A1 & D-tap (anton bauer ultralight 2) at DVinfo.net

Ger Griffin · January 13th, 2008, 09:42 AM

hey guys,
i've been looking for quite a while now
for a good on camera light.
noticed another thread for a Sony cam recommending
anton bauer ultralight 2.
seems like a good buy with the softbox and
interchangeable heads.
http://www.antonbauer.com/ultralight2.htm

My question is this. What is D-tap?
Does the a1 facilitate this?
if not how can it be worked around
as I know by now, theres always a way.

thx.
ger.

Henry Cho · January 13th, 2008, 11:07 AM

d-tap (or powertap) is a two-pin connector found on mounting plates of several brick battery systems. unfortunately, you won't be able to power this light from the xha1 alone. you could run the ul2 off an external battery pack or belt if the voltages match and you have the appropriate cable, or buy a complete brick battery system. a typical system is comprised of mounting plate and battery, and associated cabling. you'll need a way to attach the battery mount to your rig or body, and there are many third-party options for this, including baseplates that run on 15mm rods. you'll also need a charger compatible with whichever battery brand/type you decide to go with. the light itself might be inexpensive, but all the support gear for the light can get very expensive, not to mention heavy. there are many more portable solutions out there like the canon vl10, or the led light kits by litepanels or vidled, which all use small li-ion camcorder batteries mounted directly to the light. anton bauer also has the elipz, where the battery mounts directly beaneath the camera. if getting all the support gear for a light is an option, take a look at frezzi too. you can get a dimmer option for it (ul2 has no dimmer option), and there are many, many optional accessories for it, including a softbox.

Ger Griffin · January 13th, 2008, 12:20 PM

thanks henry, I actually have the canon vl10 and find it quite good.
Im eager to get a light i can use for fill outdoors on a sunny day.
thats my main concern.
so basically it needs to be dimmable, have a softbox option and also be daylight balanced. I'll take a look a frezzi's stuff.

January 13th, 2008, 09:42 AM	#1
Ger Griffin Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 579	A1 & D-tap (anton bauer ultralight 2) hey guys, i've been looking for quite a while now for a good on camera light. noticed another thread for a Sony cam recommending anton bauer ultralight 2. seems like a good buy with the softbox and interchangeable heads. http://www.antonbauer.com/ultralight2.htm My question is this. What is D-tap? Does the a1 facilitate this? if not how can it be worked around as I know by now, theres always a way. thx. ger.

January 13th, 2008, 11:07 AM	#2
Henry Cho Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 516	d-tap (or powertap) is a two-pin connector found on mounting plates of several brick battery systems. unfortunately, you won't be able to power this light from the xha1 alone. you could run the ul2 off an external battery pack or belt if the voltages match and you have the appropriate cable, or buy a complete brick battery system. a typical system is comprised of mounting plate and battery, and associated cabling. you'll need a way to attach the battery mount to your rig or body, and there are many third-party options for this, including baseplates that run on 15mm rods. you'll also need a charger compatible with whichever battery brand/type you decide to go with. the light itself might be inexpensive, but all the support gear for the light can get very expensive, not to mention heavy. there are many more portable solutions out there like the canon vl10, or the led light kits by litepanels or vidled, which all use small li-ion camcorder batteries mounted directly to the light. anton bauer also has the elipz, where the battery mounts directly beaneath the camera. if getting all the support gear for a light is an option, take a look at frezzi too. you can get a dimmer option for it (ul2 has no dimmer option), and there are many, many optional accessories for it, including a softbox.

January 13th, 2008, 12:20 PM	#3
Ger Griffin Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 579	thanks henry, I actually have the canon vl10 and find it quite good. Im eager to get a light i can use for fill outdoors on a sunny day. thats my main concern. so basically it needs to be dimmable, have a softbox option and also be daylight balanced. I'll take a look a frezzi's stuff.