Blackmagic Forum

Hi All!

I have a BM Pocket Cinema 4K, and while I love it, I do not love the battery situation, as it drains super quickly on shoots. Does anyone have any tips on a light weight battery mount ( if this exists ) that can be used along with a Ronin S Gimbal, or A Zhyiun Weebil?

I have a V Mount Charger that's great with a tripod, but it is too heavy for the gimbal... and along this line, am looking for a dummy battery extension cable if anyone knows where to get one.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Alexis

One idea is to get a handle bar like this one from small rig.

https://www.smallrig.com/smallrig-dual- ... -2250.html

Then mount a V-mount plate with clamp on it. Run a D-tap to BMPCC 4K power cable like this one from ANDYCINE to power the camera. Stay away from using a dummy battery extension.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... gJZrvD_BwE

You can use other cable like if you prefer straight rather than coiled.

This way you do not add any battery weight to the gimbal head itself.

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely be looking into these options..
I also just found this:
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Junkie-NP- ... B07NF14XW4
Wondering if anyone has used it....

Alexis

I just use a strap around the shoulders to hold the V-Mount plate fixed on a cheese plate. That way, this extra weight is transfered to the shoulders, not the arms, letting the camera run longer on juice and arms too on less weight. Simple, cheap and effective.




I also have a handle that I can attach to the gimbal and then attach this same plate but me and my guys tend to preffer the above method.

Have you thought about just using the Ronin's battery? I got the cable that connects to the camera and a spare battery. So far I'm very pleased with this setup. But I don't generally have a 12 hour day with the Ronin. For me it's more a B cam. I get about 2 to 2 1/2 hours before the first battery looks low, then I swap it out.

MArshall-
I like the idea of using the Ronin battery, but I can't seem to figure out how to make it work as a power source with the BM... I think I may be missing some connective cable... but I'll look into this for sure!

Ulysses-
I'll take a look at your set up- The strap may be a great way to connect the V mount....do you know about extending the Dummy battery chord? my cable for that is so short, I would not be able to connect it past 1 or 2 inches. What cable do you connect with?

Thanks SO much for your replies!
Alexis

alexiskarlfilms wrote:MArshall-
I like the idea of using the Ronin battery, but I can't seem to figure out how to make it work as a power source with the BM... I think I may be missing some connective cable... but I'll look into this for sure!

Ulysses-
I'll take a look at your set up- The strap may be a great way to connect the V mount....do you know about extending the Dummy battery chord? my cable for that is so short, I would not be able to connect it past 1 or 2 inches. What cable do you connect with?

Thanks SO much for your replies!
Alexis

Im using a standard power cord, D-Tap on battery side and camera conector on the other. But they should have something between 2 and 3 feet long. Just long enough to go from my belt height, where battery use to sit, to the camera when the Ronin is in position. Longer cables tend do help make a mess so in this case I use velcro to help organise.

One of our first iterations for power solutions on a Ronin S. Then we moved to the shoulder strap solution. Much more confortable to use.

Spiraled cable, put battery in belt, better position for that weight, avoid shoulder untile you use battery like counter weight


Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

Marshall Harrington wrote:Have you thought about just using the Ronin's battery? I got the cable that connects to the camera and a spare battery. So far I'm very pleased with this setup. But I don't generally have a 12 hour day with the Ronin. For me it's more a B cam. I get about 2 to 2 1/2 hours before the first battery looks low, then I swap it out.

That's a very good suggestion. Hello Marshall. Long time no speak. When the pandemic settles, let's catch up and get some Ramen downtown. Hope you're well and safe.

Ok, great, and thank you for the photo too- easier to see the set up!

I'll keep you all posted on what ends up happening for me on this battery journey

Alexis

carlomacchiavello wrote:Spiraled cable, put battery in belt, better position for that weight, avoid shoulder untile you use battery like counter weight


Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

Carlo, I also tried some belt attachments but for me its the worse solution. Pants were falling down all the time and it was a hassle to change the camera operator. With the other 2 options I mentioned, you just need to hand it over instantly. And the weight of a V-mount battery on your shoulders... come on. Its nothing. But in your arms as my photo above, its a big deal.

I use DJI Ronin-S with a small powerbank as a counter-weight.

You can continuously record for about 2hours with 10,000ahm USB PD support powerbank.

Carlo,

Thanks for the info and pic! Do you use a dummy battery for that set up?

I ended up getting the power junkie battery charger- which with a 1/4 nipple screw attaches to the top of the cage-less camera body, and then the battery fits tightly on there...Seemed to work pretty well without adding a ton of weight though, Im not sure how much more battery time I got with that and the gimbal.
I'll check out your set up too-!

Thanks again

Hey everyone!

It's been a while since I've been on here, and I hope you are all safe and well.

I just wanted to give you an update regarding batteries and the BMPCC 4K
I bought 2 JUICEBOX batteries, and it's solved all of my filming on a gimbal problems.

The battery comes with a small mount that fixes to the gimbal ( So far I used it on my Weebil S but I can use it on My Ronin S with a Spider ) or a camera cage of course. I like it on the gimbal, as it's a little over a pound, and for the light Weebil, it gives it a little more weight . I connect the battery with my own DC cable directly to the camera.

I shot in 4K for about 3 hours on a hot beach and was still at 30% . For me, having two of these is best, as you can just swap out super easily. If you want turbo charged battery situation, I suggest getting a Jackerey 300 or 500 generator ( the size of a lunch box) .. to re charge on set.

I'll link both here:
https://www.amazon.com/Juicebox-Battery ... B073BMTFFJ

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable ... s9dHJ1ZQ==


Hope this helps those who are still having battery problems ...
Alexis