Batt Life on ZU1 at DVinfo.net

Matthew Pugerude · May 29th, 2006, 08:40 PM

Hey what is the Batt life of the Zu1 with the stock Batts. I am looking at a package that has the Anton Bauer Hytron 50 Batt as part of the package is this over kill or not. I know the JVC HD100 only gets 40 min with their stock batts what about the Sony's batts I will be out in the field for at least eight hours with no way of charging any batts. Batt life with the LCD screen flipped out all day.

Mark Utley · May 30th, 2006, 01:48 AM

I can get about an hour on my Z1 with the LCD screen open. I think your most efficient way of getting battery life (dollars to minutes) is with the bigger Sony batteries.

Boyd Ostroff · May 30th, 2006, 07:08 AM

I don't know anything about the Anton Bauer solution. I never used the included battery because it looks so wimpy :-) But I have a Sony NPF-970, a Power 2000 (I think) NPF-970 clone and an old Sony NPF-960.

The 970's give me over 4 hours with both the LCD and viewfinder turned on. I think I could get about 5 hours but have never run them completely dry during a shoot. I shoot our opera performances which are typically 90 minutes continuous shooting, an intermission, then another 90 minutes, plus pre-roll and time to set things up. Afterward there is still plenty of time left on the 970's (the camera might tell me there's about 2 hours left) so I generally run them down while capturing.

But if you're shooting in smaller segments and turning the camera off in between I suspect you might get even more time out of the batteries. If you got two of the 970's I don't think you'd have any problem getting through an 8 hour day (and you'd have the stock battery as a backup), but if you're concerned about getting them recharged quickly, or if you're just paranoid (like me ;-) you might want a third battery just for peace of mind or to cover a really long day of shooting.

They do take awhile to recharge in the stock Sony charger. I'd guess a 970 takes something like 4 hours but I've never timed it.

Matthew Pugerude · May 30th, 2006, 10:15 AM

Hey Mark I am assuming that the 1hr batt life was with the stock batt. Which everyone knows that is to get you started but that info helps a lot because if I have to run it I know that I will be on the eyepiece to prolong the batt life. So it also seems the AB system is over kill unless it helps to balance the camera??? Is that a possibility? Is the ZU1 a lens heavy camera?

Jack D. Hubbard · May 30th, 2006, 11:22 AM

Boyd is right on about the NP-970. It is a monster. I use it to run the Z1, lights, and an M10U deck. It lasts longest in the camera, 4-5 hours. Running the 20W Sony light they last about 90 minutes, and I don't know about the deck yet because I have had it only a short time, but I think a couple of hours.

Tomas Chinchilla · May 30th, 2006, 12:01 PM

I have shot all day (Not really but you get the picture) an entire Blue Angels show, beggining to end with the Sony NPF-970 on one charge and even previewed the entire thing on camera on the same charge.

I think I also shot something the next day without charging.

Heath McKnight · May 30th, 2006, 09:11 PM

Stick with the 970, which isn't stock. Two to three will last a good 12 hour day.

heath

May 29th, 2006, 08:40 PM	#1
Matthew Pugerude Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Redmond, Oregon Posts: 173	Batt Life on ZU1 Hey what is the Batt life of the Zu1 with the stock Batts. I am looking at a package that has the Anton Bauer Hytron 50 Batt as part of the package is this over kill or not. I know the JVC HD100 only gets 40 min with their stock batts what about the Sony's batts I will be out in the field for at least eight hours with no way of charging any batts. Batt life with the LCD screen flipped out all day.

May 30th, 2006, 01:48 AM	#2
Mark Utley Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 479	I can get about an hour on my Z1 with the LCD screen open. I think your most efficient way of getting battery life (dollars to minutes) is with the bigger Sony batteries. __________________ Mark Utley

May 30th, 2006, 10:15 AM	#4
Matthew Pugerude Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Redmond, Oregon Posts: 173	Thanks Guys Hey Mark I am assuming that the 1hr batt life was with the stock batt. Which everyone knows that is to get you started but that info helps a lot because if I have to run it I know that I will be on the eyepiece to prolong the batt life. So it also seems the AB system is over kill unless it helps to balance the camera??? Is that a possibility? Is the ZU1 a lens heavy camera?

May 30th, 2006, 11:22 AM	#5
Jack D. Hubbard Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Menlo Park, CA Posts: 342	970 Boyd is right on about the NP-970. It is a monster. I use it to run the Z1, lights, and an M10U deck. It lasts longest in the camera, 4-5 hours. Running the 20W Sony light they last about 90 minutes, and I don't know about the deck yet because I have had it only a short time, but I think a couple of hours.

May 30th, 2006, 09:11 PM	#7
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	Stick with the 970, which isn't stock. Two to three will last a good 12 hour day. heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

May 30th, 2006, 07:08 AM	#3
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	I don't know anything about the Anton Bauer solution. I never used the included battery because it looks so wimpy :-) But I have a Sony NPF-970, a Power 2000 (I think) NPF-970 clone and an old Sony NPF-960. The 970's give me over 4 hours with both the LCD and viewfinder turned on. I think I could get about 5 hours but have never run them completely dry during a shoot. I shoot our opera performances which are typically 90 minutes continuous shooting, an intermission, then another 90 minutes, plus pre-roll and time to set things up. Afterward there is still plenty of time left on the 970's (the camera might tell me there's about 2 hours left) so I generally run them down while capturing. But if you're shooting in smaller segments and turning the camera off in between I suspect you might get even more time out of the batteries. If you got two of the 970's I don't think you'd have any problem getting through an 8 hour day (and you'd have the stock battery as a backup), but if you're concerned about getting them recharged quickly, or if you're just paranoid (like me ;-) you might want a third battery just for peace of mind or to cover a really long day of shooting. They do take awhile to recharge in the stock Sony charger. I'd guess a 970 takes something like 4 hours but I've never timed it.

May 30th, 2006, 12:01 PM	#6
Tomas Chinchilla Major Player Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 212 Images: 8	I have shot all day (Not really but you get the picture) an entire Blue Angels show, beggining to end with the Sony NPF-970 on one charge and even previewed the entire thing on camera on the same charge. I think I also shot something the next day without charging.