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bexley

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  1. Sorry, I'm posting too quickly. I meant to ask if the 11.1v pack, more common and cheaper than 12v, could suffice for my uses. The Arri variable motor would work, left at 8v or converted to 12v, but I'm not sure about the Bolex motor. The second link is indeed more expensive than what you showed, but I think I could find a lower capacity and more competitive price for that battery. And forgive the barrage of product links. Germany has more than its share of batteries and I'm trying to figure out what my options are locally. Also, should I consider building a pack with some affordable 3v li-ion Varta cels?
  2. I see. At that price, I'd continue to put up with the SLA. I'm sure I can find a compromise without going to the peddlers of Chinese li-ion on eBay. What about LiPo batteries? Conrad is a reputable electronics shop in Germany and sells a self-branded line, so I assume this would be of acceptable quality. If 2500mAh is enough to drive the camera, I'd be fine with switching batteries every few 100' loads. http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/209050/Conrad-energy-LiPo-Akku-111-V-2500-mAh-25-C-Stecksystem-4-mm-XH/SHOP_AREA_20058&promotionareaSearchDetail=005 Or? http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/251470/Vision-Lithium-Eisen-Phosphat-Akku-12-V-5-Ah-L-x-B-x-H-150-x-65-x-105-mm/SHOP_AREA_14717&promotionareaSearchDetail=005
  3. Thanks, Hal. It sounds like I underestimated the issue of quality. If price is any indication, it looks like eBay only has the disreputable dealers, so I'm worried that the cost from a reseller in Germany may force me to look back to SLA and NiMH.
  4. Here are some auctions in English, from China: http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-9800mAh-Li-ion-Super-Rechargeable-Battery-AKKU-Pack-For-CCTV-Camera-Portable-/120944296067?pt=US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item1c28d78083 http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-9800mAh-Li-ion-Super-Rechargeable-Battery-AKKU-Pack-For-CCTV-Camera-Portable-/120944296067?pt=US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item1c28d78083 $30 for 9800mAh is cheaper than SLA. Seems too good to be true even if they have a high failure rate. As long as they don't explode, I guess.
  5. After deciding to ditch my massive 12v 7Ah SLA and find a more portable battery that I can easily fly with, I read a bunch of the threads on this subject and settled on RC battery packs: 8.4v for my Arri variable speed & single-frame motor and a 12v for the Bolex motor w/intervalometer. Then I found this: http://www.ebay.de/itm/12V-6800mAh-wiederaufladbare-Akku-Pack-fur-MP3-LED-Lampe-Streifen-CCTV-Kamera-/170901647118 Hmm, Lithium-ion got cheap. Admittedly, this seems to be one of the best deals out there and maybe the cel is crap, but I'm surprised at not being able to find discussions online about li-ion's suitability for film cameras. Cost used to be a reason for this, but now that it's not, are there others? Between the trouble flying with SLA's and NiMH's problems in the cold, I'm looking for reasons not to go with a lithium pack. They're light, require the least maintenance, live longer than NiMH, can be packed in carry-on, and work in the cold. Voltage is more consistent too. That 6800mAh pack would be more than enough. Were I to stick with lead acid, I'd go from the 7Ah I had to a 2-3Ah--even with the SLA's quick voltage drop-off, I never came close to needing a charge since I rarely shoot more than 500' in a day. Please, ridicule this idea if I'm missing something. If I'm not, I also found a reason to convert the Arri's variable and torque motors to 12v.
  6. Upon further testing it does open to 1.8 with the lens cap on, but it takes a few minutes. So, the photocell's charge from being exposed to light doesn't deplete as it should once there's no more light. A fixable problem?
  7. So, I'm on my third eBay'd Nizo Professional and it seems to have a problem too. Of course, like the other two, it was listed as perfectly functional from a seller with great feedback. The subject line pretty much says everything. The meter seems to be working fine and reading light correctly, except in low light it refuses to open the aperture past 2.8. Even with the lens cap on. The only way I can get it to 1.8 on auto-exposure is when I first turn on the camera with the lens cap on. Once I remove the lens cap and expose the meter to light, putting it back on won't even make it open to 1.8. It seems to stop between F4 and 2.8 and then creep slowly to 2.8, but no further. Is this a problem anyone has heard of before? And is it one of those many Nizo problems that don't have clear-cut solutions? I really don't feel like returning my third Nizo in three weeks. Starting to ponder a Bauer instead. Side-note: One of the battery contacts was heavily corroded. I cleaned it up as best I could and all the functions of the camera are working well, so I more or less ruled this out as a possible cause for the meter issue.
  8. Arg. Bad news if this is going to take time: I want to shoot now. An acquaintance here is a Nizo repair guy and once he's back from vacation I'll ask him to give me an estimate. The thing is that the seller disclosed as much as he could about the camera and I really believe he was being honest. He mentioned the ring being difficult to turn, but had no knowledge of the other problems. There isn't any sign of the lens being dropped, so I' guessing it's a build-up of dirt. The seller is willing to pay for the repair if it's less than the camera, but maybe I should just return it instead of spending time and energy on a repair. Too bad I opted for this auction instead of a nearly identical one from a seller with a worse eBay rating. Not many Professionals up for sale lately.
  9. Yep, the motor is disengaged. When engaged the motor can't even turn the zoom ring one bit. Has to be done manually. In manual mode the needle seems a little less erratic, but when filming it will still bounce. It's all rather inconsistent. After doing the intervalometer "trick" the needle will be steady, but that seems to wear off after a little while.
  10. What does that mean for the prospect and cost of a repair? And no lube for the lens? Unless there's rust or tons of dirt trapped in there, I don't see how it got so hard to turn.
  11. Hmm, after cleaning the battery terminals and testing again, the metering issue is back. The needle moves really erratically sometimes.
  12. Hmm, disappointing to hear but I know it's good advice for this camera. If I can get a partial refund from the eBay seller to fund the overhaul I'd be okay with this. I know someone who repairs Nizos, but it probably still won't be cheap. Maybe he'll take my Agfa Movexoom as payment.
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