Has anybody every had any timecode glitches after changing out the battery? I'll have somewhere between 80-100 hours of footage by the time that I'm done, so obviously setting the timecode/having a unique tape name is critical to my file management when I'm back in the edit bay. But that said, something very odd has happened a couple times. Once was a fluke. Twice aroused my suspicions. Having it happen a third time today has me more than a little concerned.

Being at week 7 of an 8 week shoot, and just now seeing this, I'm wondering if something is dying...

Say the tape has time left but the battery is running low, and what I'm filming isn't over yet. I whip out a new battery (while leaving the tape alone), and the timecode either: a) resets itself to where it was the last time I turned the camera on; or b) keeps on rolling with the same TC, but now shows a radically different "time left" warning (in other words, the TC is, say, 15:32:00:00, but instead of having 28 minutes left, it now says I have only 14 and continues to count down to 2 min. and start flashing).

Has anybody ever seen this? Any tips? To be safe, when we've cought it we've just changed tapes to be extra safe regarding what I end up with in the edit bay, but a few times we didn't catch it immediately, being in the heat of the moment, so I'm not sure what the heck I'm going to be up against there.

Very frustrating,
Marcia

Does the DVX100 use a button cell battery (about the size of a quarter)? These batteries are used to keep user settings (TC, Day, Date, Time of Day etc) in memory when the camera battery is exchanged. When this battery is weak or dead you may encounter issues similar to what you describe. The manufacture usually has a flashing icon or symbol display in the viewfinder under such conditions. Any unusual symbols in your VF?

The DVX has an internal rechargable battery for keeping track of this sort of thing. You are prompted in the viewfinder that it's getting low. When this happens, plug the camera into the AC adapter like you normally would to power the camer, but leave the camera in the off power position. In about 4 hours, the battery will be fully charged.

Hmmm, no flashing icon. I checked the manual, made sure the display was set to display all (I usually have it set to "partial"), but nothing. Will try and recharge it anyway, as you suggest, in the morning.

Thanks for responding,
Marcia

Where is a good online store that carries batteries for the DVX100
A?

DVXUser.com sells an awesome custom-made battery at a very reasonable price. Keep in mind it's not a retail store - and sometimes processing time is slow. Email them to find out the next block shipment.

http://www.dvxuser.com/articles/battery/

There are also our sponsors - check the link in my signature below.

I have two batteries from DVXUser.com and they've worked as advertised. It's a very good value at 45 USD for a 3500mah battery.

If you need them by a certain date, just specify it in an email sent to battery @ dvxuser . com

Mine came by the date I requested.

Ryan

Hey we also just got new 5000s in for $69.. im locked in post on a feature so am home in the edit suite now for the next 2 weeks, so orders are actually going out daily.. its a nice break to go for a little walk to the post office :)

Those batteries would work on the dvc30 as well, correct?

Edit: It looks like they take the same cell, has anyone tested your 5k mah battery on a dvc30?

they work on the dvx80... never tried the 30 though. If a normal DVX battery does however ours should as well.

Are the best deal in town folks. I've got loads of them and they are excellent.

is there much difference betwen a Panny battery and a no name brand battery that you wou
ld buy on ebay for fraction of the brand name battery?

Depends on the battery you get. No-name batteries may nor may not have the actual capacity that they claim to. I know someone conducted a test where they weighed a bunch of supposedly equivalent batteries, and found wildly different weights (and corresponding different runtimes).

The best bang-for-the-buck on DVX batteries are the $69 5,000 mah batteries sold at dvxuser.com. They're less than half the cost of Panasonic's largest, CGR-D54.

I've also found luck on ebay with the CGR-D54, under its Japanese product name, which I believe was VW-VBD55 (or something like that). Ebay seller "shimwass" was selling them brand-new, in the package, for $90. I got one when I first got my DVX, and it's still going strong two years later, and is the first battery I reach for.

yah..koo thanx
i just got in touch wif dvxuser so we'll see....
thanx again

slow day at work, so i decied to look over every post in the forum and i came across this one. i'm looking to get some batteries and this one caught my eye. i went to the link listed but i could not find the $35 battery, only a $79. is the $35 still avalible? i understand it's a lower mAH.

hey sorry the $35 was a long time ago, we only have the $79 ones.. but the $79 ones last 2x as long as the $35 ones if that helps.

are the best bang for the buck! Get'um while you can.

Greetings:

I just got a DVC30. My only previous experience with a camcorder was with one that is at least 7 years old, and its' manual said that you should not leave the battery in the cam when it was not being used because some of the juice was being used even when the cam was off.

I have not seen this caution in the DVC30's manual. So is this (battery being drained when camera is off) no longer an issue? Can I leave the battery in my cam?

Thanks in advance,

Jonathon,
I've drained my battery a couple of times -- but only because I have the camera set to not turn off in standby mode and I accidently left it on when I put in the case. To be sure, I've been trying to remember to remove the battery -- I don't have a real reason to keep it on there, so it wouldn't hurt to keep it off when not in use.

Jonathan,

Just a personally preference, I always disconnect the battery. Depending on if I'm going to be using it later in the day. If you plan to "store" it for a day or two or longer...I wouldn't leave it on.

I have plenty of rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. Either they are used or not...over time they lose their juice. I think it's more of maintaing your camera than the battery. Because if the battery is connected, you can always accidently turn it on, leave it on, record while not know...and a gamut of other scenarios.

Tim and Jun:

Thanks for the answer. I guess part of what had (has?) me wondering is that the battery connector on the camera is exposed to dust w/o the battery on, and I was thinking dust might prevent a good connection. But apparently that's not a concern? Or do you make sure to store your cam in a dust free environment?

I appreciate your comments.

I would have to say of course...keep it in clean enviroment. PERIOD.

Having said that...it reminds me....if you plan to shoot at the beach...do it with caution. Getting sand inside your camera can ruin your day.

Jonathan,

Keeping the battery connected, even with the camera off, will slightly drain the batt.

You should keep dust off of the camera by storing it in camera bag. A protective case is one of the most inexpensive and most valuable investments you can make. Dust, smoke and floating "crap" are your worst enemies. These will kill a pro-consumer camera before anything else.

Do a search for camera bags on this site and protect your investment ASAP.

Steph

Stephanie:

Thank you for your helpful input.

Wow! Check out Overstock.com. I just ordered 2 5600mah CTA batteries from them for 59.95 each and only 2.95 shipping!!

The same batteries I saw on other sites were over $100!

good deal, go for it. I support Jared Land over at DVX users com by buying his batteries because he's a shooter and provides good quality batteries at very good prices. Quality control is a very important point to keep in mind.

thanks Dean.

Just to be clear These arnt the same batteries.. these are the same ones they sell on ebay for $20.. you gotta be careful on some of the cheap batteries because they can throw random voltages to the camera. Also the MAH can be inaccurate, as many manufactures just relabel the cells. Ive even seen 6000mah cells being advertised out there, which is a chemical imposibility at this time.

thanks Dean.

Just to be clear These arnt the same batteries.. these are the same ones they sell on ebay for $20.. you gotta be careful on some of the cheap batteries because they can throw random voltages to the camera. Also the MAH can be inaccurate, as many manufactures just relabel the cells. Ive even seen 6000mah cells being advertised out there, which is a chemical imposibility at this time.

I'm guessing you mean these ones:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PANASONIC-CGA-D54-CGR-D54-AG-DVC60-AG-DVX100-BATTERY_W0QQitemZ7591815309QQcategoryZ43436QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

What about the 4800 mAh ones?

http://cgi.ebay.com/CGR-D54-battery-PANASONIC-AG-DVC60-AG-DVX100-Brand-new_W0QQitemZ7591880806QQcategoryZ43436QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I've bought 2 of them, should I get rid of them?

What about the 4800 mAh ones?

http://cgi.ebay.com/CGR-D54-battery-PANASONIC-AG-DVC60-AG-DVX100-Brand-new_W0QQitemZ7591880806QQcategoryZ43436QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I've bought 2 of them, should I get rid of them?
I looked at the Ebay ad, it has a major error in the description, calling it a 3.7V battery. There is no way it can be true, as the cameras listed as compatible are all 7.2V cams. As far as capacity rating, you can fully charge the battery first, plug it in, load the tape in the camera, and record non stop.
You will have to reload tape several times, if it lasts longer than an hour. The camera uses about 8w with the LCD open. The battery is rated as 4800ma (that is about 35Wh). So if it truely delivers what it is rated for, it should last about 4 hours. If less than that, do your math. 2 h would be 2400ma.
HTH
Alex Dolgin

Thanks Alex,
My main concern is that these batteries will throw random voltages and damage my camera as Jared had mentioned earlier in the thread. Will they? If so I'd rather throw them out. The battery I bought was advertised at 7.2 volts, not 3.7 and was purchased through a retailer in Vancouver BC.

I'm with Dino. But an earlier post suggested that aftermarket batteries were OK. Is there any evidence that some will throw random voltages to the cam? If so, how can you tell which ones? Maybe it's better just to stick with the Panasonic ones?

Anyone had experience with the CTA batteries? While going for a good price on Overstock, I've seen the same brand on other sites for $99 - 119. If I can't trust 'em I'll send them back.

We have just recently made available a 6000mAh for $99.99.

http://www.spec-comm.com/SCPAN-6000.php

Best regards,

Andrew Hoffman
Senior Operations Manager
Specialized Communications Corp.
20940 Twin Springs Dr.
Smithsburg, MD 21783-1510 USA
800-359-1858
Fax: 301-790-0173
andrewh@spec-comm.com
www.spec-comm.com

I have never bought a battery belt. I plan on going to Africa to do a documentary and I don't want to run out of battery power. Are there good battery belts out there that will supply power for me for many, many hours?

You could start by looking at the Bescor and NRG offerings.

Panasonic actually have a belt clip battery with a 9hr rating.. i bought 3 of these... the cable is a lil under a metre in length and for its size, its actually lighter than the clip on 10hr battery.

Actual life is about 5 to 6 hours...But you can get the same results frm the 5400/5600 offerings..

i now use generic 5600mha which i get for $80AUD and they last as long (if nto longer) than the panasonic offerings at less than a quarter of the price..
You can have 4 of these and shoot all day. I usually need only one battery change every 10 or so hours when im shooting for long periods using these bateries.
The camera is DVX100 and its in manual mode with EVF only (no LCD used)

I bought two of the extended batteries for DVX100b from BH, the $149 ones..I tried charging them today, and neither would charge in the charger that came with the camera. Do I need a different charger? It would start charging than suddenly the green light would go off like almost instantly so I didnt know if it was charging anymore..after leaving on for a little while longer I'd put them on the camera to be told I have a full battery with only 45 minutes..so it's strange anyone have this issue?

Query:

Were these proper Panasonic batteries or "knock offs" (aka Generic)?

The reason I ask is that the new battery systems have got so sophisticated, they must have a proprietry chip inside to control the charge rate etc etc.

If the batteries you bought are "generic" then that could be your problem with the charger.

You may well need a "generic" charger to do the job, else, simply leave them on the Panasonic charger overnight and see if they're good to go in the morning.

Don't be suprised if they're not, but be thankfull if they are.


CS

It is true for Sony, not Panasonic. Panasonic does not put any smart chips in their batteries. I already posted a guess on another forum, might be trying to run the camera while charging. It can only do one at a time.

It would start charging than suddenly the green light would go off like almost instantly so I didnt know if it was charging anymore..

This has just happened to the (full size $150) battery that came with my DVX when I bought it used two years ago. This was an official Panny battery.

My friend sold me the camera, and said both parts were bought new in 2006.

At first it started to only charge half way (the battery indicator would show halfway, and I would get an hour or two out of it) and now recently it barely holds a charge.

Point being, though, I've generally had that weird issue where it barely charges. I've even taken it off the charger, put it back on, and gotten it to get the "Charge" light to come on again. Now it just doesn't charge at all.

I just ordered a replacement battery, but it does make me nervous about the lifespan of my other batteries. I store them in the camera case in my basement - not sure if I'm storing them improperly? Three years seems too short (unless he gave me an older battery from before 2006).

EDIT - btw I have another $150 battery that I bought new with the camera, and it works fine. So there's nothing wrong with the charger/camera/etc.