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Best Bang For Buck on Batteries?


Max Field

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So I currently have 2 130wh gold mount batteries which have served well for my older cameras, but the newer more high powered stuff chews through each of them in only 40 minutes.

I scroll through B&H looking for the best replacement but the variety of brands, watthours, and prices leave me scrambled and confused as to which is the best buy. Then I considered the used market but came to the conclusion that the cheaper prices might lead to charge times below what's advertised.

Let's say you have to purchase enough batteries to power an Alexa for the day, how would you tackle it?

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I'd get very friendly with my bank manager.

There isn't really a good, cheap solution to this. I think that some of the most keenly-priced stuff is probably from Core SWX, but you're right to be suspicious of used batteries.

That said, the only alternative I'm aware of involves buying old ones and recelling them. If you're handy, it's not too bad. Some are easier than others, and some very modern types may have internal circuitry that may become unhappy if you try this. That said, if you really want the inexpensive solution, look around for some old nickel cadmium or nickel metal hydride packs and recell them. You could possibly do lithium-ion, but it may be  better to look around for something you can get a nickel metal hydride charger for - you don't want to be building new cadmium-based batteries at this point - and figure out what type of cell they take and the mechanics of doing it.

I have some old PAG stuff that I did like that. It's not very pretty and I tend to use it for lighting rather than cameras, but at some point a box full of chemical goop is a box full of chemical goop.

P

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There are a lot of high amperage on-board battery options these days. On the cheaper end, the Watson Pro Cine 150wH batteries work pretty well. I have used them with a Red Gemini, SmallHD 1303 monitor, and Litepanel Astras with no issues.

The Core SWX 150wH batteries seem to be popular at the rental house, but they are quite a bit more expensive. They are really nice with lots of features. I like that you can see exactly how much run time you have based on the power draw.

Personally, I own the BlockBattery 2F1 144wH batteries. They are really affordable and can run at either 28.8v or 14.4v with a cheap Anton Bauer or V-Lock adapter ($10 used on eBay). I use them to run both my 24v Moviecam and my 12v Sony F5. You can get them in either lightweight Lithium or airline-friendly (but heavy) NiMH chemistry. The only thing I don’t like about them is the fuel gauge LEDs, they flash continuously while in use. And the charger is significantly larger with louder fans than the competitors, though I guess the newest ones are smaller. 

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I think buying cheap batteries is a bit like buying  a cheap parachute.. ?    ,, if your traveling alot on planes you should be aware of the restrictions.. check.. but off the top of my head .. 160WH over you cant take on a plane at all.., 100-150WH .. one on the camera and 2 spare..(Ive had to show proof of this quite a few times the one on the camera can be a problem).. under 100WH as many as the airline will allow weight wise...  you can only take as cabin baggage  on passenger flights .. no check in..do that and they will just take them.. 

I was just at a trade show recently and there are now some really tiny V mount high WH batts out there.. almost unbelievable how small .. 

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7 hours ago, Robin R Probyn said:

if your traveling alot on planes you should be aware of the restrictions

Yes, that’s true. I don’t bother to take my Lithium 2F1’s when I’m flying (can’t anyway!). I have 4x 90wH IDXs for that. Enough for an F5 with an AC power supply for interviews, but definitely not enough for an Alexa Classic. For those, I’d take at least 8x 100wH plus 2x block batteries. More if you also need to power monitors and lights.

Also, if you’re running a lot of high amp loads like Astras at max brightness and Alexas, then even high-load 100wH isn’t going to buy you much time per battery. So you will need a lot more of them... Dealer’s choice, I guess! 

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6 hours ago, Satsuki Murashige said:

Yes, that’s true. I don’t bother to take my Lithium 2F1’s when I’m flying (can’t anyway!). I have 4x 90wH IDXs for that. Enough for an F5 with an AC power supply for interviews, but definitely not enough for an Alexa Classic. For those, I’d take at least 8x 100wH plus 2x block batteries. More if you also need to power monitors and lights.

Also, if you’re running a lot of high amp loads like Astras at max brightness and Alexas, then even high-load 100wH isn’t going to buy you much time per battery. So you will need a lot more of them... Dealer’s choice, I guess! 

Yes I have the iDX 150WH batts.. take 3 and get the fixer to rent locally batts for monitor and lights.when traveling . I was going to get the new V mount iDX,s .. but now  Sony, in their wisdom ,have made the fx9 19v DC in .. all the usual suspect V mount plates wont work ,but undoubtedly they will make 19v plates in the very near future..

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