What about battery belts? Anyone had a good experience with one?

I used to use one a long time ago when I was real young with old Hi-8 cam, but it was a pain in the neck to get rid of memory effect. But guess times have changed as never had Li Ion then. or NiMH type with no memory effects. The bet just always gave you peace of mind that your tape would always run out before your batteries.

battle of the batteries
 

I am leaning toward buying a set of power 2000 batteries for my camera.

Which 3rd party batteries and charger do you stand by?

Lenmar or Power 2000? Do both charge up on any charger?

Who has the fastest charger, and have you tried the mach 1 from lenmar?

Both batteries are excellent. Both are 100% BP-941/954 compatible.

I've never felt the need to use any 3rd party charger. For these little 7.2v batteries I've always felt that it would be a waste of money. But if I was inclined to do so I'd use Lenmar batteris with a Lenmar charger.

I use the Lenmar and the Mach 1 charger. It is very fast, (charges about 75% on 5500mah batter in 30 to 45 minutes) also charges my digital still batteries and comes with DC (cigarette lighter) connection cord. I've used them for about a year and couldn't be happier. I own several 5500mah batteries, so the quick charger is not that big of a deal for video. But it does great when my digital still camera starts going through the batteries.

Battery Power Options
 

I need to know if there is a powerbelt available for the XL1-s in lieu of packing 3 or 4 batteries for an all day shoot. Please let me know if there is such a product or any other power solutions you may have. Thanks all.

ZGC sells an 'expedition battery'.

http://www.zgc.com/html/expedition_batteries.html

I'm interested in this one (never used it). I can vouch for ZGC service though. I ordered a mic from them on Wednesday and the shipping got it to me this morning. I've never had shipping that fast from a U.S. company (to Vancouver).

I've got a battery belt and 3 or 4 BP 941 (5500mah) equivalents. I would much rather carry the batteries and skip the belt. However, NRG makes great belts and I've used them for almost 15 years. The batteries are well built and very reliable. They are left over from my Betacam days. You will also need a convertor from NRG that steps the voltage down to the 7.2v needed by the XL1.

Jan- I just checked out your site... I must say, I am very impressed by both the quantity and the quality of material. Nice job!

Thanks a lot!

And to add to this thread: I ordered from B&H in NY the following:

- Anton Bauer Gold Mount for XL1
- 2 Hytron 50 batteries (one of them should power the XL1 for 5 hours)
- one Titan 2 charger
- one Ultra Light 2
- one dichroic (daylight) filter
- one softbox for the UL2

All this for the sweet sum of 1800 USD ... Looking forward for the FedEx man to bring the goods. This should give me the convenience of having one battery powering my XL1 and an on camera light at the same time for several hours.

I'll keep you updated with an article on abcdv.com about this setup when I have used it. I couldn't find any uer reports, so that will be the only one there is online ;-)

Thanks,

anton bauer
 

Jan:

Im using the anton bauer system on my camera right now, 2 proformers with the plate/charger that bh sells. I found its quite nice one of the big pluses is that it offers good counterbalance for the shoulder and as for onboard lights I have a frezzi mini fill w/ dimmer its made a real difference for nightime and low light. Altogether a good purchase you should be quite happy with it...and with the exchange rate on the euro right now :)

M

I have been shooting AB stuff now for over a year and I love it! I power my camera and light for entire wedding days which usually last around 6-10 hours long with only 2 batteries (digital trimpac 14's).

I bought the uni-pac belt to get the battery off the camera which helped me a lot. Great gear, a little on the pricey side but you get what you pay for!

I have had to deal with AB support as well, one word, AMAZING! These guys have stuff back to you so fast! No questions either, if it aint perfect, they replace it!

Chris

Power to the XL-1
 

I recently bought one of those 3rd party batteries you see on ebay for my xl1. This new battery is 7.4v not the 7.2. I am wondering if this might effect my camera eventually. If anyone can put my mind at ease on this I'd much appreciate it.

Thanks for any info in advance,
Bryan Coleman

Battery power voltage
 

Stop!!! I wouldn't use that battery with 7.4v at least until I checked with Canon or another reputable facility. A company called NRG Research specializes in aftermarket power accessories. I'd give them a call first. They know all about the tolerances.

www.nrgresearch.com/

What brand battery is it?

Check the terminal voltage on it and a conon battery when freshly charged? Are they about the same? ( i.e., around 8.3 volts). Is the battery Lithium ion? Does it have a mAhr rating in line with Canon batteries? Is it marketed and marked for use for the canon ? If all above it OK, you should be OK using it.

Here are the specs...what do you think?
 

Specs
· DC 7.2V, (5400mAh) with no Memory Effect.
· Typical Operating time: about 7 hours 30 Minutes.
· Recharge the battery at any time without affecting its ability
to hold a full charge.
· NoMEM Lithium-Ion.
· Dimensions:2-3/4 x 1-1/2 x 2-3/8
· Fits on Canon MV1, MV200, MV200i, GL1, ES-60, ES-65,
ES-420v, ES-4000, ES-5000, ES-6000, ES-7000, ES-8200v,
Optura, Optura P1, XL1, XM1, UC-V10Hi, UC-V20Hi, V30Hi,
V100, V200, V300, X1Hi, X2Hi, X20Hi, X30Hi, X40Hi.
· CANON BP-945 equivalent.


And its a Lithium