Go Pro 8 charging while recording [ New ]

[keithf77]

I have a question. I read in another post that the GoPro 8 battery will not charge while recording. My question is that I am recording ball games. They are anywhere from 75 minutes to 2 hours possibly. If I plug in a portable charger, will the camera run off of the portable charger power first and then the GoPro battery as a backup or will the camera only record for the duration of the internal camera battery and shut off? I know that my GoPro 3+ would run off of the portable charger and record until it was dead or the card was full. Thanks in advance for the help/ 

[irishmanpdx]

When you plug external power into the GoPro Hero 8  it will run off it's internal battery, then it will shut down and charge.  If you want to record longer than the life of the battery, simply remove the internal battery, plug in an external power source and the camera will run as long as it has power.  This will also help keep the camera cool as there is more room for airflow inside the camera.

I often do 12 hour night lapses by removing my GoPro 8 internal battery and hooking the camera up to either a power bank or a USB plug charger (depending on location).

[georgediver]

I'll have to try this with my Hero 7 Black...unless someone else already has?  Very irritating when recording in below 0C conditions when the battery dies very quickly...missed lots of good videos.

[keithf77]

I will tell you that the camera DOES NOT use the internal battery first. I have since bought some really good external power banks that have a 5V 2A output and I have recorded multiple games using the same internal battery without there being any batter percentage used. 

[knibbzy]

I just tried recording while plugged into a powerbank, when the Go Pro is not recording it chargers and the battery has the charge symbol but when you record with the powerbank plugged in the Go Pro, the charging symbol goes away meaning it is not charging, but then does that mean its using power from the powerbank instead of the battery.

[irishmanpdx]

No, as previously stated it means its using the cameras internal battery 1st. Once the battery has depleted your camera will power off and then begin charging from the power bank.

[keithf77]

What I can tell you, from my personal experiance, is that the internal battery with no external power source connected, last somewhere in the area of about 50-60 minutes based on the recording mode.(I film in 2.7K @ 60FPS). I film my daughters softball games that are at least 80 min and some have lasted 2+ hours in extra innings. I use a new Power bank I bought on Amazon(link below) What I can tell you that my camera does when recording is it seems to use the powerbank and not the internal battery. I say this because after the games when I unplug the external battery the internal battery still is at 100%. I cannot say that is how everyone's will work but it is how mine works. I did alot of research and found that the GoPro seems to malfunction if it does not get a 5 Volt 2 Amp input when using an external powerback. The Powerbanks I bought do have that output and have worked like a dream for my recording purposes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GVV6H24/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[georgediver]

Thanks for the input.  My power pack is also 5V/2A, but I'm using a Hero 7 Black.  When I'm plugged into the power pack with the battery installed, it simply didn't record, even if I pressed the shutter button.  The screen goes blank, then it reverts to standby mode.  It was only when I disonnected the wire that it would record.  Once the battery died (outside, at about -3C), I plugged in the power pack again.  It started charging, but when I tried to record, it powered down.  I then had to remove the battery in order to reset the camera since it would no longer boot up; then it gave me a "repair unsuccessful" (or similar) message which I still don't understand.  Next time I'll remove the battery and see if it will run straight off of the power pack.  If not, then it's use is very limited in cold weather situations (winter cycling below zero).