Hi All,

Just purchased an AB mount for my HD100U and looking for batts. Dionic 90s seem to be the 'standard' for this cam, but I may have found a great deal on a couple of Hytron 100s. Can I use these batteries on my cam? How do they perform compared to Dionic 90s?

Thanks!

I've had both and while the 100's used to be and in many case still are the gold standard for ENG work (now the 120s and 140s) the 100s are first and foremost a very heavy battery. 5.5 lbs and frankly I think with the JVC it would be far too back heavy (a little back heavy iswhat you want) AND more importantantly, I would have to wonder if the mount on the camera (the attachment points) would take the weight. Remember the 100s are 5.5 lbs vs. the Dionics weight of 1.7 lbs. Also the Hytrons are NiCAd and the Dionics are Lithum so thats something to take into account but to me the biggest thing is the weight of the Hytrons.
IIRC there was a thread about this a couple of months ago and I think it was determined the AB mount for the 100/200 would be hard pressed to carry the weight (note:the 250s mount is NOT a screw in type)
Anyway, there ya go.
Don

Also the Hytrons are NiCAd and the Dionics are Lithum so thats something to take into account but to me the biggest thing is the weight of the Hytrons.

Hytrons are in fact NiMh, not NiCd. Everything else of course is correct.

yeah, as soon as I posted I realized what I said but then I got distracted and forgot to fix it. Thanks for the save.

Don

When you put the 100 on a 250, it does get a bit unwieldy (personally I like it, but I can definitely see that thing snapping off one day) I have 90’s and only keep a charged 100 in the bag for emergencies. Also remember you’re getting very little extra run time for all of that extra weight!

What about Hytron 50s vs. Dionic 90s? Sorry for all the noobish questions, but I haven't found much in the way of comparisons and I don't have a local camera store.

hytron50's are fine, they are about 2.5 lbs. I've got a couple recelled to 65W. my back up is a 5.5lb 13V ProPak and I only use it when the others are dead. its really too heavy for the mount and with a lot of use, i think would cause something to let loose from the small screws, to the plastic internal battery mount. there are two small plastic tabs that help keep the mount from swinging out that are easy to break off.

BTW, thanks for all the input. It never dawned on me that the Hytrons would be too heavy for the mount. I was looking at buying 2 Hytron 140's for a long runtime, airplane friendly power solution to supplement my 3 Dionic 90's. Guess it's more 90's...

I've used a Hytron 140 on the back of an HD110 and so far (knock wood) all is well. On the other hand, I'm pretty careful to not put a lot of stress on it as I do worry about the weight. I've concluded that it's fine on the tripod or when carried GENTLY, but I think a lot of vigorous motion would be a very bad idea indeed.

Reason I like it is that it balances the camera a lot better than the Dionic 90 which leaves the camera feeling quite front heavy. May be a problem because I'm sort of on the large - well maybe the extra large - well actually the XXL side and I have the shoulder pad back as far as I can get it to leave room for my face behind the viewfinder.

The Dionic 160 might be better, but it's really pricey!

The Dionic 160 might be better, but it's really pricey!

And also has enough equivalent Lithium Content to make it restricted for airline flight. The 90's pass JUST under the 8 gram ELC limit.

PS. I'm an XXL shooter as well...

Yes, there is that small problem re traveling with the 160 - another reason I went with the Hytron.

I think IF I pay attention to diet AND keep working out for another 6 or 8 months I MIGHT get under 300. I seem to recall from some other threads that you were pretty close to the 300 mark as well.

6'3" and 285 lbs. I'm pretty solid handheld.

On the topic of weight and balance: when I first unpacked my first 200, I thought " What have I done? This thing FEELS like a toy"...

Well, by the time I got the lens, battery and everything else mounted it started to actually feel pretty good, especially after hauling BetaSX cameras around for news. I'd like to try a heavier battery pack on the back to see if it "trims" things out even more but all in all, a great design.

I think you have a 1/2 inch on me, but I've got 35 pounds on you - call it a draw!

As I always explain to people, I'm actually not overweight, so losing weight is a non issue. I'm seriously UNDER HEIGHT! Now if I could just gain those extra 18 inches of height, I'd be just right!

My wife (all 4' 11 1/2" and 110 pounds of her) doesn't buy this for a minute.

Heck, even our little female Great Dane is 160 pounds. (Used to have a male that was 200 and only 10 inches shorter than my wife. It was really something to watch her walking the two dogs. Wish I had a video! Seriously, cars used to circle the block and come around again for a second look!)

Thanks for the answers (and personal dimensions trivia)! Glad you mentioned restrictions on content of certain batteries; I'm flying to socal to video my sister's college graduation in May, and don't want to get stuck without power. Went with Hytron 50s.

Well, size does matter, as they say. It really makes difference in what "fits" you and how the camera balances with one battery or the other.

The TSA has a web page where they go into detail on what kinds of batteries and in what sizes can be carried aboard an aircraft, and as I recall the Hytrons are AOK in just about any size.

The also have some requirements about batteries like the Dionics having to be carried in the cabin instead of in checked baggage because bad as a fire in the cabin is, its a lot better than a fire in the cargo hold where nobody can get at it with a fire extinguisher.

I also think Anton Bauer and others have info on their web sites regarding resrictions.

Aha! Found it!

Take a look at this link to A-B which also has links to USDOT etc.

http://www.antonbauer.com/battery_trans_info.htm

I went to the USDOT page and they define what they call a class of "Larger Lithium Batteries" and in fact they have picture of a Dionic 160 mounted on the back of a camera as an example. In short, they say that you can carry one such battery installed in your equipment and up to two additional spare batteries. So you could take up to three Dionic 160's on board with you.

These batteries (and generally, almost any of the Lithium batteries,) cannot be in checked luggage but must be carried in the cabin with you.

They also clearly state that batteries in excess of 300 Watt Hours cannot be transported on passenger aircraft.

Hope this makes up for the personal dimension trivia!

By the way, I followed some more links to an FAA Q&A page and they state that up to two (not three) Larger Lithium Batteries may be carried. The USDOT page said up to two SPARE Larger Lithium Batteries could be carried.

Seems that experts disagree, so to speak. Anyhow, you'd clearly be OK with two of the Dionic 160's

OK - more research.

Seems that they define "installed in a device" to mean not detachable, ie built in. But probabably removable otherwise what on earth would a spare battery be used for.

And one of these larger batteries INSTALLED IN A DEVICE" can be checked.

Gets more confusing every time I read it so I'll stop. But for sure you could carry two Dionic 160's

My 2p's worth: I wanted to continue using my existing Digi Betacam PAG battery system with my 201E. One reason is that several time I've re-celled my 3Ah batteries to 4Ah and my larger 5Ah batteries to 9 Ah.
5 Ah PAG batteries are heavy but recelling with NiMh to 9Ah is very easy, I do it myself. As they're just 1 cell deep, the load is much closer to the mount than Anton Bauers and so much easier on the mount.

I was lucky in that I had an Anton Bauer plate on my old Betacam SP and a spare Anton Bauer to PAG adapter plate, which is surprisingly thin and light. Now my 201E will take either battery and has 3 x 12v power sockets (AB and PAG on the back of the camera.

Weight wise the smaller, lighter 3Ah PAGs upgraded to 4Ah (Nicad) are just right for HD 200 cameras. If you feel competent with doing the wiring and recelling work PAG batteries make a very cost effective and practical solution for the 200 250 series. I agree that an AB 'brick' on the back of these cameras isn't a good idea.

I have several different AB batteries for my GY-HD200/Firestore combo and it's usually the Dionic 90 units that get the most use on my shoulder. I use my Hytron 140 as a counterweight for DOF adapters or other front-heavy accessories. The Trimpac (included with the kit) gets the least use and often ends up powering a LitePanels mini or a Rosco LitePad.

The mount seems pretty sturdy but I don't do a lot of running, bumping and crashing with the camera. When the camera is mounted on sticks and there's a monitor, mattebox, lens adapter, lights and other goodies towards the front, the Hytron 140 (sometimes on the AB Tandem charger/PS) makes balance easier and can power the entire mess (including an SDI adapter).

When flying I keep the Dionics with me and send all the other batteries as checked baggage or shipped ahead.

One last thought. The Dionic 160 batteries are a marvel of compact power but I would rather have two batteries of lesser capacity (Li ion, NiMH or even NiCd) than a single large battery. Batteries need to be charged and swapping smaller batteries provides that opportunity. Additionally, while it is unusual, batteries fail. I'd hate to lose 50% of my battery capacity if one unit failed. I always try to have at least three batteries available for a shoot and unless transportation is an issue, I carry four.