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HDX900 Batteries
Good Morning,
We recently purchased a Panasonic HDX900. We have quite a few IDX Litium Ion NP-L50S batteries (14.4V/50Wh). We purcased a NP battery box for the HDX-900 thinking we could use these batteries with the camera. While these batteries work with the camera, the run time is really short – 15 to 20 minutes. These same batteries run for an hour or more with our Sony Betacams. Also, I’ve experimented with the battery setting menu in the HDX900 quite a bit, but can’t seem to get the camera’s battery meter to give an accurate reading of the battery status.
I have some IDX Litium Ion Endura 10s batteries, and am thinking of getting the appropriate mount and trying those on the camera.Does anyone have any experience with or insight on this issue.
Thanks,
Bruce
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9 Replies
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Bruce,
The present generation of HD cameras are power hogs; this has to do with all the additional processing that goes on inside the camera to encode the audio and video for recording. In addition it’s quite common to ladden the cameras with on-board color monitors, zoom controls, radio mikes, etc. I recommend using the highest rated batteries available, namely the AB Hytron 140’s and Dionic 160’s. I’m sure other manufacturers supply batteries this big too. The same applies to the AC power supplies; the ones we used for the Betacam (usually 35 watts) are not sufficient for a fully loaded HD camera, sorry! J-Lab showed a really strong on board AC supply at the l;ast NAB, and I’ve been using a prototype for more than a year. It’s 150 watts and runs cool because of some serious industrial strength heat sinks. I’ve seen several of the AB 75 watt units smoke, so just a word to the wise!
JS
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I have been using this:
https://www.globalmediapro.com/do/product/1806 -
I am on a job right now with a Varicam and and HDX900. We use bartech focus and iris, aja downconverter, modulus transmitter, etc., so pretty battery harsh. We have 4 AB hytron 120s, 6 AB Propack 14s, 4 proformers, 2 12v block batts, and 4 Chinese Lions (cells made in Japan) that cost about $120 a piece.
Obviously the Hytrons run the longest, but they take forever to charge. The Ni-cads (Propacks and Proformers) can deliver the most amps, and they recharge really quikly. The chinese batts (we just call them chinese batteries, they are literally no name brand) kick ass. The complicated charging circutry is built in to the battery, so their chargers can be dumb. If there is a short they shut down and then reset when they are removed, from the offending equipment. They charge fast, don’t act weird like the ABs do some times (reading full and then crashing with no warning, having plenty of volts but no amps etc.), and are so cheap they are practically disposable.
Out of all of these batteries where we go thru at least 10 per day every day for the past 3 months, I have to say that the cheap lions win hands down, bang for the buck. The Nicads are most practical if you need to draw big current, and are cheaper than the Hytrons. The Hytrons are great if you want longer run times, but the difference is negligable if you are pulling big loads.
Hope that helps,
Nick
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Lots of good input here.
Thanks!
Bruce
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Where are you buying the Chinese batteries at for $120 each ? At that price I’d be willing to give them a shot.
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Hi,
I get the chinese batts from
https://stores.ebay.com/All-Battery-Inc
I got one that had a bad led display, and I sent it back. They sent me a new one right away, so customer service is better than it should be for such low money. I have a Swit charger and a varizoom charger, both of which are pretty cheap ( I seem to remember around 3-400 bucks). I use these batteries primarily for hand held (powreing the Varicam), the aks battery on my steadicam (powering the monitor, modulus, downconverter, and Follow focus), and as general purpose batts to run monitors, recievers, whatever.
As I said, I use them on the Varicam hand held, which means that they are powering the camera, downconverter,modulus and Bartech, and they seem to last a goodly while. My ACs switch them out for bigger batts when we go to dolly or sticks.
I have the smaller capacity batts, but when I get back to the world I plan on ordering 4 of the bigger $160 batts.
Hope that helps,
Nick
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Bruce,
Call Ray Palmer
602-809-1471 cell.Ray Palmer, Engineer
Salt River Project
Phoenix, AZ
602-236-8224 office
There are three types of people in this world, those that can count and those that can’t. -
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we bought a bunch of IDX batteries – they have died faster than any other battery in our stock. Some died before the year ran out. Dreadful. Will never buy IDX again. the sony v-mounts on the other hand, have been brilliant.
the china batteries are definitely value for money from our perspective. we shoot quite a bit in china and the whole country is using them. however, i have been told by insiders that it boils down to the quality of the battery cell inside…
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