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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 :)

Stay with RedVolts or go Red Bricks?

Dominick Pietrzak

Dominick Pietrzak

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I've been shooting on the Scarlet using RedVolts, and they're becoming a bit cumbersome. I've got 10 RedVolts and 5 Travel Chargers. I was thinking of getting the Quad Charger, but at this point I'm also considering going the Brick route.

I was a strong backer of the RedVolts when they came out, as well as the Quad Module (which I use), but I think larger productions are going with Red Bricks or something similar.

How long do the Red Bricks run for? I think I read around 2 hours?

How many would you recommend to keep a production running all day?

Any comments or tips?

What mounting solutions would you recommend? I was looking at this with a 12" lemo and 19mm Swivel Mount. If I get that, I'll be able to mount the bricks on the back of the Scarlet as well as on 19mm rails, right?

Thanks for any help!
 
I find a use for both. I have been using RVs and RV/XLs. I have a Quad Charger - which is terrific; high;ly recommended. I like what I have but have recently decided to add RED bricks (after looking at other v-mount alternatives). I found a used RED charger on eBay for $300 and got in on a 3-way split of a brick six pack, so the price was reasonable. (Still have to decide on a v-mount plate). Choices are good.
 
Definitely different uses for both. I find the weight distribution with the Quad Module on a Mantis shoulder rig to be really good.

But on the other hand Red Bricks seem to be widely accepted in the production world, and seem more rigid for production use.

I'm thinking of keeping some of the RedVolts for the side handle and possibly splitting a 6-pack with people in NYC.
 
Agree, both get to be used for different situations. I've got Redvolts, and AB Dionic 90. It's good to have both.
 
I have three GMP 160W bricks, they each last me 3 hours, so I get 9 hours and still have time to charge and cycle them through. Redvolts can be useful but I would never depend on them as my main power source, I could see that being extremely annoying having to change batteries so often and swapping them out onto a charger all day long. With bricks, I don't even have to worry about shutting down the camera. I rarely use the Redvolts, If I had to choose one it would be Bricks all the way, you would do fine without Redvolts, but not the other way around.
 
I have two cameras, one is entirely all redvolts... the second camera is going to be redbricks so we have one of each solution.

I can tell you that with Redvolts you'd be surprised how well they work as a power solution, and how small versatile they are. However, if you want to be seriously shooting and not worrying too much about battery power you really need a quad module and at least 2 redvolt xls. With my 2 XL's and my 6 volts, I am able to easily be running all day with very limited charging.

Each standard volt gets me about 45 minutes so for the 6 of them I get a little over 4 hours, then I have two XLs which both last just under 2 hours each giving me about 8 hours of shooting with out any charging or any down time.. with a few minutes in between scenes to reset up or talk with talent, get organized and a lunch break then I can easily get to a 10 hour day with out charging.. However, I also have a quad charger and two volt chargers so with the correct rotation there I could run constantly with no interruptions in power as long as I have access to a charger somewhere on set. Obviously though in order to keep wear and tear on my gear down, if I am near an outlet I'll run off an redvolt in the side handle for protection and the ac adapter in a stinger.
 
I stay with the volts, i had the chance to grab both modules used (Quad and Dual) for very good prices on this forum. So i have everything i need and the REDVOLTs can play its versatility-bonus at its best. I like the modules a lot, they're the perfect match to a DMSC-brain, worth their price. No additional cable needed, i'm a bit paranoid on over-stressing cables and connectors... ;)

With the ongoing firmware updates we will be able to squeeze more and more out of our batteries, so the even Sidehandle-only-configuration with just one REDVOLT gets more usable too,. currently i'm getting 40-45min out of that.

I think the alternative plates are a great option if budget is very tight, you already have some batteries laying around or you have some other cameras in use that can share those batteries. If not, i wouldn't invest into them and go REDVOLTs all the way.
 
We use both Redvolts (reg and XL) and V mounts - right now the quad module with revolts is our preferred solution. 2 XL's, and 4 regular redvolts with 2 quad chargers and we can shoot almost forever in studio and on set.

Biggest pro for this setup is we can pull / replace dead batteries from the quad module without shutting down the camera - and hearing panic from the agency / client in Video village, or having a first AD freaking out because the camera is down for 30 seconds...
 
Thanks everyone for all the replies! We got hit with Hurricane Sandy in NYC and haven't had power till we brought in the generator today. Cell connection was way too slow.

I read through the thread, and it seems like a lot of recommendations to stick with RedVolts.

Noel, that is the reason I wanted to go with Bricks. When on set, I realized that switching RedVolts slowly becomes a hassle. Last shoot AC kept running back and forth switching out RedVolts. XLs would give me more running time, but they are also larger and heavy. Still one Brick is almost twice the capacity.

Louis, did you get the second Scarlet from the super deal? If so, congrats! That's great to have two setups to cater to different needs.

Maik, I thought of picking up the Dual Module used but haven't found one yet.

Kevin, RedVolts are hot swappable with my Quad Module. That's how I usually run.

Glen, good point. I thought of keeping the side handle on with a RedVolt in it to be able to hot swap Bricks. That should work.

As Patrik said, both have different uses. I think the best idea would be to have both and figure out which works best. I might stick with RedVolts for now and maybe get a belt clip and Red Brick Power Pack to feel it out.

Again, thanks for the replies! I appreciate and enjoy reading them.
 
I would absolutely recommend Redbricks. Redvolts are pretty useless to me! To work peacefully and be able to focus on the shot compositions, sufficient battery power is needed! Redvolts take too much focus out of creativity. If there's a particular reason like flying your camera with a copter or have a shot that requires running with the camera or something then Redvolts make sense. Redbrick gives you about 2 hours and I shot couple of shorts and a music video with just 2 Redbricks comfortably (2 day shoots each). I like the battery belt clip. It's the cheapest, keeps the camera light and I can either put it on my belt or just on the floor.
 
swan n said:
I would absolutely recommend Redbricks. Redvolts are pretty useless to me! To work peacefully and be able to focus on the shot compositions, sufficient battery power is needed! Redvolts take too much focus out of creativity. If there's a particular reason like flying your camera with a copter or have a shot that requires running with the camera or something then Redvolts make sense. Redbrick gives you about 2 hours and I shot couple of shorts and a music video with just 2 Redbricks comfortably (2 day shoots each). I like the battery belt clip. It's the cheapest, keeps the camera light and I can either put it on my belt or just on the floor.
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Two RedVolt XL's in a quad module run the camera for 3 hours… then add that you can hot swap in fresh with out shutdown and you have infinite time to be creative.
 
I would choose Anton Bauer as they are, arguably, the industry standard, at least in my experience - I've never seen anything else on a professional shoot.
 
Arnold F. said:
I would choose Anton Bauer as they are, arguably, the industry standard, at least in my experience - I've never seen anything else on a professional shoot.
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Depends on where you are - and what area of the profession you are in.
 
I have two Red Bricks and four Red Volts. The Red Volts are nice when you need to be light. But they don't last very long. I'm lucky if I get 30 minutes out of one. I much prefer working with the Bricks as I can easily get over two hours per battery. I have the Red Volts as backup or in case I need to scale down and get more mobile. This setup works great for me.
 
I suppose if I were an insurance salesman in Tasmania I probably would not use Anton Bauer. Likewise, if I will absolutely only ever use my own RED on every job, forever, I'd feel the same way - indeed, the new DIY, camera-guy-does-every-job-on-set ethos that RED appears to brought us supports this.

For my own use, I went with AB because I work in professional film and television and I've only ever been exposed to AB - I wanted to be as standard and compatible as I could, not show up to set with a largely unknown, proprietary powering option.



Glen Powell said:
Depends on where you are - and what area of the profession you are in.
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