It takes a $1,000 battery for my DSR-300 to match the $180 battery for the PD150!

I always wonder how my DSR-250 which has the same CCD as the PD-150 supposingly, running the same miniDV tape, can consume apparently several times the power of the PD-150.

But then upon examining the mechanism of the tape drive, apparently the same drive that drive the larger DVCam tape is transformed to drive the miniDV tape, which I presume is the main reason for the large power use.

BTW the BP-M100 I bought is performing as advertised. Did half dozen shoots so far with it, longest at five hours. No more worrying about running out of battery in the middle of a shoot, plus it balance better by "pulling down" more behind in the shoulder-mount position.

What's a good place to get a battery charger for the VX-2100 batteries (L series I believe), and also a good place to get a great camera bag for the VX-2100?
Any recommendable bags?
And which (sony) separate charger is the best?

Check out our sponsors (use the link in my signature). I like the Kata Shell-03 (http://www.kata-bags.com/Item.asp?pid=10&cid=65&perentId=1&ProdLine=1) I recently reviewed this product and it is outstanding. I used in with one of our schools vx2000's (and GL1, DVX100) and it worked better than I ever expected. The best protection from shock (dropping) I've seen in a case of this size.

I recommend the Sima SPM-13 charger for the Sony NP-F batteries. It also charges the NP-FM series without an adaptor. It comes with 3 adaptor trays for charging most brands and types of 7.2 volt and 3.6 volt lithium camcorder batteries.

I've had mine for over 3 years and it charges moderately fast. It charged an NP-F960 in 3 hours, 15 min. The NP-F350 that came with my VX2100 charges on it in 1 hour, 8 min. It gives 3 ear-blasting beeps when finished, that would raise the dead. I've also used a Sima SPM-10 for 8 years for Ni-Cad and NiMH batteries. Both of these have worked great for me. Their cost was about $40., each.

You can buy this direct online or by phone from Sima or perhaps get a better price from a mailorder dealer.

http://www.simacorp.com/products/item.ep.html?session=44ac8c85719802d7652925cd18fb897d&id=390

How many people knew you can charge your Sony NP-F batteries in the back of your GV-D series mini DV and Digital8 VCRs?
That is, with models 200/300/800/900. The newer DV model GV-D1000 uses and charges the smaller NP-FM series batteries. However, they do it much more slowly than the Sima SPM-13 charger.

I bought a CTA battery from B&H Photo, that's a NP-F960 replacement. Used it a few times, no problems.

I also just got a Sony NP-F960 battery off ebay, i charged it last night, the minutes function was working and all, but today I got an email off an ebayer (after I left a postive feedback to the seller) saying the battery is a fake, and will die in 3 months and may also damage the camera. The camera was shipped from China, and came with the "original" packaging. In the email, it said he/she could give me pics comparing the fake and real Sony batteries.

Here's da link to the ebay store.

http://stores.ebay.com/Camera-Accessories-Megastore_W0QQsspagenameZl2QQtZkm

Anyone buy, use, or have any experience with either of these batteries? Any suggestions?

Also, anyone use any of these batteries?
http://powergears.com/

Okay, so I've just been had by buying a "supposedly" GENUINE Sony NP-F960. But I know the guy who sold me the battery, and I won't have problems getting a replacement or a refund.

Problem is, I'm not so sure if I should get another replacement battery from him. I've read that these fake ones only last about 3 months and might even damage the camera. But now that I think of it, for about $20 more I could get a REAL one from an authorized seller. By the way, I was really aiming for the authentic battery and not any 3rd party batteries, and I hate this fake battery more.

Can anyone confirm if these rumors are true? I don't want to have a dead battery on my hands within a few months. And I definitely don't want my newly purchased camera dying on me because I skimped $20 on a battery. Should I just get a refund or something?

And oh, the battery came in a sealed retail pack with the Sony brand all over the place. I only noticed something was amiss when I attached the battery to my new VX2k1 and saw that EVERYTHING WAS UPSIDE DOWN. The wedge was pointing up, the ridge/groove started from the top and not from the bottom, and the ink from the words "InfoLITHIUM" was kinda smeared. And this looks exactly like the batteries that are being sold on eBay for about $40-$50.

ADDED: And I also noticed just now one difference from all the battery pics that are posted on all the major and trusted online retailers from the one I purchased. There is no recycle or tamper sticker on top of the battery. Hell, I only noticed it after comparing it directly with the NP-F330 battery that came with the VX2k1 package and confirming with online pics. No "Recycle/Tamper-Proof" sticker, then it's not authentic.

eBay BUYERS BEWARE!

Oh oh... Looks like I bought a pirated battery as well off ebay... At least it seems to be working fine though - what issues were you having with yours

Note: the battery that came with my PDX10 did not have the recycle sticker but seems authentic and has worked fine. The new ones I bought had the recycle sticker.

Ignacio, the battery that came with your camera is authentic as long as the package was sealed when you bought it. The ones that they retail usually have a racycle or tamper-proof sticker on top. This is solely based off my observations. Can anyone else confirm this?

Ari, how long have you been using the battery? If you've been using it for a year or so then I might just have gotten a bad batch of batteries. As far as I'm concerned the first charge was okay and I got it to work as advertised (around 8-9 hours LCD on). I'm more concerned about the durability/longevity of the battery because I bought mine just a bit less than the authentic ones.

I'm thinking now if is it possible that I got a badly manufactured one that was sold cheap? I'm not really sure about this, that's why I'm asking around and warning buyers of potential fakes when all they really want to buy are the real batteries.

Anyone have any experience with 3rd party or pirated/fake batteries? Do they really conk out on you after 3 months? I'm really concerned about this because I feel somewhat ripped off. And it's annoying to see the battery upside down. It's slight, but lets you feel bad about the purchase.

Can you ask for the pics from that ebayer? I think I've been had too, but I didn't get mine from eBay. All I know from personal observations that "real" sony batteries have a recycle/tamper sticker on top of the battery.

I've also posted regarding this matter, you might also want to contribute there as some people also bought some of those "so-called" authentic sony batteries without knowing the truth.

And I am really concerned about that 3-month battery death and damage to the camera. Thanks.

My post regarding the "fake" batteries:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27804

Sorry, but I already deleted the email with the pics. Anyways, they (other ebayers who ended up with the same batteries) told me that as long as the polarity is ok on it, it shouldn't damage the camera. I had told them that I had already charged it. They thought it should be fine, since I had already charged it through the camera.
I just ordered that 10/20 sony light (along with a plug in charger for L series batteries) that uses the same batteries, so i'm just gonna use that battery for the light.

Sorry to hear you may have gotten a fake. This E-bay seller http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43438&item=3821873218&rd=1#ebayphotohosting has nice big close up shots of the Sony NP-F960 batteries he sells. It's interesting that there is no U.S. Patent Number on it, unlike on my three Sony batteries. Not sure what that means - maybe Sony's patent expired. Otherwise it looks pretty much like a genuine Sony battery.

Christopher

Same battery I got. Comes in a sealed package and looks legit for the most part. Contains instruction manual and everthing.
They ship if from China.
The other ebayers told me they make these fakes in China.
I noticed on mine that the "L" bronze part was not "painted" or stenciled that good.

Same battery you got, eh? Thanks for the heads up, then. In that case it's sure hard to tell from the photos what's fake and what's not fake.

Christopher

Anyone here order and use thes batteries on a VX1000?

http://www.powergears.com/productdetail.php?name=NP-F730

How are they? I've heard they last longer and work well from one person, wanted to get a few more "reviews" on them.


BTW, how come there isn't a VX1000 section on this board?

Anyone?
Any others to recommend?

I am about to purchase a Sony VX-2100 to (mostly) replace my aging Canon XL-1 for daily use. I priced the camcorder and some accessories on one supplier's site that I often use (B&H) and it seems odd that they don't sell the Sony NP-F750 batteries, just some compatible ones, like CTA brand. A few other sites-but not many- had the Sony brand batteries available and everywhere else it seems they sell the "compatible"' kind. Can anyone recommend these other brands and will they work right with the battery level gauge on a VX-2100 or should I just purchase the Sony brand batteries at full price elsewhere?

They have the NP-F770 now at about $75

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=search&Q=&b=80&a=332_2762&shs=&ci=3466&ac=&Submit.x=12&Submit.y=12

<<<-- Originally posted by Mike Rehmus : They have the NP-F770 now at about $75

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=search&Q=&b=80&a=332_2762&shs=&ci=3466&ac=&Submit.x=12&Submit.y=12 -->>>

I knew I had to be missing something, thanks or the info.! I just ordered the camera and a couple of the NP-F770 batteries and an on-camera light and some filters.

What light and what filters Jim? If the light's the 20DW-2 you might also want an NP-f960.

<<<-- Originally posted by Jim Gunn : or should I just purchase the Sony brand batteries at full price elsewhere? -->>>

Sony really screwed me and I'm certain many others when they discontinued the 960 batteries before shipping the new 970s. I bought my PD170 from EVS about a month ago and they had just sold their last 960. I ended up ordering 2 third party batteries from J&R as EVS had nothing to offer and I had a wedding to shoot in less than a week. I talked to a salesman at EVS this week and he has no idea when Sony will ship the 970, plus I saw B&H has none in stock either.

Shame on Sony!

<<<-- Originally posted by Tom Hardwick : What light and what filters Jim? If the light's the 20DW-2 you might also want an NP-f960. -->>>

I ordered a Sony SOVF58M VF-58M 58mm Neutral Density Filter Kiit and also a Sony SOHVLS3D HVL-S3D 3w DC Hot-Shoe Video Light plus a bulb that runs off of the camera battery. I am looking forward to using this for daily use and also testing the low light performance of this camera at night in clubs and in the evening.

You've chosen the best low light camera you can get Jim and I'm sure you'll find it a lot better than the XL1 in that department. But by buying the VX2100 won't you miss the XLR inputs? Didn't you have the PD170 on your short list? I'd have thought that a better competitor for the Canon.

The 3w video light looks to be too small and too feeble, but I'd like to hear your report once you've used it. Nice that it uses the intelligent shoe but the 20+20 with a Lumiquest diffuser avoids the 'point-source-of-light' look that brings such sharp shadows.

Glad you got an ND. Out in ther sunshine the VX can certainly do with more ND than is supplied by the lens barrel switch.

tom.

The 3-watt will be a disapointment as it is uneven and way too low powered. I've had a couple for a while and they stay in the drawer unless I simply cannot light any other way and the quality isn't as important as the record.

Doesn't sound as if Mike would see the (3w) light at the end of the tunnel.

<<<-- Originally posted by Tom Hardwick : You've chosen the best low light camera you can get Jim and I'm sure you'll find it a lot better than the XL1 in that department. But by buying the VX2100 won't you miss the XLR inputs? Didn't you have the PD170 on your short list? I'd have thought that a better competitor for the Canon.


The 3w video light looks to be too small and too feeble, but I'd like to hear your report once you've used it. Nice that it uses the intelligent shoe but the 20+20 with a Lumiquest diffuser avoids the 'point-source-of-light' look that brings such sharp shadows.

Glad you got an ND. Out in ther sunshine the VX can certainly do with more ND than is supplied by the lens barrel switch.

tom. -->>>

The XL-1 doesn't have XLR inputs per se, although I have used two handheld mics plus the on-camera mic to record up to three channels of audio at the same time in night club and crowd shoots with two hosts with my XL-1.

As far as the PD-170, I won't work with a b/w viewfinder, period. I film a lot of documentary style videos and spontaneous footage and Ii want to see color like I do with my eyes. Give me color or forget it.

My friend had one of those small lights on his VX-1000 or 2000 and I liked it, so I'm sure I will get use out of this light and I like that it draws power from the camera battery. Anywayy, it's cheap, so I will probably buy another on-camera light eventually anyway.

Just got a 960 battery for $40 on Ebay.....

just look for the battery on ebay

its a buy it now so you don't have to bid on them

Are you certain it is a 'real' Sony battery and not one of the fakes?

Yes they are Sony OEM batteries... come in the same
blister pack and all....

I have two of them now..... $40 each... took about
two weeks to get them as they send them from Hong Kong


but if I had bought the batteries here in Dallas theywould
have cost me around $350... and I got these for $80 total.

I can look up the seller but it was batteries-007 or something close to that if not correct... should be easy
to find on ebay... again, buy it now option so no bidding

Jim,
I also just bought a PD170 and needed a battery ASAP so I got the CTA NP-F960 for 59.95 from B&H. I used it at a wedding, went all day with it and the camera displayed the battery use. No problems seen.
Bob

Purchased 2 Power 2000 ACD-607 (Li-ion) battery, substitute battery for Sony's NP-960L.

They are new batts. less than 1 month. Today my PD170 "rejected" one of the batteries.

After clicking in the battery and turning on the camera, the usual blue screen on the LCD and then a few moments later an ominous message came on the blue screen to the effect that it only uses Info-Lithium batteries and after a few more moments the camera shut down.

The other battery works fine, in fact since their purchase I have already used both batteries and recharged them at least twice .

For some unexplained reason the camera does not recognize the battery as an "Info-lithium" type battery.

If you'll indulge my personifying the camera a wee bit,it's as if the camera will sip just enough juice from the battery to flash a message that it doesn't like the taste of that battery, bye...bye...click...black LCD.

Any ideas, suggestions or similar experiences? If it's an inherant flaw in the battery, do you think B & H will exchange it ?

thanks,

Ken

B&H should. I've seen this before when the other battery makers don't quite get the 'looks-like' formula correct.

I ran into the same problem when I bought my VX-2100. Both 3rd party batteries that I had recently purchased and that I had been using successfully with my VX-2000 will not work with my VX-2100. They likewise will not work with the PD170 that I recently purchased. I have posted this information on this forum previously because it is a pain to buy batteries like this and not have them work. I think Sony decided to make the newer cameras pickier with respect to batteries to sell more of their own at inflated prices. Luckily you can now get genuine Sony batteries on Ebay for a reasonable price.

Hi I'll do a shot tomorrow with a VX2000 and I wonder if my batteries for my trv-19 are compatible with the VX.. (NP-FM50)

I expect the run time to be less..?

I'll also use a sony monitor.. What is the cable out conection from the cam??

Thanks.

No Alfred, you need NP-F... (without M) batteries. Outputs: Video (composite cinch), Y/C (Hosiden) and Firewire.

Thanks Andre, pity about the batteries.. (Firewire to connnect to monitor?? Is that possible?)


Thanks.

normally monitors don't have firewire (except for the latest and expensive models) so composite video or S-Video are the only choices.

Mike, what longest lasting battery do you recommend the most for the pd-170?

The big Sony batteries. They have the power and they (at least all mine have ) last a long time. I have Sony Li-On batteries that are 6 years old and still work well. The local college has some on VX-1000's that are over 8 years old.

I recently bought a "genuine" Sony NP-F960 on Ebay for about $40. It came in packaging that looked exactly like what you would see in a store in the US (Sony packaging). I thought it was a great deal until I tried to charge the battery and it stops charging at about 200 minutes (vs about 600 minutes on my other 960's). I have written to the ebay seller asking for an exchange, but no reply so far. I guess that is why I buy 90% of my stuff from B&H...

I have noticed that it is sometimes possible to get my 2100 and my 170 to accept a third party battery after initially rejecting it. If you recycle the power switch you can usually get the camera to accept the battery rather than giving the dreaded message. It isn't a reliable approach so I only resort to this if I am in a pinch. Normally I only use the third party batteries with my 2000, which doesn't complain at all.

hello, i have a gift certificate to amazon.com so i was wondering if this is a legit battery for the vx2100... i know that sony tried to eliminate the compatability with some of the 3rd party batteries but maybe one of you have tried this battery out, thanks

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007LV4Z/qid=1104004229/br=1-10/ref=br_lf_p_10//103-1234096-0215030?v=glance&s=photo&n=11041781

I have several "incompatible" batteries that work fine with my VX-2000, but that generate a message when used with my VX-2100 and PD-170. The camera gives a message that the camera requires "Infolithium" batteries, then shuts down. However, if I flip the power switch off, then on again, the message does not reappear and the batteries appear to work properly. I believe that the message only appears when the battery is first placed on the camera, and then the camera turned on. The message never appears again if you leave the battery on the camera. Given that the batteries normally stay on the camera, this has turned out to not be much of an inconvenience.

I'd like to begin by thanking Chris Hurd and the whole dvinfo.net community for all the help and knowledge I've gained by my daily visits since a friend referred me here last year. It's sure nice to be able to research a problem or get the insight of much more experienced camera operators available here.

I received my order from B&H yesterday and am now the proud owner of a Sony PD170. My first impression of the new rig is that I'm very impressed with the low light capabilities but the added manual features will take some getting use to.

I ordered a Sony 1.7 Telephoto lens that is going back to B&H. When the zoom is at it's widest angle with this lens installed I get the corners of the view cut off. (I know there is a technical term for this but it escapes me at the moment.) This characteristic is unacceptable to me. I'll either buy another brand that does not do this or do without.

Is there another lens I should consider?

Of coarse the camera came with a small battery, but I would like to have 6-8 batteries as I will be traveling quite a bit. I purchased a NP-F770 today that boasts an 8hr recording time. I know the real world use I get out of it will be less.

Do you own any of the NP-F960's?
Are they worth the added expense?
And finally, where is a good place to order them at a good price?
Im also looking for a good dual/multiple charger with AC/DC power options.

I bought the Sony UWP-C1 wireless mic system and really like how the receiver unit came with an adaptor for mounting on the smart shoe.

I have the supplied mic for the camera plugged into Input1, the wireless mic into Input 2.
I have the Rec CH Selection set to CH1-CH2.
Input 1 Level is set to Mic, phantom power is On.
Input 2 Level is set to Mic, phantom power is Off.
Do I have this setup correctly?

I'm monitoring audio with a set of headphones and watching the db meter as instructed in several threads and articles found here. I'm hearing some interference or buzzing when the LCD is opened. (Though I shoot through the viewfinder 99% of the time.) I've read in a few places that the PD170 had a problem with this when it was first began shipping, but that the problem was resolved on later models. My serial number is 11123**.

I'm at a loss as to what causes this. Any ideas?

Finally, I need an on camera light for nighttime interviews in the outdoors. I've see the cheap 10w lights Canon sells but think I'll need more than that.

What would you suggest?

Sorry for the long post and multiple questions. Answer one or all at your leisure. Thanks again. I'm really excited about this new camera and this weekend it's getting put to the test for the first time. I'm helping a friend who has a new outdoor product shoot some footage outside for an instructional DVD he wants to include with the product.

<<<-- Originally posted by Tyge Floyd : When the zoom is at it's widest angle with this lens installed I get the corners of the view cut off. (I know there is a technical term for this but it escapes me at the moment.) -->>>

I think "vignetting" is the term you're searching for. I'm not familiar with that lens for the PD/VX series, but I'm guessing you will experience something similar with just about any telephoto adaptor. To avoid that problem you would need a huge, heavy chunk of glass. Before returning the lens you should see if anyone knows of an adaptor which will not vignette at full wide... I tend to doubt that such a thing exists.

Also, you need to be aware that both the viewfinder and LCD panel "overscan" on the PD-170 and virtually all prosumer camcorders. This means that they don't show the entire video frame. So in reality I think you'll find that the tele adaptor vignettes before you get to the full wide zoom, but you just aren't seeing it in the viewfinder. Plug a professional monitor into the camera which has an "underscan" feature - that means it will show the entire 720x480 frame. If you don't have one, then capture a few seconds of footage to tape and import it into your editing software to have a look. That should also show you the full frame.

This is not generally a problem since all consumer TV's also overscan, however if you're going to project your footage on a screen or distribute via the web then you may find some unpleasant surprises that you didn't realize were in the frame.

I too offer the same thoughts re tele-converters. Tele ad-ons will vignette at least part of the main lens zoom range. If using an ad-on (any) you should be aware of the limitations and only use it at towards the tele end of the camera's native lens. I have a Century Optics 2X.

Batterywise it is wise to have as much"power" as you anticipate using, but practicallity comes into play as well $$$$ . If you have several (2, 3?) high energy batteries AND a good traveling charger you should be set. I bought an Optex charger (model # Li2000) (It can also handle other brands/formats, Canon etc. , of LiIon batteries) to handle my batteries for the PD150 (same used for PD170) and the "M" series on my sony 828 digital. The charger comes with a house line adapter and also a 12v car adapter. Since it is separate from the cameras I can almost always be charging the required battery. It is small too so is easy to add to the kit. I am sure there are other similar units.

One more question addressed. Hopefully someone will jump in on the other subjects

Martin

Hey Tyge,

Congratulations on your PD-170 purchase. I would like to hook up with you sometime and compare the XL-2 and PD-170 side by side in a low light situation to see how the Canon stacks up. As far as the vignetting goes, I would echo what Boyd and Martin said. Just watch channel 8 news stories. There's at least one field camera that is showing vignetting. I see about 2 or 3 stories per newscast with this phenomenon. I will send you my cell phone # by private mail.

Have fun with the new camera!

=gb=

>>I have the supplied mic for the camera plugged into Input1, the wireless mic into Input 2.
I have the Rec CH Selection set to CH1-CH2.
Input 1 Level is set to Mic, phantom power is On.
Input 2 Level is set to Mic, phantom power is Off.
Do I have this setup correctly?<<

Look at the Rec CH Selection VERY CAREFULLY. Many people get confused by this. It is sending CH 1 input to BOTH CH1-CH2. Not something you want if you're using another mic in CH2. Set it to CH1 (which means the mic on CH2 will then go to CH2).

The rest of the Mic settings are correct for what you're using.

I use the Canon WD58 WA adapter and it does a pretty good job. There is some vignetting but it only becomes noticeable with vertical objects at the edges of the frame. At another wedding forum, there seem to be many other PD-170 owners using the WD58.

You might want to consider the new NP-F970. Two might be all you need.

I like the Frezzi micro-fill on board light. Expensive but dimmable from 35W, very small and lightweight. Just need a soft box for diffusion.

Good luck with your 170!
Bob

I think that if I had 6-8 970's that should get me through a couple of days of shooting before having to recharge. I have an assignment in the works that will put me in Zimbabwe for a month or more this summer and I'm worried about being caught over there without enough camera juice. There could be times when I'll be away from electric power for 2-3 days at a time, though I would presumably have DC or even inverter power possibly.

I talked to B&H and they are allowing me to return the Sony 1.7 lens. I'll put that money toward additional batteries for now. After some actual field use time behind the camera this past weekend I've just about decided the telephoto lens may be something I just will not need as much as I had originally thought.

I'm a lot more comfortable with the audio settings now. I did end up switching the Rec CH to CH1.

I'm still shopping for a lighting answer. Thanks for the input.

Craig, let's get together soon and see how these cameras compare in low light. I have to tell you I've been very impressed thus far. Shoot me an email to editor@texasoutdoorsman.com.