Scarlet's Power Usage

[Justin Talley]

I would tend to think that it would be a problem with the plate/cable that the actual damage came from, not so much the batteries. Could be wrong.

 

[Luc Bouvrette]

Please refer to section 6. WARRANTY here http://www.red.com/terms-conditions for pertinent information.

NICK

Nick, thanks for posting this on Christmas Day. You rock. Hope you get some time off during the Holidays, and sending out Best Wishes to all that are working today. Cheers!

Mike I undestand the policy, makes sense. Isn't Canon's similar? I never took the time to read their warranty before, but the manufacturers protecting itself from third party products is perfectly logical.*

I've checked out Bebobs and other batts, and I admit I'd probably rather spend a bit more and have a 140Wh Red brick than less powered batts (seen 93Wh here and there) for roughly the same price bracket (approximate assumption based on Christmas wine and chocolate cake, in other words, too lazy to do the precise math).

Considering the 30W Redvolt lasts about 30' (36' according to Tonaci in a Scarlet iirc), wouldn't the Red Brick last a bit more than two hours on a charge? Definitely worth the expense.



* Edit : got my answer on Canon policy and third party batts : http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=35602148

 

[Marq Lee]

Hey Brian,

Wasn't aware with the warranty issue you mentioned...thanks for addressing it. The 3rd party plate comment seems accurate. In regards to the VF plate, didn't Brook mention it's RED approved, with Jerrard confirming.

I've posted this before regarding the Red Bricks...
I spoke with Kathy at IDX when researching V plates (unless it has been remedied) , & she mentioned some Red Bricks are having issues holding charge. You can confirm this with IDX. I was informed that the 1 year Red Brick Warranty was no help.

To support your comment about High Load options...this model have been work horses for us.
http://www.idxtek.com/products/e-hl9s

Plus we've been happy with IDX's customer & warranty service. (They're located in Torrance)

Marq

 

[Brian Iannone]

I've checked out Bebobs and other batts, and I admit I'd probably rather spend a bit more and have a 140Wh Red brick than less powered batts (seen 93Wh here and there) for roughly the same price bracket (approximate assumption based on Christmas wine and chocolate cake, in other words, too lazy to do the precise math).

I think I may just go with the RED BRICKs. If you had to decide between a 140 Wh Bebob and a 140 Wh RED BRICK, which would you choose?

Considering the 30W Redvolt lasts about 30' (36' according to Tonaci in a Scarlet iirc), wouldn't the Red Brick last a bit more than two hours on a charge?

A RED BRICK (or any other 140 Wh battery) would last for 2 hours, 20 minutes (theoretical; based on continues 60 Wh usage for just the brain). With accessories attached, I'd say it should last for at least 1 hour, 30 minutes.


RED's warranty policy is completely understandable. What I'm wondering is just, has anyone had issues with third-party batteries causing damage to their cameras?

 

[Luc Bouvrette]

If you had to decide between a 140 Wh Bebob and a 140 Wh RED BRICK, which would you choose?

Red of course.

 

[Brian Iannone]

Hey Brian,

Wasn't aware with the warranty issue you mentioned...thanks for addressing it. The 3rd party plate comment seems accurate. In regards to the VF plate, didn't Brook mention it's RED approved, with Jerrard confirming.

I've posted this before regarding the Red Bricks...
I spoke with Kathy at IDX when researching V plates (unless it has been remedied) , & she mentioned some Red Bricks are having issues holding charge. You can confirm this with IDX. I was informed that the 1 year Red Brick Warranty was no help.

To support your comment about High Load options...this model have been work horses for us.
http://www.idxtek.com/products/e-hl9s

Plus we've been happy with IDX's customer & warranty service. (They're located in Torrance)

Marq

Okay, so just to confirm, there are actually high-load and low-load batteries? Would you happen to know how to identify if a battery is either high- or low-load?


Also, another general question for everyone regarding Brook's APU-IDX Battery Plate. I see that it has a P-Tap connector on it. Is there anyway to power accessories that have a D-Tap (not P-Tap) connector on them?

 

[Brian Iannone]

Red of course.

Okay, I see.

 

[Mike Halper]

Also, another general question for everyone regarding Brook's APU-IDX Battery Plate. I see that it has a P-Tap connector on it. Is there anyway to power accessories that have a D-Tap (not P-Tap) connector on them?

P-tap and D-tap are the same. "P-tap" is apparently an Anton Bauer trademark so everyone else uses or is supposed to use "D-tap". At least, that's what I read somewhere else on here.

 

[Brian Iannone]

P-tap and D-tap are the same. "P-tap" is apparently an Anton Bauer trademark so everyone else uses or is supposed to use "D-tap". At least, that's what I read somewhere else on here.

Ah, okay. So P-Tap and D-Tap are physically identical?

 

[Justin Talley]

P-Tap and D-Tap ports for the most part look and function the same way.

I think what many of us here are looking into are these; http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A2...S-R-Lithium-ion-Battery-160WH-for-Red-Camera/

These cells are used in many a battery out there that you have to pay more money for. I've read numerous reviews for quite some time that are very favorable to these batteries, and if you buy four of them and a two position charger (http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A00UX3/Globalmediapro-SCA2S-2-channel-Charger-AC-Adaptor/) you're looking at a total of $1394 with shipping, which is a pretty slick deal. ($2350 for the same setup in Red Brick form)

I think with a nicely made plate (either the VF or IDX solution through www.woodencamera.com) you're going to be pretty safe. Not warranty protected, which is the safest place you can be, but pretty safe none the less.

If someone has an informed position that puts mine to shame, I very much welcome it. I'm trying to price out my package right now and this is where I've currently placed my thoughts, but I'd love to hear why I shouldn't.

Cheers.

 

[Brian Iannone]

P-Tap and D-Tap ports for the most part look and function the same way.

Okay, I see. I was becoming a little confused after seeing two different terms used on multiple accessories.

I think what many of us here are looking into are these; http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A2B...or-Red-Camera/

These cells are used in many a battery out there that you have to pay more money for. I've read numerous reviews for quite some time that are very favorable to these batteries, and if you buy four of them and a two position charger (http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A00...er-AC-Adaptor/) you're looking at a total of $1394 with shipping, which is a pretty slick deal. ($2350 for the same setup in Red Brick form)

To be honest, I'm a little concerned about the entire not-covered-by-warranty-if-third-party-battery-damages-camera deal, so I think I'll probably just go with RED BRICKs. As ridiculous as this may sound, I really liked the appearance of Bebob's Akkus batteries, which is why I wanted to use those. But, if going with a third-party brand may possibly somehow become problematic in the future, I'll just start off now in the beginning with RED BRICKs.

Also, I plan on using the VF battery plate. In the email I received from RED today, they said that if a third-party battery were to cause damage to the camera, then it void the camera's warranty on the repair. Does anyone know if this is also true for battery plates? Meaning, can a better plate possibly damage a camera?

 

[Mike Halper]

The warranty policy doesn't say just 3rd party batteries, it says 3rd party accessories, so that would also include battery plates. However, what if the 3rd party accessory is approved by Red?

 

[Brian Iannone]

The warranty policy doesn't say just 3rd party batteries, it says 3rd party accessories, so that would also include battery plates. However, what if the 3rd party accessory is approved by Red?

Are there any third-party battery plates approved by RED? I believe someone in a previous post stated that Brook's VF Battery Plate is RED-approved, but is that true?

 

[Jerry Harned]

I'm looking for information here, not arguing with anyone. So, I bought the official 4 prong XLR power cable accessory from RED. Not being an electrical genious, the power that goes into the 4 prong XLR will be electrical current from a third party source, since RED does not make a battery with a 4 prong XLR, correct? Given all the forgoing discussion, what is my problem as long as the third party power source matches the published camera specs? Couldn't it be a Sears Die Hard battery, for example, if I wanted to do an all night time lapse in the desert? Or perhaps an array of lantern batteries (though I'd probably not do this) arranged in a combination of parallel and series to achieve the proper voltave and current? Maybe a cigarette lighter in a car to accommodate a road trip setup? Please help me avoid a disaster if I am thinging incorrectly.

 

[Brian Iannone]

I'm looking for information here, not arguing with anyone. So, I bought the official 4 prong XLR power cable accessory from RED. Not being an electrical genious, the power that goes into the 4 prong XLR will be electrical current from a third party source, since RED does not make a battery with a 4 prong XLR, correct? Given all the forgoing discussion, what is my problem as long as the third party power source matches the published camera specs? Couldn't it be a Sears Die Hard battery, for example, if I wanted to do an all night time lapse in the desert? Or perhaps an array of lantern batteries (though I'd probably not do this) arranged in a combination of parallel and series to achieve the proper voltave and current? Maybe a cigarette lighter in a car to accommodate a road trip setup? Please help me avoid a disaster if I am thinging incorrectly.

I'd be interested to know too.

 

[D Fuller]

To be honest, I'm a little concerned about the entire not-covered-by-warranty-if-third-party-battery-damages-camera deal, so I think I'll probably just go with RED BRICKs. As ridiculous as this may sound, I really liked the appearance of Bebob's Akkus batteries, which is why I wanted to use those. But, if going with a third-party brand may possibly somehow become problematic in the future, I'll just start off now in the beginning with RED BRICKs.

Also, I plan on using the VF battery plate. In the email I received from RED today, they said that if a third-party battery were to cause damage to the camera, then it void the camera's warranty on the repair. Does anyone know if this is also true for battery plates? Meaning, can a better plate possibly damage a camera?

This is true for pretty much everything you attach to the camera. Electronics are the thing that are most likely to damage the camera, and it is really unreasonable to expect Red to take responsibility for the cost of fixing something that is damaged by a mis-wired battery plate or some other accessory. That doesn't mean that it is a bad idea to use VF's battery plate or whatever, but it does mean that you should buy aks from reputable vendors. And even then, it's better to wait until a product is out there in the world and tested by a few people before you buy it. Anton Bauer shipped some mis-wired Epic plates earlier this year. They fixed them, but if they caused damage to a camera, the camera owner would likely have been out some serious money.

Part of the cost of owning a camera is maintenance and repair. You should take all reasonable precautions to ensure that you are using good stuff that won't hurt the camera, but don't expect Red to pay for things they have no responsibility for or control over.

 

[Brian Iannone]

Part of the cost of owning a camera is maintenance and repair. You should take all reasonable precautions to ensure that you are using good stuff that won't hurt the camera, but don't expect Red to pay for things they have no responsibility for or control over.

Absolutely. I completely agree.

Now, has anyone had issues with VF's battery plate?

 

[D Fuller]

I'm looking for information here, not arguing with anyone. So, I bought the official 4 prong XLR power cable accessory from RED. Not being an electrical genious, the power that goes into the 4 prong XLR will be electrical current from a third party source, since RED does not make a battery with a 4 prong XLR, correct? Given all the forgoing discussion, what is my problem as long as the third party power source matches the published camera specs? Couldn't it be a Sears Die Hard battery, for example, if I wanted to do an all night time lapse in the desert? Or perhaps an array of lantern batteries (though I'd probably not do this) arranged in a combination of parallel and series to achieve the proper voltave and current? Maybe a cigarette lighter in a car to accommodate a road trip setup? Please help me avoid a disaster if I am thinging incorrectly.

There is no problem if, as you say, the third party source matches the camera specs. But that Die-hard has two posts on it, and your 4-prong XLR has... well, 4 prongs. Given that the housing is also a conductor, that means it has 5 conductors. If the guy who does the adapter cable gets the wiring wrong and it toasts the camera, this is not going to be covered by your warranty. Or even if he does get it right, and then an AC switches the battery contacts in the dark and that toasts the camera, it will not be covered by your warranty. This doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. It just means that you need to know what the risks are, and weigh them honestly.

As for the cigarette lighter... I wouldn't plug a camera into one of those unless I was ready to lose it. They are no where near stable enough to be safe. (Neither are most consumer generators.) If you are in need of that kind of power source, I'd recommend that you buy a very good inverter--the kind that you hard-wire into your car or truck--and charge batteries with it.

Just my two cents. But its your camera and your money.

 

[D Fuller]

Now, has anyone had issues with VF's battery plate?

I think the VF aks thread would be full of it if people had. That plate seems like a pretty safe choice.

 

[Mike 'Fireman' Ross]

As for the cigarette lighter... I wouldn't plug a camera into one of those unless I was ready to lose it. They are no where near stable enough to be safe. (Neither are most consumer generators.) If you are in need of that kind of power source, I'd recommend that you buy a very good inverter--the kind that you hard-wire into your car or truck--and charge batteries with it..

Seconded; this is exactly how I often operate in the field.

Mike