Atomos Power Station

The new Atomos Power Station is designed to solve the problem of running out of power in the middle of a shoot and having to change batteries on cameras, lights and other equipment. It can also be used for anything that can be powered using a USB port (it has two), such as iPhones or even iPads.

It can deliver up to 48W of power, which limits the size of lights or complex camera rigs that it can be used with, but for 80-90% users this should be more than enough.

JVC GY-HM70 shoulder camera

The new JVC GY-HM70 AVCHD camera should be of interest to many of our readers, as our now-ancient (October 2010) post on AVCHD shoulder mounted camcorders is our most popular ever…

The GY-HM70 will ship in May, and has a list price of $1,995 (apparently the UK street price is likely to be under £1,200), and some nice features, even if it doesn’t have XLR audio input.

It is designed principally for event production, and to make it useful for covering long-form events, such as weddings or conferences, it has hot-swappable batteries (pictured below - a first in this price bracket), so you can keep shooting continuously, without interruption. 

Being shoulder-mounted, it should also be a lot more comfortable for long-term use than more compact cameras (although it isn’t particularly big), and is reasonably light, weighing about 3kg (6.7lb) with one battery attached.

It can record 1920x1080 HD at up to 50p or 60p in AVCHD Progressive, to dual SDHC/SDXC memory cards (Class 4/6/10) at up to 28Mbps. It will also shoot at 250 frames per second at 720x576 (for 50Hz/Pal production) or 300fps at 720x480 (for 60Hz/NTSC countries), and offers 50/60i shooting or SD at lower bit rates. 

Interval recording in steps from one second up to 80 seconds is also an option, as are still images at up to 4000x3000-pixel resolution. Stills in 12Megapixel can be shot at the same time as video or stills can be shot at 2Megapixel resolution.

The camera should also be pretty useful in low light. It uses JVC's Super LoLux technology to enhance image quality and offer more accurate colour capture indoors or in dark situations (there is a minimum illumination of 1lux, which is certainly good, but hardly exceptional).

The F1.2-F5.6 GT Lens has a 10x optical zoom, plus a 16x “dynamic zoom” that only works with the optical image stabilisation turned off and makes use of the overabundance of pixels on the sensor by reducing from 5.4Mpixels to 2.07Mpixels (there is also a 200x digital zoom). 

The lens delivers a not-particularly wide wide-angle of 29.5mm – to 476mm if dynamic zoom used (35mm-equivalent), and was developed specifically for the 1/2.3-inch 12Megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor (apparently the same sensor used in JVC’s GY-HMQ10 small 4K handheld camcorder), which is claimed to deliver “high resolution, high sensitivity, and excellent colour reproduction.”

The camera features manual or auto focus (with focus assist), manual iris and shutter, manual or automatic white balance, and optical image stabilization.

There is a 3-inch 16:9 230K-pixel Touch Screen LCD display plus a 0.24-inch LCOS 16:9 260K-pixel colour viewfinder; an internal stereo microphone (plus a mini-jack microphone input); remote-control input; while outputs include an HDMI Mini connector and RCA video and audio ports. It comes with an AC adapter (AP-V20); battery pack (BN-VF823); composite/audio cable (RCA x 3) and USB cable.

http://pro.jvc.com

By David Fox

Sony PMW-F5 + F55 4K cameras

Sony has announced two new 4K cameras (the PMW-F5 and PMW-F55), plus the impending arrival of the 4K upgrade for the NEX-FS700, as it begins to get serious about moving beyond HD. The new cameras will use a new codec: XAVC. All the cameras use single Super35-sized CMOS sensors.

Sony started its move into 4K (4096x2160 pixels) with the F65 last year, and now has a range of 4K-capable equipment, including domestic and professional LCD and projector displays.

The high-end F65 is well regarded in the film industry, and the camera has been used on such movies as Oblivion and After Earth.

In fact, the F65 is now going beyond 4K, following its version 3.0 upgrade it will also be able to shoot 6K and 8K Raw (it uses a full 8K/20-megapixel sensor). It will also be able to shoot at up to 120 frames per second in 8K. It can be fitted with a new 0.7-inch OLED viewfinder (the first such for this type of camera), and has received several other film-related additions, such as anamorphic lens support.

However, as the F65 moves even further upmarket, the F55 and F5 should slot seamlessly in underneath it.

Open codec architecture

The cameras will support four codecs: XAVC, for high frame rates and 4K, MPEG2 at 50Mbps, MPEG4 SStP (Sony’s SR Master codec) and Raw 4K “by the switch of a button, depending on what job you want to do,” said Olivier Bovis, Sony’s Head of AV Media.

The F5 and F55 will need the new AXS-R5 recorder for Raw, but everything else will be recorded internally on a new, faster, memory card: SxS Pro+, which will support higher frame rates and bit rates – it is about 20/30% faster than an SxS Pro card at writing/reading and comes in 64GB and 128GB versions.

The F55 will be able to simultaneously record both MPEG2 50Mbps and XAVC 4K to the same SxS Pro+ card, which means you can have a readily usable 50Mbps version for offline editing in a 4K production, or just hold an archive of 4K shots for the future while shooting for today’s broadcast standards. You should also be able to record Raw 4K at the same time to the R5 recorder.

Internally, the F55 will be able to record HD (1920x1080), 2K (2048x1080), QFHD (Quad Full HD - 3840x2160), and 4K, while the F5 will be limited to 2K and HD, but once you add the R5 both will record Raw 4K and higher frame rates.

The F55 “has a very wide colour gamut [same as the F65] and high frame rates: up to 180fps in 4K and up to 240fps in HD,” said Bovis. It also has a Global Shutter to avoid any rolling shutter skew effect or flash banding. The F5 will shoot at up to 120fps in HD. The F65 can shoot at up to 180fps at 4K and up to 240fps in 2K Raw.

The cameras are promised to offer a wide dynamic range (14 stops), high sensitivity, and low noise.

Viewfinders + monitors

Thanks to a new digital interface, the PMW-F5 and F55 will also be able to use the new DVF-EL100 1280x720 OLED viewfinder. There is also a new 3.5-inch 960x540-pixel LCD viewfinder (DVF-L350), offering 10x the contrast of previous Sony LCD viewfinders plus a flip-up eyepiece for direct monitoring, and a 7-inch 1920x1080 LCD on-camera monitor (DVF-L700).

The PMW-F55 can also connect to Sony’s new 4K 30-inch 10-bit LCD monitor (PVM-X300) for on-set monitoring, dailies and editing using four 3G-SDI interfaces to monitor pictures at 4096x2160 resolution at up to 60p while recording and playing back XAVC 4K images. It can also be connected directly to the 84-inch BRAVIA 4K LED TV for monitoring, but at a resized horizontal resolution of 3860 pixels.

Batteries + rigs

The F5 and F55 also use compact new Olivine (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries that promise twice the lifetime of conventional Lithium Ion cathodes and provide an hour of power for Raw recording when using the R5 with either the F5/F55 (Raw is more power hungry than the other codecs). There is also a new 2x faster battery charger.

The cameras will also have a new shoulder rig, “so you can easily use it shoulder mounted. It’s very modular in how you want to use it,” said Bovis.

PL-mount lenses

The F55 and F5 cameras come with a PL lens mount, for use with high-end cine-style lenses, but Sony is also launching six new CineAlta T2.0 PL-mount lenses for the cameras (20, 25, 35, 50, 85 and 135mm).

Each is certified for 4K and is designed to minimize geometric distortion, vignetting and breathing. A 9-blade iris should deliver pleasing bokeh (out-of-focus effects), and the focus rings rotate 240°. For easy lens changes, each has the same external diameter, matte box diameter, and gear locations for follow focus and aperture. All are the same lenght except for the 135mm. 

The cameras are fitted with a native FZ mount (but the PL-mount adaptor is supplied), so users will also be able to fit other adaptors for Canon EF, Canon FD, Nikon DX, Nikon G, Leica M and even 2/3-inch B4 lenses.

Availability

The F5, F55, F65 upgrade, and lenses should be available by the end of January, but 2K and QFHD recording for the PMW-F55 and 2K for the PMW-F5 will be available through a firmware upgrade. Frame rates higher than 60fps will also require a firmware upgrade.

Prices should be announced in November.

NEX-FS700 + HXR-1FR5

At its introduction, last April, Sony promised that the NEX-FS700 would be able to record 4K, and soon it will, using the new HXR-1FR5 interface unit, which has 3G HD-SDI input, to deliver Raw data, and the new AXS-R5 recording unit – which uses a new generation of Access Memory Card with 512GB of storage. It will also require a firmware upgrade.

Although the FS700 can already record high frame rates in HD, it won’t have that feature in 4K, where the available frame rates will be 23.98p, 25p, 29.97p, 50p and 59.94p.

The HXR-IFR5 and firmware upgrade should be available between April and June 2013.

By David Fox

Ronin on the rack

Ninja 2, Canon C500 and Samurai

We're used to seeing Atomos Ninja and Samurai units attached to cameras, but it has now launched a version of the popular field recorders for the studio and OB market with a new rack-mountable version. 

The Ronin can switch between battery, mains and DC (D-tap) power, giving it “triple redundancy, which is perfect for OBs,” said Atomos CEO, Jeromy Young.

Battery, mains and D-tap power

Two can fit in a rack, but it also has flip-up feet for desktop use, and can run just off batteries for portable use. The units have dual XLR audio i/o, serial interface for deck control (and can also be triggered from cameras and switchers), and will record ProRes or DNxHD. A unit will cost $2,195 (about €1,650), but the Ronin Duo (with two units in a rack mount will be $3,995 (about €3,000). It can also offer HDMI i/o if used with Atomos’ Connect convertor products and should ship in the New Year.

Atomos CEO, Jeromy Young with his Samurai portrait.

Also on show is a prototype: the Recordinator, another rack-mountable unit built for a customer who does chat shows and wanted a recording system that the director could easily start/stop – via large, friendly buttons. It can have quad recording (with mirroring or ISO feeds) and works with Samurai or Ronin units, which can be used to add metadata to the recordings.

Linked battery charging from PAG

PAG has released what it claims is an industry first, a compact new PAGlink charger that can do linked battery charging. The £416 PAGlink PL16 Charger can charge up to 16 PAGlink V-Mount Li-Ion batteries at once - eight per channel, on the compact, two-position charger.

PAGlink batteries can be linked together in multiples - up to eight, to combine capacities for longer camera run time, and provide up to 12A current for power hungry broadcast, digital cinematography, high-definition and 3D camera set-ups.

The linked batteries form a high-speed serial network that controls discharging and allows charging to take place while the batteries are linked.

The high-power PL16 can supply 6A at 16.8v (approximately 100W), and is able to fully charge all of the batteries regardless of the differences in their state of charge. PAG’s Intelligent Parallel Charging software allows both positions to charge simultaneously.

During charging, the percentage state-of-charge of each PAGlink battery is indicated on its individual five-LED display, to show which batteries are ready to use. The stages of the charging process for each channel are shown on the charger’s large backlit LCD screen. The most-discharged batteries are given a higher charge priority. Fully charged batteries will stop accepting charge automatically and independently of other batteries. It should fast-charge four fully-discharged PL96e batteries in 6.5 hours.

The PL16 can also charge PAG’s other V-Mount Li-Ion and Ni-MH batteries, as well as those from Sony and IDX, although only one of those batteries per channel.

The PL16 can also power a camera from any AC supply worldwide, using the its 100W camera power supply, which has an XLR4 output.

The 1.4kg PL16 Charger has a metal case, fits easily in a camera bag, and is quiet and cool running. A recovery feature is included, to recover Li-Ion batteries if their cutout has been tripped.

By David Fox

PAGlink increases battery versatility

PAG's new PAGlink system of smarter, smaller and lighter linkable batteries is claimed to have greater energy density than any other system marketed so far.

The PAGlink V-mount lithium-ion batteries link together to multiply capacity and run-time, and can be transported in passenger aircraft without quantity restriction.

They will power all classes of camera and allows users to link multiples batteries (two, three or more – up to eight). Three linked batteries weigh less than 2.2kg but can create a single unit of nearly 20Ah (288 Watt-hours), extending run time and allowing up to 12A current to be drawn. The batteries incorporate heavy-duty contacts designed for high-drain applications.

PAG has also created an intelligent network, enabling batteries to communicate with each other and operate as one. This allows batteries to be charged as well as discharged whilst linked. Charging can take place on any V-Mount Li-Ion charger, such as the PAG Cube, or IDX and Sony equivalents – because they can all be linked while charging, it means you'd only have to bring one small charger to charge eight batteries.

PAGlink offers a choice of on-battery displays. The PL96T has a numeric run-time display, while the lower-cost PL96e (pictured on the back of a Red camera above)  has a five LED indicator, displaying state of charge to 20% and run-time to a resolution of ten minutes. The multiple batteries can report their collective state of charge information for display in the camera viewfinder.

They also have precision temperature management, extending low temperature performance down to -20°C, and can be hot swapped at any time without interrupting the flow of current.

By David Fox

Anton/Bauer Matrix Cheese Plate

The new Matrix Cheese Plate from Anton/Bauer can be used to attach its Gold Mount batteries to Sony's PMW-F3, Canon's EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D and EOS 60D DSLRs, Panasonic's AG-AF100/AF101 and the Red Epic.

The Matrix Cheese Plate mounts directly on a 15mm or 19mm rod system (15mm or 19mm clamp kits sold separately), to allow for easy mounting of a variety of Gold Mounts including:
- QRC-DUAL PT – Gold Mount with 4-pin XLR and two PowerTap outputs for the Sony F3, which also mounts directly to the AJA Ki Pro Mini;
- QR-DLSR – 7/14 Gold Mount for Canon 5D, 7D and 60D;
- QR-VBG – 7/14 Gold Mount adapter for the Panasonic AG-AF100/AF101;
- QRC-EPIC, for Red's Epic, with auxiliary PowerTap connector, power cable and 6p LEMO power connector.

These Gold Mount systems can also be used on third-party cheese plates and rigs, including Cinevate, Shape, Redrock Micro and Genus.

By David Fox

bebob's light + thin 75Wh batteries

German camera accessories company, bebob has added two new 75Wh battery models to its range. 

The 75 and 75plus are extra light and thin batteries designed for powering LCD-monitors and small camcorders, such as the Sony F3, Canon DSLRs and Panasonic's AF101.

The 75plus battery model stands out thanks to four built-in Hirose-4Pin connectors, with both 7.2v and 12v available, meaning that this 14.8v battery can supply power to multiple audio accessories directly from one location at the audio mixer.

“We got the impetus for the 75plus batteries from our close collaboration with film academies. This co-operation is very constructive and we use these relationships to identify the continuing needs of experienced operators as well as new users," said bebob Managing Director, Pierre Boudard (pictured). "In this case the decisive input was given by the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Ludwigsburg, Germany."

“Finally a compact and lightweight solution to supply audio applications centrally. It’s a pleasure to experience that bebob listens carefully and works on the ideas given by users,” confirmed Bernd-Siegfried Michalek, department Mobile Technology, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

The batteries are available in A-mount (Anton/Bauer compatible), or V-Mount versions.

Also new is the ML-120 Hot Swap Adapter, a buffer that keeps the camera powered while swapping the main camera battery.

It offers an uninterrupted power supply for the Arri Alexa (pictured), Red One, Sony and Panasonic cameras. It warns when a battery needs to be swapped, two minutes before it runs out, then self-charges from the new camera battery for the next swap.

By David Fox

Gold Mount power for F3 + AF101

Anton/Bauer has introduced new battery packs for the Arri Alexa, Sony PMW-F3, Panasonic AG-AF100/AF101 and DSLRs.

The new additions to its Gold Mount system will include the QR-HotSwap-AR for Arri's Alexa digital camera system, the QR-Locaster for the Arri Locaster light, the QRC-Dual-PT for the Sony PMW-F3 camera, the QR-C80P for the Panasonic AG-HMC80 professional AVCCAM HD shoulder-mount camcorder, and the QRC-VBG for the Panasonic AF100/AF101 series HD camera.

Also new is the QR-DSLR for Canon's EOS 5D Mark II, 7D and 60D digital SLR cameras, which will run monitors, lights, transmitters and other accessories not possible with a standard OEM battery. It uses the Logic Series batteries and can mount to most third-party support rigs, such as Redrock Micro, Zacuto, Genus and Cinevate. It can also be configured in a pouch pack for handheld production.

“The key to our success and foundation of all of our technology begins with the Gold Mount System,” said Shin Minowa, VP of marketing and business development. He called the Gold Mount "the most secure mounting system available for professionals. The last thing Anton/Bauer Gold Mount users will have to worry about is a power failure because of a bad battery connection when shooting on location.”

The Gold Mount, which is claimed to be the industry's most widely used battery mount, is forward compatible to allow for new cell chemistries as they develop, allowing today's battery to perform seamlessly on a charger purchased ten years ago, with only a simple firmware upgrade. Central to the Gold Mount’s performance are three solid mechanical connections that lock into place, providing secure contact, with self-cleaning gold-plated pins rated for high current. It includes an InterActive Viewfinder Fuel Gauge communicating directly with the camera’s viewfinder.

By David Fox

IDX V-Mount for AJA Ki Pro Mini

IDX Technology's new V-Mount sleeve and Mounting Adaptor simplifies attaching an AJA Ki Pro Mini digital recorder to a camera. The A-E2KPm is designed to securely house the Ki Pro Mini and mount conveniently to an ENG camera V-Mount connection.

It has an integral P-V2 plate that allows direct attachment of IDX 14.4v V-Mount Lithium Ion batteries to provide simultaneous power for both the Ki Pro Mini and the camera.

The A-E2KPm has a discreet four-pin XLR cable to pickup power from the battery and slot into the XLR power terminal at the base of the Ki Pro Mini. A two-pin D-Tap connector located on the side of the P-V2 supplies DC power directly from the attached battery to an on-board camera light or other DC operated accessory.

The rugged exterior and slim profile of the A-E2KPm provides secure housing while a hinged top hood offers protection to the flash card slots and LCD panel in poor weather conditions, allowing users to easily insert or remove media without removing the unit from the enclosure. Even when housed, the A-E2KPm provides full access to the Ki Pro Mini’s audio and HD-SDI video input and output sockets.

The A-E2KPm can also be mounted directly on IDX’s Shoulder Stabilisation System, without the use of 3rd party rod or rail mountings. It can simply be slotted to the chosen P-V series plate at the rear of the A-CA74E Shoulder Adaptor and powered using an attached IDX 14.4v V-Mount Li-ion battery.

By David Fox

Anton/Bauer mounts up for Alexa

Anton/Bauer has introduced a QR-HotSwap-AR Gold Mount, which can take two batteries, for the Arri Alexa digital camera system.

The Gold Mount enables users to quickly snap on a battery and provides three solid mechanical connections that lock into place, providing secure contact for uninterrupted power and self-cleaning gold-plated pins rated for high-current.

The QR-HotSwap-AR allows for either two Dionic HC or Dionic HCX batteries to be fitted at once, for seamless hot swapping and longer run-times. The mount also allows the camera to show the combined batteries’ remaining run-time via the InterActive Viewfinder Fuel Gauge.

“When shooting on location with the Arri Alexa, one of the most sought after cameras in all of digital cinema, the last thing Anton/Bauer’s Gold Mount users will have to worry about is a power failure because of a bad battery connection,” claimed Shin Minowa, vice president of marketing and business development. “The Anton/Bauer Gold Mount System is the most widely used battery mounting system in the industry and is available as factory standard equipment on many cameras from such manufacturers as Grass Valley, Hitachi, Ikegami, JVC and Canon.”

The Gold Mount allows for new cell chemistries as they are developed, meaning a battery introduced today can perform seamlessly on a current charger purchased ten years ago, with only a simple firmware upgrade.

By David Fox

PAG racks up intelligent charger

PAG has introduced a rack-mountable version of its high-power, simultaneous Cube charger.

The PAG RMC4X can be used to simultaneously fast-charge Li-Ion batteries manufactured by PAG, Sony or IDX, via four V-Mount or PAGlok battery mounts that connect to the charger via its four XLR-4 outputs.

The charger is designed for mounting in a half-width racking system. It measures 1U high and two units can be mounted side by side in a full-width 19-inch rack, using connecting plates, making it ideal for use in outside broadcast vehicles, or in a workshop.

There are two models, with either four V-Mount or four PAGlok connectors. The mounts incorporate a cable terminated with an XLR-4 connector. A bespoke mounting-board for the connectors, which enables them to be fitted vertically inside the OB vehicle, can also be supplied.

The four-channel RMC4X features PAG’s Intelligent Parallel Charging software, which uses current efficiently for fast, fully automatic charging. The high-power unit has an output of approximately 100W (6 amps at 16.8 volts). The 1.8kg RMC4X can also be used to sequentially charge the previous generation of PAG Li-Ion batteries and Ni-MH batteries manufactured by PAG and Sony. All stages of the charging process are indicated on the unit’s backlit LCD screen.

PAG has also recently released a version of its L95e battery, specifically for use with Red One cameras.

The L95e is a 14.8v 6.5Ah Li-Ion battery with a maximum continuous output current rated at 7 amps. The high-quality, low-cost, 95 Watt-hour V-mount L95e is suitable for use with a broad range of professional cameras, but the L95eR has been adapted to communicate with the Red One camera’s viewfinder data display, enabling users to monitor battery capacity (in percentage) whilst shooting. It is also possible to see an indication of remaining camera run-time on the battery’s built-in display.

The 750g L95eR will provide 1.25 hours of continuous run-time for the Red One camera alone, but two L95eR batteries can be combined, to provide extended run-time and a higher current-draw capability for the Red One, by using a new version of the PAG Power Plate dual battery mount. This new Power Plate includes the contacts that allow the capacity information to be communicated to the Red One viewfinder.

By David Fox

Shoulder stabiliser with Endura-nce

IDX Technology's new Shoulder Stabilisation System for hand-held cameras offers users the extra power of IDX’s high-capacity Endura batteries.

It is designed for use with camcorders and HD DSLRs and is based around an A-CA74E shoulder adaptor base, on which the camera position can be adjusted for balance. It has a cushioned shoulder pad and an adjustable, rear battery plate for attaching an optional P-V series plate, which allows the connection of a V-Mount battery.

The A-HG74 handgrip support option has three cushioned, adjustable handles, two at the front and a third at the rear to add support to the chest area. The A-HG74 has an integrated tripod adaptor for attaching the system to a standard tripod.

There are three optional V-Mount plates that take the battery’s 14.4v output and convert it to: 5v or 7.3v for a range of Panasonic, JVC and Canon models; 12v for the Sony EX series; or 8.4v for other Sony camera models (it is pictured fitted to a JVC GY-HM100). There are seven optional DC cables that connect from the regulated D-Tap of the P-V plate and plug into the camera battery channel or power input terminal. Each P-V plate has a second D-Tap output for lights or audio accessories.

By David Fox

PAG L95e battery gets new mount

PAG has introduced a new version of its lower-cost broadcast battery, the PAG L95e, and a rack-mountable version of its latest high-power, simultaneous Cube charger.

The 95 Watt-hour Li-Ion L95e is a 14.8v 6.5Ah battery with a maximum continuous output current of seven amps. It has been designed as a low-cost replacement for the Anton/Bauer Dionic 90, so can be charged using any Anton/Bauer Li-Ion compatible charger.

PAG claims that the 760g L95e has "a better quality to price ratio than any other battery in this market" and guarantees the battery for 18 months. It features an electronic protection circuit that is itself protected from the results of damage to the cell pack. It has a five-LED capacity indicator display that will also provide an estimate of remaining camera run-time. As its capacity is below 100Whr, there is no restriction on the number of PAG L95e batteries that can be transported by air in hand luggage. The battery is also available in V-Mount and PAGlok formats.

The 1U high, half-width rack version of the Cube will simultaneously fast-charge Li-Ion batteries manufactured by PAG, Sony or IDX, via four V-Mount or PAGlok battery mounts that connect to the charger via its four XLR-4 outputs.

The four-channel charger features PAG’s Intelligent Parallel Charging software, which uses current efficiently for fast, fully automatic charging. The charger can supply approximately 100W (6 amps at 16.8v).

By David Fox

Batteries charge Through The Roof

A nine-day climb on Mount Kilimanjaro requires lots of energy, but for one documentary team just three batteries were enough. Through the Roof, a documentary following Erica Davis, the first female paraplegic athlete to reach the summit of Africa's highest mountain, was shot on a Panasonic AG-HPX170 P2 HD handheld camcorder, powered by Anton/Bauer ElipZ 10K batteries.

Matt Peters and Chris Theibert of Captured Life Productions had taken six batteries with them, expecting to use them all, but only needed three to capture 12 hours of primary footage.

Through the Roof follows Davis, plus Tara Butcher (an amputee below the left knee), as they and a support team scale the 5,893-metre mountain. It took seven days to reach the summit, with temperatures varying from the heat of the African plains to well below freezing at the top.

“We did a lot of research to determine the best type of equipment for a shoot like this, where we would be operating in harsh conditions and without access to a power source for several days,” said Peters.

“We were amazed that we actually had unused batteries when we got off the mountain,” he added. “It was something we didn’t think was possible, because we ran out of room on the camera before we ran out of battery power. It was a really good thing for us, very comforting, and it just clinched it for us.”

The almost toy-like ElipZ 10K uses the highest capacity lithium ion cells available, providing field runtimes of more than 7.5 hours on a 10-Watt camera load. The lightweight battery can improve the comfort and handling characteristics of a compact camcorder by lowering its centre of gravity and providing an additional handhold. It fits to the underside of the camera, away from operator controls.

By David Fox

Hot-swap batteries on a plate

IDX Technology's new A-E241E dual V-Mount battery plate can be fitted with two IDX V-mount batteries to give double the battery capacity for cameras and accessories. The plate has a universal V-Mount to fit a wide variety of broadcast cameras and equipment and is compatible with all IDX Endura System Lithium Ion batteries. It means that users will be able to hot-swap batteries without turning the camera off.

By David Fox

Hawk-Woods adapts to HD DSLRs

Hawk-Woods' new battery power adaptors for Canon's HD DSLRs will allow the cameras to be used with high-capacity broadcast batteries. The DC-5D adaptors for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D cameras feature a cable mounted dummy LP-E6 type battery (as used in the DSLRs), which is linked to either a 2-pin D-Tap, or 4-Pin Hirose plug.

This allows the cameras to be powered from V-Lok (or other) types of battery when plugged into a suitable power output. This could be a rig mounted V-Lok plate, or stand alone V-Lok adaptor, like the Hawk-Woods VL-A1. This means that run-time can be increased immensely, especially for applications like time-lapse photography.

By David Fox