What happens when the battery runs out when recording? at DVinfo.net

Jim Snow · May 14th, 2011, 09:20 AM

Since the GH2 doesn't have a recording time limit (except for the European versions where it's a tax game), it's great for unmanned lock down applications. Has anyone had a problem with the file integrity when the camera is recording when the battery runs out of power? I haven't been in a shooting situation when this was an issue but sooner or later I expect I will. Hopefully the camera is smart enough to detect that it's almost out of power and then do an orderly shut down. Has anyone confirmed this in an actual shooting situation?

Kevin McRoberts · May 14th, 2011, 10:13 AM

Only had it happen once, mistakenly put in an off-brand battery to record a presentation. Stock battery lasts about 2 hours while recording, this one conked out after about 30min - and of course, no lifespan feedback with the generic batts.

Switched batteries as quickly as possible and continued on. The previous clip closed out and was readable afterwards.

Probably not a bad idea to simulate the situation a few times in the safety of home to verify what happens, and see if there's a distinct risk of clip corruption. I know there is on the Canon DSLR's, but these cameras aren't as widely tested.

Jeff Harper · May 14th, 2011, 11:01 AM

Happened to me and everything turned out fine. I suspect they designed the camera for with this scanario in mind. I'm running four cams today by myself, and it's going to happen at least three or four time to me tonite. Hopefully it will be fine.

William Hohauser · May 14th, 2011, 03:14 PM

It happened once to me and the file was corrupted. The second time the file was fine.

Paul Mailath · May 14th, 2011, 07:17 PM

I've had clip corruption with both battery out & card full - I throw another card & a fresh battery in if I'm expecting to let it roll for any length of time. 3rd party batteries are crap even Pearstone from B&H

Jeff Harper · May 14th, 2011, 11:18 PM

It happened to me tonight. Corrupted file. I ran diskcheck on the card and it fixed it! (Thank God). Apparently you can spend $200 on a 32GB card and it will have issues the same as a $60 one.

Jonathan Plotkin · May 15th, 2011, 09:06 AM

I turned off the power a couple of times without stopping the recording, which isn't quite the same thing, but both times the camera very kindly wrote to the card without problems before shutting down.

Alex Dolgin · May 15th, 2011, 11:33 AM

With our new external power kit you can run the camera for many hours (even days) Power Lumix

Jeff Harper · May 15th, 2011, 01:33 PM

DMW-DCC8 DC coupler has been on back order for months, no sign it will become available. Where can I find one Alex? Do you know?

Alex Dolgin · May 15th, 2011, 02:19 PM

Jeff, not so long ago I called one of the stores looking for the AC adapter DMW-AC8 for the camera, they had both the coupler and adapter (and also a OEM battery) in stock. As I was placing my phone order, I asked how come they showed none on their website. The sales guy smiled and said they did not want to be sold out instantly - or something like that. So may be spending some time on the phone could be a fruitful investment of your time :-)

Jeff Harper · May 15th, 2011, 04:06 PM

Thanks Alex, I'll try calling around. I've had one on backorder at Adorama since February 13.

Mark Slade · May 16th, 2011, 10:11 PM

Good luck finding one Jeff. I've been trying for months. Finally went this route GH2 GH2 Power - specs, tests, DIY
Works pretty well.
There are some on e-bay from China (or somewhere) but I refuse to pay $50 for something I 'could' get for $14.

Mark
if you do manage to find some at a reasonable price shoot me a PM...would ya!! Also there is an ac-dc power supply from amazon that works perfect and is only $12 if you want to go that route....much cheaper than the pany one.

Jeff Harper · May 16th, 2011, 10:25 PM

The DIY is interesting, but made of wood! That's hilarious, and shows how desperate we are! I will let you know!

Kevin McRoberts · May 17th, 2011, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Dolgin

With our new external power kit you can run the camera for many hours (even days) Power Lumix

I'd order this in a second if I could A) find a DCC8 and B) see how you're mounting the battery adapter plate to the camera. I have so many otherwise unused Sony NPF batteries I could run my GH2 for weeks.

Is that slide-in bracket threaded for 1/4" or otherwise for affixing undercamera or to a shoe mount? Does the battery bracket have a solid mechanical release to securely hold the battery regardless of position or jarring?

Alex Dolgin · May 17th, 2011, 08:51 AM

Yes, there are 2 1/4" holes in the bracket. The plate itself holds the battery with a semi permanent lock, for what you have in mind probably not strong enough honestly...
Here is an example http://www.dolgin.net/exv-extra.htm of using the plate/bracket with another camera and nanoFlash. It is not exactly the same as GH2 configuration might be, but will give some ideas

May 14th, 2011, 09:20 AM	#1
Jim Snow Trustee Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Santa Clara, CA Posts: 1,104	What happens when the battery runs out when recording? Since the GH2 doesn't have a recording time limit (except for the European versions where it's a tax game), it's great for unmanned lock down applications. Has anyone had a problem with the file integrity when the camera is recording when the battery runs out of power? I haven't been in a shooting situation when this was an issue but sooner or later I expect I will. Hopefully the camera is smart enough to detect that it's almost out of power and then do an orderly shut down. Has anyone confirmed this in an actual shooting situation?

May 14th, 2011, 10:13 AM	#2
Kevin McRoberts Major Player Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 700	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? Only had it happen once, mistakenly put in an off-brand battery to record a presentation. Stock battery lasts about 2 hours while recording, this one conked out after about 30min - and of course, no lifespan feedback with the generic batts. Switched batteries as quickly as possible and continued on. The previous clip closed out and was readable afterwards. Probably not a bad idea to simulate the situation a few times in the safety of home to verify what happens, and see if there's a distinct risk of clip corruption. I know there is on the Canon DSLR's, but these cameras aren't as widely tested. __________________ Freelance pudgy bearded lighting camera operator www.mcbob.tv

May 14th, 2011, 11:01 AM	#3
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? Happened to me and everything turned out fine. I suspect they designed the camera for with this scanario in mind. I'm running four cams today by myself, and it's going to happen at least three or four time to me tonite. Hopefully it will be fine. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

May 14th, 2011, 03:14 PM	#4
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? It happened once to me and the file was corrupted. The second time the file was fine. __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

May 14th, 2011, 07:17 PM	#5
Paul Mailath Trustee Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Coast - NSW, Australia Posts: 1,606	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? I've had clip corruption with both battery out & card full - I throw another card & a fresh battery in if I'm expecting to let it roll for any length of time. 3rd party batteries are crap even Pearstone from B&H __________________ Cheers - Paul M. www.perbenyik.com

May 14th, 2011, 11:18 PM	#6
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? It happened to me tonight. Corrupted file. I ran diskcheck on the card and it fixed it! (Thank God). Apparently you can spend $200 on a 32GB card and it will have issues the same as a $60 one. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

May 15th, 2011, 09:06 AM	#7
Jonathan Plotkin Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Ithaca, NY Posts: 122	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? I turned off the power a couple of times without stopping the recording, which isn't quite the same thing, but both times the camera very kindly wrote to the card without problems before shutting down.

May 15th, 2011, 11:33 AM	#8
Alex Dolgin Contributor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Lexington, Ma Posts: 286	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? With our new external power kit you can run the camera for many hours (even days) Power Lumix __________________ Alex Dolgin Dolgin Engineering Camera DC Power accessories, Fast 4 position Battery Charger http://www.dolgin.net

May 15th, 2011, 01:33 PM	#9
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? DMW-DCC8 DC coupler has been on back order for months, no sign it will become available. Where can I find one Alex? Do you know? __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

May 15th, 2011, 02:19 PM	#10
Alex Dolgin Contributor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Lexington, Ma Posts: 286	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? Jeff, not so long ago I called one of the stores looking for the AC adapter DMW-AC8 for the camera, they had both the coupler and adapter (and also a OEM battery) in stock. As I was placing my phone order, I asked how come they showed none on their website. The sales guy smiled and said they did not want to be sold out instantly - or something like that. So may be spending some time on the phone could be a fruitful investment of your time :-) __________________ Alex Dolgin Dolgin Engineering Camera DC Power accessories, Fast 4 position Battery Charger http://www.dolgin.net

May 15th, 2011, 04:06 PM	#11
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? Thanks Alex, I'll try calling around. I've had one on backorder at Adorama since February 13. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

May 16th, 2011, 10:11 PM	#12
Mark Slade Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 121	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? Good luck finding one Jeff. I've been trying for months. Finally went this route GH2 GH2 Power - specs, tests, DIY Works pretty well. There are some on e-bay from China (or somewhere) but I refuse to pay $50 for something I 'could' get for $14. Mark if you do manage to find some at a reasonable price shoot me a PM...would ya!! Also there is an ac-dc power supply from amazon that works perfect and is only $12 if you want to go that route....much cheaper than the pany one.

May 16th, 2011, 10:25 PM	#13
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? The DIY is interesting, but made of wood! That's hilarious, and shows how desperate we are! I will let you know! __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

May 17th, 2011, 08:51 AM	#15
Alex Dolgin Contributor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Lexington, Ma Posts: 286	Re: What happens when the battery runs out when recording? Yes, there are 2 1/4" holes in the bracket. The plate itself holds the battery with a semi permanent lock, for what you have in mind probably not strong enough honestly... Here is an example http://www.dolgin.net/exv-extra.htm of using the plate/bracket with another camera and nanoFlash. It is not exactly the same as GH2 configuration might be, but will give some ideas __________________ Alex Dolgin Dolgin Engineering Camera DC Power accessories, Fast 4 position Battery Charger http://www.dolgin.net Last edited by Alex Dolgin; May 17th, 2011 at 09:30 AM.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search