Scouring your camera bag, you have all your most important gear: cameras, lenses, memory cards, and batteries. With the adoption of mirrorless cameras by many photographers, we have also adopted more batteries. When my primary camera was a Nikon D850, I could shoot roughly 1,800 photographs on a charge.
I am using the Nikon Z7 II as my primary camera, and unfortunately, I get about 400 photos per battery. I am charging and purchasing batteries more than ever before. Enter the Hahnel Pro Cube 2 charger, a game changer in the battery charging game.
The is a game-changer in battery charging. It is a dual-battery charger with interchangeable battery plates that can charge AA batteries. If you are unfamiliar with Hahnel, it is a 65-year-old company that creates quality photographic accessories for your camera.
Hahnel offers various accessories, including battery chargers, batteries, flash triggers, and speedlights. When it comes to gear, quality is always crucial. It's an investment; we don’t want to replace any gear every few years.
The Hahnel Pro Cube 2 charger's build quality is what you would expect; it is made of plastic and metal. But don't let that fool you. The overall build quality is very nice, weighing around one pound.
You can confidently pack it in your luggage or camera bag without worrying about its durability. I threw it in my camera bag and traveled over 3,000 miles on my recent Route 66 trip, and it held up like a champ, even sliding off the dash of the SUV a few times. The Hahnel Pro Cube Charger is packed with very robust features for a battery charger.
Non-Wired Interchangeable Charge Plate: I owned the original Pro Cube and disliked that the charging plates were wired, so changing them out was a slight pain. The Pro Cube 2 now has non-wired interchangeable plates, making swapping out plates a breeze. The Nikon-compatible version comes with the EN-EL15 and EN-EL14 plates, allowing me to charge my batteries for my Nikon Z7 II, Z6 II, and Z30, which I use for content creation.
This is a lifesaver as I only need one charger while traveling. Charging a Nikon EN-EL15C battery with a Nikon dedicated MH25a charger takes approximately two hours and thirty-five minutes. When you are in a pinch, that is a while to wait.
According to the manufacturer, you can fully charge two batteries in the Pro Cube 2 in a hundred minutes or one battery in an hour. From experience, I find it to be less. The best option is to charge two batteries simultaneously, saving time! When traveling by vehicle, it's great to charge batteries between stops.
The Pro Cube 2 is supplied with a 12V car adapter, allowing you to plug it into a 12-volt outlet for use in a vehicle! This erases the need for a power inverter to plug the charger into. It is also supplied with UK and Euro plugs for overseas travel. You shouldn’t have trouble using the charger just about anywhere between these adapters! The charger sports a nice screen that provides real-time data on your battery's health and the amount of charge that has been transferred to it.
The screen also displays the mAh or milliamp hours; according to Hahnel, 300 mAh equals 150 photos. Traveling with the Pro Cube 2 over a total of 10 days on the road and regular usage in the office. Overall, the charger is very convenient while traveling, allowing me to keep fresh batteries on hand, and the quick charger is a must for me as well.
I have traveled with the Pro Cube 2 for over ten days, used it regularly in the office, and have experience with both the original and updated versions. Overall, the charger is very convenient while traveling, allowing me to keep fresh batteries on hand, and the quick charging is convenient. It can be used in a vehicle and charge two batteries simultaneously, all while displaying valuable data on its screen.
This would be an excellent charger replacement for your camera's included charger. I have even considered adding one more to my collection! Easy access to change the interchangeable charge plate: The original plates were wired and were difficult to change. The updated version is now non-wired, but you must use the supplied key, the tip of a ballpoint pen, or a paper clip to depress the button to change the plate.
This is not the most convenient thing to do while traveling. The key is small and could easily be lost. Yes, it's just a battery charger and not that exciting.
But for any photographer to add to their gear pool at a very affordable price. It is well-built and capable of reliably charging your batteries at a fast rate! Justin Tedford, a Midwest photographer, captures the essence of rural America along Iowa's backroads. He's a road trip junkie, enjoys exploring national parks, and savors a good cup of coffee while focusing on showcasing the beauty of the rural American landscapes.
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