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Mark Karavite

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Everything posted by Mark Karavite

  1. Hey Niko, One thing I forgot to mention is that, being in Europe & buying with Euro's, you'd get a great deal on PRO or XCS due to the falling US dollar. Check the current exchange, but I bet you'd save nearly 30%. Worth a look, Mark
  2. Does anyone have any experience with the M1 Digital Motors. I'm in the market for some new motors for a used FIZ I bought. Of course, the DM-2's are proven, but I'm curious if anyone has compared the M1 Digital to the DM-2. When you factor brackets, gears & cables, the M1 Digital is about $700 cheaper per motor. Not that price is the deciding factor, but when buying 3, it adds up. Thanks, Mark
  3. I heard George Paddock has them used for $22,000. Sorry for the sarcasm, I'm ordering a new arm shortly. Don't spend too much time on your search. It's a good sign when nobody wants to part with them. Best regards, Mark
  4. Hey Joe, Most Panasonic cameras have an image invert in their menus. Just fly the camera upside down in low mode & invert the image in the camera (or in post if the camera won't do it). It is a faster switch, and you'll have less vibration than any low mode bracket. If you must have a bracket, than Brant's is most likely the stiffest, but I don't see a reason to undersling any digital cameras. Best, Mark
  5. Jerry, My sled has 3 batteries in parallel / 12v, so with 3 Powercubes, I agree I should be able to run quite a while. Unfortunately, I have wrapped that show, and never really resolved the problem. We never had the opportunity to measure the load, but the camera voltage was high enough that it should have run (even though it was lower than a hot battery should show). Now hearing that others have had the same problem with new Dionics, maybe it's something else. I plan on calling Panavision to get their take on this issue. I'll post any findings of interest. Hey Joseph, Were you flying lightweight 4:4:4 cables? I have done this for a couple years, and although the backpack is a hassle, my cables are not bad to operate with. I think they are a better trade off than flying the VTR. On the last movie, we just ran cable back to the DIT, and he had the SRW-1's on his cart. This show, the DIT was hesitant to run cable to his cart, so we flew the backpack. Thanks, Mark
  6. Dear Niko, Being an owner of PRO, XCS & MK-V components, I feel qualified to comment on your questions. Eric's points are all well taken. THE MOST important thing to look for in a company is how they will support you after the sale. I agree it's tougher to support someone overseas, but I'd rather have an overseas company with great support than one next door with poor support. You cannot go wrong with the component quality and unsurpassed support given by PRO & XCS. I looked at the 4 stage post, and I didn't like 3 things about it. 1) carrying the extra weight, 2) too long a post for my taste 3) minimal need for a superpost & not worth carrying it all the time. As far as HD, consider what else on your rig needs to be HD, like video transmitter, on board recorder, etc... Until everything can be HD, I'm sticking with a downconverted signal. It is worth buying a rig that has the proper guage cable to be able to carry HD signals in the future. The good thing about buying a Steadicam today is all the choices. The bad thing about buying a Steadicam today is all the choices!! Take care, mark
  7. I am currently on a Genesis show, and am having problems powering with the recorder on board. I just got off a 11 week show running an F23 with the same package & no problems, so myself, 1st AC & DIT are all a bit stumped as to why I can't get any decent run times on the Genesis in a 1 piece mode. Here is what I am flying: PRO DB3 & Upper Junction Box XCS 2" carbon fiber post (with heavier guage power wiring) MK-V Nexus battery base with 3 V mount battery holders. MK-V Hummingbird LCD 3 Tiffen Powercube batteries Other AKS on board: Panatape Modulus 3000 Archos The camera's voltage reads over 13v, but when we turn over the VTR, it doesn't stay in record with any regularity. Has anyone had this problem before? It was my understanding that the F23 took a bit more power than the Genesis. Maybe that is not the case, but with 3 Powercubes, I should get at least 45 minutes of run time. Please nobody go down the path of why am I flying the rig with the VTR. I am doing 90% of the show with the recorder split, but sometimes you just can't have a cable on the shot. The DP allows me to decide what mode the camera is in. I just can't seem to get it to run with the recorder on. We've done some very gymnastic toaster / backpack work, but I'd like to get this working correctly. Thanks, Mark
  8. Hey Bud, Contact Hugo Langer at Steadyrig. I don't have his number on me, but you can go to their site & get contact info. Also, I believe Charles Pappert bought one of the Steadyrig battery hangers. Good luck, Mark
  9. I couldn't agree with Charles more. I have had a couple scale offers (for Steadicam) in the past year. One was from a $10 million feature with an ASC DP I had done another movie with. Now $10 million isn't big, but it certainly can pay a decent combo rate or bump plus $2500 - $3000 a week for gear. I hated turning down the DP, but held firm and lost the job. Interestingly, the DP told production that he would not use any Steadicam on the job if they didn't have enough $$ for a reliable operator. Why try & fail on Steadicam & end up on a dolly? Let's just start out on a dolly. Those who may be hungry for work should consider how tough it will be to get a proper paying gig from a producer who knows you will operate Steadicam for scale, or no rental guaranties. Repeat business is how one grows a career, so why set such a bad precedence with a potential client? We put our pocketbooks and our bodies on the line, & should get compensated properly. My $.02 Mark Karavite
  10. Dear Mike, I know PRO rents rigs, as do several rental houses. As most operators own their own rig (and usually only one), it would be difficult to find a rig from another operator. You might try Janice Arthur in Chicago. I believe Janice owns 2 rigs, but don't quote me. Try Janice @ 312-961-4370. Good luck, & push Tiffen to help you out. Mark Karavite
  11. I thought I'd report back after living with the F23 for 10 weeks. We were on all of the usual camera platforms, and here's how we handled them: Steadicam: - 2 piece for all fixed frame rates. - 1 piece for all variable speed / high speed shots. - Chris Konash @ Panavision NY made 3 pr. of very lightweight 444 jumper cables for 2 piece work. They were very easy to work with. He also made 2 F23/Genesis to PRO power cables with L connectors at camera. In 1 piece mode, the L connector came down right near my fore/aft knob on my DBIII. In hindsight, I would have 1 power cable straight & one with the L connector. - In 2 piece mode, we ran 125' of cable to the VTR/Toaster. For part of the show, the producers brought in a tapeless workflow, and we ran up to 300' of their cable from the F23 to the drives. I had a backpack, but never ended up needing it. I'd still have a backpack in the package just in case. - Since I had the Powercubes, I used them exclusively for all Steadicam work. I would not try to run the F23 / VTR combo without them. Panavision has bought a bunch of the Powercube batteries, & supplied them to us. - I have an MK-V Nexus battery base, so I was easily able to switch to V mount battery plates. Now I have both V mount & Anton Bauer. - The AB to V mount adapters wiggle quite a bit. If you are ever forced to use them, you'll need to strap them down somehow. I'd suggest going to the expense of owning both mounts. It may seem like a pain, until you end up on a difficult long lens shot, then you'll be glad you spent the money. - 1 piece mode is very heavy & physically demanding. The DP agreed in prep to only go 1 piece when we had to because of the high speed limitations of 2 piece. I doubt I would take a Steadicam heavy show where the DP insisted on going 1 piece all the time. - We'd often pull out the Rickshaw, western or spider dolly when it was a long tracking shot that required us to be in 1 piece. Of course there were several shots where I carried the beast, but I used other platforms more often than I normally would because of the weight. Handheld: - Again, 1 piece for high speed or ramps, & 2 piece for dialogue. - We started with the Arri style handheld rig, but went to small Zacuto handles that mount to the rods. - Be sure to order the standard eyepiece (not the one on the bracketry) for handheld. - 1 piece power: dolly grip followed with Genesis block battery. - 2 piece power: 2, IDX v mount batteries interlocked on the back of the 444 box on the back of the camera. The camera was still a bit front heavy with a prime lens, but it wasn't bad this way. - 2 piece cabling: We used the heavier cable (not my lightweight jumpers) tied off to the handle, again running 125' to the VTR/Toaster, or 300' when we had the drives. Studio mode: - With the Optimo or in tight spaces, VTR would go on top. With Primes, I really didn't feel much difference between top or rear mounted VTR. - With fluid heads, I would suggest ordering the new O'Connor with the heavier springs. If you put the Optimo & VTR on, there was not enough spring weight on a 25/75. - When you max out a fluid head, the condition they are in seems more critical. We sent back 2 or 3 O'Connors through our show. I'm not sure if it was because the weight was affecting the head, or they were just bad to begin with. Either way, have the fluid heads checked out closely in prep. - We had 4 Genesis block batteries per camera body. This is enough if all the batteries are in good shape, and your truck gets plugged in every night. If you don't buy the teamsters enough beer to get your truck powered at night, then the AC's need to take the batteries with them at night to charge, or get more. - Tell the AC's to measure how much ND the internal rear ND filters really are. On one camera, the ND6 was 2 2/3 stops. We ended up using filters up front, because they were accurate. Crane / Hot Head: - The F23/VTR combo flies fine on a crane with the VTR on back. Just check the weight limitations of your hot head beforehand. We had an AeroHead for some effects shots, and they didn't want anything over 35lbs. Rigs: - We did quite a few rigs, and if there was room, we always had the VTR mounted to the camera. We didn't notice any vibration due to the mount on the VTR. - We'd use the IDX WEVI transmitter for any rig shots where we were not towing the picture car. It worked for about 400' line of sight. We had the SD version, but there is an HD version out now. Overall, the camera is much like the Genesis from an ergonomic standpoint. The viewfinder bracket is not quite as stable as the Genesis viewfinder, so that is a bit of a pain. I also had the mirror in the viewfinder, where the Genesis VF looks directly at the monitor, giving you a wider angle of view. Also, I found I had more eyestrain looking into an electronic viewfinder for so long a stretch. On simple coverage, I would operate off the on board monitor to give my eye a break. We had the Panasonic 8.4" on boards. I would have like to try the new Transvideo 6" HD high bright model. That would be a great on board to have in those situations where you need to operate off the monitor while outside. I'll admit that there were several moments where both myself and AC's were cursing the system. It's just heavier, slower & more power hungry than a film camera. To production, we were seamless, but it took a lot more effort on camera's side to make that happen. Also, we certainly had a "digital" shooting ratio on this film. It's nice for the Director to be able to work endlessly with the actors, and I'm OK with that. What I don't like is when the AD's call roll before we are really ready to shoot. There is a cadence that normally happens that was missing on this film. Since the cameras were rolling, we would find ourselves "at the ready" for minutes sometimes before action was called. It's not good on set, and I imagine it drives the editors crazier than it does the crew. With the F35 on the horizon, I expect we will be seeing more of the same. Overall, I had a great experience on this film, mainly because I was working for a very talented & very cool Director / DP combo. They more than made up for the digital issues. As they say, it's not the arrow, but the Indian. Mark Karavite, SOC
  12. I totally agree with Charles & Alec. I have been using the Ergo handle for 4 years. It especially shines when you go to low mode, and have the same gimbal feel as high mode. Another point not mentioned is the fantastic service XCS gives to every one of their customers. Gregg Bubb reacts as fast and as well to problems as anybody in the business. Great products and great service. What more can you ask for? Mark
  13. Dear Dominick, Thanks for chiming in. A couple reply's to your comments: "As for the V-mount for the Power Cubes; IDX makes an adapter plate that goes from your AB mounts to the V-mount. It is small, thin and may be cheaper than changing out the AB mounts. " I'm concerned about vibration in the adapters. It's not that much $$ to buy the V mounts and have them switched. Panavision NY has secured 9 Powercubes for me, so that's all I'll use on the sled. "During hand-held that means a single power cube with the F23/VTR/Eyepiece is right at the limits of the battery. Anything more added to the camera exceeds the power draw that the Power Cube can handle. The battery will not last." I was only going to use the PowerCubes for handheld when we are split. In 1 piece mode, I will have the dolly grip chase me with a block battery. "As for flying 1 or 2 piece: I can say that most shows go 2 piece." I will be 2 piece unless we need variable frame rates, then I'll have to fly the beast. "but the cables (BNC or Fiber) have to be treated like gold on set" I'm ordering 4 new cables tomorrow. "We are trying to get the SSR to work on the F23. It is just going to take more time." Panavision has taken the lead on making digital cameras workable for operators on set. We always have, and always will ask for more, but we realize the difference when a lesser camera house supports a job. Thanks, Mark
  14. Panavision NY reports that you can run 100' of coax in 2 piece mode. That should be enough cable for handheld and Steadicam modes. Knowing this, I doubt production will even spend the money on Rattlers, so I'll pick my battles. Doc, thanks for the fiber contact, I'll need that sooner or later. Alec, Panavision NY said the F23 power cable is exactly the same one as the Genesis, only in a different position. It comes out the back corner at a 22.5 degree angle, instead of out the side like the Genesis. Since I operate on the left side, I am still going to get the L connector at the camera body to avoid any clearance issues. It seems we have conflicting reports on the power cable. I should have looked closer at NAB. Also, it turns out that the F23 will only run fixed frame rates in when split (23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30. 50 & 59.97). If we need to do any off speed work, I'll have to go 1 piece. With that in mind, I've ordered 9 Power Cubes, which I'll use for either 1 or 2 pc. mode on Steadicam. I need to buy V mounts to replace the AB mounts on my sled. In 2 piece handheld, I was thinking of putting a single Power Cube on the back (on the dual link box) via an Anton Bauer to V mount adapter. In 1 piece handheld, I'll just have to have the dolly grip chase me with a block battery. Another F23 note, in order to do over 30fps in 4:4:4, the SRW-1 needs to have the HKSR103 board installed. They are rare, and cost more $$. You can still go over 30fps without the card, but only in 4:2:2. Because of availability, we are only getting 1, so we'll have to keep track of the off speed body, and what camera platform it's due up on next. Someone remind me to take a 35mm job on the next show :rolleyes: Thanks for all the input, Mark
  15. Hey Guys, Thanks for the great input. Charles: They did balk at an $800/day fiber system. Hopefully, the Rattlers are less $$, and I can get the DP on my side about on using them. Production is a bit green with digital, so it's an educational process. Doc: The Rattlers look very interesting. One question, do I need 2 rattlers if we are going dual link? We are using Panavision NY, so I'll check on Rattlers & price from them. Do you have a source for the fiber cables & jumper cable (if different)? Eric: Good heads up on the delay. Was 1 frame enough to cause problems? I have done jobs with a Sony HDC-950 which has similar delay for the 24fps card, and it was never an issue. Alec: I was under the assumption that it was the same power cable as Genesis. I'll let you know if I find different. On previous Genesis jobs, I always had them make 2 cables with L connectors at the camera body. They were 12v only, where the block battery cables are 12v/24v. I also have a D tap Y to Genesis cable just in case I have to run the 1 piece beast directly off 2 batteries from the bottom of the sled. Sorry we didn't get more time to hang out at NAB, I got food poisoning Tuesday morning which killed most of the day. Note to self, stay away from the breakfast buffet at the Hilton! Take care, Mark
  16. I'm prepping an 8 week feature next week, and I'm preparing for the same battle, only with the F23 and whether to fly 1 piece or 2. I have mounted a preemptive strike, informing the DIT (who is only on for the first week or 2) that we will be in 2 piece mode for all handheld & Steadicam. My next conversation is with Panavision. Both are leery about 2 piece, because people in the past have lost scenes because the wrong buttons were pushed. If we were shooting Arri, I wouldn't order a 535 for Steadicam, it would be an LT. If we were shooting 35mm Panavision, it wouldn't be the G2. If we are going digital, it won't be with an SRW-1 on board. I think as long as the DIT or Panavision don't get the UPM paranoid about splitting the camera, there should be no discussion needed, and I'll dictate the correct mode of the camera for the shot. If paranoia rears it's ugly head, then I will politely decline, and see what happens. Erwin, you'd think after 20 shows, they'd trust your judgement more. Anyway, nice meeting you at NAB. Best, Mark
  17. The feature I'm starting in June just committed to the F23. I have read all the postings from late last year, and I have shot with the Genesis. Are there any recent comments about the F23 I should know about? I am already hearing resistance from the DIT about shooting in 2 piece mode. He has heard of problems when splitting the camera, but all these were operator errors by not having the camera / VTR in the right mode for the shot. This show has a ton of handheld, and 16 days of Steadicam so far, with more adding every day. Production will not pay for fiber connections, and the one I saw at NAB isn't even available yet. I'm planning on running 2 piece for handheld and Steadicam, and 1 piece for everything else. For power, I like the back mounted battery for handheld, and I'll use a Y Pro to F23 power cable off my sled for Steadicam. I already have the 75 ohm lightweight BNC's I've used with Genesis. If anyone has some new information that is helpful, I'd appreciate it. Best regards, Mark
  18. I just finished a DP gig for Michelin tires where we used the Phantom to shoot rig shots in water. We achieved some very nice scenes where you can see droplets of rain coming off the tire around 450fps. We used a Hydroflex splashbag / compressed air rain deflector for a 435. It fits perfectly, except the viewfinder does not line up (which didn't matter for a rig). Don't try to use a spinning disc rain deflector with a high speed camera, you'll see the disc. We did have a hard time securing a CineMag. They are in short supply, so make sure you can get your hands on one before committing the that camera for Steadicam. There is a new docking station for the CineMag, and that is not yet available. The docking station will allow you to download one CineMag while you are shooting with another one. We shot all day on a single 500G CineMag, and didn't fill it up. One consideration is that to shoot a lower resolution, say 720P, the camera crops the sensor, which changes the aspect ratio. Basically, whatever resolution you shoot at, that is the height of your image. The Phantom crops the vertical resolution to your selected format, but maintains full horizontal resolution, creating weird aspect ratios. We stayed at 192) resolution which gave us a 16x9 aspect ratio. I'm not a fan of cropping sensors to change resolution outputs. Red camera does it as well, and you loose the 35mm characteristics if you want to record 2K to save data space. I prefer a downrezzed proxy of the total sensor resolution. I suppose Phantom and Red have to crop sensors to keep their cameras smaller and cheaper, not carrying the processing for the downrez. Another note, get fast lenses. We had Zeiss T2.1's and when the clouds rolled in, we were limited to our fps by exposure. I could have used another stop in my pocket with Super Speeds or Master Primes. We used Steve Ramano for a tech & Abel Cine Tech in NYC. Steve was flawless, and we had no issues the first time using the Phantom. Talk to post about their file preference and workflow. The CineMags record the proprietary Cine files, which have to be translated to a post friendly file (DPX, TIFF, etc...) Our post guys wanted TIFF files, which doubled the size of the files, and took a long time to convert from the Cine files. Frankly, at those speeds, I don't see much advantage in putting the Phantom on a Steadicam. In capturing 4 seconds in the camera's internal 16G memory, you won't really feel much movement. We had a car driving 40mph with a camera rigged to the side, and at 600fps, the ground was barely moving. Overall, it was a good experience using the Phantom, and the clients loved the footage. Mark Karavite
  19. Check out this website for a spirit level: http://www.mcmaster.com/ Look up "tubular levels" and they have all types and sizes with very nice mounting options. I keep a spirit level on the base of my sled. It allows me a quick reference to insure my digital level is true, and when I glance at terrain or looking for a step, it's in my peripheral vision while looking down. Once you have used a spirit level for a while, you'll probably find it better to have a video overlay. You simply don't have to stray from your monitor to reference your level. Add sensitivity and dampening capabilities of a digital level, and all the better. I certainly don't live by the digital level, but it's a useful reference. Mark
  20. Hey Luke, More important to the bank will be how much you work, instead of industry statistics. When I purchased my first rig, I showed the bank how many days a month I was already working, vs. how many days would pay for the monthly loan commitment. It worked out to about 1.5 days per month on a 3 year term. Also mention that owner / operators are the norm, so work will naturally increase once you own a rig. Since you are financing the package, go ahead and get everything you need. It will help your cash flow to finance a full package, instead of having to pull several thousand dollars out of your pocket for necessary items down the road. I see too many people saying, I'll buy that later, only to wish they had gotten it right away. Why shell out 100% instead of 30%. Shop a couple banks as well. Interest rates, length of term, etc... are different, and sometimes negotiable. I have financed 3 rigs with the same bank, but more than once I have beaten them up on the interest rate, because I showed them what the competition was offering. Good luck, Mark
  21. Dear David, My agent's Deal Memo states that production will provide me with footage for purposes of a demo reel, on a specific format. This avoids the later question of "who pays for the dubs?". With that said, on features or TV pilots, you are always waiting for the release before you are able to obtain footage. It's a catch 22, because after so long a wait, it's hard to chase down the footage. It's unethical and potentially career damaging to use a production's footage off of your Archos prior to them OK'ing the footage released to you. Your Director is probably restricted by her producers and investors, and couldn't give you the footage if she wanted to. Commercials are a great way to get new footage on your reel quickly, but you will need patience on feature work. Mark
  22. Hey Choeng, To answer your question about battery configuration for different cameras, all of your assumptions were correct, except for the combination on digital cameras. As they are mostly 12v, I use 3 Dionics in parallel. As I said, I have 6 Dionics and 6 Proformers. Since the Proformers are no longer made, the Trimpacs are a good option. 2 thoughts on the Trimpacs: make sure they fit on your rig, because they are wider than other batteries & I'd suggest spending the extra $ for the digital versions, which have a fuel gauge. As for chargers, Anton Bauer suggests you have a charger position for each battery you own. They claim that a battery should live on a charger when not working, which extends it's life (or maybe just sells more chargers). I believe living on a charger does extend battery life. I own a Quad 2702 charger with the DDM (discharge module), and 2 position Titan T2 for simultaneous quick charging on set. So my Proformers have a charger home, I recently purchased a used 2402 2 position charger and an XM-2004 4 position expansion module, so I now have 6 positions for my Proformers for a total of $300. The Proformer chargers stay at home, while I travel with the 2702 & T2. Although a lot of guys carry 9 Dionics, I have never run out of power with 6. With my charger setup, I can fully charge 3 batteries well before the 3 on my sled are cooked. Maybe that will change as they get older. I agree that Hytron 50's are fine for film work, but for the same weight, you can carry a lot more power with Dionics. The Dionics will cost you more, and wear out quicker, but I love not changing batteries until lunch time. It's worth it to me. I had the Hytron 120's, so I've been there. I feel the Hytron 120/140's are just too heavy at 5.5 lbs. I carry 270 watt hours with 3 Dionic 90's at 4.5 lbs. total. If you search, you can still find Proformers, but you have to buy them used and have them recelled. I had a hard time finding 6, so the Trimpacs are an easier route in that respect. Just make sure they fit you battery base. Everyone who has Powercubes loves them. If you are starting from scratch and have the $$, it's a good option. Besides Tiffen, I believe Steve Fracol is also a dealer for Powercubes. Good luck, Mark
  23. I am currently involved in my 1st claim in 20 years. The producer is balking about paying the repairs, even though I have a signed Deal Memo (same agent as Mike's with previously posted verbage) and a Cert. of Insurance. I pointed out the language in the contract which obligates the production company's responsibilities, and he still balked. I went over his head to the general manager of the company, and his first response was not positive. All I can say is that I am glad I have a proper Deal Memo signed. I have no doubt that the production company doesn't have a legal leg to stand on, and I will certainly sue them if they do not pay. For a couple grand, I don't think their lawyers will feel it is worth the battle. It amazes me that the producer is either that ignorant or sleezy that he thinks he can avoid paying for damages that are clearly part of the terms of a written contract. I never take a job without a signed Deal Memo & Cert. of Insurance prior to showing up. I have never needed it until now, and it's going to save me $2500. Think of what you could get burned for with a big claim. Mark
  24. Hey Cheong, You are thinking correctly when you consider the 435 when you select batteries. If you plan your battery package for a 435, it will run any other film camera. I would not rely on 2 Dionics to run a 435. Digital cameras have different power requirements, and these days, you have to plan for these power hungry cameras. I also fly a 3 battery system like Alec's. I own 6 Dionic 90's, and 6 Proformers. Since my Dionics are new, I can run a 435 easily to 48 fps on 3 Dionics. If I need to go above that, I add a Profomer. I fully expect that once my Dionics get some age on them, I will have to add a NiCad sooner, and maybe more of them. Having 3 Dionics on the sled is a great battery setup for digital cameras. Since Dionic 90's are common at rental houses, I always try to use the rental houses batteries on digital shoots. I think that you will find that Hytron 140's are not the ideal battery for either a 435 or digital cameras. NiCad is really required for 435, and LiIon is best for digital cameras. I know this from experience, because I had a combination of Hytron 120's and Proformers before. When I switched to Dionics / 3 battery setup, I not only dropped substantial weight, but I more than doubled the run time on a set of batteries. On a film shoot at 24 fps, I can usually go until lunch without changing batteries. With my old setup, I would have switched out 3 times by then. If you are starting from scratch, then you should look at the Tiffen Powercubes. They are a high draw LiIon battery that works well for both 435 and digital cameras. They only come in V mount, so that prohibits using most rental house batteries unless you use adapters, and they tend to cause vibration. One reason I didn't get the Powercubes is that I didn't want to switch out both my battery mounts and my chargers. If you run a search on this forum, Greg Bubb has done substantial testing that compares different battery chemistries. This info was very helpful when I selected batteries. Feel free to contact me directly if you have more questions. Best regards, Mark
  25. I work quite often in Chicago, and the local rumor I heard is that both fires were in fact started by LiIon blocks. Fletcher is switching all their blocks to Nickle Metal Hydride cells for this very reason. Has anyone heard of any problems with Panavisions's Genesis block batteries? I believe those are LiIon as well. In regards to storing Dionics 90s safely, aren't they supposed to live on a charger when not in use. Paul, maybe you can clarify the recommended storage for Dionic's when not in use. Has a Dionic 90 ever caused a fire? My equipment storage room is directly below my kid's rooms, so that's a concern. Building a fireproof storage setup is definitely on my mind. The questions is, do they have to be on chargers all the time? Thanks, Mark
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