the difference....
 

is more than the cost on the two systems...the anton bauers are much more expensive. However the ab system will give better shoulder balance due to added weight and the ma-200 is a nice shoulder support. In addition you can mount the ab system on the ma base and use the pull out bars for a wireless and as we all know light is very important especially on these cams, the ab system plate has the powertap and you can mount real lighting options using onboard power (they will drain batterys real quick however) frezzi, ab ultralights....

the difference is one will give you more options but at a much bigger pricetag. I do love my ab system and use both at times you might conisder the plate and batteries from bh (check their used for even bigger batts the proformers are small) and get a charger off ebay.

M

My experience with Canon batteries has been much better than Pete's. I record auto races which requires a good deal of zooming in and out. Using the CH910 and two 945s, the camera is generally powered on for about four hours with a total recording time of about 3 hours. These same two batteries are then used to capture the entire 3 hours and normally they still have some, but not much, power left.

These batteries are over two years old and recently I'm noticing they can still record three hours, but usually can't do the full capture, but they have been recharged many, many times.

Considering I had terrible luck with battery life on a previous Canon camera, I was very pleased with the XL1S.

Having said that, and notwithstanding the cost, there are some real advantages to alternate power sources as mentioned above and in other posts on this board.

From another post.
 

Anton Bauer.

We went with the Anton Bauer TrimPacs for a longer run time while being able to power an AB UltraLight 2 on the XL without having to use a separate battery.

Check out some pics at: http://home.mindspring.com/~ricks-pics/

The added weight on the back does help balance the camera a little better. As another SP kinda guy, it has taken quite a bit of getting use to when dealing with these cams.

__________________________________
Aproximate, continuous record time with the TrimPac and no light...4 hours.

With a 25watt bulb burning in the UL2...1 1/2 hours.

RB

Waterproof Housing
 

Rick
Interesting photos, I have a question re the last shot of the XL1S in the EWA Marine protective housing. How waterproof is it? I would love to be able to go out amongst the surfers and film, but the cost of a hard marine case prevents me, is this waterproof housing just splash proof or is it more? Also where does one enquire as to purchasing said housing?

Regards

Jed

It is a good idea to have charger somewhere where you can stash your spent packs and recharge them. I have my assistant run the spent pack down to the car to recharge them. Canon also makes a dual-pack charger to.

If the shoot is really that important, purchasing another spare pack certainly seem in order. There are other battery options that can give you longer runtime too.

[No longer live in San Antonio, back @ home now]

Any comment on Canon CH910 dual charger coz i just got 1 from canon...personnally i dont like the plastic holder attach to MA-200..seen weak...

does anyone know how about how long a GL2 would operate on one of the Power-2000 6000 mah batteries using the LCD screen? The ebay stores selling a different brand of 6000mah battery claim about 8 hours. Is that about right?

No, 8 hrs. is far too optimistic. It really depends on how much you're playing with the zoom, how much time you're actually running the tape transport. In general, I'd say 3-4 hrs. is more realistic. The Power 2000 batteries are excellent BP-945 replacements, but they're not quite that inexhaustible.

Hi Jed,
 

Sorry it took so long to reply...been kind nuts here.

We really use the EWA for Haz-Mat work so the camera is protected and can be decontaminated easily.

The EWA bag is completely waterproof to 30 feet. It should do very well as a surf or splash housing.

It is pretty clumsy to use as an underwater housing. We use Gates Deepwater housings for our underwater work.

It is also rather expensive at about $800.00 US for one.

Go to http://www.ewa-marine.de/english/index.htm , for their website. They may have a dealer listing there.

RB

Extra batteries
 

Hey guys I need to pick up a couple of batteries. I would normally order a couple of BP-945's off of BHphoto, but I need them this weekend.

Locally I found a store that has BP-422 which says it has 3.3 hours of capacity as opposed to the BP-945's 3.5 hours.

Is this a good buy? Or am I going to find out that it lasts for an hour?

The BP-422 is not compatible with the XL1. It's for an Elura.

Try either the Lenmar or Power 2000 BP-945-compatible batteries. Both pack more capacity than the Canon brand and are good, long-term values.

I can vouch for Lenmar. I have a 945 equivalent here and it has
been working great!

Batteries deplete in hot car?
 

The scenario. Two brand new batteries, fully charged. One of them on the camera lasts for a long time. I go to my car to change it, and find the inside of the car has become an oven (even though it's only a comfortable mid-70s outside). The replacement battery, left in the car the whole time, shows up as being almost entirely depleted. Is this usual? If so, I'll have to make it a point not to let my batteries bake any more.

Heat and humidity are a batteries worst enemy. If the battery was fully charged, it's a little odd it drained so quickly. But these things happen, it's not unheard of. Camera and video equipment should be stored in the same conditions as people. If your uncomfortable, so is your equipment.

Robert

Any info on the brand of the battery? I've had similar results with generic batteries--without any heat.... new "5 hour" batteries that went from from fully charged to empty in minutes. I'm not discounting the heat theory, just trying to eliminate other options.

Barry