Panasonic DVX / DVC Battery topics

Jarred Land · July 20th, 2005, 06:04 PM

hey sorry the $35 was a long time ago, we only have the $79 ones.. but the $79 ones last 2x as long as the $35 ones if that helps.

Dean Harrington · July 20th, 2005, 07:18 PM

are the best bang for the buck! Get'um while you can.

Jonathan Shannon · October 24th, 2005, 05:52 PM

Greetings:

I just got a DVC30. My only previous experience with a camcorder was with one that is at least 7 years old, and its' manual said that you should not leave the battery in the cam when it was not being used because some of the juice was being used even when the cam was off.

I have not seen this caution in the DVC30's manual. So is this (battery being drained when camera is off) no longer an issue? Can I leave the battery in my cam?

Thanks in advance,

Tim Painter · October 25th, 2005, 07:11 AM

Jonathon,
I've drained my battery a couple of times -- but only because I have the camera set to not turn off in standby mode and I accidently left it on when I put in the case. To be sure, I've been trying to remember to remove the battery -- I don't have a real reason to keep it on there, so it wouldn't hurt to keep it off when not in use.

Jun Tang · October 25th, 2005, 07:39 AM

Jonathan,

Just a personally preference, I always disconnect the battery. Depending on if I'm going to be using it later in the day. If you plan to "store" it for a day or two or longer...I wouldn't leave it on.

I have plenty of rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. Either they are used or not...over time they lose their juice. I think it's more of maintaing your camera than the battery. Because if the battery is connected, you can always accidently turn it on, leave it on, record while not know...and a gamut of other scenarios.

Jonathan Shannon · October 25th, 2005, 08:21 AM

Tim and Jun:

Thanks for the answer. I guess part of what had (has?) me wondering is that the battery connector on the camera is exposed to dust w/o the battery on, and I was thinking dust might prevent a good connection. But apparently that's not a concern? Or do you make sure to store your cam in a dust free environment?

I appreciate your comments.

Jun Tang · October 25th, 2005, 08:34 AM

I would have to say of course...keep it in clean enviroment. PERIOD.

Having said that...it reminds me....if you plan to shoot at the beach...do it with caution. Getting sand inside your camera can ruin your day.

Stephanie Wilson · October 26th, 2005, 01:45 AM

Jonathan,

Keeping the battery connected, even with the camera off, will slightly drain the batt.

You should keep dust off of the camera by storing it in camera bag. A protective case is one of the most inexpensive and most valuable investments you can make. Dust, smoke and floating "crap" are your worst enemies. These will kill a pro-consumer camera before anything else.

Do a search for camera bags on this site and protect your investment ASAP.

Steph

Jonathan Shannon · October 26th, 2005, 08:35 AM

Stephanie:

Thank you for your helpful input.

Jonathan Shannon · February 23rd, 2006, 04:51 PM

Wow! Check out Overstock.com. I just ordered 2 5600mah CTA batteries from them for 59.95 each and only 2.95 shipping!!

The same batteries I saw on other sites were over $100!

Dean Harrington · February 23rd, 2006, 05:40 PM

good deal, go for it. I support Jared Land over at DVX users com by buying his batteries because he's a shooter and provides good quality batteries at very good prices. Quality control is a very important point to keep in mind.

Jarred Land · February 23rd, 2006, 08:25 PM

thanks Dean.

Just to be clear These arnt the same batteries.. these are the same ones they sell on ebay for $20.. you gotta be careful on some of the cheap batteries because they can throw random voltages to the camera. Also the MAH can be inaccurate, as many manufactures just relabel the cells. Ive even seen 6000mah cells being advertised out there, which is a chemical imposibility at this time.

Dino Santoro · February 24th, 2006, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarred Land

thanks Dean.

Just to be clear These arnt the same batteries.. these are the same ones they sell on ebay for $20.. you gotta be careful on some of the cheap batteries because they can throw random voltages to the camera. Also the MAH can be inaccurate, as many manufactures just relabel the cells. Ive even seen 6000mah cells being advertised out there, which is a chemical imposibility at this time.

I'm guessing you mean these ones:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PANASONIC-CGA-D5...QQcmdZViewItem

Dino Santoro · February 24th, 2006, 06:30 AM

What about the 4800 mAh ones?

http://cgi.ebay.com/CGR-D54-battery-...QQcmdZViewItem

I've bought 2 of them, should I get rid of them?

Alex Dolgin · February 24th, 2006, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dino Santoro

What about the 4800 mAh ones?

http://cgi.ebay.com/CGR-D54-battery-...QQcmdZViewItem

I've bought 2 of them, should I get rid of them?

I looked at the Ebay ad, it has a major error in the description, calling it a 3.7V battery. There is no way it can be true, as the cameras listed as compatible are all 7.2V cams. As far as capacity rating, you can fully charge the battery first, plug it in, load the tape in the camera, and record non stop.
You will have to reload tape several times, if it lasts longer than an hour. The camera uses about 8w with the LCD open. The battery is rated as 4800ma (that is about 35Wh). So if it truely delivers what it is rated for, it should last about 4 hours. If less than that, do your math. 2 h would be 2400ma.
HTH
Alex Dolgin

July 20th, 2005, 07:18 PM	#167
Dean Harrington Major Player Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tokyo Posts: 898	jarred's batteries..... are the best bang for the buck! Get'um while you can.

October 24th, 2005, 05:52 PM	#168
Jonathan Shannon Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Valley Springs, CA Posts: 34	Keep Battery in Cam When not in Use? Greetings: I just got a DVC30. My only previous experience with a camcorder was with one that is at least 7 years old, and its' manual said that you should not leave the battery in the cam when it was not being used because some of the juice was being used even when the cam was off. I have not seen this caution in the DVC30's manual. So is this (battery being drained when camera is off) no longer an issue? Can I leave the battery in my cam? Thanks in advance, __________________ Jonathan Shannon Sierra Nomad Photography www.YosemiteTrailsDVD.com

October 25th, 2005, 08:21 AM	#171
Jonathan Shannon Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Valley Springs, CA Posts: 34	Tim and Jun: Thanks for the answer. I guess part of what had (has?) me wondering is that the battery connector on the camera is exposed to dust w/o the battery on, and I was thinking dust might prevent a good connection. But apparently that's not a concern? Or do you make sure to store your cam in a dust free environment? I appreciate your comments. __________________ Jonathan Shannon Sierra Nomad Photography www.YosemiteTrailsDVD.com

October 26th, 2005, 08:35 AM	#174
Jonathan Shannon Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Valley Springs, CA Posts: 34	Stephanie: Thank you for your helpful input. __________________ Jonathan Shannon Sierra Nomad Photography www.YosemiteTrailsDVD.com

February 23rd, 2006, 04:51 PM	#175
Jonathan Shannon Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Valley Springs, CA Posts: 34	Wow! Check out Overstock.com. I just ordered 2 5600mah CTA batteries from them for 59.95 each and only 2.95 shipping!! The same batteries I saw on other sites were over $100! __________________ Jonathan Shannon Sierra Nomad Photography www.YosemiteTrailsDVD.com

July 20th, 2005, 06:04 PM	#166
Jarred Land DVX User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 281	hey sorry the $35 was a long time ago, we only have the $79 ones.. but the $79 ones last 2x as long as the $35 ones if that helps.

October 25th, 2005, 07:11 AM	#169
Tim Painter New Boot Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 19	Jonathon, I've drained my battery a couple of times -- but only because I have the camera set to not turn off in standby mode and I accidently left it on when I put in the case. To be sure, I've been trying to remember to remove the battery -- I don't have a real reason to keep it on there, so it wouldn't hurt to keep it off when not in use.

October 25th, 2005, 07:39 AM	#170
Jun Tang Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: West LA Posts: 135	Jonathan, Just a personally preference, I always disconnect the battery. Depending on if I'm going to be using it later in the day. If you plan to "store" it for a day or two or longer...I wouldn't leave it on. I have plenty of rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. Either they are used or not...over time they lose their juice. I think it's more of maintaing your camera than the battery. Because if the battery is connected, you can always accidently turn it on, leave it on, record while not know...and a gamut of other scenarios.

October 25th, 2005, 08:34 AM	#172
Jun Tang Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: West LA Posts: 135	I would have to say of course...keep it in clean enviroment. PERIOD. Having said that...it reminds me....if you plan to shoot at the beach...do it with caution. Getting sand inside your camera can ruin your day.

October 26th, 2005, 01:45 AM	#173
Stephanie Wilson Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sherman Oaks CA Posts: 255	Jonathan, Keeping the battery connected, even with the camera off, will slightly drain the batt. You should keep dust off of the camera by storing it in camera bag. A protective case is one of the most inexpensive and most valuable investments you can make. Dust, smoke and floating "crap" are your worst enemies. These will kill a pro-consumer camera before anything else. Do a search for camera bags on this site and protect your investment ASAP. Steph

February 23rd, 2006, 05:40 PM	#176
Dean Harrington Major Player Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tokyo Posts: 898	If you've got a ..... good deal, go for it. I support Jared Land over at DVX users com by buying his batteries because he's a shooter and provides good quality batteries at very good prices. Quality control is a very important point to keep in mind.

February 23rd, 2006, 08:25 PM	#177
Jarred Land DVX User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 281	thanks Dean. Just to be clear These arnt the same batteries.. these are the same ones they sell on ebay for $20.. you gotta be careful on some of the cheap batteries because they can throw random voltages to the camera. Also the MAH can be inaccurate, as many manufactures just relabel the cells. Ive even seen 6000mah cells being advertised out there, which is a chemical imposibility at this time.

February 24th, 2006, 06:30 AM	#179
Dino Santoro Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Toronto, Ontario Canada Posts: 82	What about the 4800 mAh ones? http://cgi.ebay.com/CGR-D54-battery-...QQcmdZViewItem I've bought 2 of them, should I get rid of them?