AB or V mount power for LED

[Barry Hunt]

HI there,
Just wanted to garner opinion on my situation> I recently purchased the Lightstorm LS1 C (bi colour) I ordered the V mount version as I didn't really think about the Vmount v's Anton Bauer. The light also comes with AB mount.
I didn't do much research before I bought the light and only afterwards scanned a few forums. The general opinion seems to be that AB are better than V mount in that they are more secure. I should say that I have no batteries at this stage so the decision I make now will mean I will be AB or Vmount for the next couple of years. I was going to return the light but would like to see what other people think.
I should also say that I will primarily will be lighting indoor interviews but may be out in the field a bit more over the coming months.
Does anyone here use vmount batteries to power their LEDs and if so what are your thoughts - should I return the light and go with AB for the next couple of years or stick with the v mount option - any feedback would be much appreciated
Regards
Barry

[Don Bloom]

I was a solid AB user for many years on my full sized cameras and loved them except for the cost. After I made a switch to small form factor cams I sold off all of my AB batterys and chargers and then guess what...I bought a JVC HM700 from a super close friend of mine and instead of the AB mount he had a VLok mount put on the camera when he bought it new. So I had to switch alliegance since I now had a cam that ran VLok and had some batterys to go with the camera. I even bought some more so I would always power. I became a firm believer in the VLok battery, I have IDX and Bescor and have never had a problem with them coming loose on the camera. I was very happy with them and especially the cost. A lot less than the AB BUT I would never tell anyone how to spend their money. ;-)

[Greg Smith]

The difference in security between V-lock and A-B mounts is minimal at best. Both are designed for the rough and tumble of securing a brick battery on the back end of a shoulder mount ENG camera as it goes on and off the shoulder and tripod, in and out of the van, up and down and back and forth with an active news cameraman all day long. By comparison, whichever one you choose will have a relatively easy life if all it does is sit quietly at the base of your light stand, which unlike a handheld camera, won't be moving around much while you're actually using it. I sincerely doubt you will ever have any trouble regardless of which mount you use.

I have been an Anton Bauer guy for the last 30+ years, but I finally got rid of the last of my batteries and chargers in just the past few weeks. I still kept some of the mounting plates and hardware in case I ever get back into the system in the future. The last of my A-B batteries finally gave up the ghost, and to be honest, I haven't been too impressed with either the reliability or cost of the batteries and chargers I've bought from them in the last few years. Modern cameras are a lot smaller and the much lighter and cheaper OEM batteries run them for an adequate amount of time now. The big bricks were just weighing me down. The downside is that now I have four different kinds of OEM batteries and I need to have enough of each type plus multiple different chargers.

Then, of course, I had to go out and buy the same Lightstorm light that you have, and I chose the A-B mount to match my small collection of existing camera plates. I'm running the light only on AC for the time being, but pretty soon I'm sure I'll feel compelled to pick up a couple of bricks and a charger again so I can use it on batteries. I think I'll probably go with Swit or one of the other A-B compatibles this time, though.

But in any case, I wouldn't trade in my lights over this issue. The V-mounts will work fine for you, and there are lots of brands to choose from.

- Greg

[Doug Jensen]

I agree with Don and Greg that you'll have no problems with v-locks coming loose or falling off. I own about 15 v-lock batteries and run all my Litepanels LED lights, cameras, mixers, and monitors from v-lock batteries. I almost never plug anything into a wall outlet anymore and I have never had any issues whatsoever with the v-lock mount.

Also, I don't think it has been mentioned that Anton Bauer now makes v-lock batteries. In fact, many of my v-lock batteries are Anton Bauer brand. So it's not really "Anton Bauer vs. V-lock" these days, it's more correctly "Gold mount vs. V-lock".

[Dylan Couper]

One more vote for V mount. It's the VHS to Betamax.