Quest for Better Batteries by Frank Williams - September, 2001

A UK company claims to have gone a long way to solving one of modern photography's major frustrations -- how to pack more power into ever smaller battery units. And judging from the positive global response Questuk.net is receiving to its online offerings, the company's products are really making a difference.

Such global interest is hardly surprising. The company's flagship product -- the QNB-5H Canon compatible rechargeable -- is half the price of the proprietary version. It offers greater capacity and a much longer life than the proprietary version. And it provides professional and amateur photographers alike major advantages in greater power and economy, whether they use 35 mm or digital.

Retailing at only £14.50 the Quest rechargeable is suitable for the Canon Powershot and Sureshot series of cameras, and according to company founder Michael Cockroft, has 500 to a thousand lifecycles compared to the standard 300.

"We think we've found a breakthrough solution to the camera battery dilemma," explains Cockroft, "because our product combines power with economy, using the latest Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) technology."

"Employing NiMH we are able to generate four times the capacity of standard alkaline batteries, and though we can't hope to match the capacities of lithium batteries, they are extremely expensive and beyond the range of most photographers for regular use, while ours are very affordable," Cockroft adds.

The bonus from using NiMH is that it's non-toxic and much friendlier to the environment than standard batteries.

In addition to the advanced technology of the battery itself, Quest is offering photographers a complete set of compatible extras. The Quest charger, for example, is competitively priced, lightweight and extremely portable. It can operate with equal efficiency from a mains source, a lighter socket in a car or boat, or a Field Power Pack. The latter, used with the charger, really gives the photographer new levels of mobility and endurance, making possible longer shooting sessions in the remotest areas.

Compared to similar models, the Quest charger is also efficient, charging batteries faster and more effectively. As well as a safety feature to counter overheating it incorporates an automatic discharge function. This prevents the memory effect -- when empty batteries still appear to hold some charge, and as a result won't re-charge fully. Contrary to the popular view NiMH batteries do have the memory effect, so the function is relevant and useful.

Keeping focus on the objective of improving photographers' freedom and shooting time, Quest has introduced a range of accessories designed to maximise battery life on the job. These include a bolt-on camera pack (adds battery capacity), a pocket pack and a belt pack, the last being smaller than a cigarette packet. All these are available online through the company website (QuestUk.net).

Having established Quest in 1990, Cockroft identified the rechargeable camera battery as full of potential. He put the technology and production line in place, established QuestUk.net in December 2000, and began selling over the Internet.

The results were stunning. Within a few months, and with little or no promotion, he had expressions of interest from some 47 countries around the world, and his major problem is to ramp up production fast enough to meet the demand. As well as professionals and amateur enthusiasts, the website has attracted a lot of attention from distributors and retailers.

In response Quest has set up special Associate and Distributor programmes to facilitate sales. The Associate programme enables re-seller partners to take delivery without needing to hold stock or involve themselves in order processing. The Distributor programme, on the other hand, allows distributors to source power units in their own countries. As the power unit is the heaviest part of the charger kit, this reduces shipping costs significantly.

"We really feel we have found an interesting niche here," says Michael Cockroft, "because mainstream companies have traditionally neglected the rechargeable segment for a variety of reasons -- and now we are offering some readily accessible and affordable solutions."

"The trend and the demand is for smaller cameras and smaller batteries -- but packing greater power -- and our sets of products meet these needs for both film and digital users," he adds.

Cockroft has good reason for optimism. The digital camera market worldwide is expected to grow 55% per annum up to the year 2000. In the USA digital camera sales by unit are predicted to soar from 6.7 million in 2000 to 42 million by 2005. Meanwhile, in Europe unit sales are expected to rise from 3.8 million to 19 million.

The USA and Europe at present constitute Quest's main markets, with the UK, France and Germany accounting for 70% of the European total of enquiries.

Priority at present is to gear up production, which itself involves an international supply chain, starting in South China and ending at the company's premises just outside Peterborough in the UK.

"We have to grow our production capacity, and fast, if we want to keep pace with this explosive market demand," concludes Cockroft.

back