusable type, as opposed to single-use cells. Lithium and lithium-ion batteries are the chemistry most often used for rechargeable camera batteries: they hold charge well between uses and deliver steady power during a shoot. A buyer who hears lithium should understand it as a chemistry description, not as a brand or a performance promise.

Camera battery packs group cells into a single unit, which is useful when a camera needs more capacity than a single cell provides. V mount batteries are the larger, mountable form used on broadcast and professional video cameras, where a battery must also power accessories. The form follows the camera: a small camera takes a small battery, and a large rig takes a mountable one.

Types by camera kind

Digital camera batteries are the batteries made for digital cameras as a class. Mirrorless batteries serve mirrorless cameras, which have no mirror mechanism, and DSLR batteries serve DSLR cameras, which do. The two camera kinds often use different battery shapes, and a battery that fits one kind will not necessarily fit the other, so the camera kind is the first thing an inquiry should name.

Broadcast camera batteries serve broadcast cameras, which are larger, run longer, and often power accessories as well as the camera itself. V mount batteries belong here: they are the mountable batteries for that world. A buyer who names the camera kind — mirrorless, DSLR, broadcast, or another kind — will receive a specific answer; a buyer who names only the word battery will receive a general one.

What to ask next

Name the camera kind and the use: how long a shoot lasts, and in what conditions. Ask for the specification for the exact type, the quantity terms, the lead time, and the certificates for your market, by name, with documents attached. The bulk battery inquiry page lists these confirmations, and the pairing guide explains how batteries and chargers work together.