How many batteries will we need.

[Finner]

I tried a search but was not able to find any solid information for this question. If a person goes with the red battery system I am pretty sure the charger gives a sequential charge and not a simultaneous one. Here are numbers I though I heard in the past but am not 100% sure.

1-Battery will last approximately 1 hour.
2-Charger gives a sequential charge.
3-Charging 1 battery takes just over 3 hours.


I am unsure about the statements I made above but they seem to be what I remember being mentioned. If the statements are fact I see some problems because to keep up with battery power on a full day of shooting you would need 4 chargers and many many batteries. I would see a simultaneous quad charger being the best answer if this is the case. Anyone that could clear up any of my misinformation would be very helpful. Also a full explanation by a RED employee on the amount of batteries and chargers needed to run a camera non-stop on set for a 12 or more hour day would be very helpful.

Thanks

[Sam Druckerman]

I think the Red batteries are rated for two hours....

[Hans von Sonntag]

Good question Finner.

For 12 hour HDCAM shooting day I need 6 batteries (IDX) and a 4 channel simultaneous charger. If RED has approx. the same power consumption one charger and two batteries won't do the job.

Hans

[Sanjin Jukic]

Waiting for the official answer from the RED Team...

[Priyesh P.]

I´ve also heard that one battery will run a red+vf and lcd for two hours.

[Clayton Harper]

I was thinking of getting 3 batteries but now maybe I want two powerpacks (2 chargers, 4 batts). :sad:

I hope to hell we will be able to buy additional gear once we get our cameras and not wait until all the res holders get their cameras.

[Joe Aurili]

It would make sense to be able to order multiple batteries, drives, and chargers when the camera is ready. LCD, viewfinder, cage and such, maybe not...


I was thinking of getting 3 batteries but now maybe I want two powerpacks (2 chargers, 4 batts). :sad:

I hope to hell we will be able to buy additional gear once we get our cameras and not wait until all the res holders get their cameras.

[Michael Hastings]

Doesn't the RED battery mount take other V mount batteries? Isn't it standard so you could use batteries and chargers from IDX, Sony and others?



Good question Finner.

For 12 hour HDCAM shooting day I need 6 batteries (IDX) and a 4 channel simultaneous charger. If RED has approx. the same power consumption one charger and two batteries won't do the job.

Hans

[johannperry]

If we could find out how many watts the camera draws with the viewfinder too, then we would be closer to an answer on the battery life. If I'm not mistaken the battery life is 140 ah but when I questioned the camera's power consumption with my order I didn't get a response. Been pretty busy lately so may have missed this info from the forum. I've ordered 4 batts and one charger for now but I was concerned that this may not get me through a 12, 14, 16 hour day (and I've been doing no shotage of those recently).

[Greg Voevodsky]

How much more power the hard drives take v.s. Red Flash?
Lcd vs Viewfinder?

Can you charge a battery off of a car battery or cigarette lighter for us guys on the run and drive? Do they make adapters or is there too much power being sucked out?

[Matthew Rogers]

If we could find out how many watts the camera draws with the viewfinder too, then we would be closer to an answer on the battery life. If I'm not mistaken the battery life is 140 ah but when I questioned the camera's power consumption with my order I didn't get a response. Been pretty busy lately so may have missed this info from the forum. I've ordered 4 batts and one charger for now but I was concerned that this may not get me through a 12, 14, 16 hour day (and I've been doing no shotage of those recently).

Yes, the battery is 140 watts. It seems like somewhere there was said that the camera + VF + Red drive should draw 50-70 watts. So it it only draws 50 watts, then you've got almost 3 hours, 2 hours at 70 watts.

Man, I'd like to work the occasional 12 to 16 hour day--the overtime would be very welcomed!

I just bought a battery4broadcast 150 watt battery today. Will let you all know how well it works over the next few months (and yes, I know, it won't look as nice as the red battery, but it's almost $100 cheaper!)

Matthew

[Anders Holck]

Stuart mentioned we should expect about 2 hours on a 140wh brick.
So if that is still true, a power consumption of about 70 w shouldn't be way off for the camera system.

Actual run time will of cause depend on exactly what components you feed from the brick. The data processing seems to be the big spender here...but VF, LCD, Reddrive etc. are variables.

Be aware that all Li-ions have a max. current draw where it will shut off. Usually it is in the 60-100w range.
So you can't just continue to add extra components with diminished runtime.

[Mike the beginner]

I am pretty sure it was stated somewhere that with the red flash used we could expect three hours. That is why i figured two red batteries and perhaps a couple of specially made batteries for use in underwater housings to step in as emergency use when required would sufice my needs.

Also if pre-record available then just having the camera switched on uses the absolute minimum power if combined with red flash.

In effect if you were wildlife shooting and waiting for something to happen perhaps we could get even longer times out of just one battery.

Mike the beginner

[Christian Berg]

macville, where did you buy your battery 100$ cheaper? Would like to know, looking for cheap batteries...
/Christian

[Ralph Oshiro]

According to what I was told at NAB, the RED 140Wh battery should run RED in its current design for about two hours. I think I was also told that the RED bricks powered the "Crossing the Line" cameras for about 2.5 hours each (I could have this wrong). The nominal current draw for the camera was rated at 70 Watts, which I assume meant, RED + LCD + HDD (since the EVF may have been unavailable for shooting CTL, I'm assuming). The RED 140Wh batteries are one of the highest capacity Li-ions on the market at an extremely competitive price. They're priced much more reasonably than, say, the $950 Anton Bauer Dionic 160Wh bricks. That's a mere 20Wh more capacity for double the price! I would be wary of "cheap" Li-ion batteries only because some brand 'X' Li-ions I've seen exhibited far fewer recharge cycles than name brand ones.

[Finner]

Ralph did you get any info on charging times and if the charger is sequential of simultanious?

[Steve Freebairn]

I wouldn't rule out using the Lemo cable on set. If you've got power to charge batteries, you possibly (with a stinger) just run the camera from AC power. :shiftyph34r:

[Matthew Rogers]

macville, where did you buy your battery 100$ cheaper? Would like to know, looking for cheap batteries...
/Christian

Here's the page I bought from today: http://www.batteries4broadcast.com/battery2_sm_cart.htm

I was going to try globalmediapro.com, but while ordering I realized that they wanted a wire transfer and were shipping from New Zealand...that ain't happening.

Matthew

[Mark L. Pederson]

I am guessing only an 1.25 hours with EVF + LCD - but that's just a guess

[Shawn Nelson]

I am guessing only an 1.25 hours with EVF + LCD - but that's just a guess

That would suck. We need at least two hours a piece plus simulataneous recharge. One 'Power Pack' (2 batts + charger) needs to be enough to run all day provided you can continually recharge.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

It looks like the charger is a sequential charger. Which kinda sucks.... Why no simultaneous charging???

Looking around at other battery options, there do seem to be some bargain, cheap-o battery options out there. But the RED batteries seem to be priced in line with most of the more popular batteries and cheaper than ones sold by Sony and Panasonic. The charger itself earns itself a "meh..." unless it can simultaneously charge two batteries.

Can the charger power the camera while charging a battery?

[Júlio Taubkin]

I'm thinking two power packs minimum. Maybe only one charger...

[Shawn Nelson]

I'm thinking two power packs minimum. Maybe only one charger...

Why?? We know the batteries last two hours apiece and hopefully charging one only takes two hours, so you should be able to roll through a day with one Power Pack. That is the idea of the power pack no? Otherwise it would have three or four batteries.

[Ralph Oshiro]

Ralph did you get any info on charging times and if the charger is sequential of simultanious?
Didn't ask. But I would guess something like 2-3 hours (probably three) for a battery of that large a capacity. My Sony-brand, V-mount, 2-position charger looks exactly like RED's, and it's a sequential charger.

[Ralph Oshiro]

For the record, I'm going with two RED 140Wh bricks ('course I already own four 65Wh Anton Bauer bricks, and two small Sony V-mount bricks). I'm guessing that two RED bricks will service 99.9% of my shooting on any given day--but these are strictly personal filmmaking shoot days (mine tend to be fairly short days). Now, for a rental RED, four RED 140Wh bricks (and a four-position charger at the shop) would be the minimum required rental package, in my opinion.

But for many of us, I would venture to guess that two fully-charged RED bricks, plus one back-up, something else-brick would service most filmmaker's average shoot days here. Now if you're shooting 12- to 14-hour days, with long set-ups that have the camera "on" just to see the shot/lighting for hours at a time, that's a different story.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

I agree with those assessments, Ralph. I think I'm planning on 4 RED bricks with the charger. Even being a sequential charger, it will get me through 99% of all my shooting needs if I start with all 4 bricks fully charged.

Looking at other chargers on the market, they all seem to have their flaws in one way or another. I'll definitely be getting the RED charger unit since it's the AC power adapter for the camera anyway. If the four batteries and the RED charger / power pack doesn't get the job done, I'll buy more batteries and/or another charger of some sort after I assess my needs in actual use. I suppose it will also be very helpful to see what the first few rounds of RED owners report.

[dalemccready]

Wow...you guys should try NiCad Steadicam batteries. Now there's frustration for you. Terrible memory, heavy, needing re-celling every 12 months.

Maybe because I've been burnt with cheap Chinese V-Lock Lithiums, I'm going 5 Red Batts and a charger. All the Chinese Batteries I've ever bought are now junk, whereas the more expensive Sonys and IDX are still going strong, Same goes for chargers too.

[Antoine Baumann]

From this thread it seems that

1) RED charger is dual sequential
2) There is an Integrated 100W D.C power output
3) it cannot charge a battery at the same time it is powering the camera

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1069&page=2&highlight=Battery

antoine

[RobRoySyd]

IDX announced a new battery charger at NAB that can charge two batteries simultaneously. I charge a lot of Li-Ion batteries, expect a 140 watt hour battery to take at least 3 hours to fully charge, the last part of the Li-Ion charging cycle is very slow.
Also do not assume that a 140W battery will supply 70W for 2 hours, internal resistance increases the losses as you draw more current. So a 140W battery will supply 14 watts for 10 hours, it will not supply 70 watts for 2 hours, sorry. Also you should factor in that Li-Ion batteries loose charge capacity at low temperatures but don't charge well at high temperatures.
In other words don't skimp on batteries if this is vital to you, allow a good safety margin on capacity and charge times.
If you're shooting off sticks in a fixed location for a long time SLA batteries can be a viable, cheap alternative but they're way too heavy to fit onto a camera. We using them when shooting events and they've worked out very well.

[Gunleik Groven]

3) it cannot charge a battery at the same time it is powering the camera
antoine

So there comes the 2nd charger flying

Gunleik

[johannperry]

Yes, the battery is 140 watts. It seems like somewhere there was said that the camera + VF + Red drive should draw 50-70 watts. So it it only draws 50 watts, then you've got almost 3 hours, 2 hours at 70 watts.
It would appear that Batteries and how long they run on different cameras is an inexact science.
For example I own a Sony 790 which draws a quoted 32watts and a Panasonic HDX900 which draws a quoted 34watts of power. (the viewfinders draw about 2.5watts extra).
I have a Lithium 95ah battery system at present and I have found that the Sony will run about three 32min tapes before the battery needs a change. The Panasonic however will only run one and a half 33min tapes before the battery is dead.
This seems odd when the apparent difference in power is only 2 watts. I assume that the hard cut off point on liths is the reason for this.

If we are saying that the red is going to draw 70watts with the Camera,EVF and Hard drive running off a 140ah battery then I would be surprized if you would acheive a full 2 hours running time with one battery.
I know the boys are busy but it would be great to get some clarification on these figures if at all possible.

[Craig Schober]

From this thread it seems that

1) RED charger is dual sequential
2) There is an Integrated 100W D.C power output
3) it cannot charge a battery at the same time it is powering the camera

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1069&page=2&highlight=Battery

antoine

04-28-2007, 01:12 PM #17
Stuart English
Senior Member

Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 316
RED CHARGER specs
From the on-line ordering guide / price list -

RED CHARGER

Includes –

Dual sequential Battery Charger
Integrated 100W D.C power output.
Camera-Charger cable – 10ft

Q : Can it charge a battery at the same time as powering the camera - A : No, the camera takes precedence over charging the battery. But if the camera is powered down or the power input disconnected, the charger can sense that and re-commence charging the battery.

100V - 240V A/C mains voltage compatible.

[Chris Gearhart]

Good thread. It'll be interesting to see what real-world experiences we'll see. I'm trying to figure a minimum battery/charger setup for two cams. Most times I suspect two charger/battery packages will be fine for the two cams (plus Ralph's extra something-brand batts). Rent or buy extra batts for larger projects as needed, then.

Plus, if you purchase batteries when projects require them instead of all at once, you can "watt-hour-cost average" the life of your inventory of bricks.

[Blayne Gorum]

Wow, if the Red One is truly burning 70W an hour, it must be a hot little beastie! I just sold a Panasonic Varicam package which at less than 50W an hour was pretty hot.

Batteries are just like gaff tape--you look like a real idiot if you run out. When dealing with this kind of equipment and doing jobs that justify the price tag, then buy a couple extra batteries. Heck, buy an extra charger.

I will purchase when the Red One is out and has a proven track record. I will also get the battery pack along with most of the other accessories. I will then buy about a half dozen of the cheap li-on batteries and slap some Red stickers on them.

There is on excuse for running out of power on a set.

[Anders Holck]

Runtime is also dependent on the minimum voltage a camera will run on.
Most 14.4v lithium batteries supply around 17v right off the charger, but drops to right above 12v when empty.

If a camera needs 14.4v it will stop functioning before the battery is empty but if 12v is enough it could operate longer.

[Finner]

Does anyone know the voltage of the camera by the way? If it is 12 or 24volt it would be nice to use block batteries and run one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

[Júlio Taubkin]

Why?? We know the batteries last two hours apiece and hopefully charging one only takes two hours, so you should be able to roll through a day with one Power Pack. That is the idea of the power pack no? Otherwise it would have three or four batteries.

I feel it's going to be too close to risk. Besides, sometimes, we cannot charge batteries on set!

[Anders Holck]

The Red Batteries are 14.4 volts Li-ions.
So I would guess the camera will run on voltage between 12-18v or something like that. 24v would most likely ruin the camera and all your attached accesories.

[Finner]

No answers on this RED team? I think a 4 bank simultaneous charger could be a lot better answer to this problem. Comments on this would be great.

[Blayne Gorum]

This is always an option: http://www.jadoopower.com/

[Jeff Kilgroe]

This is always an option: http://www.jadoopower.com/

Yeah, but then you're tethered... Still cool though. :)

[mikkowilson]

Thing is...

A sequential charger gives you full batteries faster. It concentrates on getting one full to use and then gets to work on the next one.

Halfway through 2 empty batteries with a sequential charger, you will have one full battery, and once that is used, you'll have a mostly full 2nd battery. With a simultanious charger, at the same point, you will have 2 half full batteries, and then then when one is empty (sooner) the other will still be short of fully charged (especially when you just put your 3rd depleted battery on and it now has to try and work on that too).


In addition, with a 4-position charger, if it breaks (or goes into some long "battery recovery mode"), you are screwed. If you have two 2-position chargers and ones goes down (or is used to power the camera directly), you still have 50% charging capacity.

Generally speaking; two 2-position sequential chargers is faster and more reliable than one 4-position simultanious charger. The cost differences are often negligable.

- Mikko

[Jeff Kilgroe]

There's no reason a simultaneous charger can't charge two batteries just as fast as the sequential charger does the first battery. LiIon cells can only charge so fast, it's not like it can concentrate all incoming power on one battery and then move on to the next. I'm not so sure I'm a big fan of a quad-charger... That's placing a lot of batteries on a single unit...

Ideally, I would like the RED charger to be a dual battery, simultaneous and independent unit that can at least charge one battery while powering the camera. That would really be slick. ...Yes, I realize this could significantly raise the cost. But then again, it looks like I'll need two RED chargers or will have to study third-party solutions, even though I'll still need one RED charger no matter what (AC power to camera).

[mikkowilson]

Simultanious battery charging needs paralel charging circuits and power supplies - meaning that yes in deed a sequential charger is exactly "concentrating all it's incoming power on one battery".

Because of the added circuitry to supply power to two charging batteries, the cost goes up considerabley, to the point at which 2 seperate chargers in paralel becomes much more feasable.
That 2nd plate on the sequential charger is basically there so you don't have to manually switch batteries when the first one is full. A simultanious charger is really two chargers in one, in both power draw, compoenents, and overall cost; with an aditional hit on reliablity.

- Mikko

[Alexander Nikishin]

So it looks like we'll need 2 chargers and 4 batteries to be safe. That's not a surprise though.

[mikkowilson]

..and even 3 batteries and a single charger is often ample to get you going.

1 is on the camera, one is full and the 3rd is charging.
When you run out, the full one goes on the camera, the empty one goes back on teh charger to wait it's turn after the chargign one is ready (normally you start the day with all the batts full, so you actully have 2 batteries to use before you reach this point.

Then the cycle goes on. At many shooting & chargign rates, you end up with alaways having a full bettery on the charger and another well on the way, when you run out with your 3rd on the camera.
Though it's only charging one at a time, the sequential charger has space on it to get charging on your "3rd" battery once it's got your 2nd one ready for you.


Though if you get in a high draw environment, then having 2 of these charging set ups in paralel, with a total of 5 batteries, is a very powerfull set up. Whenever you take the empty battery off the camera, there will be a full one waiting on a charger ready to give up it's spot for the empty one.


1 more battery than charging position is always a good idea. Even if at the end of the day you have all your batteries dead and you don't have space for the 1 extra on the chargers, you can get it fully charged in the morning long before all the other ones from overnight are depleted as it goes on teh charger as soon as you grab a fresh one to shoot.


- Mikko

[Alexander Nikishin]

..and even 3 batteries and a single charger is often ample to get you going.
- Mikko

Often is the key word though. And it can easily be argued that you'll often be needing four to 5 batteries and two chargers.

Taking into account that not all shoots allow you to have the leisure time to be in a single location for the day or a location that has a power outlet for that matter, you really need enough batteries to hold you over for an entire 12 or so hours of shooting.

[Lucerna Studios]

:greedy: Qs. if we need more than "6 batteries and 4 chargers" for a 12 hours shooting, How much hard drives we gonna need with RAW Footage, and how much will be all this????!!!!!!!!!!:greedy:

[TimothyD]

Theoretically between 4 and 6 drives. They hold between 2 and 3 hours each...

Cheers,

Tim

[TimothyD]

The Red Drive is $900. So if you feel that you need six it would run you $5400. Having said that, if you have a laptop available you can copy one drive while you use the other and theoretically get away with only having two drives.

[S. Um]

No answers on this RED team?

Since we haven't heard from the Red team at all on this matter, I get the feeling that there's probably some changes coming in the battery department, too.

[donatello b]

i find the camera is sitting on dolly or sticks 70% of the time - so i'll be looking for a double block batt ...
for times i need batt on camera at this time i have 3 batts/ 1 charger ordered ...

[PaulClements]

Do you leave the camera running all day? Seems like a lot of drives to be using. Batteries are one thing, setting up the shot, leaving the camera ticking over whilst talking to the director etc etc. But so little of the time is actually spent getting the shot usually, though perhaps ENG/EFP might not be. Even still I'd be suprised if people ever got through more than two Drives in a long day, (About 5 - 6 hours worth of 4k Footage).

[Finner]

i find the camera is sitting on dolly or sticks 70% of the time - so i'll be looking for a double block batt ...
for times i need batt on camera at this time i have 3 batts/ 1 charger ordered ...

Same here. Someone mentioned that the camera is a 14.4 volt system and most block batts out are 12 or 24 volt systems. It would be nice to know if a 12V block would run the camera properly and for how long?

[TimothyD]

That's a good point Paul. Depends on the shoot I guess. I know I will be doing some very long shoots, but mostly quick stuff where I will have less than an hour of footage in a day, and therefore will get by with 2 batteries pretty easily. I manage with three 50wh NP packs with my DXC-637, so I have to imagine that the two 140wh bricks will be more than enough for my needs.

And Finner, I wonder about that too. It would be nice to be able to use the 12v output on my 4 station IDX NP charger to run the camera while I am charging with the Red power pack. (on the rare occasion that I need to shoot for longer than 2 packs will last me).

[Shawn Nelson]

Since we haven't heard from the Red team at all on this matter, I get the feeling that there's probably some changes coming in the battery department, too.

Yeah, it is weird that this has been a top thread for a few days and yet no one of Red has commented. I hope that means the Red fairies are at work making things better on the battery situation!

[Blayne Gorum]

I seriously doubt Red is doing much about this. What Red is offering is pretty much the status quo in the battery market.

While I'm sure Red drew up some specs and has done a bit of design work, I imagine the whole shebang is being done by a third party. There are only a few li-on cell manufacturers. Everybody pretty much designs their packs around the same cells as everybody else.

[S. Um]

The change may not be in the battery itself. Maybe it's in the charger. Or maybe the new circuit boards will use less power, and thus extend operating time. Who knows. It's just strange that no one from Red commented on this thread.

[Paul Leeming]

Something to maybe ask Red: does the camera have a lower power draw when used to view/set up the shot but NOT recording? It would seem that of course the camera will need to be on for setups etc to 'see' what the camera sees, but if you can prevent the standby mode using the processor circuitry until it's needed for a take then that would probably save a fair amount of juice... I'm sure it's already in hand but as usual the vocalisation of the idea may just give someone else a trigger to continue the thought process in new and potentially interesting directions! :)

[PaulClements]

Maybe the new board going into the camera will significantly reduce the battery consumption ala intel centrino, though I doubt.

[Charles Angus]

Does anybody know if the RED will run off of standard "gel cells" or dolly packs (i.e. standard 4-pin XLR or something like that)? You can get a 12v gel cell for something like ten bucks - heavy, but very cheap. Cheap chargers, too, if you don't mind trickle charging, but then you could afford twenty lead-acid batteries for the price of one Li-ion.

Industry-standard interchangeable power seems like a no-brainer to me.

[Rodrigo Lizana]

I´ve learned that, if you´re renting, you need to provide at least 2X the battery power the producer asked you for...If he said 10 hours you should be cover for 18 hrs. Productions always ends later than they are supposed to and there´s always one battery (over a long period of time) that´s going to show up dead one morning. Wish you could tell in advance which morning is going to be that one...
Power supply for digital cameras is a big pain compared to film. We ended up with the idea of adding those cine bricks-style batteries with dual 12V cells in it to the digital package. While they took aprox 8 hours to get charged they provide near 8 hours of power for a film camera. Of course a digital one will ask for more but I´m pretty sure they´ll last longer than the onboard ones. So for studio mode, you go brick style and when you need the camera to be light and moving around, you go with an on board batery.
We have 6 AB hytron 120 plus 2 AB dionic 90 bateries for our Varicam and we still use the power supply whenever we can, afraid of getting out of power. I´ve never been relaxed about battery power when the Varicam is working. Never been worried when a film camera goes out.
About charging those AB...that´s a whole new post and i don´t know if there´s someone interested in it.

[Zakaree Sandberg]

ill be getting the red power pack and then probably 2 AB batteries and charger

[Shawn Nelson]

Where will you be buying 2 ABs and a charger? Do you have a link to such a package deal at a good price?

[Joel Kaye]

Where will you be buying 2 ABs and a charger? Do you have a link to such a package deal at a good price?

RED needs to add a 4 battery/charger combo.

[Paul Hazlett]

the Red batteries are 140 WH bats, with no tape transport, which eats batteries. NP1's or similiar small charge cells will die a quick death on red.

I would say on average the 2 battery and red charger/ps should be enough
for most. I can shoot all day on 2 140 hytrons on my HDX900 which a battery hog.

Ultimately we will have to wait and see how much red really draws and if you use the lcd and EVF those are factors as well.

and yes, red will have a standard 4 pin power input....unless it doesn't, now

[Shawn Nelson]

I would sure assume that the Red Power Pack would last all day, otherwise they should be bundeling together enought to do all day.

[Joel Kaye]

Ultimately we will have to wait and see how much red really draws and if you use the lcd and EVF those are factors as well.

I'm not sure any definite info has been posted but I thought I heard about 1 hour per battery when I was at NAB. It's all a fog now, so don't hold me to that. I remember thinking - dang, that thing must use a lot of juice. 2 720p monitors plus that sensor - could be.

[Jim Exton]

I heard about 2 hours per battery, but yeah, one power pack is not going to get you through the day without charging.

That is why I am getting at least two, maybe three, especially since I am renting it out.

[Jonathan L. Bowen]

This has made me think it'd probably be a good idea to get another set of two batteries with a charger, too. At least that way it's pretty safe.

[Shawn Nelson]

Perhaps, but it really, really sucks to add $1450 to the purchase "just to be safe"

[Sam Druckerman]

2 hours per battery is ringing my memory bell too. And I think that was powering the red drive and the LCD.

[Joel Kaye]

2 hours per battery is ringing my memory bell too. And I think that was powering the red drive and the LCD.

Even at 2 hours per I don't really see 2 being enough for me. If you have a battery failure you've got an issue. I'm inclined to look at 3rd party 4 pack options. Need to figure out the power cable situation though. Hopefully we can build our own to run off a DC adapter.

[Jonathan L. Bowen]

Eh, $1,500 just to be safe is petty cash. I'm more worried about spending $12,000 for a tripod or something, hehe.

I am actually thinking about buying a backup RED camera body just to be safe, that way if I rent my RED out nobody can tell me, "Well the big rental companies have backups." Good for them. I will have 100% backup, i.e. one camera rented, one camera backup. Plus lower overhead. Thanks to the members of this forum I've learned a lot already about what professionals expect. And there is more, too, I'm sure. But that'll be dealt with as it comes.

[Finner]

Thing is I dont know if 2 packs and 4 batteries would even be enough to protect a person.

[Jonathan L. Bowen]

Yeah, that's possible too, but you'd think that you could always have batteries charging if you have those chargers. I grant that if you're out in the middle of nowhere filming all day, like in the wilderness or something, you might have higher needs. I guess if that is the case my business partner David has another battery kit on order, he might also get a second, so for us we'd have enough equipment combined for sure.

[Zakaree Sandberg]

Where will you be buying 2 ABs and a charger? Do you have a link to such a package deal at a good price?

negative no special package deal unfortunately. if you know of any let me know.
Ill get them used (as long as the batteries are still alive)

[Leo Ticheli]

While the Red booth at NAB was hectic, seems I remember being told that the Red camera would accept Anton Bauer batteries; I've got four of the 140's and eight of the 120's plus fast concurrent charges.

Do I need anything else to power the Red? Adapter plates?

Good shooting and best regards to all,

Leo

[PaulClements]

I don't know that Red is supplying the Gold Mount, I think it's just the v-lock they're doing. But you can buy the 3rd party mounts and use them, I believe it's already been stated somewhere.

Paul

[Leo Ticheli]

Thanks, Paul,

We've got mounts lying around I'm sure.

Good shooting and best regards,

Leo

[chuck colburn]

Build some high capacity LiPo packs yourself. May not be the prettiest looking ones around, but will be good backup. I've gots lots of site info on packs and smart chargers if interested.

Check out the one in the top left. That oughta run it for a bit.
This and other ones have built in cell balancers, overcharge protection etc.

http://www.all-battery.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=262

Here are some chargers etc.

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/chargers_lipoly.htm