I heart my AB batteries. I've used them on the old Betacams and was then able to just buy the plate for the XL2. When I get a JVC HD100 or HD250 later this year, I'll be able to buy the plate for that one as well.

I hadn't realized that the anton bauers were so easily usable with other systems. That is nice.

Greg's point about balancing out the camera is a good one too.

In my case, though, I'm pretty much on the tripod at least 97% of the time anyway. And if I ever got a camera from a different manufacturer, I'd probably just get some $20 batts for it too.

I guess the AB's are good for some people, they just don't make sense for me and the way(s) I shoot.

You won't be finding any $20 batteries for the Sony I just got. ;-)

That's part of the problem with going to a higher end camera...all the other parts cost a lot more too and they aren't even included in the box. Yikes!

But that being said, there are less expensive 'compatible' batteries and chargers than going with the A/B brand.

-gb-

Touché. :)

I do see the utility in batteries you can use on anything. But I don't expect to be getting my hands on too many fancycams in the near future. I wouldn't even have an XL2 if I hadn't gotten a grant that paid for it.

But you never know, I guess.

battery question
 

We are shooting a feature film and a lot of it is outdoors. Batteries don't last long enough and we can't plug it in. Any suggestions? Are there products available that will allow us to film long lengths of time?

Also, is there any difference between MiniDV tapes or are they all the same? The different brands and "premium" labels etc.

You could buy the Anton Bauer battery adapter plate and stick a very large capacity battery on the camera which will run that thing all day long. Another way is to buy the dual battery holder/adapter from Canon and use two batteries in parallel. The advantage to this method is you can swap out batteries for fresh ones and the remaining battery will keep the camera running during the swap. Buy some of the new iithium high capacity batteries that Canon released with the XLH1. They are the best ones to date for operating time.

-gb-

Is this the battery you are talking about? http://www.eastcoastphoto.com/nav/it...sp?itemid=6088

THe 250 dollars for the adapter plate is way too much.

We have this fanny pack looking thing that came with the XL1 (ebay) that has two really big batteries in it. They are connected to a cigarette lighter output. It's designed for lights I think, but if we get a cigarette lighter to outlet converter could we jsut plug the XL2 into it?

Get the CH-910 Dual Battery holder/charger. Then stock up on generic BP-945 batteries off eBay (I can recommend one seller) that use Panasonic cell packs. A pair of these will operate the XL-2 for a day, and that's tape moving time, too. Total cost is a fraction of that of an AB setup, not to mention a fraction of the weight and charge times.

175 dollars is a bit much to spend on that. Was that link correct to the battery you were talking about that's the best in terms of operating time?

Just go with the cheap generic 945's you can find on Ebay. I use them all the time, and I've never had any trouble. They usually go for about $20.

Don't forget about the Canon dual charger/holder. I use 2 945s on mine and it also balances out the camera a bit more with the stock lens pulling it forward. Every week lasts all day for me event filming for anything up to 7 or 8 hours.

Marc, be sure to read my article Canon XL2 Battery Endurance.

Anton Bauer batteries are great and they are the industry standard. Pretty much all professional video cameras have an Anton Bauer gold mount when they leave the factory*. They're universal. As Greg pointed out, his Anton Bauers are migrating from his old camera to his new camera.

A Hytron 50, or Dionic 90 on the back helps balance the front-heavy XL2 nicely. My handheld shots are steadier and my wrist and arm are in better shape at the end of the day.

I got Power 2000 BP-945's before I got the A/B system and they were adequate. Four would get me through a day with a couple rotated through the charger. I can go pretty much all day with one Anton Bauer Hytron 50 running the camera, FU-1000 and occasionally, a 35W light. The Dionic 90 would last even longer at 90 watt hours. With the Anton Bauers, I have almost no battery changes, so I'm usually just stopping to change tapes. With the larger cameras, I have to change batteries more frequently because they are drawing much more power than the XL2's 9watts.

I can also use my A/B batts to power my PVM-9L3 monitor, Dedolights, and other items.

Anton Bauer

*Sony has their V mount and IDX is cutting into A/B's market share, but Anton Bauer is ubiquitous.

We have the A/B plate on all of our XL series cameras. and we purchased the IDX adapter plate to run the v-locks. You can run the field monitors, and most other needed items all off the same type of battery. Also keep in mind that you gain a 12volt D-tap power port right on the camera for lights, on board monitors wireless devices etc..