The EU law on USB C being the new required charger may kill a lot of cameras

[Mark Keefer]

Sure glad I am not in the EU, but I hear California may pass a similar law. Ok, great for cell phones, but not great if I can't get batteries to charge a DSLR that cost of $3400 cause some politician can't think the problem through. Sigh, what am I talking about. The USB C required charger port on all electronic devices. Here is the Link.   

[AJG]

I have never charged a camera battery via cable to the camera since I have always used an external charger anyway, so if this causes camera manufacturers to include an external charger then I am for it.  And I have never met a pro or serious amateur photographer who doesn't carry extra batteries at all times.  The idea behind the law (that there are a ridiculous number of proprietary charging cables for cell phones and other devices) is a good one.  How many people have lost or damaged a dedicated cord only to find that a replacement was either ridiculously expensive or unavailable for an older device?  As for leading to the demise of DSLRs in general, I think that ship has already sailed.  It is very clear that Nikon and Canon have moved to mirrorless and that they are selling off current models but won't be coming out with new DSLRs.  Sony did the same thing years ago, leaving Pentax as the only DSLR maker that has committed to continuing to make them.  Since Pentax doesn't release new models that frequently, I'm sure they will take this into account when they design new cameras.

[Niels - NHSN]

You can still get batteries for your DSLR as is apparent from the link.

The politicians gave ample warning, and some manufacturers may have chosen not to adapt - if only for some arcane product groups in their portfolio, and DSLRs may considered as such for some manufacturers.

If manufacturers don’t wish to adapt their products to environmental regulations, it’s a matter affecting them and potentially their customer loyalty, i.e. If DSLRs are killed, the manufacturer chose to kill them - take your future business elsewhere.

I for one am happy when our politicians steps in where the industry can’t figure out to make reasonable standards by themselves.

Had the industry agreed on standards by themselves, regulations wouldn’t have been necessary.

 

 

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Niels - NHSN

[ilkka_nissila]

10 hours ago, Mark Keefer said:

Sure glad I am not in the EU, but I hear California may pass a similar law. Ok, great for cell phones, but not great if I can't get batteries to charge a DSLR that cost of $3400 cause some politician can't think the problem through. Sigh, what am I talking about. The USB C required charger port on all electronic devices. Here is the Link.   

Why would you not be able to get batteries? This has nothing to do with battery availability but the cable connector interface between charger and chargeable radio device, which has to be USB-C in the future (until it is changed to something else, I predict).

 

By the way, I also do not think it's reasonable to have to connect a cable to the camera to charge the battery inside. This directive was clearly designed to counter mobile phones not being able to use the same chargers, as there are a lot of excess chargers piling up in people's homes. For a large and expensive camera, it's unreasonable to have to connect it to the charger instead of taking out the battery and placing it in a dedicated battery charger device. This is because the USB-C connector can be broken if the cable in yanked one beautiful day, and it's also easy think of a scenario where the camera and lens fall on the floor if charging on a table. It's simply much better to use a separate charger for the batteries. But because large cameras are such a marginal product the legislators in the EU didn't think of them properly. They assume that all these devices are much like smartphones. And people drop smartphones all the time anyway.

Edited November 3, 2023 by ilkka_nissila

[PapaTango]

I don't understand the problem here.  Portable tech is moving to the USB C shell standard.  Remember the ubiquitous and boxy USB B Mini that was on many phones and devices once?  Or a mini phono plug for the wall wart?  It's time to standardize and get rid of random proprietary solutions and outdated components.  The fact that Apple is dropping their noxious charging plug tells the tale.

Nothing about these changes affects things one already has.

Nothing prevents anyone from dropping a $10USD bill and getting something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Jadebones-Lightning-Converter-Lighting-Connector/dp/B0C96LGNYB/ref=sr_1_19?crid=1M146UX3A13AQ&keywords=usb+mini+to+usb+c&qid=1699020269&sprefix=usb+mini+to+usb+c%2Caps%2C89&sr=8-19

I have been using USB to Micro converters for years, as all of my USB cables now terminate in the C format.  The only thing one needs aware of is that some cheap "turbo' warts can cook older devices.  Being too cheap is not a good thing in power supplies.

Nothing about this matter is any cause for alarm or real concern.  Time marches on, and there are always methods to keep old tech running.  🤔

Edited November 3, 2023 by PapaTango

[Mark Keefer]

Perhaps I misinterpreted that manufacturers could sell existing inventory but after 2024 no new inventory would be allowed to be sold. And existing cameras would not be grandfathered in. So the batteries for those cameras would also not be grandfathered since they are not USB C compliant. 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Mark Keefer

[Mark Keefer]

And won't the Tesla owners be bummed when they have to charge there cars with a USB C charger. It's a joke folks. Throw tomatoes if you want. 🍅 sigh....I feel old, like the time I was at the burger stand and the cashier called "number 8 6 7" and a I yelled "5 3 2 9" and no one laughed. I left and ate my cheeseburger in my car.

[inoneeye]

".I feel old, like the time I was at the burger stand and the cashier called  "number 8 6 7" and a I yelled "5 3 2 9"  you should've tried yelling  5 3 0 9! 😊 the memory is the first to go...

[BeBu Lamar]

That is a BS law. I don't even think the USB-C connector is a good one for charging purpose. Also that requires all the charging controls as well as a buck/boost converter to be built in to the device rather than the charger. You don't want those weight and bulk on the device when you're doing the charging. 

[Mark Keefer]

3 hours ago, inoneeye said:

".I feel old, like the time I was at the burger stand and the cashier called  "number 8 6 7" and a I yelled "5 3 2 9"  you should've tried yelling  5 3 0 9! 😊 the memory is the first to go...

🥴 That's just perfect. So that is why some guy named Bob kept answering. 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Mark Keefer

[PapaTango]

 

Used to be numbers on the wall could lead to interesting developments.  A gesture left behind, an action to be taken...  😻

[Mark Keefer]

Another Link 

[Nick D.]

This world is run by greedy idiots, pretending to be politicians, look where we are now. I graduated from university in 1982, we had Cold War, sometimes getting close to nuclear war, famine in Sub Sahara region and permanent conflict in Middle East. It's 2023, I am retired this year and we have all the same problems, just on bigger scale.

As for USB-C they are targeting Apple, but to  avoid retaliation from US, they make it look like they talk about all batteries.

What they will do with Electric cars, tools or portable Dyson vacuum cleaners?

[glen_h]

On 11/3/2023 at 11:41 AM, BeBu Lamar said:

That is a BS law. I don't even think the USB-C connector is a good one for charging purpose. Also that requires all the charging controls as well as a buck/boost converter to be built in to the device rather than the charger. You don't want those weight and bulk on the device when you're doing the charging. 

USB-C negotiates the voltage and current between the charger and device.

That should be enough to avoid a converter in many cases, that wouldn't otherwise need one.