I shot a wedding yesterday with the A1. I shot for 6 hours straight and only used 1.5 batteries. I was very surprised that they lasted that long, but is awesome!

The batts will last longer if you go tapeless as the transports wont be spinning tape stock.....another good reason for a Firestore!

Joe, was that with the standard BP-950G battery that comes with it, the larger 970, or 3rd party? Just curious because of the earlier comments about short batt life, which doesn't match my experience so far nor the battery life tables in the user manual.

Joe, was that with the standard BP-950G battery that comes with it, the larger 970, or 3rd party? Just curious because of the earlier comments about short batt life, which doesn't match my experience so far nor the battery life tables in the user manual.


I was using the 950G, the one that comes with the camera.

Does the battery charge when the dc power adapter is in use? I have tried this several times and notice that the charging light goes off when I use the dc adapter. Is this normal?
Thanks

Yes that's normal. The CA-920 Compact Power Adapter functions as either a battery charger or as a camera power supply, but not both at the same time.

im not sure, but I believe this has something to do with not wearing out the battery.

I started to think about this after playing with the
Canon G7 camera that I bought last night. It gets
very warm after only 20 to 30 minutes of shooting.
That's only with a small lithium battery, compared
to the big lithium battery inside the A1 camcorder.
Does the battery ever get warm/hot inside the A1?
(after an hour of use?)

Thanks!

Some users are reporting that their batteries are getting stuck inside the camera causing difficulty in removing same.

Here is a tip: Get those small tiny clear suction cups that are used to dangle items from a holiday window. Simply press the cup against the battery and pull it out.

This does NOT seem to be an issue with REAL CANON batteries but rather the knock-offs that are slightly longer in size.

Excellent tip, Lou... thanks for sharing this!

If you don't have a suction cup, probably a piece of gaffer tape would work, but not quite as well. Best to stick with Canon batteries if possible. I'm guessing the housing on the cheaper batteries may be just a little bit thicker.

And longer not allowing the small release button to have enough tension.



If you don't have a suction cup, probably a piece of gaffer tape would work, but not quite as well. Best to stick with Canon batteries if possible. I'm guessing the housing on the cheaper batteries may be just a little bit thicker.

I shook the camera downwards while holding the batery release button. This is with the big Lenmar battery. I am thinking about sanding the case of the battery with fine grit to fix the issue. It seems to slide out easier now after the first time it was stuck.

What's the "G" in the A1's battery, BP-950G?

I was too excited when I got my A1 and charged the BP-950G in my old, really old, Canon 910 charger that was sitting my my table. For some reason, it would not reach a full charge in that old thing. I now charge the BP-950G in the new charger that came with the A1 and no problems. :)


Thanks!

Graphite. See http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=68012 (The search function (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/search.php) is your friend).

Herbert,

I'm not sure about the 910, but the paper that comes with the 970G battery says that if you use it with a series 900 charger, it will indicate a full charge when, in reality, it is not. They suggest removing the battery and putting it back in the charger for a full charge.

Herbert,

I'm not sure about the 910, but the paper that comes with the 970G battery says that if you use it with a series 900 charger, it will indicate a full charge when, in reality, it is not. They suggest removing the battery and putting it back in the charger for a full charge.
It probably is due to the timeout safety circuit in the older one. The new higher capacity pack takes longer to charge, so the timeout kicks in preventing full charge.

Is there an adapter for the Cannon XH-A1 to use the IDX V-Lock 10s batteries. They have worked well with my XL-1 and I would like to use them with my new XH-A1.

I heard that the impact batteries are a very tight fit in the A1.
Is the cannon bp 950/970g are only opions?

I use the 950/970's they fit perfect, last forever, and cost about the same as the off brand, if you shop around.

Just go buy the Canon BP950/970 instead of those other brands since the price is almost the same. Give Scott a call from Tapeworks, since his price is pretty good on the Canon batteries.

There have been several reports of third-party clones of the large battery getting stuck in the battery well. That doesn't seem to happen to genuine Canon batts, so I see no reason not to stick with them.

I have used the Power2000 for a few weeks now without incident. Fits without a problem and holds its charge well. Of course, I've only used it for a few weeks, so I can't comment on how it will work long term.

I'm using 2 BP-945s as well (listed as working with the xl-h1, along with the 950 so I *think* it's mostly the same) and they're big, but fit perfectly.

Anthony, the only batteries I can find on Tapeworks' web site are like AA, C--flashlight batteries. B&H is $129 for the BP-950G battery pack. I'm wondering if anybody else is significantly cheaper. That's not bad for a battery that lasts half a day with ease.

I bought Lenmar version of the *edit* (970) for $70 & placed a "pull tab" made of gaffer tape on the end. Shoddy workaround, but it works & isn't likely to ever lose it's adhesive. I can't really see spending close to twice as much for a Canon brand even though it's supposed to "fit". I haven't found them anywhere near what I paid for the Lenmars.

IDX makes two options:

1. IDX A-E2H1 Endura Power Adapter - for Canon XL-2 and H1 DV and HDV Camcorders, for Using V-Mount Batteries (I could not find this on IDX's web site, so here's a B&H link.)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=428967&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

2. IDX SD-1E belt pack with 4-pin XLR connector that requires a separate 4-pin XLR to Canon power mount cable
http://www.idxtek.com/7_2v%20solutions.pdf

Even though it is designed for mounting on the XLH1, I would recommend option 1 because it comes with a 2-pin 12V Powertap connector on the plate (for powering lights or HD recorder) and it comes with the 7.2V Canon power connector. You could use something like the large size Jimmy Box (http://www.jimmybox.com/) to mount the plate and battery securely beneath the camera using some velcro. You'll end up with an IDX battery solution that beats the Anton Bauer Elipz because you've got a 12V Powertap on the IDX plate that you won't get with the Elipz. Plus you get to use your existing IDX V-mount batteries and charger.

Option 2 alone is about the same price as option 1, but for option 2 you need to purchase an additional $90 adapter cable to make it work with the Canon camera and to get the Powertap connector. Then you also have more wire hanging around that needs to be tied down.

Oh... if you're not going to use your old XL1's V-mount plate, then you could take that plate and mount it in a large size Jimmy Box for your XHA1. This saves you over $200 from buying another V-mount plate.

Tony

Anthony, the only batteries I can find on Tapeworks' web site are like AA, C--flashlight batteries. B&H is $129 for the BP-950G battery pack. I'm wondering if anybody else is significantly cheaper. That's not bad for a battery that lasts half a day with ease.

Bill, Tapeworks website is a work in progress. Our website is small because TapeWorks is a small business. Our website does not provide all products and accessories that we offer because most of our business is person to person, not online ordering. Most of our clients either call or email to let us know what products they are looking for and I can generally provide better pricing than what is found on our website or our competitors website. If you can not find a product or simply require information that we can provide on products, please contact us and we will be glad to assist.

TapeWorks does have the Canon BP970G in stock for $149.00 and the BP950G for $119.00

Best Regards,
Scott Cantrell - HDVinfo.net
scott@tapeworkstexas.com
866-827-3489

Thanks for that info!

Hey,

I'm finally putting together an order from B&H and they are selling the A1 in a package with the Elipz battery.

Has anyone used one of these? Any feedback on them? Do they get in the way of hand-held shooting?

Thanks in advance.

The run time for the Elipz is estimated to be 7.5 hours. I have found the battery run time figures to be sometimes exaggerated for a real world situation.
I have also read reports from the field of 5 hour run time for the stock XH-A1 battery.

"In total, the battery lasted an incredible 5 hours, 42 minutes, and 22 seconds."
http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/21/camcorderinfo-reviews-canon-xh-a1/

I am getting mine tomorrow so I will be able to test that myself.
If the actual run time is even anything over two hours with the stock battery, I wil buy two of the larger BP-970 batteries for around $80 each and have plenty of battery time for a normal days work (for me). That's a lot cheaper solution than the Elipz and without the bulk.

So has anyone put their hands on the Elipz? I thought I saw a 7.5 hour run time listed for a bigger Canon battery also...

So has anyone put their hands on the Elipz? I thought I saw a 7.5 hour run time listed for a bigger Canon battery also...

Seems to be a lot of hype but no users, I was curious too but at this point, I can live without.

I saw it at NAB last year and got really jazzed; until I looked it up online and saw the price and that the adapter was optional.
I don't really think you need to swing that extra weight with the reported battery times of the stock XH-A1 batteries.

I also have a clarification:
I did NOT mean a OEM Canon BP-970 for $80, I'm looking at clones (compatibles). I'll post if I find one that fits well. I'll also do a runtime test.

I just did a shoot this morning, with a freshly charged BP-970. The cam was switched on the whole time, and I rolled altogether 58 minutes of tape before the "change battery" warning came on at 4.5 hours of running. I was using the LCD panel a bit more than half the time. I'm very happy with this battery performance.

Richard

I also have a clarification:
I did NOT mean a OEM Canon BP-970 for $80, I'm looking at clones (compatibles). I'll post if I find one that fits well. I'll also do a runtime test.
AFAIK, the large Hama batery fits in the XH-A1 compartment. The one sold in the UK by Keene does not. It is a millimetre or 2 too wide, and though it can be removed, it's not fun!

Hi

I have an A1 and I have had problems with the factory supplied cell
950 losing contact with the contacts. If I put in the larger cell this
is not an issue. Has anyone else had this problem?

Thanks

Chuck

Hi Chuck. So far I've not seen any problem with the battery contacts. Hope it's an isolated case that you can get fixed.

Richard

I just got my XH-A1 last week and haven't ordered a backup battery yet.
I charged the stock (comes with the camera) battery and got over 3 hours (not an exact measurment, I ran 3.5 tapes through it), a lot of it with the LCD screen open.
The "replace battery" indicator came on so I went to AC and put the battery on the charger and left it overnight.
This morning the indicator light on the charger was a steady non-blinking light, meaning the battery was fully charged.
I went on a hike to shoot some outdoor footage and the camera started flashing the change battery light after only 10 seconds. It ran about 30 seconds before the cam shut off.
I now have it on the charger and it's blinking about 1 per second, the "0" charge rate.
Has anyone had a BAD battery from the factory?

If you continue to have trouble with it, either return the battery to your dealer or send it to Canon USA factory service. I'm sure they'll replace it for you.

I had a bad NP1 battery years ago from Sony. It happens.

Thanks for the response.
The battery is a Canon BP-950G.
I put it back on the charger and within a couple of hours (guessing) it showed a steady light again. I put it in the camera and have turned it off and on for a few minutes several times in the last few hours and it looks fine. It's still showing a full charge on the batt meter.
At this point I'm willing to blame a Gremlin. It's weird. I just hope it doesn't happen again. OR maybe I should hope it happens again quick so I can get a new one from Canon.?????

I've had this happen twice, 2 different batteries & I believe it's a charger issue. I've gotten in the habit of sliding all batteries to be charged a second time when using that charger before I leave it on to complete the charge cycle. Ever since then there's been no problems. Could be nothing. Could be a contact issue & that second sliding might be cleaning crud I can't see on the contacts? Who knows?

I have Lenmar fast charger as well & is a bit faster & haven't had the above issues.

Bill

Has anyone ordered the BP-970G battery yet? The big one.

Any chance you know someone with another charger, so that you can test it in theirs? Maybe your dealer? Also, cleaning the contacts with a pencil eraser sometimes helps. Still, think you just happened to get a bad battery.

Unless the charger was changed from the GL1, GL2, and XL-1s chargers, I don't believe you can charge at the same time you are running a camcorder off of the same charger.

Bill in Ohio

Did you put the battery in the camera the night before your hike? I have accidentally left camcoreders on VCR in a bag overnight which drains the battery. Then I go to shoot... OOPs.

Matt

I did the same thing when I first got the A1, thought I turned it off but switched it to VCR mode instead.

I've been leaving the battery in the camera, and there doesn't seem to be any drain (assume it's off) as there are with bigger cameras I have.

And speaking of batteries, I assume there's an internal battery somewhere to store all the settings, but I don't recall reading about it in the manual, and I haven't seen a little battery compartment anyplace.

Has anyone ordered the BP-970G battery yet? The big one.

yeah I got the big one...no probs so far I'm guessing can go over 5 hours with that thing.

speaking of batteries, I assume there's an internal battery somewhere to store all the settings, but I don't recall reading about it in the manual...Described on page 14. Built-in, and recharges automatically.