Does anybody realy need QUAD BATTERY MODULE?

[Leo Ticheli]

The pricing on the Quad Battery Module does seem a little strange; it's twice the price of the Side Handle, which I consider a really wonderful, if not essential, component. Perhaps there are some manufacturing costs that are not apparent to the uninitiated.

I'm not sure if mine will see service, but I'm going to hang on to it; often the lessons in the field produce an "ah-ha" moment.

Good shooting and best regards,

Leo

[Milan Spasic]

It's not a bizarre situation. When you bought your Epic-X package via Stage-2 or Stage-3, you purchased a complete package that included the quad battery module. Many of us do find it useful and to be a nice addition. I'm not sure why others are so against using it. I understand that a lot of people already have power solutions and have been getting along fine without the Redvolt battery modules up to now. But look at it this way, resale value is extremely low due to so many people deciding they just don't want it. So you may as well hold onto it. Never know, you might actually find that you like it.

Like you're saying, I would bet sales of these modules through RED are probably lighter than they had expected. ...with so many people out there selling them for cheap. I picked up one at a bargain for my Epic-M. Glad I did.

I hear you Jeff, I meant it's bizarre that the $2250 module is worth 25% of that the moment it's delivered. That's unfortunately true with a lot of Red gear.

I would consider changing the power setup to Redvolts if the power management in future firmware updates improves the battery life significantly, otherwise like somebody else said, the $/watt ratio is not good, it's simply not worth switching or even having it as an option at the moment.
There are way too many cons and not enough pros to go Redvolts for a relatively small operation like mine.

Cheers,

Milan

[Joe Taylor]

Am i the only one in the Group Three Camp that would MUCH rather have the Dual module over the Quad simply because it looks So-o-o much more functional. Epic with the Quad looks reminds me of the monsters head from Alien. Mine will be here maybe next week and would galdly exchange it fomthe dual but I know that will never happen though it would greatly appreciated.


*Ironic that I read this topic just this morning wondering where my quad module is after a month and half of waiting and getting notice just now that it will be shipped in 7 days.

[Sid Idris]

Am i the only one in the Group Three Camp that would MUCH rather have the Dual module over the Quad simply because it looks So-o-o much more functional. Epic with the Quad looks reminds me of the monsters head from Alien. Mine will be here maybe next week and would galdly exchange it fomthe dual but I know that will never happen though it would greatly appreciated.


*Ironic that I read this topic just this morning wondering where my quad module is after a month and half of waiting and getting notice just now that it will be shipped in 7 days.

alas, I wonder how much more functional the dual module is when the redvolts last less than 25 minutes. Honestly the best use for the standard Redvolts is with the sidehandle for the purposes of hotswapping an AB or Vmount brick.

[Bill Sepaniak]

90% of my use is hand-held / run-n-gun / monopod and the side handle and red volts work out really well in keeping things light and mobile. So, for the times when I need more "juice" or when I shoot on sticks, I picked a quad module and adapter plate for $800.00 (along with a bunch of extra red-volts). Different strokes for different folks ...

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[Mike 'Fireman' Ross]

Am i the only one in the Group Three Camp that would MUCH rather have the Dual module over the Quad simply because it looks So-o-o much more functional. Epic with the Quad looks reminds me of the monsters head from Alien.

Have you seen the BTS pics of the RDC offices? It wouldn't surprise me if that resemblance was more than incidental... even mandatory!

I'm still waiting for my quad module, and I expect to use it - mostly on the shoulder. At the moment, if I want to use my Teradek, I have to rig the camera out with rails, RED cradle, and RED Brick. A slim rear module that uses REDvolts and gives me an aux power P-Tap is exactly what I need.

Mike

[Timur Civan]

What are the chances we will get a vertical riser. like a way of making the camera grow taller as opposed to longer. imagine if you will, a plate thats got the female parts of the module, and extends up vertically, with a Male Module adapter pointing out on both sides, and lets you attach components vertically above the brain, and one "slot" hanging over tha back with full functionality. like imagine double stack.....



VS



It may seem stupid at first.... but think about it.... Meisler Module, Quad battery, (possible Pro res recording module)... There will be other attachments... once they hit more than 2, it becomes unwieldy in length. Tall is totally fine in handheld and in studio set ups. It will be like the 35mm adapter days with a camera thats 4 feel long.....

[Mark Phelan]

The Congacam?

[Thomas Koch]

Meisler module has a v mount on the back for v mount batteries. Anyone want to buy my Quad Module and module adapter?

[Nils Ruinet]

As a stage 2 I got it for free from Red so I can't complain, but I have to agree, I don't think I'll be using it. In my opinion, it loses on every single point compared to V-Mount batteries :

- Price :
--- A Redvolt XL (around 90Wh if I remember well) costs $350. A Globalmediapro 95Wh V-Mount battery costs $150.
--- A RedVolt quad charger costs $595 and can charge 2 XLs. A simultaneous double V-Mount charger from Globalmediapro costs $165.
---The Quad battery module from Red costs normally $1950, and that doesn't include the module adapter. An IDX battery plate like the one from Viewfactor or x cost around $700.
For example :
6 Redvolts XL + 2 Quad chargers + Quad battery module = $5240
6 Globalmediapro 95Wh batteries + 2 Double chargers + IDX VF plate = $1930
See, that's a $3310 saving on a standard kit...
I've been using Globalmediapro batteries for more than a year now on Reds and they work perfectly fine, never had an issue with them.

- Options : when going the RedVolt route, you're stuck with propretary batteries and chargers. With V-Mount batteries, you have loads of choices, cheap ones like Globalmediapro or more expensive ones like IDX. But if you need some, you'll find them almost everywhere. Same thing for the chargers.

- Power out : No power tap at all on the Redvolt option. Bummer. With the V-Mount, you get one D-TAP on the battery plate, and a second one if you use Globalmediapro batteries for example. I use both very often, for example one for wireless follow focus and one for wireless video. Or downconverter. Or additional monitor. Most of the time I couldn't work without at least one.

- Form factor and weight : I like to keep it compact and light, as much as possible. The V-mount allows for that. The Quad module is much bulkier and heavier. And when new modules (that I really want) will come out, I'd end up with a camera that is larger than an Alexa...

Sorry, I'm not building a case against Red here, I just can't see any point that would make me want to use the quad module...
I do see one point of interest though for Redvolts : the side handle. When I need to get really light and don't need external power, I enjoy using them in there. Plus, it allows to hot swap the V-Mount batteries. That's why I have 6 of them, which I plan on keeping. Let's just hope the power management features will help making them last a bit longer...