I have a Watson BP-U30. The first time I used it, it had --- instead of minutes remaining. The next few times, it displayed 120-130 minutes remaining. Now, a few more charges, and it is back to --- remaining. This is on a PXW-X180. Is this a faulty battery, or do aftermarket BP-U batteries simply not display time remaining?

PAUL

It may just be that specific brand. Can you find a "SWIT S-8U63" to test on? This is the aftermarket battery most rental houses around here offer.

No Swit for me to test. I looked at their batteries, but their BP-U60 seems to be the size of a BP-U90, due to that power tap they put on it. I just went ahead and bought a used Swit dual charger for $90. Figured I will be fine hot swapping cheap batteries if the time remaining displays aren't reliable. My Sony BP-U30 says 30 minutes minimum at 2 LED's, and 15 minutes minimum at 1 LED.

The Watson showed 148 minutes when I turned it on earlier tonight, but now it is down a few bars and back to ---.

Paul

My experience with aftermarket batteries on Sony camera is that they are not always correct in the information they show, unlike all original Sony batteries which are accurate until the last minute of power they supply.

I also once had experienced a camera shut down mid recording saying the battery is not a original one. This is one of the reasons I never use a aftermarket battery in a camera where I have to be 100% sure how much longer I have left to record.

It seems Sony slightly changed how the battery data is read on newer cameras so third parties had to update their batteries. You need the SWIT S-8U63 with the blue strip, not the red one, for the PXW-FS7, the X160 and X180. All new SWIT batteries with the blue strip on the battery label should be compatible with the X180.

Sony going and messing something as simple as power up!

I just ordered a 95 watt DSTE BP-U tat is slightly shorter than a Sony BP-U60. I would rather have double the runtime for 1/4 the price than a battery gauge reminding me of how much I spent for so little amount of minutes. I will be hot swapping batteries on the charger after each news story, so I call these "burner bateries". At $60 (vs $240!) a piece, expendability is expected.

Paul

Sony going and messing something as simple as power up!

They are not messing it up, they just don't want you to use a after market battery.

Sa battery gauge reminding me of how much I spent for so little amount of minutes.

Wow.

You would have/must have hated the days of BP-1 "chocolate bar" batteries than BRAND NEW ran a Betacam for MAYBE 45 minutes if you were lucky.

NP1, and on my first Betacam, I had that dual NP1 piggyback mounting system. :-)

Paul

Yup. NP1. 1A and !b were the 13.2 and 14.4V versions.

Not sure how I came up with BP-1.

D'oh!

We didn't have the dual mounts but we DID have the "black tie edition" nylon belt packs, which at 10 lbs or so gave me ALMOST 3 hours of shooting if fully charged for a Betacam BVW-507 w. PVV1 or 3 BetaSP back

ahhh....those were the days when Betacam strode the Earth as a colossus....

Well, plunked down $60 for a DSTE 114 watt BP-U60 size battery. The time remaining feature actually functions full time, unlike the Watson which displays 120 minutes at first, then goes to --- after that. The DTSE starts with 345 minutes, but looses over DOUBLE the minutes the camera is actually powered up for, so I have to do divide by 2 conversion in my head. Still, a LOT of energy in a small package for a small amount of money, I like it. It also has a blue stripe on the back. :)

Paul

Paul, can you please tell your experience with the dtse aftermarket battery now that a few months have passed from your post. Thanks

They last much longer than the similarly sized Sony OEM versions, and the "off" factor of time remaining is consistent, so you can do a quick mental math calculation for time remaining. I for instance know my camera will power off when the time remaining says 15 minutes! Unfortunately, one of the chips in my 2 DSTE batteries died, so the battery will charge and show voltage on the charger, but the LED fuel gauge will not work and it will not power up on the camera. DSTE said I could mail it back to Asia for a replacement.

For the $$ though, it is definitely worthwhile! I also started buying their NPF batteries as well.

Paul

Thanks for that info mate. Is it true that if for some reason the camera powers off while recording you will loose the footage if using the SxS to sdxc card adapter?

Powers off or goes dead, like if you removed the battery while recording? I don't know either way, but I have had power offs and never remember anything being lost, but cant recall if I was rolling when it happened.

Paul

ahhh....those were the days when Betacam strode the Earth as a colossus....

+1 on that! They were a big leap forward over the 1969 BVP330 and U-Matic portapak that really heralded 'video' as better than the earlier stagger-n-gun type of thing. Anyone remember the "refrigerator?" The erstwhile RCA TK76? Back in the time when it helped to be an ex quarterback to be a cameraman :))

Check out this rig!

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

What's that on his back, a fridge? I want one!

ROFL, that is seriously similar to the TVU Pack 8200 live transmitter I am forced to wear at work! I have back problems because of it..........the convenience of built in live streaming cannot be stressed enough as a major leap forward in broadcast technology! One day "always connected" live streaming will be as common as "always on GPS" in a smartphone, what we do with it will be up to us and our creativity. :)

Paul

You would have/must have hated the days of BP-1 "chocolate bar" batteries than BRAND NEW ran a Betacam for MAYBE 45 minutes if you were lucky.
Best part about NP-1's was that the brand new ones lasted 35 minutes, but the one-year old ones lasted 6 minutes, and they looked basically identical. I'd go up to the 12th floor of city hall for a presser with one battery in the camera and one in my back pocket... flip the camera on to find the one in the camera was almost dead... slip the fresh one in and find out it was basically dead as well. Then get ready for a 12-flight sprint mid-press conference.

Also, fond memories of meticulous battery management... NEVER charging a half-used battery, but leaving the camera on until it was 100% dead to avoid the dreaded battery memory.

Or coming back from vacation to find that some stringer used your gear and left all your batteries half-dead. Now your batteries that did last 35 minutes now last 25 minutes. And tracking that guy down to strangle him.

Edit:

FYI, Shaun... I think BP-1 is a combination of memories of the NP-1 and the BP-90. Same era!

I used to run the dual NP1 piggyback setup, until going AB ProPac in 1993. I don't know why the BP90's didn't catch on in SD, only KFMB used them.

Paul

KFMB was still using BP 90s when I got there in 2002...several more years, in fact. Moved to Anton Bauer in 05 or so.