Blackmagic Forum

I know that Switronix is the best battery solution for BMCC but the price is overkill for me. Is there any affordable battery solution that would be compatible with BMCC?

Thanks
Rudy

rudysatria wrote:I know that Switronix is the best battery solution for BMCC but the price is overkill for me. Is there any affordable battery solution that would be compatible with BMCC? Thanks, Rudy

This is an example of an inexpensive battery solution for the BMCC from a reputable vendor. Perhaps it (or something similar) is available in your part of the world? (Note: B&H ships internationally, too):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/9 ... _auto.html

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Thank for the feedback Peter. It's hard to find those recommended products in my local store and If its available, the price would be a double. Is there any spefic standard electronic specs? so i can do my research here to find different product with the same spec that suppose to works fine with my BMCC ?

I also found in the internet, its like a portable power bank and it says works fine on bmcc:
http://www.hotrodcameras.com/cameras/bl ... treme.html

rudysatria wrote:Thank for the feedback Peter. It's hard to find those recommended products in my local store and If its available, the price would be a double. Is there any spefic standard electronic specs? so i can do my research here to find different product with the same spec that suppose to works fine with my BMCC ?

I also found in the internet, its like a portable power bank and it says works fine on bmcc:
http://www.hotrodcameras.com/cameras/bl ... treme.html

If Hot Rod Cameras says something is compatible with a BMCC, then chances are it's absolutely 100% compatible. HRC is one of the most reliable & knowledgable equipment dealers & manufacturers in the business.

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rudysatria wrote:
I also found in the internet, its like a portable power bank and it says works fine on bmcc:
http://www.hotrodcameras.com/cameras/bl ... treme.html

Quite pricey as this is the "Anker Astro3", which is sold for $ 50,- on amazon (amazon.com/Anker-10000mAh-Portable-Thunderbolt-Incredible/dp/B005NGKR54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369940251&sr=8-1&keywords=anker+astro3) - you can search the forum here and find users reporting their experience with it. My first one stopped charging after 3 days of light use, now I got another one but had no nice weather to test it.

So I myself wouldn't rely on a thing like that in crucial situations.

There's a difference between "compatible" and "reliable".

Chances are a battery that costs only $80 will be less reliable than one that costs significantly more.

But only sometimes.

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Try searching for Dynacore batteries on Ebay. I have some of those, but they still might be expensive (depending on what you think is expensive.)

I just bought the Anker battery and got it a few days ago. I'm going to use it this saturday and see how long it lasts. If you are going to get it, get it from amazon, it's only 50 bucks there.

PaulDelVecchio wrote:Try searching for Dynacore batteries on Ebay. I have some of those, but they still might be expensive (depending on what you think is expensive.)

My local retailer also offers Dynacore Battery but still almost a double price.

Jason Dunphy wrote:I just bought the Anker battery and got it a few days ago. I'm going to use it this saturday and see how long it lasts. If you are going to get it, get it from amazon, it's only 50 bucks there.

Thats what im looking for. Buying from amazon really take a long time shipping to my country. I hope i find a dealer here that sell Anker Battery. Thanks for your info and please keep update.

I read on manual book, it says we can charge the camera using power source with USB connection (will take long time charging). The question is, can i rely on a giant capacity powerbank with USB connection? what do you guys think?

gmf wrote:
Quite pricey as this is the "Anker Astro3", which is sold for $ 50,- on amazon (amazon.com/Anker-10000mAh-Portable-Thunderbolt-Incredible/dp/B005NGKR54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369940251&sr=8-1&keywords=anker+astro3) - you can search the forum here and find users reporting their experience with it. My first one stopped charging after 3 days of light use, now I got another one but had no nice weather to test it.

So I myself wouldn't rely on a thing like that in crucial situations.

are you still using that Anker for you battery solution? I mean if its run well, im pretty interested to try it out.

rudysatria wrote:are you still using that Anker for you battery solution? I mean if its run well, im pretty interested to try it out.

Had no chance yet to try my second copy of it, see here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8306&p=54922#p54922

Hey guys,

had a chance to use the battery this week, I would say it doubled my battery, maybe a little longer. I was out in DC and it was really hot. I actually charged my camera moving to a different location. It used about half of the Anker to charge the camera. My camera was on 25% before, so it wasn't on 10 yet, though we obviously don't know as that's not very accurate.

I would say it a good interm solution while you save up for something made specifically for the BMC

Thanks Jason,

guess you'reright, this is nothing more than an interim-solution, I did a few test shots with the Anker attached and it went down to 25% quite fast.

I'll get the BESCOR BM-LION now (http://www.bescor.com/BMLION.htm).

I use this battery, it's decent price, and it holds up well! I had a shoot all weekend and I would power a light and the camera on and off throughout the day and it lasts a while for how small it is! adds about 2.5-3 hours to BMCC

http://www.paulcbuff.com/vm120.php

gmf wrote:Thanks Jason,

guess you'reright, this is nothing more than an interim-solution, I did a few test shots with the Anker attached and it went down to 25% quite fast.

I'll get the BESCOR BM-LION now (http://www.bescor.com/BMLION.htm).

Yeah, I was looking to get that one as well. My Anker doesn't go down to 25% that quickly, though it goes from 100% to 75% pretty quick. Obviously they are circles and aren't accurate, but when I was moving to another location, I hooked it up to my camera to charge on the way. It went from 100 to 75 pretty quick but it charged the camera by the time I got there and it still had 50, so it said. And of course my camera said 100 but who knows if that was accurate

dallascurrie wrote:I use this battery, it's decent price, and it holds up well! I had a shoot all weekend and I would power a light and the camera on and off throughout the day and it lasts a while for how small it is! adds about 2.5-3 hours to BMCC

http://www.paulcbuff.com/vm120.php

That seems to be pretty good. For that price, I think I'd get the Bescor, and I can clip it to my belt, but if you were going to power more than one thing and didn't need to get handheld all over the place, another good solution.

This might not be the best solution but it is really cheap.

the camera will accept a wide range of voltages from 12-30 or so. the power plug is a common plug that you can buy at radioshack or pull off of an external hard drive or any other electronic device that matches.

I got a 12v 9ah lead acid battery for about $40 and an old UPS from State surplus for $5. I use the UPS to charge the battery then I pop it in a fanny pack and plug it into the camera using a custom cable. Just be careful to get the polarity correct and put a fuse close to the battery to prevent a melt down. I can also use this battery to power my phantom power adapter for my mic. this should run the camera for several hours.

You can also run the camera off a car battery or through a cigarette lighter although I haven't tried this yet.

Probably would not be a good solution if you are working as a camera person but if you are a filmmaker like me, it doesn't matter how ugly it is as long as it works.

I use couple of these Switronix XPL-90S V-Type trough out the day,just from a dtap. Not 50$ but "capacity/price" ratio is better then powerbase70 and they are way lighter then acid ones.
each brick runs camera for 4hr i think.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/3 ... thium.html

Also more practical as i can clip it on v-mount on the rails whenever i need to.
Heres one i use, never seen it mentioned here, maybe someone s interested
http://www.amazon.com/Fotga-DP500-Batte ... mountpower

I just got myself two big batteries 12v and 20 amps.
Cost about 49€. (about 64 US dollars)

Size is about two V plate batteries side by side.

It is sealed battery so you could put it in your back pack and carry.

It weights about 5 kilos

For relatively static long stuff perfect. Specially for really long time-lapse etc.
For long hand held stuff also if you do not need a rig and need extended power.

I just have to come up with charger cable that i'm happy.
Should be relatively simple.

Will post some pictures if i get my cable made.

Not sure how well it would work for the BMCC but I've been delighted with the use of my Tekkeon 3450 with my Shuttle 2. Running out of power becomes a non-issue.

I think Bescor BM Epic would be the best deal for an inexpensive power solution. Bescor is quite known as a reputable dealer and specifically made that product for bmcc. It may not look great as your external battery but it keeps the essential function. Ikan Corps also released their new product that will help the power solution. But i think i would go for Bescor BM Epic.

You could go for the XP8000 by energizer (or the XP18000).
they go for 100$ and 150$
the specs are very good.

for the XP8000
Battery Cell: Lithium Polymer
Power Capacity: 8000 mAh
Rated Input: DC 19V, Max 3500 mA
Rated Output:
DC 5V, 1000 mA
DC 12V, 3000mA
DC 19V, 2000mA
Recharge Time: ~4 Hrs
Weight: 0.5 lbs / 0.22 kg
Dimensions: 4.3(L) x 2.9(W) x 0.9(H) inches
11(L) x 7.3(W) x 2.3(H) cm

krikorola wrote:You could go for the XP8000 by energizer (or the XP18000).
they go for 100$ and 150$
the specs are very good.

for the XP8000
Battery Cell: Lithium Polymer
Power Capacity: 8000 mAh
Rated Input: DC 19V, Max 3500 mA
Rated Output:
DC 5V, 1000 mA
DC 12V, 3000mA
DC 19V, 2000mA
Recharge Time: ~4 Hrs
Weight: 0.5 lbs / 0.22 kg
Dimensions: 4.3(L) x 2.9(W) x 0.9(H) inches
11(L) x 7.3(W) x 2.3(H) cm

wow this is great solution for the price! but have u tried it on your bmcc?

rudysatria wrote:wow this is great solution for the price! but have u tried it on your bmcc?

We are gonna try it this week!
i will report.
but i know the guys at REWO germany are using this, they even included a space for it in their Rig so...

krikorola wrote:
We are gonna try it this week!
i will report.
but i know the guys at REWO germany are using this, they even included a space for it in their Rig so...

Can't wait! i hope it will work fine on bmcc!

rudysatria wrote:I know that Switronix is the best battery solution for BMCC but the price is overkill for me. Is there any affordable battery solution that would be compatible with BMCC?

Thanks
Rudy

I have nothing to do with the sellers in this message but they had the lowest price a couple of days ago when I was helping a friend to look for v-mounts. Do a search before you buy as prices change often on Ebay.

Best solution by far is to go v-mount or anton/bauer as you then can power everything from the same battery and if you need extra batteries for a day or two they are available to rent almost everywhere on the planet. You can also use them on other cameras should you rent one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250987108105
This kit gives you an adapter and charger in one and one battery that will power your BMCC more than half a day. Buy more batteries and extra charger if you need and can afford but the kit is a good start. I think you need a cable as well and this one would do http://www.ebay.com/itm/251294865357 and remember at $10 it´s good to have a spare in your camera bag.

Buying something other might be cheaper but it´s usually better to go with industry standard stuff that can be resold, recelled and rented.

Any news/tests/experience on the energizer xp8000/xp18000 Solution?

fuhrmann wrote:Any news/tests/experience on the energizer xp8000/xp18000 Solution?

not yet, she will test it on monday and tuesday. i will report then!
but from the first quick test it seems to work perfectly.
honestly i don't see why it would be any less reliable than the expensive "video" one.
i talked to some battery shop in paris, they didn't know the product but were pretty impressed by the size, connections and specs.
what they could offer best was a home made battery 24AH, made on demand for something like 400€. otherwise for the same spec it was double the price.

Here is my "cheap" solution.

Got batteries for 49€ (about 63 dollars).

I will use one in my back pack for hand held stuff.

It is 12 volts and 20 amps so it should run with camera in hand held mode some 8 hours.

I was initially planning this setup for loooong time lapses.

Those can be charged with regular car battery charger.

I was a bit in a hurry when covering battery terminals with silicone but you get the idea.

Not a compact one but a powerful solution.
i think you can get some that are a bit smaller and lithium but there are a bit more expensive.
we went for the XP8000 cause they are very small and decent AH, my wife who is the one using the camera is not so strong, some more weight was not so welcome...

Margus Voll wrote:Here is my "cheap" solution.

Got batteries for 49€ (about 63 dollars).

I will use one in my back pack for hand held stuff.

It is 12 volts and 20 amps so it should run with camera in hand held mode some 8 hours.

I was initially planning this setup for loooong time lapses.

Those can be charged with regular car battery charger.

I was a bit in a hurry when covering battery terminals with silicone but you get the idea.

aku1.jpg

fuhrmann wrote:Any news/tests/experience on the energizer xp8000/xp18000 Solution?

Just tested energizer xp8000 today!

The xp8000 only work about 1,5 hour on standby and record mode.
And the internal battery went 100%.
In my opinion this can be a cheap solution but im not going to rely my external power source on this product.

Cheers

rudysatria wrote:

fuhrmann wrote:Any news/tests/experience on the energizer xp8000/xp18000 Solution?

Just tested energizer xp8000 today!

The xp8000 only work about 1,5 hour on standby and record mode.
And the internathe l battery went 100%.
In my opinion this can be a cheap solution but im not going to rely my external power source on this product.

Cheers

Di you use 19v or the 12v output? the 12V should give more AH

krikorola wrote:
Di you use 19v or the 12v output? the 12V should give more AH

I used 19V output. Have u tried 12V output? I dont think it will make a huge difference but i'll try once more on the 12V output soon.

rudysatria wrote:

krikorola wrote:
Di you use 19v or the 12v output? the 12V should give more AH

I used 19V output. Have u tried 12V output? I dont think it will make a huge difference but i'll try once more on the 12V output soon.

you will need to make a cable, it doesn't come with the one needed for that.

I just tested this little battery: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360507624892

You have to solder a new cable (the provided one has is 5.5 x 2.1mm, you need 5.5 x 2.5mm on the BMCC), yet polarity and all already fits.
Powers the BMCC around 2 hours and 40 minutes (w/o touching internal battery of course), which I think is really fair regarding the price. Weights around 250g, so not heavy and really portable too.

krikorola wrote:
you will need to make a cable, it doesn't come with the one needed for that.

what do you mean by make a cable? there's already a cable for 12V output right? the green one.

CameraRick wrote:I just tested this little battery: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360507624892

You have to solder a new cable (the provided one has is 5.5 x 2.1mm, you need 5.5 x 2.5mm on the BMCC), yet polarity and all already fits.
Powers the BMCC around 2 hours and 40 minutes (w/o touching internal battery of course), which I think is really fair regarding the price. Weights around 250g, so not heavy and really portable too.

what company is this? I can't access this ebay listing from france

rudysatria wrote:

krikorola wrote:
you will need to make a cable, it doesn't come with the one needed for that.

what do you mean by make a cable? there's already a cable for 12V output right? the green one.

but it doesn't fit the BMCC, at least the pack i have is like that.

CameraRick wrote:I just tested this little battery: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360507624892

You have to solder a new cable (the provided one has is 5.5 x 2.1mm, you need 5.5 x 2.5mm on the BMCC), yet polarity and all already fits.
Powers the BMCC around 2 hours and 40 minutes (w/o touching internal battery of course), which I think is really fair regarding the price. Weights around 250g, so not heavy and really portable too.

Sounds good but not really promising for a long term durability i think. But it could be another cheap solution anyway

krikorola wrote:
but it doesn't fit the BMCC, at least the pack i have is like that.

You're right. Just tested and it doesnt fit at all. So should i cut and join with the 19v cable? have u tried it? how long it will work on your bmcc?

rudysatria wrote:

krikorola wrote:
but it doesn't fit the BMCC, at least the pack i have is like that.

You're right. Just tested and it doesnt fit at all. So should i cut and join with the 19v cable? have u tried it? how long it will work on your bmcc?

i haven't tried yet, i will get back to you
donc cut the cable it's better to make one from scratch, this way you can make it the right length. Parts are nothing, it should cost 2$ to make it. tip is positive on the BMCC and on the battery.

krikorola wrote:

CameraRick wrote:I just tested this little battery: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360507624892

You have to solder a new cable (the provided one has is 5.5 x 2.1mm, you need 5.5 x 2.5mm on the BMCC), yet polarity and all already fits.
Powers the BMCC around 2 hours and 40 minutes (w/o touching internal battery of course), which I think is really fair regarding the price. Weights around 250g, so not heavy and really portable too.

what company is this? I can't access this ebay listing from france

Heard that problem with france before, no idea what's wrong there. It's a generic one from far east, but works good. Has 5V, 9V and 12V outputs, and a switch; outputs can be used simultaniously.

Krikorola,

I just tested using 9-12v output with a custom cable. Just like what i thought, it gave me 1,5 hours. could be less or more it depends on how much your internal battery life. Make sure it a 100% or it will drain your energizer faster.

But i will use it for my upcoming project while waiting for my professional one. Having 3 or 4 pieces of xp8000 could safe your production the whole day.

cheers,

I have tried the IKAN NP-F battery adapter for Sony 7.4v NP-F970 batteries, and the Dolgin plate for the Sony BP-V30 batteries. On previous posts I read that these plates worked with the BMCC, they don't work with mine. Am I doing something wrong ?

ehamlin wrote:On previous posts I read that these plates worked with the BMCC, they don't work with mine.

I think you misread. On previous posts I already uttered doubt that a 7.2V battery could be used to power the BMCC. Someone thought it might work, because some other 12V rated device could be powered by sony batteries, but that holds no arguments value.

Not sure if anyone can help me out, but I'm looking for a good battery distribution system that can send power to both my camera, and a Zoom H6 (put my pre-order in for one). I'll be doing ALOT of work run and gun so a backpack with several batteries and a homebase with dead ones charging isn't a problem at all, I just need something that can distribute power easily. Any thoughts and ideas?

Distribution is a question of cables just. Really depends what is your devices powered on in sense of voltage.

Justindfox wrote:Not sure if anyone can help me out, but I'm looking for a good battery distribution system that can send power to both my camera, and a Zoom H6 (put my pre-order in for one). I'll be doing ALOT of work run and gun so a backpack with several batteries and a homebase with dead ones charging isn't a problem at all, I just need something that can distribute power easily. Any thoughts and ideas?

Do a search online for the Lanparte battery pinch. Many people here use it and recommend it.