The EagleEye folks have teamed up with Zenon, a studio flash specialty company also located in the U.K., to offer a small and powerful NiMH battery pack to digicam users. What makes this battery pack different from the others is that it is actually two 6V packs in one. There are two 2.5mm jacks located on the top of the unit, each is connected to five high-capacity 1800MAh 1.2V cells made by GP.

The Dual-Force Pro is a highly portable battery pack with roughly the same physical dimensions as a pack of cigarettes (3.5" x 2.25" x 1.25") and weighing just 10.5 ounces.

Other NiMH battery packs output 4.8V (four 1.2V cells) which is the same as using four AA type NiMH cells in the camera. The problem is that most digicams were designed to be run with four 1.5V alkalines and their "low battery" cutoff kicks in when the power drops to a specific voltage level. There is usually considerable power left in your batteries but it can't be used because the voltage is too low. So a battery pack that outputs a true 6V will always deliver a longer run time per charge.

Utilizing the two 6v outputs on the Dual-Force Pro is the $14USD 12VDC power cord. It's terminated in a conventional cigarette lighter socket.

The $119USD Dual-Force Pro outfit includes the Dual-Force Pro battery pack, carrying case, one camera cord and the AC charger.

There are two camera cords available; Lead #1 works with Casio, Ricoh, Leica, Fuji, JVC and Minolta, Lead #2 works with Nikon, Olympus and Vivitar. A second camera lead costs $9USD and new ones will be produced if required by new camera models.

Another option for the Dual-Force Pro is the $22USD Power Gauge G4, a plug-in battery meter that consists of four red LEDs that illuminate to indicate the state of the charge in the pack.

You simply plug it in to one side or the other to "see" what the level of charge is.

Steve's Conclusion

This is one "healthy" battery pack to be sure!  I've tested quite a few of them and the Dual-Force Pro easily gives you two to three times the run power. I took a fully charged pack and plugged it into a Casio QV-2000UX with a Microdrive and ran it with the 2-inch color LCD on the whole time. I snapped a flash picture on the average of once a minute and it ran for two hours and fifteen minutes before the first side of the pack gave out. There was still the other side left to go which is exactly the same power capacity so that means it would have lasted for better than four hours.

The EagleEye folks did a similar test with a Casio QV-3000, you can read their report here.

The Dual-Force Pro lacks its own power gauge so the only way you can be sure of the power levels is by purchasing the optional Power Gauge G4. The method of charging involves leaving it connected to the AC power supply for an "appropriate" amount of time. The directions say that if both sides have been discharged then it should be charged for twelve hours or six hours if only one side has been discharged. The charger has no timer or automatic cutoff circuit and you are warned not to over charge the pack as it will shorten its life.

If you can put up with these small inconveniences then I am sure that you will be more than satisfied with the capability of this small but powerful battery pack. Unlike other battery packs that just go dead on you, when you run out of power with the Dual-Force Pro you simply unplug the camera cord and plug it into the other side and keep on going.