Rigs on the way... Now for batteries!

[Michael Reedy]

Hey guys (and girls of course)

 

I've just shelled over a measly (in the steadicam field anyway) AUD$2500 on a Magiqcam IIA to get used to this awesome career, hobby, excercise activity or however you hold it dear to you. Sorry the point of my post is, now I am faced with choosing a battery option....

 

Instead of speanding $2500 again on a bunch of name brands, are there any bettery companies out there that offer an 'acceptable' performance for the entry level price bracket??? Not sure if it helps at all, but I will be powering an XL1 on this mini rig.

 

Thank for the help guys a pleasure as always,

[Mitch Gross]

What kind of battery mount does the rig have? This will be the limiting factor on your choices. If you can get an NP-1 mount then this is the cheapest, most common battery solution. You can look into companies like Swit, Switronix, and many others for NP-1 mount batteries. If it is Anton Bauer mount then you're limited to Anton Bauer, PAG or Frezzi. If you can stick your own battery mount on there, then consider going to the hardward store and picking up a DeWalt cordless drill battery and charger. You can rip apart a charger for the mount and it will still be very cheap.

[Michael Reedy]

wow! thanks for the quick reply Mithch. As for the mount it's as follows

Universal Battery Mount Plate Used to mount an external monitor battery pack so your guess is as good as mine there.

 

I never even though of things such as the old cordless drill, thanks for the heads up :)

 

I'll be looking into the NP-1 side of things first (then no doubt off to the Bunnings/Menards or equivalant hardware store with my piggy bank)

 

Stay cool,

[Michael Reedy]

Okay, after a little research towards NP-1 batteries i've come up with another question or two (hey this IS the newbie section :D )

Question 1, do i absolutely have to get a 12V battery or is a 13.2V or 14.4V also suitable, is there a recommened brand/model number?

 

And the second question is in regards to the mount, most of the ones i've come across so far seem to be for the back of the broadcast cameras.

Is there a particular recommended mount to offset the XL1 and similar sized cam's, would a single or dual be more advantageous?

 

Thanks again much appreciated,

[Mitch Gross]

You can use the higher voltage batteies no problem, but understand that the XL-1 is a 7.2v camera so you will need a voltage converter of some sort to deal with this. A simple thing but make sure you know what you're doing or you could fry your toys. There are many brands of battery makers out there, especially in the NP-1 market. Check out the Frezzi website for lots of fun toys. I also like the products of a relatively new company, Switronix. The idea behind a dual battery box is to run the bricks in parallel for longer run times. It's probably not that important for your application.

 

The reasons for batteries on a stabilizer sled is twofold. One to power the monitor and any other accessories (possibly but not necessarilly the camera) and two to provide counterbalance on the lower stage in the rear. This creates the magic triangle of balance between the camera on top, the monitor on the front of the lower stage and the battery on the back. I'm not familiar with the stabilizer you've purchased, but I think you could simply power the XL-1 off its own battery and use the NP-1 to power the sled's monitor.

[Michael Reedy]

Okay back again, after a 70+ hour week <_<

I'm getting much closer to a solution for batteries. Any opinions on these would be great...

 

Batteries: cheaper cells and quality no doubt, just means I can buy more of them :D

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...me=STRK:MEWA:IT

 

 

Mount: I know it's for the back of a camera but is this close to what is being used on rigs?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...mMakeTrack=true

 

 

Monitor:I can't really afford the top line models here so budget will have to do. My question with the monitor is 400 nits bright enough?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...me=STRK:MEWA:IT

 

I know I can't get everything for the cheapest price and expect it to work like pro gear, but would this be a suitable setup to get started with?

 

Thank you again for the any feedback...

 

michael.

[Mitch Gross]

The batteries are okay, but understand that they are not particularly powerful. Those are only about 40w bricks, so you will need to get a few because they'll only last just so long before needing a recharge. And speaking of that--you'll need to buy a charger as well. These will run you several hundred dollars. A number of manufacturers offer package kits of a couple of batteires and a basic charger for less than the cost of buying them individually. I know Switronix and Frezzi do this, and I believe IDX and others offer this as well.

 

The battery box is okay, just make sure you can mount it properly to your sled. I'd suggest waiting until you have the sled in hand before ordering anything. Doesmn't the manufacturer provide or at least suggest anything? I've never heard of a stabilizer that doesn't come with a battery mount already, if not the batteries themselves. It's like buying half a piece of equipment.

 

That monitor isn't very good for off-axis viewing (looking at it from an angle), which is something you'll need to do constantly. The 400 NITS rating isn't actually that bad, but for the best value in this type of monitor, look into the Panasonic 7" LCD. I can't recall the model number but it's very popular in pro video applications such as this and generally sells for under $500US. A worthy investment.

 

There are great industrial video stores that sell this stuff and can help you pick out what's best for you. In the US there's B&H Photo in NYC and Samy's in LA, and plenty of other outlets as well. Perhaps you can ask around to find out what the equivalent would be in Australia.