Canon XL1 & XL1S Batteries / Battery Options

Rob Lohman · February 3rd, 2005, 06:21 AM

I have no idea, but if you suspect these (I'm not really sure how
these could be responsible for it, since the XL1 has a fuse etc.)
perhaps get a Canon brand battery?

Don Palomaki · February 4th, 2005, 07:11 PM

Not likely to be a battery problem, but high altitude could be an contributing factor due to higher cosmic radiation than at low altitudes. The only time I've seen hot pixels in my GL1 image were after several hours of shooting near of Denver (at The Fort).

Two simple home tests for a battery - check voltage - it should be close to the canon battery voltage at the same charge condition. Then put in a fresh charged battery, stick in a scretch tape and let it roll recording, see how much you can record before it shuts down on low battery. You may have to rewind and re-record on the tape if it is a reasonably high capacity battery. Early shutdown (time wise) implies an old, tired battery.

February 4th, 2005, 08:29 PM

Don: I'm not sure that's the problem. I live at 8,500' elevation and I shoot at higher elevations routinely. My XL1s is nearly three years old and I've never had a problem like that.

But, come to think of it, I have never shot a single frame without a UV filter on the lens. So maybe...

Bob Safay · February 5th, 2005, 06:49 AM

Ron, Like Charles I shoot in the Rockies a lot. My inlaws live at over 8,000 ft. down by Wolf Creek Pass. I have never had a pixil problem. However, like Charles I always use a filter. To you shoot toward the sun much? Bob

Ron Lucas · February 5th, 2005, 11:47 AM

I do live in Denver, have a UV filter (not an expensive one), and do not shoot at the sun. I shoot weddings, so I do shoot while photographers have their flashes going off, and I also shoot into DJ colored lights for a nice effect.

Do some UV filters protect better than others? If so, I'll replace mine. The ones I have are from Quantaray.

I spoke with a Canon rep in Irvine who didn't believe photography camera flashes or DJ's colored lights would cause harm to my video cameras.

I did measure the voltage of the batteries fully charged, and they are identical to the Canon batteries.

At this point, the Canon service rep and I feel I'm just having a streak of really bad luck. Fortunately, these cameras are covered under an exteneded warranty which has paid for itself several times. However, if this problem continues after the extended warranty expires, I will probably have to sell these cameras and look at Sony or Panasonic.

Thanks for all of your input. If anyone else has any suggestions, I'd sure appreciate it.

Ron

Jack Smith · February 6th, 2005, 01:53 AM

Also have had XL1S for several years and no pixel problem.
Are they exposed to direct sunlight in the lense ?or some other source of bright light?With the repeated failures and not many others having the same problem that there is something specific to your situation.
I wouldn't expect the batteries to cause this the internal voltage regulation should stabilize them .However you may want to check each battery against the canon tech spec

Barry Gribble · March 21st, 2005, 01:13 PM

I am going to to be shooting a mini-doc about about a 128 mile charity bike ride in a couple months, so I need to make sure that I can stay charged for shooting all day long without any AC power.

I have heard tale of car chargers for the XL1, but can't find one... can someone point me in the right direction?

Also I am interested in peoples experience in terms of how quickly they charge. If it takes 6 hours, it will not really be useful to me... Can you run the camera directly off the car batter through the adapter?

Anyone have a guess on how many batteries I should bring, or which batteries recharge the most quickly? Certainly I am not shooting for twelve hours straight... mostly it would be some B-Roll during the riding, and then probably six 1/2 hour shoots during their breaks.

It starts early, also, so I may need to bring a light.... i will definitely try to find one that runs on it's own battery or on the car, though.

Any other input is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Josh Hibbard · March 21st, 2005, 04:34 PM

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=716077

I dont have one so I cant vouch for it, but it looks like a good deal, I was going to buy one, but I just bought another 945 battery they were selling for fifty bucks (havent used it yet)

Chris Ivanovskis · March 22nd, 2005, 06:22 PM

i got a charger off ebay that came with a 9v car adapter. i shot a music video in a garage (forgot a/c adapter) and was able to charge batteries in the car. cost around 20-30 bucks shipped.

Luis Caffesse · March 22nd, 2005, 06:40 PM

I don't have a car charger... instead I have a DC to AC converter that I use.

I find that to be more versatile. It plugs into the car's cigarette lighter (what do you call those things now that no manufacturer actually puts a lighter in it anymore??)

It has 3 power outlets on it, so I can plug in my charger, and anything else I might need.

I've used it on location shoots before where a generator would have been overkill, but I needed to power my on set monitor, a charger, and a deck.

You can pick one up at Home Depot, or any place like that.

Just a suggestion.

And yes, you should be able to run the camera off of this.
Just check the power requirements on your camera to make sure.

Robert J. Wolff · March 23rd, 2005, 07:29 AM

CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION!

Sorry for the caps, folks, but I would suggest that you hesitate before plugging into your car battery.

This is an INTERNATIONAL community. Therefore, some vehicles used by the inhabitants are 6 volt; some are 12 volt; and, some 24 volt.

If you do not have the know how, I would suggest that you check with an auto mechanic, and/or, an electrician for compatibility.

Greg Boston · March 23rd, 2005, 08:00 AM

Good advice Robert, but I think that the manufacturers would make versions specific to the geographic region they are meant for. I suspect that Europeans have power inverters that can take 6VDC to 220AC to use Luis's suggestion(I know others that do this same thing). It's not that difficult to make a different output voltage. Perhaps Rob L. or someone else can chime in from that part of the globe.

Barry, the Canon VL10 light will use its own Canon style battery so it won't be pulling from the main camera battery. There was one listed in the Private Classifieds recently that you might want to check into.

regards,

-gb-

Robert J. Wolff · March 23rd, 2005, 05:42 PM

Greg.

Open the package up for your plug in. I have never yet seen a reference to variant volt systems world wide. Most of this stuff is sold generically. It might be made for local use. Than, again, it just may be for "sale" on the world wide market.

My whole point was that the folk's in the community might not understand that you and I might be savy; but, that they take what is writ in this forum as gospel.

When it comes to electrical connectors, when in doubt check it out……First!

Luis Caffesse · March 23rd, 2005, 05:48 PM

"When it comes to electrical connectors, when in doubt check it out……First!"

Good advice Robert.
I'm sorry I didn't think to mention that myself.

The last thing I need is someone posting, 'I followed Luis's advice and now my XL2 is on fire!'

Arnaldo Paixao · March 30th, 2005, 02:44 AM

Canon battery car charger for the XL1/XL1-s batteries:

CB-910 or CB-920

I have one and works perfect.

Best regards,
Arnaldo

February 3rd, 2005, 06:21 AM	#316
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	I have no idea, but if you suspect these (I'm not really sure how these could be responsible for it, since the XL1 has a fuse etc.) perhaps get a Canon brand battery? __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 4th, 2005, 07:11 PM	#317
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,487	Not likely to be a battery problem, but high altitude could be an contributing factor due to higher cosmic radiation than at low altitudes. The only time I've seen hot pixels in my GL1 image were after several hours of shooting near of Denver (at The Fort). Two simple home tests for a battery - check voltage - it should be close to the canon battery voltage at the same charge condition. Then put in a fresh charged battery, stick in a scretch tape and let it roll recording, see how much you can record before it shuts down on low battery. You may have to rewind and re-record on the tape if it is a reasonably high capacity battery. Early shutdown (time wise) implies an old, tired battery. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

February 4th, 2005, 08:29 PM	#318
Guest Posts: n/a	High Altitude Don: I'm not sure that's the problem. I live at 8,500' elevation and I shoot at higher elevations routinely. My XL1s is nearly three years old and I've never had a problem like that. But, come to think of it, I have never shot a single frame without a UV filter on the lens. So maybe...

March 21st, 2005, 01:13 PM	#322
Barry Gribble Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 817	Car Charger & Batteries for XL1 I am going to to be shooting a mini-doc about about a 128 mile charity bike ride in a couple months, so I need to make sure that I can stay charged for shooting all day long without any AC power. I have heard tale of car chargers for the XL1, but can't find one... can someone point me in the right direction? Also I am interested in peoples experience in terms of how quickly they charge. If it takes 6 hours, it will not really be useful to me... Can you run the camera directly off the car batter through the adapter? Anyone have a guess on how many batteries I should bring, or which batteries recharge the most quickly? Certainly I am not shooting for twelve hours straight... mostly it would be some B-Roll during the riding, and then probably six 1/2 hour shoots during their breaks. It starts early, also, so I may need to bring a light.... i will definitely try to find one that runs on it's own battery or on the car, though. Any other input is appreciated. Thanks in advance. __________________ Barry Gribble Integral Arts, IMDB

March 22nd, 2005, 06:22 PM	#324
Chris Ivanovskis Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Norman, OK Posts: 60	i got a charger off ebay that came with a 9v car adapter. i shot a music video in a garage (forgot a/c adapter) and was able to charge batteries in the car. cost around 20-30 bucks shipped. __________________ itimebomb productions

February 5th, 2005, 06:49 AM	#319
Bob Safay Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 1,557	Ron, Like Charles I shoot in the Rockies a lot. My inlaws live at over 8,000 ft. down by Wolf Creek Pass. I have never had a pixil problem. However, like Charles I always use a filter. To you shoot toward the sun much? Bob

February 5th, 2005, 11:47 AM	#320
Ron Lucas New Boot Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Colorado Posts: 24	I do live in Denver, have a UV filter (not an expensive one), and do not shoot at the sun. I shoot weddings, so I do shoot while photographers have their flashes going off, and I also shoot into DJ colored lights for a nice effect. Do some UV filters protect better than others? If so, I'll replace mine. The ones I have are from Quantaray. I spoke with a Canon rep in Irvine who didn't believe photography camera flashes or DJ's colored lights would cause harm to my video cameras. I did measure the voltage of the batteries fully charged, and they are identical to the Canon batteries. At this point, the Canon service rep and I feel I'm just having a streak of really bad luck. Fortunately, these cameras are covered under an exteneded warranty which has paid for itself several times. However, if this problem continues after the extended warranty expires, I will probably have to sell these cameras and look at Sony or Panasonic. Thanks for all of your input. If anyone else has any suggestions, I'd sure appreciate it. Ron

February 6th, 2005, 01:53 AM	#321
Jack Smith Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: ontario Posts: 445	Also have had XL1S for several years and no pixel problem. Are they exposed to direct sunlight in the lense ?or some other source of bright light?With the repeated failures and not many others having the same problem that there is something specific to your situation. I wouldn't expect the batteries to cause this the internal voltage regulation should stabilize them .However you may want to check each battery against the canon tech spec

March 21st, 2005, 04:34 PM	#323
Josh Hibbard Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Manitowoc Wisconsin Posts: 77	http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=716077 I dont have one so I cant vouch for it, but it looks like a good deal, I was going to buy one, but I just bought another 945 battery they were selling for fifty bucks (havent used it yet)

March 22nd, 2005, 06:40 PM	#325
Luis Caffesse Major Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 704	I don't have a car charger... instead I have a DC to AC converter that I use. I find that to be more versatile. It plugs into the car's cigarette lighter (what do you call those things now that no manufacturer actually puts a lighter in it anymore??) It has 3 power outlets on it, so I can plug in my charger, and anything else I might need. I've used it on location shoots before where a generator would have been overkill, but I needed to power my on set monitor, a charger, and a deck. You can pick one up at Home Depot, or any place like that. Just a suggestion. And yes, you should be able to run the camera off of this. Just check the power requirements on your camera to make sure. __________________ Luis Caffesse Pitch Productions Austin, Texas

March 23rd, 2005, 07:29 AM	#326
Robert J. Wolff Major Player Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Adirondacks of New York Posts: 210	CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION! Sorry for the caps, folks, but I would suggest that you hesitate before plugging into your car battery. This is an INTERNATIONAL community. Therefore, some vehicles used by the inhabitants are 6 volt; some are 12 volt; and, some 24 volt. If you do not have the know how, I would suggest that you check with an auto mechanic, and/or, an electrician for compatibility. __________________ Himself

March 23rd, 2005, 08:00 AM	#327
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	Good advice Robert, but I think that the manufacturers would make versions specific to the geographic region they are meant for. I suspect that Europeans have power inverters that can take 6VDC to 220AC to use Luis's suggestion(I know others that do this same thing). It's not that difficult to make a different output voltage. Perhaps Rob L. or someone else can chime in from that part of the globe. Barry, the Canon VL10 light will use its own Canon style battery so it won't be pulling from the main camera battery. There was one listed in the Private Classifieds recently that you might want to check into. regards, -gb-

March 23rd, 2005, 05:42 PM	#328
Robert J. Wolff Major Player Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Adirondacks of New York Posts: 210	Greg. Open the package up for your plug in. I have never yet seen a reference to variant volt systems world wide. Most of this stuff is sold generically. It might be made for local use. Than, again, it just may be for "sale" on the world wide market. My whole point was that the folk's in the community might not understand that you and I might be savy; but, that they take what is writ in this forum as gospel. When it comes to electrical connectors, when in doubt check it out……First! __________________ Himself

March 23rd, 2005, 05:48 PM	#329
Luis Caffesse Major Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 704	"When it comes to electrical connectors, when in doubt check it out……First!" Good advice Robert. I'm sorry I didn't think to mention that myself. The last thing I need is someone posting, 'I followed Luis's advice and now my XL2 is on fire!' __________________ Luis Caffesse Pitch Productions Austin, Texas

March 30th, 2005, 02:44 AM	#330
Arnaldo Paixao Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Vimeiro - Portugal Posts: 255	Canon battery car charger for the XL1/XL1-s batteries: CB-910 or CB-920 I have one and works perfect. Best regards, Arnaldo