- Moderator
- #1
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2007
- Messages
- 13,392
- Reaction score
- 794
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Website
- www.phfx.com
It's come to my attention that it might be useful to make a thread regarding Komodo's Power Options. The pandemic has had an impact on supply chains especially in certain states and countries. Also, I think it would be good to have this stickied for new owners.
What's the Battery Mount on Komodo?
Komodo uses Canon BP-9 series batteries and features two battery slots.
You can use 1 or 2 batteries at the same time or even hot swap as needed.
Which Canon BP-9 Series Work with Komodo?
I have tested a bunch of stuff and am using both official Canon batteries as well as 3rd party batteries.
The models you want are:
Canon BP-975
Canon BP-955
Canon also made BP-915 batteries which are very small and lower capacity. Some vendors even still have new in box units out there and there are 3rd party options too.
Canon BP-9 series has been around for years and you'll find BP-945, 950, 970 iterations along the way with the newest models being the current version with the newest battery tech.
What's the difference between Canon and 3rd Party batteries?
Canon BP-9 series are chipped and do transfer power information to the Komodo brain correctly. Which can be seen on the top LCD screen with the battery indicators.
3rd Party Batteries most often aren't chipped and be weary of the cheapest options as the cells are usually not-so-great.
The key thing you are looking for is that they are 7.4 volt.
Who makes 3rd Party BP-9 Series Batteries?
I've tested some of these, but not all, here's a list nonetheless:
- RED REDVOLT BP (just announced and haven't tested, but gotta assume they work!)
- Hedbox
- Swit
- Blueshape (RED Certified)
- Jupio (RED Certified)
- Fxlion
- Watson
- Kastar
- Wasabi
- Hawkwoods
*personally I'd go with Canon or anyboy who does make a chipped battery to get that battery info passed to camera.
What Runtimes can I expect with BP-Series Batteries on Komodo?
Komodo is very low power draw, one of the best features of the camera. This isn't official from RED, but based on my testing of official Canon BP-9 Series you can expect:
- BP-975 - 130 minutes w/ 1 battery, 260 with two
- BP-955 - 90 minutes w/ 1 battery, 180 with two
- BP-915 - 40 minutes w/ 1 battery, 80 with two
BP-Series are longer in length to provide more power. So 975 are the longest, and not too long on Komodo really. 915 if you can find them are slender. 955 seems to be the perfect size for small rigging and long runtimes.
Can I use V-Mount or G-Mount Batteries on Komodo?
Yes! Via adapter plate or even via a D-Tap to DC-IN cable.
Various 3rd parties make adapter plates. Some are RED approved, or not, or are soon to be. And I can say safely there are more battery plates to come from 3rd parties and likely RED themselves.
Here's stuff I've tested that works:
- Wooden Camera (mounts via BP, uses cable to go through DC-IN, adjustable height)
- CoreSWX (transmits battery info and mounts via BP)
- Tilta (mounts via BP, batteries are sideways)
Why would anybody want to use V-Mount or G-Mount with Komodo?
The two most appealing things to me are longer camera run times and the typically power distribution of D-Tap or other ports on the battery mounts themselves to power accessories like external monitors for focus motors.
Plus there are very small 98Wh batteries that look "about right" in form factor for Komodo and even some of the 150 batteries don't make it too large.
Just to give you an example of the power I'm getting from V-Mounts and/or G-Mounts:
- Anton Bauer Dionic XT 150Wh - Nearly 6.5 hours
- Global Dynamics United 98Wh - A bit over 4 hours
The largest bricks I've used are 290 and 360 Wh. I haven't done full runtime tests, but that gets you between 12 and 14.5 hours, but those look ridiculous on Komodo due to their size
And those who have Anton Bauer VCLX larger block style batteries, yep, full charge you can run Komodo for about 23 hours and 15 minutes.
Actual Power Consumption?
Komodo 6K generally averages around a 25 watt draw, occasionally dipping below, and can go as high as 37 watts if you have all the things enabled. Generally for day to day shooting I'm getting that 25 watt number.
What's the Battery Mount on Komodo?
Komodo uses Canon BP-9 series batteries and features two battery slots.
You can use 1 or 2 batteries at the same time or even hot swap as needed.
Which Canon BP-9 Series Work with Komodo?
I have tested a bunch of stuff and am using both official Canon batteries as well as 3rd party batteries.
The models you want are:
Canon BP-975
Canon BP-955
Canon also made BP-915 batteries which are very small and lower capacity. Some vendors even still have new in box units out there and there are 3rd party options too.
Canon BP-9 series has been around for years and you'll find BP-945, 950, 970 iterations along the way with the newest models being the current version with the newest battery tech.
What's the difference between Canon and 3rd Party batteries?
Canon BP-9 series are chipped and do transfer power information to the Komodo brain correctly. Which can be seen on the top LCD screen with the battery indicators.
3rd Party Batteries most often aren't chipped and be weary of the cheapest options as the cells are usually not-so-great.
The key thing you are looking for is that they are 7.4 volt.
Who makes 3rd Party BP-9 Series Batteries?
I've tested some of these, but not all, here's a list nonetheless:
- RED REDVOLT BP (just announced and haven't tested, but gotta assume they work!)
- Hedbox
- Swit
- Blueshape (RED Certified)
- Jupio (RED Certified)
- Fxlion
- Watson
- Kastar
- Wasabi
- Hawkwoods
*personally I'd go with Canon or anyboy who does make a chipped battery to get that battery info passed to camera.
What Runtimes can I expect with BP-Series Batteries on Komodo?
Komodo is very low power draw, one of the best features of the camera. This isn't official from RED, but based on my testing of official Canon BP-9 Series you can expect:
- BP-975 - 130 minutes w/ 1 battery, 260 with two
- BP-955 - 90 minutes w/ 1 battery, 180 with two
- BP-915 - 40 minutes w/ 1 battery, 80 with two
BP-Series are longer in length to provide more power. So 975 are the longest, and not too long on Komodo really. 915 if you can find them are slender. 955 seems to be the perfect size for small rigging and long runtimes.
Can I use V-Mount or G-Mount Batteries on Komodo?
Yes! Via adapter plate or even via a D-Tap to DC-IN cable.
Various 3rd parties make adapter plates. Some are RED approved, or not, or are soon to be. And I can say safely there are more battery plates to come from 3rd parties and likely RED themselves.
Here's stuff I've tested that works:
- Wooden Camera (mounts via BP, uses cable to go through DC-IN, adjustable height)
- CoreSWX (transmits battery info and mounts via BP)
- Tilta (mounts via BP, batteries are sideways)
Why would anybody want to use V-Mount or G-Mount with Komodo?
The two most appealing things to me are longer camera run times and the typically power distribution of D-Tap or other ports on the battery mounts themselves to power accessories like external monitors for focus motors.
Plus there are very small 98Wh batteries that look "about right" in form factor for Komodo and even some of the 150 batteries don't make it too large.
Just to give you an example of the power I'm getting from V-Mounts and/or G-Mounts:
- Anton Bauer Dionic XT 150Wh - Nearly 6.5 hours
- Global Dynamics United 98Wh - A bit over 4 hours
The largest bricks I've used are 290 and 360 Wh. I haven't done full runtime tests, but that gets you between 12 and 14.5 hours, but those look ridiculous on Komodo due to their size
And those who have Anton Bauer VCLX larger block style batteries, yep, full charge you can run Komodo for about 23 hours and 15 minutes.
Actual Power Consumption?
Komodo 6K generally averages around a 25 watt draw, occasionally dipping below, and can go as high as 37 watts if you have all the things enabled. Generally for day to day shooting I'm getting that 25 watt number.
Last edited:
