Anton Bauer vs. IDX
 

Any comments on which of the two kits would be a better purchase? price? Battery life? weight? charge time? etc...

It mostly comes down to personal preference. Otherwise performance, price and specs are similar.

I personally prefer the "thumb release and pull left" design of AB over the "thumb release and push up" of IDX.

The only advantage AB has with the HD100A is that it can display "time remaining" in the viewfinder instead of just voltage (AB Dionic batteries required - doesn't work with 3rd party.)

PAG also has a mount.

For some people the AB Titan charger is nice because it is about the same size as a battery and mounts on the camera just as a battery does. The AC directly plugs into the charger and thus powers the camera. Or you can add a battery to the back of the charger (with the charger in place) and you can pull out the AC and the battery takes over.

Obviously this feature is not necessary, but it can be very nice if you are on a tripod for a long time -- where AC is available -- and then you want to quickly go to battery.

I think the AB setup is a little more expensive than IDX, and there are other options that are still less expensive. Some use the AB or IDX mount and different batteries, and others, like the PAG, have a complete system.

Tim,

As per AB, all digital batteries work with the JVC reading time remaning, not just the dionic series.

In-fact, I use the hytron 50 and it works.

Carl

This advantage is a tip of the iceberg. The AB system is inherently superior due to it fuel gauging technology. It allows for monitoring and maintaining batteries state of health. Displaying the true state of charge (not voltage) comes as one of the benefits.