Even for gear heads, batteries and battery chargers are probably the least exciting accessory in anyone's camera bag. They're functional, they're essential, but they're boring.
When I laid eyes on this dual charger set from Llano, however, my interest was instantly piqued. For starters it kinda looks and feels like a camera, with its sleek lines, shutter-like button and and lens-like LCD screen.
The design is a huge part of the appeal of the Llano Fast Dual Charger. After all, why should all battery chargers be ugly hunks of awkward, angular plastic with graceless wires hanging out of them?
So much effort is put into camera design, yet the minute you come to plug in the battery charger it all goes out the window… and that's if you're lucky enough to buy a camera that actually comes with a charger these days.
Even if you are fortunate enough to get a charger in the box, it's only going to charge a single battery at a time (unless you drop big bucks on a flagship body or a Hasselblad). But most of us have two batteries, which means you need to wait until one is charged before you can top up the other.
Again, score one (well, two!) for the Llano.
The first time I ever got excited over a battery charger was the brilliant Hahnel ProCube 2, because it enabled me to charge a pair of cells simultaneously (and quickly). However, the Llano takes things to another level – and I think it's just replaced the ProCube as my charger of choice.
The magnetic lid of the Llano opens like a treasure chest to reveal a pair of charging slots. I've been testing the LP-E6NH model (which powers Canon batteries for cameras like the EOS R5, EOS R5 Mark II, 5D Mark IV and 90D), but the Dual Charger is also available for the LP-E17 (EOS R10, Rebel T8i, 77D et al) and NP-FZ100 (Sony A7 III, A7R V, A6600 and co).
Unlike the ProCube, which needs to be connected to a power outlet (via a separate, bulky plug adapter), you can put a battery into the Llano and tap the button on the front to show the amount of charge remaining.
Then you can plug it into a USB-C outlet and start charging up your batteries – either the twin Llano cells that come with the Llano Fast Dual Charger Set, or any first- or third-party batteries you might own. I tested it on a variety of Canon and aftermarket LP-E6 and LP-E6NH batteries, with full charges taking under three hours.
Not only does it draw power from a USB-C connection, meaning you don't have to pack an extra power block whenever you move around, but it's an 18W charger that supports Power Delivery 3.0 for superfast charging.
And maybe my favourite thing of all? It has a storage slot for an SD card – so you can keep the Llano in your camera bag as a carry case, to store and charge your spare batteries, and always have a spare card with you in case of emergencies.
It really is the coolest camera accessory I've used in years – and it's become my go-to for charging all my Canon batteries.
You might be interested in the best camera batteries and the best universal camera battery chargers to power them up.
