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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Batteries

Josh Negrin

Josh Negrin

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So, I'm really excited about getting my Scarlet-X. I went to the announcement event, and have put a deposit on the $14k package. I love RED; shot a movie with the RED One when it first came out and subsequently built up my editing business on editing RED projects when doing so was a specialty.

I'm reading Tonaci's great posts, and it's exciting. I was a little concerned to find out that RED Volts only power the camera for 36 minutes (in standby mode, that's not factoring in record time). Initially I was thinking of just getting the two batteries that are part of the package and being ok with that (I'm on a budget :). Well, that's not really an option, just having the two red volts. So, here's what I'm thinking:

The sales tax, apparently can be avoided if you ship outside of CA, NV, or WA, so I can ship to my other business address in Texas and take the $1300 I had planned on for the sales tax and buy 4 more redvolts, another charger, and the ac adapter and still come out ahead. Also, I know that there will be a module, that holds 4 redvolts, coming soon for the epic and scarlet, so having more red volts future-proofs the power issue.

Is this the best way to go about power for the camera (on a budget and trying to keep the rig to being somewhat handheld and versatile)?
 
Looks like RED BRICKS are about half the price of redvolts per Watt-Hour, and maybe even cheaper when you consider you don't need to buy the side handle if you don't go the REDVOLT route. If you want an even cheaper option, 3rd party batteries go for as little as half the cost of RED BRICKs. Just make sure you buy the right power cables and battery plate.

Being as cheap as I am, in anticipation of my Scarlet, I just ordered basically the 3rd party equivalent of the RED BRICK power pack for a third the price, or about a sixth the the cost of what the REDVOLT solution would cost.
 
Noah Yuan-Vogel said:
Being as cheap as I am, in anticipation of my Scarlet, I just ordered basically the 3rd party equivalent of the RED BRICK power pack for a third the price, or about a sixth the the cost of what the REDVOLT solution would cost.
Click to expand...

What are those batteries you have ordered? A link? Reference to them?

Thanks!
 
Huge discussion on that View Factor plate over here: http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?65432-VF-Brook-s-APU-Battery-Plates

Skip to around page 18 and on to get to the part where people have them in their hands, and talk about them first hand. So far, ONLY positive words have been said.

In all the readin I've done, it seems like the View Factor plate + V Mount (or Antuan Bauer when that version of the View Factor is released) will be the cheapest, optimum way to power the camera. There are some cheaper solutions *IF* if you already have a 15mm or 19mm rail system. If not, View Factor is best.

That being said, for plate, batteries, and charger, you're looking at $1600, minimum, and that's only 2 batteries. Closer to $1800 or more if you go with more trusted brands of V-mounts (like IDX or Switronix). You get both the Side Handle and the 5.6" Touch LCD in the Scarlet package though, and you only need one of those to control the camera. You could sell off the Side Handle and the redvolts.

Counter point to that, though, I spoke with a DP recently that was able to try all three (Touch LCD, Side Handle, Red More) side by side, and he preferred the Side Handle for controlling the menus.


Sooooo all in all not the most helpful post on my part. But some food for thought.

Oh, also, in theory, you're supposed to pay sales tax to your own state for any online or out-of-state purchase.
 
Nick Pasquariello said:
Counter point to that, though, I spoke with a DP recently that was able to try all three (Touch LCD, Side Handle, Red More) side by side, and he preferred the Side Handle for controlling the menus.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's what I hear from a lot of users about the Side Handle. Also it seems like a good thing to have to avoid turning off the camera when switching your V-mount batteries on the back, although it's probably not a problem for the large majority of users.
 
perfect for up to 5!
tether them all and move in formation. shoot everything!
download SSD's and immediately upload to YouTube
repeat! :)

jokes aside, i've used APC backup similar to this with a R1 once
 
Alex Baev said:
perfect for up to 5!
tether them all and move in formation. shoot everything!
download SSD's and immediately upload to YouTube
repeat! :)

jokes aside, i've used APC backup similar to this with a R1 once
Click to expand...

Haha.

And since surely the scarlet will use up less power than a desktop computer, I'm guessing that "up to 80 minutes" could me a whole lot more?
 
very valid point. R1 is easily 2-3 times hungrier then the Epic, and therefore Scarlet, so yes
if you're strapped in the field, just bring this instead of a put-put generator
 
That UPS you linked would likely last about as long as one REDVOLT... UPS's are designed for high draw and short life. If you read further about that UPS it looks like the 70min number is for about a 25w power supply, whereas Scarlet pulls about 50w in standby so I'd expect about 35min... Not worth it. SLA batteries are very heavy and inefficient. Then hook it up to a high current low efficiency DC-AC inverter only to plug an AC-DC adapter and suddenly that 20lb UPS probably gives you about the same useful capacity as a 1lb li-ion battery :)

If you want something similar but more flexible try a SLA or NiMH battery belt with XLR power, at least you could get one of those for $200 that might power your Scarlet for 3hrs.

Something like this: http://www.adorama.com/BOLA148.html

Personally, I'd just spend the money on an extra camera battery that doesnt weigh 10lbs
 
Ok, after further research, here's what I've come up with as the system for me:

2 Redvolts and the travel charger (if the shot needs just a bare minimum, handheld configuration)

Viewfactor's battery plate: http://www.viewfactor.net/index.php/products/epic-acc/fmj-top-x-1.html

2 of these batteries (each one should power the camera for a couple hours): http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A2...S-R-Lithium-ion-Battery-160WH-for-Red-Camera/

and a charger for said batteries: http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A02JA2/Dynacore-DS-2S-2-channel-Charger-AC-Adaptor/

Is this system beatable (price-wise)?
 
Sounds reasonable. Do you even need the 30wh REDVOLTs or side handle? I wouldn't want to have to pay for and carry around two completely different expensive battery systems. It would certainly be cheaper to ditch the redvolts and handle and instead just get an extra v-mount battery or two that saves you a thousand $ and extends your battery life far more.
 
side handle with the redvolt inside will give you arguably more convenient menu access and most important hot swapping of IDXs, but if that is not big deal for you
sure, I guess you can live without it
 
Wondering about this too-- battery research is not my forte. I'm not familiar with globalmediapro, I take it they're reliable?

Josh Negrin said:
Ok, after further research, here's what I've come up with as the system for me:

2 Redvolts and the travel charger (if the shot needs just a bare minimum, handheld configuration)

Viewfactor's battery plate: http://www.viewfactor.net/index.php/products/epic-acc/fmj-top-x-1.html

2 of these batteries (each one should power the camera for a couple hours): http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A2...S-R-Lithium-ion-Battery-160WH-for-Red-Camera/

and a charger for said batteries: http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A02JA2/Dynacore-DS-2S-2-channel-Charger-AC-Adaptor/

Is this system beatable (price-wise)?
Click to expand...
 
Noah Yuan-Vogel said:
Sounds reasonable. Do you even need the 30wh REDVOLTs or side handle? I wouldn't want to have to pay for and carry around two completely different expensive battery systems. It would certainly be cheaper to ditch the redvolts and handle and instead just get an extra v-mount battery or two that saves you a thousand $ and extends your battery life far more.
Click to expand...

If you're getting the Side Handle ANYWAY for control reasons, then the RedVolts provide some spiffy configurations for very minimal cost. For example, I fully plan to get my Scarlet onto my Pico Dolly (http://cheesycam.com/new-pico-flex-table-dolly/). I've put a Sony EX3 onto it before, so it should be perfectly doable. Keeping the V-Mounts off for weight/balance issues will help, and such a configuration would only be used for a few quick shots. You can make a similar argument for Hand Held, in various forms.

Basically, V-Mounts + Red Volts = MASSIVE amounts of situation-based customization options. 100% necessary? Of course not. But super helpful if you can swing it.
 
OK so next question-- Josh, I think your setup looks very good, I'm just wondering now... price-wise, your V-mount setup is ~1600, give or take?

Would we be better off getting a 4-pack of the Red Volts and the 2-pack travel charger? That costs ~1300 and, if you are getting the AL package, you end up with 8* red-volts and 2 chargers, presumably that would be enough to get you through the day if you're mindful of charging after use.

Disadvantages: No hot-swapping in the field, charging might not always be easy to take care of.. but then, 8 batteries at ~30 min apiece, that's 4 hours

Advantages: Cheaper, and lighter for handheld/shoulder/etc usage.
 
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battery life with external monitor

battery life with external monitor

I plan on using my scarlet with a DP6 monitor running off canon batteries (which I already have). Any guess how this would prolong battery life vs the 5"touch?
 
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