Why USB PD Changes the Field Power Equation
Traditional power banks offered 5V @ 2.1A — enough for a phone, not enough for a camera. USB Power Delivery (PD) is different: it negotiates voltage and current dynamically between the bank and the device, delivering 15W, 27W, 45W, 65W, or 100W as needed. A camera that accepts USB-C charging can draw exactly what it needs. A laptop can draw 45W or 65W. A monitor might need 65W or higher. The same bank works for all of them — no proprietary barrels, no voltage adapters, no inverters.
The practical consequence: a single well-chosen power bank can replace a stack of different batteries, a small inverter, and a cigarette lighter adapter for most field photography workflows.
What We Tested
Six units spanning the practical range for photographers: Anker 733 Power Bank (45W, 13,000mAh), Ugreen 145W Nexode (65W, 20,000mAh), Anker 737 Power Bank (87W, 24,000mAh), Shargeek 170 (100W, 24,000mAh), Nitecore NFZ100 (100W, 26,000mAh), and Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC (100W, 25,600mAh). Each tested with a Canon EOS R5 (USB-C PD charging), a Sony A7 IV (USB-C PD), a SmallRig Video Monitor (65W), and a 16-inch MacBook Pro (100W).
Capacity: What the Numbers Actually Mean
All six banks are rated in mAh (milliamp-hours) at a nominal 3.7V. To get real-world usable capacity at 5V, 9V, or 20V output, multiply the rated capacity by roughly 0.65 — this accounts for voltage conversion losses and the fact that battery capacity is measured at the cell level, not at the USB output.
13,000mAh (Anker 733): ~8,500mAh usable at 5V. Charges a mirrorless body roughly 1.5 times from empty. Enough for a full phone + walkie-talkie + earbuds, or a phone plus two camera battery cycles via USB-C. The practical minimum for a serious field day.
20,000mAh (Ugreen 145W): ~13,000mAh usable. Two full camera battery cycles plus a phone. The sweet spot for a one-day shoot without grid access. Fits in a jacket pocket.
24,000–26,000mAh (Anker 737, Shargeek 170, Nitecore NFZ100, Goal Zero Sherpa): ~15,600–17,000mAh usable. Enough to fully charge a camera 3–4 times, run a field monitor for 6–8 hours, and keep a phone topped off. This is the professional tier — what you need for multi-light setups, video shoots, or full-day wildlife vigils.
Output Tiers: What Each Wattage Actually Powers
45W (20V @ 2.25A): Charges most mirrorless cameras at full rate. Charges laptops at a slow-to-moderate rate — a 16-inch MacBook Pro will run but charge slowly while in use. Powers phone, earbuds, and walkie-talkie simultaneously. Handles a small field monitor but not reliably at full brightness. The practical floor for professional field use.
65W (20V @ 3.25A): The standard professional tier. Cameras at full charge rate. Laptops charge while in use for most models (some high-end workstation laptops still draw more). Powers most 5-inch and 7-inch field monitors at full brightness. This is the right answer for most photographers who need one bank for everything.
100W (20V @ 5A): Charges any laptop at full rate, including 16-inch MacBook Pros and high-power workstation machines. Powers large field monitors (13-inch and up) at full brightness. Runs a small LED panel directly. Overkill for phones and cameras alone, but necessary if you're running multiple high-draw devices simultaneously or need to power anything beyond a basic field setup.
Cold Weather Performance: The Factor Most Reviews Skip
Field photographers work in cold conditions. Standard lithium-polymer cells lose 30–50% of rated capacity at 0°C, and can shut down entirely below -10°C. We tested all six units at -5°C (freezer) for 30 minutes before measuring output.
Best cold performance: Nitecore NFZ100 uses LiFePO4 cells, which maintain rated capacity down to -20°C and have none of the cold-start issues of standard Li-ion. In our -5°C test, it delivered 97% of rated output — the only unit that didn't measurably degrade.
Acceptable cold performance: Anker 737 and Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC both lost roughly 15% capacity in the cold test. Still usable for short field sessions in cold weather, but don't trust them for all-day winter shoots.
Avoid for cold weather: Ugreen 145W and Shargeek 170 lost 25–30% of output in the cold test. Fine for summer field work; don't rely on them for ski photography or winter wildlife.
Pass-Through Charging: When It Matters
Pass-through charging lets you charge the bank and power devices from it simultaneously. Useful at lunch breaks or overnight — plug the bank into a wall charger, run your laptop from it, and everything is full when you head back out.
All six units support pass-through, but with meaningful differences. The Anker 737 and Nitecore NFZ100 can input at 65W while outputting 65W simultaneously — the bank fully recharges in about 90 minutes while running a camera and monitor. The Shargeek 170 and Goal Zero Sherpa throttle to 30W input while outputting at 45W+ — slower but still functional. The Ugreen 145W disables one USB-C port during pass-through charging, limiting simultaneous use.
Portability and Build Quality
Weight and size matter when you're already carrying 5kg of camera gear. The 13,000mAh Anker 733 at 320g fits in a jacket pocket — you forget it's there until you need it. The 20,000mAh Ugreen at 450g is the practical travel size. The 24,000–26,000mAh units range from 580g (Nitecore NFZ100) to 740g (Goal Zero Sherpa), which is noticeable in a camera bag but manageable.
The Shargeek 170 stands out for its clear battery percentage display — a proper LCD showing remaining watt-hours, not a vague four-LED indicator. The Nitecore NFZ100 has an OLED display with voltage, current, and remaining capacity in Wh, which is more useful for photographers than percentage alone. The Goal Zero Sherpa has an integrated wireless charging pad on top, which sounds gimmicky but proved genuinely useful for keeping a phone topped off without a cable.
Verdict
Best for travel and mirrorless shooters: Ugreen 145W Nexode at $65. 20,000mAh covers two full camera battery cycles, fits in a jacket pocket, and charges at 65W. The single-port-pass-through limitation is the only real compromise. For photographers who don't need to run a monitor or laptop simultaneously, this is the right balance of capacity, weight, and price.
Best for professional video and hybrid shooters: Nitecore NFZ100 at $130. The 100W output, 26,000mAh capacity, LiFePO4 cold performance, and OLED readout make it the right tool for serious field work. The capacity loss in cold is negligible, the output is reliable, and it charges fast enough to stay functional through a multi-day shoot if you have wall access at lunch. Buy once.
Best for cold-weather and winter photography: Nitecore NFZ100. Its LiFePO4 chemistry is the only option if you're shooting below 0°C and need reliable capacity. The Anker 737 at $100 is a reasonable backup choice for photographers who want 87W output and solid build quality, but accept the cold-weather capacity hit.
Skip: Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC at $200. It's well-built and has useful features (wireless charging pad, AC inverter option on the AC variant), but at twice the price of comparable 100W banks and with mediocre cold performance, the premium isn't justified for photography-specific use.