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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 :)

V-mount / AB batteries - why is it a good idea?

Trevor Meeks said:
... However, I plan on using this most of the time :)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...P_GM_QR_HOTSWAPGM_Hot_Swap_Battery_Plate.html

255058.jpg
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What sort of connector do you need to buy to be able to plug this into the Epic?
Or can you get it with a 1B LEMO already on it?
 
Marcos Montenegro said:
Imagine, I'm used to the Nikon D3S batteries, which are on the "heavy side" of DSLR batteries and last you an eternity. So, 20-30 minutes with 1 Redvolt comes at a complete shock! LOL
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Actually if you think about 30 minutes on an Epic as 30min*60sec*24fps=43,200 14 megapixel photos per battery compared to about 3000 12 megapixel photos per battery with the D3s...

But what shocked me is idle time being barely better than active time (35 minutes according to Tonaci). A D3s or even my D700 will last literally weeks. That sucks for a still photographer because it basically means you can't leave the camera on between shots. 10 second start-up time sounds a lot longer when it's to take one frame...
 
Sorry if this was mentioned already, but this is a BIG REASON for me or anyone traveling:

TSA limits on batteries such as Redbricks are limited to 3 carry on ONLY per person. With Redvolts and these smaller LiIon batts. there are currently NO REGULATIONS on how many you can travel with.....i'm off to Antartica soon and 3 of us as shooter for 3d....we have a problem to hand carry batts and other gear we want as carryon. Sure would be easy if we could carry a case of redvolts.
 
As a quick aside, if I'm starting my battery collection from scratch, should I go for V-mount or AB Gold mount? Brook's VF plate costs the same for both, and manufacturers generally price both versions of their batteries the same, so I was just wondering if there are any advantages one has over the other. I've only used AB batteries in the past, but AB brand is quite expensive so I'll likely be going for SWIT or Globalmediapro or something of that sort anyway. Just wondering if there are any advantages one type of mounting system has over the other?
 
Is one or the other more likely to be available in areas outside North America and Europe? For rental and just-in-case.

Also, is one more likely than the other to work with other-brand chargers?
 
Brook Willard said:
Many who come from a prosumer background aren't used to the sorts of batteries that we deal with. It's true, the Dionic 90s are super tiny batteries as far as professional batteries are concerned. Many people are used to the sorts of batteries that might power an F3 or HVX... not 25lb block batteries and 2-4lb onboard batteries. As more first-time camera owners and Scarlet buyers show up on the forums... things that we take for granted will be foreign to many.

[Lee, this isn't directed at you, merely a general comment]
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Absolutely true - I'm still trying to wrap my head around my new battery requirements, runtimes, charge times, etc.
Just came back from shooting with two F3s and an FS100.

The FS100 ran all day on one battery that weighs roughly 12oz (granted it was 'C' cam so it wasn't running all the time).
The F3 batteries we used might weight 1 lb.
We had to switch batteries on one of the F3s in the last 20 minutes of the shoot (at 5pm after having shot since 9am).

So yeah, I've gotten into the bad habit of not even worrying about battery power.
When you can take two or three fully charged batteries with you per cam that each weigh 1lb or less and you know full well it's more than twice the power you'll need.... it tends to be a real shock to step into the Vmount/AB world of more energy intensive cameras (both in terms of price and power management).
 
Antony M said:
What sort of connector do you need to buy to be able to plug this into the Epic?
Or can you get it with a 1B LEMO already on it?
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Antony, this will mount effortlessly to the EPIC or Scarlet via Viewfactor/Brook Willard's AB battery plate, which secures seamlessly to the back of the camera: http://www.viewfactor.net/index.php/products/epic-acc/apu-ab.html

There's a whole thread about these battery plates in the Accessories For DSMC section of the forum. They're a one-of-a-kind offering currently, as I'm not aware of any other manufacturers making something like this. Brook does awesome work... everyone who has gotten one of these so far is extremely satisfied, as you'll see in that other thread. Enjoy!
 
Lee Saxon said:
I'm not sure I understand the appeal.

An AB Dionic 90 is huge and heavy. Battery & charger cost $1300 plus another $700 for Brook's plate. $2000 for 90 minutes of shooting and 5 (?!) hours staring at a charger.

Roughly the same money gets you 9 Redvolts and 2 chargers. Why is that not a much better idea?
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If you are shooting consecutive days, 2 chargers will make your camera assistant's night very busy. Say you come back from a location having used up all of the 9 batteries, he would end up having to change them at least 4 times during the night...
 
I also wanted to stack myself up with Redvolts, but figured I would have to get at least half the amount of chargers. Finally, I thought about how cumbersome it would all end up being when renting out...
 
enrique blein said:
If you are shooting consecutive days, 2 chargers will make your camera assistant's night very busy. Say you come back from a location having used up all of the 9 batteries, he would end up having to change them at least 4 times during the night...
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There's a reason the current charger is called "travel." Quad chargers coming soon. All the same, this discussion has made me seriously consider the professional standard... globalmediapro, anyone have a bad experience?
 
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