Is there any point in getting the Pro Battery Module?

[mikeflight]

I heard that Red volts only last about 20-30 minutes at most and so I'm wondering if there's a point in getting the pro battery module? Doesn't this just hold 4 Red volts? Is there any other function of the battery module?

If it just holds 4 batteries, then at best you'd have to put 4 batteries in just to run the camera for about 2 hours, and then have at least another 4 REDvolts charging...seems like a lot of work to be switching all those batteries in and out.

And for $2k extra for the battery module, plus at least another $1k on getting all of those REDvolts and chargers, it seems like $3k of pointlessly spent money.

To me, it seems like a Red battery plate mounted on rails with an Element Technica Mount +Speedy Clamp ($200) and a 2B to 1B cable will be a better and cheaper solution for those of us who already have RED Bricks from our RED One.

I know the pro battery module isn't available yet, but even once it is, I can't say I see the point in buying it.

Thoughts???

 

[M.D. Hilton]

According to the Epic user manual the Redvolt XL will last 90 minutes each - which would give you 3 hours with the quad module. Get 4 XL's and get them in a rotation and you'll have infinite power. Actually, 3 might work depending on charge time on the XLs.

 

[Curran Giddens]

The REDVolt XL batteries are double wide so they take up two slots each.

 

[Jeff Garton]

The point would be to go all REDVolt. Thus you could go very lightweight with a single battery in the handgrip, or multiple REDVolts in the Battery Module. If you are going to be shooting all day with just the handgrip, you could easily go thru a bunch in a day (I have 18). With a Battery Module those same batts could run the camera in a more studio configuration. This potentially saves lugging around another set of bricks which could easily double the weight of batts in the kit. I can see many instances where the inconvenience of multiple batts with the Battery Module would be greatly trumped by the weight savings. Plus, I dont think you HAVE to swap out a batteries in the module every 25 min. You could swap all four when the last one is almost drained. Not that different than swapping a bigger one. I'm sure if you test them out the run-time/pound of REDvolts is not terrible compared to that of larger batteries.

 

[Craig Parkes]

The batteries are hot swappable and run down one at a time, so you won't need four on charge, you will cycle through them and swap one at a time. If you had four in camera and four rotating on charge depemding on charge time you could run continuosly for very extended periods.

 

[Julio Quintana]

As already stated, I think there is a real convenience to going all Redvolt, especially once the Quad Redvolt charger starts shipping. The only real downside to the Pro battery module is that there is no P-tap for powering accessories. This is a serious limitation for professional setups that require wireless follow focus motors, hd-sdi monitors, etc. Jarred mentioned that they have a solution coming for that, but we haven't seen it yet.

 

[Jeff Garton]

Yeah Julio, its a problem running power with just a single batt in the handle too. Maybe someone could make a REDVolt to AB/IDX adapter and we could run a second small battery off the back to power accessories thru the D-tap on a plate.

 

[Julio Quintana]

I would love a Redvolt rear plate that just holds one redvolt and has power outputs. It would look like the back of midsize digital cameras, such as the HVX200 or EX3. Then we would have lightweight with hot swapping ability.

 

[Johnny Friday]

the hassles of shipping or traveling with your larger V-lock batts will get tighter and tighter...I've now been scolded a few times with my carry on...

the beauty of the redvolts is that there is NO LIMIT to how many you can travel with......this is likely why red and others have gone this route as well.

 

[Häakon]

I'm honestly baffled why anyone would choose to shoot without the battery module, unless they have a crapton of bricks lying around or something. I guess different strokes for different folks - we're lucky RED gives us options!

 

[Imran Farouk]

You could end up with a super long last camera though if you slapped on the pro battery with XL Volts and then on the very end of that put the V-Lock heh...throw all your eggs into the basket....
though with each XL Volt being around 90W or something crazy, 4 of those your pretty set and its hot swap...

 

[Mike Van Laanen]

Does the Pro Battery Module come with the Backpack Quickplate?

 

[Sergio Perez]

This is one f the key areas I'm sure Red will develop in time. The current running time of redvolts is the only small handicap to the current implementation of Red's DSMC. I hope they find a solution in the near future that keeps the small dimension of the DSMC and give each battery at least one hour running time. Its not a deal breaker, but it means a heck of a lot of redvolts for low profile shooting!

 

[Jon Thomasberg]

From my best understanding, the quad module will accept: EITHER,
-- 2 REDVOLT XLs (90wh), which are double wide and thus take 2 slots each [offering approximately 120 min. runtime before drain & shutdown/hotswap]; OR,
-- 4 standard REDVOLTs (37wh), [offering approx 100 mins of runtime before drain & shutdown/hotswap]

So, that said, you will not be able to pop-in 4 XL batteries. Also, the side handle will only fit a standard REDVOLT, not a REDVOLT XL due to the size.

**Keep in mind that these runtimes are just my approximations and not official from Red. I calculated them given the current wattage consumption of Epic & Scarlet. Also, it has been stated that improved power management would be likely in future firmware builds.

Hope that helps to clear up any confusion.

Guys @ RED, if I am wrong, please set me straight on it.

 

[nigelsmith]

I'm honestly baffled why anyone would choose to shoot without the battery module, unless they have a crapton of bricks lying around or something. I guess different strokes for different folks - we're lucky RED gives us options!

I've seen it reported several places on here that one Redvolt typically lasts approx 30 mins, and that it takes 2 hours to charge one in the travel adapter.
So you would use up 4 in the time it takes to charge 1.
That's makes them pretty unattractive.
So using red bricks [or other v-lock batteries] on sticks makes sense.

A Red volt in the hand-grip might be fine for an occasional handheld shot.
But from what I've heard on Reduser, holding the camera like a DSLR isn't practical for long periods because of the weight.
So I would use red bricks on a belt clip, and let the red volt in the hand grip kick in while hotswapping bricks.
Anyway, that's the plan, if I can find a cheap top rod mount solution for the bricks!

 

[Cüneyt Kaya]

i have 8 volts and 4 charger....i did one day only with them...because i needed the super small factor.
but usually i use the bricks....now i have ordered the elctra+vmount plate which will be awesome for cinestyle set ups.
think of it as the plus module for epic.