You can recharge your camera battery using the video camera and a power adapter. Or you can purchase a separate battery charger, which is recommended.

To charge a battery using the camera, insert the battery into the camera as you normally would for shooting video. Then plug the end of one cord from the power adaptor into the camera.

On the Sony TRV900, PD150 and PD170, the power adapter cord plugs into the DC IN connector on the bottom rear of the camera (you'll have to unhook the rubber flap to expose the connector).

Plug the end of the other cord from the adaptor into a regular AC outlet. Leave the camera's power switch in the OFF position. The battery will charge.

On most cameras there's a tiny display window where you can check the progress of the charging, both in minutes of battery life now available and with a bar that shows how much the battery has recharged.

On the Sony TRV900 the display window is on the left side toward the top of the camera.

On the Sony PD150 and PD170 the display window is on the left side toward the back of the camera.

Rather than using the camera to recharge your battery, you can buy a separate battery charger that plugs into an AC outlet.

We recommend getting a charger because it saves wear and tear on the camera and allows you to charge one battery while you're out shooting with a second battery.

Chargers often have a display window that tells you the remaining battery life in hours and minutes, which makes it easy to determine what's left in your battery.