Powering the XL-H1: Anton Bauer, IDX or...

Floris van Eck · May 27th, 2007, 04:10 PM

I am convinced. Anton Bauer it will be. Do you screw the Anton Bauer adapter plate directly on the XL-H1 or do I need to use the special plate attachment that came with the camcorder and screw the adapter to that plate?

Johan Forssblad · May 28th, 2007, 03:52 AM

Hi Floris,

You may use the AB QRXL12 adapter plate and screw it on the Canon rear bracket which came with the camcorder. It fits perfectly. Balance of the camcorder improves a lot and gives also better stability. But it is still front heavy. Handling will be much better in overall in my opinion. I use Dionic 90 batteries.

Now I see there is a new AB QR-XLH adapter which seems to not need the original Canon bracket. I haven't tried this one.

The AB bracket adapter has pretty much electronics inside (switching power converter) to convert the voltage from 14.4 to 7.2 V.
There is a little disadvantage with this. If you leave the battery on the adapter the power will drain the battery slowly without not even using the XL H1. Think it takes two weeks or so until all energy is gone ...

The Canon original battery stores a tremendous amount of energy compared to its size and weight. You will probably find that the Dionic 90 not gives as much increase in running time as the weight and bulk indicates. The switching supply also consumes some of the Wh so don't trust to get the exact running time in minutes down to the last figure.

I selected the Anton Bauer over the IDX system based on one important thing to me: A small and low weight charger! The others just have very bulky and heavy chargers in my opinion. I selected Lithium technology for lower weight than the other technologies.

(I have just returned from a 23 days travel in Kenya to remote areas and I appreciate if the things can be small, low weight, of professional quality and multi-purpose.)

The AB Titan 70 fits between the Dionic 90 and the AB adapter and improves the balance even more. Then it also functions as a 70 W power supply and can feed the camera from 100-240 V AC while on tripod for extended work.

I might have had bad luck but had two chargers smoking in the very beginning. AB replaced them very quickly. They have a very good support. I got them replaced from the Netherlands even if I had bought from US!

After the initial problems I am glad I invested in a 14.4 V system. Now I have power to feed the camcorder, a wireless stereo receiver, a timecode transmitter and a Zylight LED light with one battery! And I don't need several different small chargers for all various batteries.

One warning: The built in "intelligent" LED readout will NOT show your actual remaining running time with great accuracy if you are only powering the camcorder which only draws about 8.5 W. The consumption is to little.
The switching converter also keeps the voltage up to the camera so it works fine until the battery is nearly exhausted. You think you are fine and have plenty of remaining power but suddenly, 15 minutes later, the camcorder will quit. So start with a topped up battery or have a spare!

Good luck! / Johan

Johan Forssblad · May 28th, 2007, 04:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Dolgin

... if a light is a 25W, it uses 25W, no way around it. If you turn it on only for 20 minutes every hour, than it becomes a 8W light.

Sorry to say but here seems to be a lot of misunderstanding or bad use of formulas.

To clear it up:
A 25 W light is 25 W no matter how long you run it, period.
If you use a 25 W light for one hour, it has used 25 W x 1 h = 25 Wh from the battery.
If you have a 90 Wh battery you can estimate to run the light 90 Wh / 25 W = 3.6 hours.

(However, this is not true. If you pull a lot of amperage out of a "small" battery, the capacity will be lower than specified. So expect lower running time than calculated above. Cell manufacturers provide diagrams to better predict the running times for various loads.)

If the above light is used for 20 minutes it will NOT become a 8 W light. It is still a 25 W light. However, it has now used 25 W x 1/3 h = 8.3 Wh!

Energy is measured in Wh. Power is measured in W.

There are a different story about the light output. Not all lights give equal lights for the same power consumption! So some say they have a 50 W light but it consumes only 35 W and so on. This is a simplification of the real world.

What they mean is that their 35 W light gives as much light in the visible spectra as a comparable 50 W light built with other components/technology.

Hope this cleared it up a little bit. / Johan

Floris van Eck · May 28th, 2007, 07:14 AM

Thanks Johan. I already put an old adapter plate in my shopping basket and did not notice they had a new one. Thanks for pointing this out!

And also thanks for your clarification on the light/power usage. You explain better what I was trying to say.

Johan, do you have the Canon 6X WIDE lens?

Johan Forssblad · May 28th, 2007, 10:13 AM

Hi, yes I got the lens a month ago and are right now capturing the first sequences shot with it. I like the lens a lot. However, I felt a little disappointed when I saw the lens had no stabiliser built-in. The upper slide switch had got a new function; focus lock for macro or 1 m as closest range instead of stabiliser as it used to be with the 20x lens.
The naked 6x feels to have similar size and weight as the 20x.
With the lens came an SD card with upgrade to system 1.0.4 to get the new lens aperture control to work. Alll these are discussed under another threads.

About the QR-XL adapter plates: The old plate looks larger and have probably more space for other stuff. I'm glad for this because I mounted a Black Box timecode transmitter on the plate to the right of the battery. You may also put the adapter in one of two possible mounting positions left / right. The plates are separated by about 7 mm which gives room to hide away cables.

External 14.4 V battery is not always as simple as you could expect. Charge voltage is sometimes above 16 V which could blow other equipment if they were designed with only 12 V batteries in mind.

Also I got a Zylight LED light which refused to work properly from the AB battery due to some unknown reason. It started to flash after a while when using the Dionic 90 battery but worked flawlessly from an AC/DC supply. The whole was extremely frustrating and strange.

Good luck! / Johan

Floris van Eck · May 30th, 2007, 12:36 PM

Johan, I looked some more at the new adapter and I do not see how I can screw it directly in my Canon XL-H1. The screws are placed backwards and the screws on the XL-H1 are facing upwards and there's one at the side.

So is this just another mount or am I missing something?

Johan Forssblad · May 30th, 2007, 02:25 PM

Hi, I agree with you! I don't get it either how it should work. I found no help from the Anton Bauer website either. Try to write them and find out! At their webpage it looks like the old QR-XL12 is replaced by the QR-XLH but the headline are not changed. I might have been too quick to assume the Canon bracket wasn't needed anymore, sorry. / Johan

Floris van Eck · May 30th, 2007, 02:45 PM

I made the same assumption. But when I double-checked, I could not see how the new adapter would fit to the upwards facing screw holes. Luckily, I found the screws of the Canon mountplate today so it is back on my camera.

Which light are you using, the ZyLight? I am thinking about getting a LitePanel but they are quite expensive. I have 3000 EURO to invest in gear for my camera and have troubles to decide where to invest.

My kit currently consists out of:
- Canon XL-H1 PAL
- Rode NTG-2 and Rode NT-3 with Deadcat
- Kata CCC-110 camera bag
- Sachtler DV-6SB with Miller Solo DV 1501 CF legs
- Lowel DV Creator 1 kit (500W Omni, 250W Pro and 800W Tota light)
- Two BP-970G and one BP-950G battery packs
- Fast computer with 8 harddisks, and two 24" Dell LCD monitors
- Sony Vegas and DVD Architect with CineForm NEO HDV

On my investment list:
- Canon 6X Wide lens
- Videolight (considering LitePanel)
- Anton Bauer (because I think when you start adding all kinds of gear, that is the most comfortable and workable method without the need for several different chargers and batteries)
- Marshall V-R70P-HDA HD/SDField monitor

On my short-buying list:
- Shuttle Pro 2 (shuttle controller)
- Logic Vegas keyboard (to really learn the shortkeys)

I have finished my first project and are now working on a website for my business. The problem is that I am not 100% sure what type of work I will do mostly. For event shooting, I will definitely need the video light. For documentary, the 6X Wide might come in very handy. But changing lenses often is something that I am not sure of whether I will like that.

Maybe you can give me some recommendations.

Johan Forssblad · May 31st, 2007, 10:58 AM

Hi, Not easy to decide.
Many takes are improved with an onboard video light. Some Masai people in Kenya invited me to their hut two weeks ago and without such light I shouldn't got any video at all. Now it looks decent so it saved my day.

If you go for any light except a few ones you will need 12-14.4 V battery pack. Or end up with different specialised packs with different chargers.

Because I travel with my gear I definitely prefer one big battery which can supply a lot of stuff. Then it works the longest possible time and you don't need all kinds of batteries with spares too and chargers and plug adapters.

However, an expensive battery system will not improve your pictures at all.

The 6x will improve a lot of shots, nearly all indoor shots for instance. Or inside boats, aeroplanes, cars etc.

So, buy the 6x or light and battery system first. Then save another EUR 1000 and you can buy the other. They work together; if you need this little light you are probably indoors. There you benefit from the 6x too.

The Zylight is even more expensive than the LitePanel. But it will give you fully controlled color temperature and a smaller package.

Look for the new Zylight light and not the Z50 I got. I got three deliveries and I am still not satisfied with the light due to quality problems.

/ Johan

Floris van Eck · May 31st, 2007, 01:38 PM

Thanks again Johan. You are right. It will be either the lens first, or the light and the battery system first. I was really convinced about the LitePanel but now I am also considering the Zylight. The product looks great.

While I am writing this I looked at the site some more and now I am really convinced of this product. I am going to buy the Z90 with barn doors. It will be everything I will ever need for great shots in low-light situations.

I have a question about the 6X: where did you buy it? I am thinking BH Photo Video but I am not sure if that goes well with the firmware upgrade. I have a PAL model and the US firmware might mess it up?

Thanks again Johan.

Floris van Eck · May 31st, 2007, 01:54 PM

Another thing I thought about was to get a XH-A1 as a B-roll camera / travel unit. I would gain 5mm on the wide-end which is a lot. And I can always add the Canon wide-angle adapter lens. But I am sure the 6X WIDE is sharper.

But because the investment is a lot, I am carefully evaluating my options at this moment. I have a nice kit now, almost there.

Floris van Eck · May 31st, 2007, 01:55 PM

Oh, and I got this message from Anton Bauer:

"The QR-XLH and the QR-XL1/2 are very similar. The size is the same and you can mount the wireless to either unit. The XLH has a modification that allows for you to screw the top of the GoldMount to the Bracket on the XL-2 or XL-H1 camera."

The new units looks to be more stable at the top if I interpret this right.

Johan Forssblad · May 31st, 2007, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floris van Eck

I have a question about the 6X: where did you buy it? I am thinking BH Photo Video but I am not sure if that goes well with the firmware upgrade. I have a PAL model and the US firmware might mess it up?

Hi, I actually bought mine there. No problem with the firmware upgrade at all. But this question belongs to the 6x thread to not mess up this great site ... Sorry! / Johan

Floris van Eck · May 31st, 2007, 03:34 PM

Ok, no problem!

Johan Forssblad · May 31st, 2007, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floris van Eck

The XLH has a modification that allows for you to screw the top of the GoldMount to the Bracket on the XL-2 or XL-H1 camera.

Thanks, exactly what I did with my older adapter. I drilled a hole in each bracket close to their top and put a M4 countersunk screw there with a bead on. Then it became perfectly stable. / Johan

May 28th, 2007, 03:52 AM	#32
Johan Forssblad Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Vittsjö, SKÅNE, SWEDEN Posts: 266	Hi Floris, You may use the AB QRXL12 adapter plate and screw it on the Canon rear bracket which came with the camcorder. It fits perfectly. Balance of the camcorder improves a lot and gives also better stability. But it is still front heavy. Handling will be much better in overall in my opinion. I use Dionic 90 batteries. Now I see there is a new AB QR-XLH adapter which seems to not need the original Canon bracket. I haven't tried this one. The AB bracket adapter has pretty much electronics inside (switching power converter) to convert the voltage from 14.4 to 7.2 V. There is a little disadvantage with this. If you leave the battery on the adapter the power will drain the battery slowly without not even using the XL H1. Think it takes two weeks or so until all energy is gone ... The Canon original battery stores a tremendous amount of energy compared to its size and weight. You will probably find that the Dionic 90 not gives as much increase in running time as the weight and bulk indicates. The switching supply also consumes some of the Wh so don't trust to get the exact running time in minutes down to the last figure. I selected the Anton Bauer over the IDX system based on one important thing to me: A small and low weight charger! The others just have very bulky and heavy chargers in my opinion. I selected Lithium technology for lower weight than the other technologies. (I have just returned from a 23 days travel in Kenya to remote areas and I appreciate if the things can be small, low weight, of professional quality and multi-purpose.) The AB Titan 70 fits between the Dionic 90 and the AB adapter and improves the balance even more. Then it also functions as a 70 W power supply and can feed the camera from 100-240 V AC while on tripod for extended work. I might have had bad luck but had two chargers smoking in the very beginning. AB replaced them very quickly. They have a very good support. I got them replaced from the Netherlands even if I had bought from US! After the initial problems I am glad I invested in a 14.4 V system. Now I have power to feed the camcorder, a wireless stereo receiver, a timecode transmitter and a Zylight LED light with one battery! And I don't need several different small chargers for all various batteries. One warning: The built in "intelligent" LED readout will NOT show your actual remaining running time with great accuracy if you are only powering the camcorder which only draws about 8.5 W. The consumption is to little. The switching converter also keeps the voltage up to the camera so it works fine until the battery is nearly exhausted. You think you are fine and have plenty of remaining power but suddenly, 15 minutes later, the camcorder will quit. So start with a topped up battery or have a spare! Good luck! / Johan Last edited by Johan Forssblad; May 28th, 2007 at 04:25 AM.

May 28th, 2007, 10:13 AM	#35
Johan Forssblad Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Vittsjö, SKÅNE, SWEDEN Posts: 266	Hi, yes I got the lens a month ago and are right now capturing the first sequences shot with it. I like the lens a lot. However, I felt a little disappointed when I saw the lens had no stabiliser built-in. The upper slide switch had got a new function; focus lock for macro or 1 m as closest range instead of stabiliser as it used to be with the 20x lens. The naked 6x feels to have similar size and weight as the 20x. With the lens came an SD card with upgrade to system 1.0.4 to get the new lens aperture control to work. Alll these are discussed under another threads. About the QR-XL adapter plates: The old plate looks larger and have probably more space for other stuff. I'm glad for this because I mounted a Black Box timecode transmitter on the plate to the right of the battery. You may also put the adapter in one of two possible mounting positions left / right. The plates are separated by about 7 mm which gives room to hide away cables. External 14.4 V battery is not always as simple as you could expect. Charge voltage is sometimes above 16 V which could blow other equipment if they were designed with only 12 V batteries in mind. Also I got a Zylight LED light which refused to work properly from the AB battery due to some unknown reason. It started to flash after a while when using the Dionic 90 battery but worked flawlessly from an AC/DC supply. The whole was extremely frustrating and strange. Good luck! / Johan Last edited by Johan Forssblad; May 29th, 2007 at 01:25 AM.

May 27th, 2007, 04:10 PM	#31
Floris van Eck Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 993	I am convinced. Anton Bauer it will be. Do you screw the Anton Bauer adapter plate directly on the XL-H1 or do I need to use the special plate attachment that came with the camcorder and screw the adapter to that plate?

May 28th, 2007, 07:14 AM	#34
Floris van Eck Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 993	Thanks Johan. I already put an old adapter plate in my shopping basket and did not notice they had a new one. Thanks for pointing this out! And also thanks for your clarification on the light/power usage. You explain better what I was trying to say. Johan, do you have the Canon 6X WIDE lens?

May 30th, 2007, 12:36 PM	#36
Floris van Eck Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 993	Johan, I looked some more at the new adapter and I do not see how I can screw it directly in my Canon XL-H1. The screws are placed backwards and the screws on the XL-H1 are facing upwards and there's one at the side. So is this just another mount or am I missing something?

May 30th, 2007, 02:25 PM	#37
Johan Forssblad Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Vittsjö, SKÅNE, SWEDEN Posts: 266	Hi, I agree with you! I don't get it either how it should work. I found no help from the Anton Bauer website either. Try to write them and find out! At their webpage it looks like the old QR-XL12 is replaced by the QR-XLH but the headline are not changed. I might have been too quick to assume the Canon bracket wasn't needed anymore, sorry. / Johan

May 30th, 2007, 02:45 PM	#38
Floris van Eck Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 993	I made the same assumption. But when I double-checked, I could not see how the new adapter would fit to the upwards facing screw holes. Luckily, I found the screws of the Canon mountplate today so it is back on my camera. Which light are you using, the ZyLight? I am thinking about getting a LitePanel but they are quite expensive. I have 3000 EURO to invest in gear for my camera and have troubles to decide where to invest. My kit currently consists out of: - Canon XL-H1 PAL - Rode NTG-2 and Rode NT-3 with Deadcat - Kata CCC-110 camera bag - Sachtler DV-6SB with Miller Solo DV 1501 CF legs - Lowel DV Creator 1 kit (500W Omni, 250W Pro and 800W Tota light) - Two BP-970G and one BP-950G battery packs - Fast computer with 8 harddisks, and two 24" Dell LCD monitors - Sony Vegas and DVD Architect with CineForm NEO HDV On my investment list: - Canon 6X Wide lens - Videolight (considering LitePanel) - Anton Bauer (because I think when you start adding all kinds of gear, that is the most comfortable and workable method without the need for several different chargers and batteries) - Marshall V-R70P-HDA HD/SDField monitor On my short-buying list: - Shuttle Pro 2 (shuttle controller) - Logic Vegas keyboard (to really learn the shortkeys) I have finished my first project and are now working on a website for my business. The problem is that I am not 100% sure what type of work I will do mostly. For event shooting, I will definitely need the video light. For documentary, the 6X Wide might come in very handy. But changing lenses often is something that I am not sure of whether I will like that. Maybe you can give me some recommendations.

May 31st, 2007, 10:58 AM	#39
Johan Forssblad Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Vittsjö, SKÅNE, SWEDEN Posts: 266	Hi, Not easy to decide. Many takes are improved with an onboard video light. Some Masai people in Kenya invited me to their hut two weeks ago and without such light I shouldn't got any video at all. Now it looks decent so it saved my day. If you go for any light except a few ones you will need 12-14.4 V battery pack. Or end up with different specialised packs with different chargers. Because I travel with my gear I definitely prefer one big battery which can supply a lot of stuff. Then it works the longest possible time and you don't need all kinds of batteries with spares too and chargers and plug adapters. However, an expensive battery system will not improve your pictures at all. The 6x will improve a lot of shots, nearly all indoor shots for instance. Or inside boats, aeroplanes, cars etc. So, buy the 6x or light and battery system first. Then save another EUR 1000 and you can buy the other. They work together; if you need this little light you are probably indoors. There you benefit from the 6x too. The Zylight is even more expensive than the LitePanel. But it will give you fully controlled color temperature and a smaller package. Look for the new Zylight light and not the Z50 I got. I got three deliveries and I am still not satisfied with the light due to quality problems. / Johan

May 31st, 2007, 01:38 PM	#40
Floris van Eck Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 993	Thanks again Johan. You are right. It will be either the lens first, or the light and the battery system first. I was really convinced about the LitePanel but now I am also considering the Zylight. The product looks great. While I am writing this I looked at the site some more and now I am really convinced of this product. I am going to buy the Z90 with barn doors. It will be everything I will ever need for great shots in low-light situations. I have a question about the 6X: where did you buy it? I am thinking BH Photo Video but I am not sure if that goes well with the firmware upgrade. I have a PAL model and the US firmware might mess it up? Thanks again Johan.

May 31st, 2007, 01:54 PM	#41
Floris van Eck Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 993	Another thing I thought about was to get a XH-A1 as a B-roll camera / travel unit. I would gain 5mm on the wide-end which is a lot. And I can always add the Canon wide-angle adapter lens. But I am sure the 6X WIDE is sharper. But because the investment is a lot, I am carefully evaluating my options at this moment. I have a nice kit now, almost there.

May 31st, 2007, 01:55 PM	#42
Floris van Eck Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 993	Oh, and I got this message from Anton Bauer: "The QR-XLH and the QR-XL1/2 are very similar. The size is the same and you can mount the wireless to either unit. The XLH has a modification that allows for you to screw the top of the GoldMount to the Bracket on the XL-2 or XL-H1 camera." The new units looks to be more stable at the top if I interpret this right.

May 31st, 2007, 03:34 PM	#44
Floris van Eck Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 993	Ok, no problem!