When traveling, finding a power source to charge your digital camera’s batteries can be problematic.

The available outlets can be fewer than you’re used to and their plugs can be completely different as well.

The biggest issue is what voltage is commonly used in a particular country.

We’re used to 110-volts here in the USA, but many countries can go as high as 240-volts!

Also the latest travel restrictions from the D.O.T. on Lithium-ion batteries (remember all the flaming SONY laptop batteries?) make a good charging solution all the more imperative.

This could cause a meltdown if you simply bought a plug adapter and plugged your 110v charger into a 240v outlet.

Nikon makes their MH-19 Multi-Charger which can charge the EN-El3 batteries two at a time.

The good news is that it automatically switches to the local country voltage and doesn’t care what voltage it’s plugged into.

It comes with a “European-style” power cord (2-pins) and (at least as sold here in the USA) comes with a plug-adapter that fits our standard 2-blade plugs (the black plug above).

This also makes it easy to go to a place like Radio-Shack® and buy compatible plug adapters for the country your visiting (like the gray “Australia” plug shown above). This cord will work as-is in many foreign countries that use the 2-pin system, negating the use of a plug adapter.

It also comes with a 12-volt cigarette-lighter (or “accessory outlet”) cord for use in a vehicle.

This makes it easy to charge 2 EN-EL3e batteries (two batteries fit on the charger, then it charges them serially, one at a time) and be all ready for the next busy day, always having a fully charged battery. It charges pretty quickly too (approx 45-min).

If you’re pressed for time, it also shows when a battery is 80% charged, giving you plenty of power to crank off a few hundred exposures.

Very cool. So see if your particular camera manufacturer makes a similar charger and if it’s compatible with voltages worldwide.

It’s a big help and one less thing that could cause a delay in your picture taking.

For more info on the Nikon Multicharger click here.