Ulanzi has announced a new Camera Cooling Fan for select Sony, Canon, and FUJIFILM mirrorless hybrids.
The Ulanzi Camera Cooling Fan is being touted as an affordable cooling solution for select mirrorless hybrids that are prone to or can overheat when being used in hot environments for sustained periods of time.
Camera cooling fans like this are nothing new and I previously reviewed the Tilta Cooling Kit for the Canon EOS R5 on the site more than a year ago. What I found with the Tilta offering was that the actual recovery times and subsequent recording times were better than using no cooling unit at all.
We have also seen FUJIFILM make its own cooling fan.
Cooling
The Ulanzi Camera Cooling Fan is claimed to have high cooling efficiency and an optimized cooling path. That is marketing speak for we put it in the only place it can actually go. In saying that, behind the LCD screen does tend to be the spot where most of the heat gets directed.
You can adjust the speed of the fan and you also get a small LED readout telling you what the temperature is. There are three fan speeds you can choose from:
- OFF
- LOW SPEED MODE
- HIGH SPEED MODE
Ulanzi claims that the fan noise is low, but I have no way of verifying that claim. From testing the Tilta solution I did find the fan to be quite noisy.
What cameras will it work with?
The Cooling Fan will work with the following cameras:
- Sony ZV-E1
- Sony ZV-E10L
- Sony a7 Mark IV
- Sony a7S III
- Sony a7C
- Sony FX30
- Sony A6700
- Canon R8
- Canon R7
- Canon R6 Mark II
- Canon R5
- Canon 90D
- FUJIFILM XS10
- FUJIFILM XT4
- FUJIFILM X-H2S
- FUJIFILM X-S20
How does it attach?
The Ulanzi Camera Cooling Fan For Sony / Canon / FUJIFILM attaches to the back of compatible cameras using four suction caps. I am not sure how secure this would be.
In-built Battery & USB-C Operation
The Ulanzi Camera Cooling Fan has a built-in battery and it can run for the below times:
Battery Life (LOW FAN MODE): 85 minutes
Battery Life (HIGH FAN MODE): 70 minutes
This isn’t a lot of operating time and for sustained use, you would need to hook it up to a USB-C power source.
You can’t blame companies for coming up with a solution for what is a real-world problem, regardless of how ridiculous this product first appears to be. The fact that a product like this even needs to be made in the first place points to a far greater issue.
Weather and dust-sealed mirrorless cameras are always going to be problematic when it comes to dispersing heat. If you are outdoors shooting for sustained periods of time in summer heat then certain cameras are going to overheat. Sure, you can blame the manufacturer or complain all you want, but that’s the unfortunate reality of using cameras that were not designed primarily and only for video capture.
Price & Availability
The Ulanzi Camera Cooling Fan For Sony / Canon / FUJIFILM is now available to pre-order for $19.95 USD, and it is expected to start shipping on August 30, 2023.
