NP (Chocolate Bar) or Anton Bauer power supply options for XL1s?

[Grant Brennae]

Hello All,

I recently got my XL1s and the MA-200, before I go out and buy more of the Canon batteries I was hoping to get some input regarding alternate power supply options.

I would prefer a more professional power option like an Anton Bauer or NP type (chocolate bar) battery option for my XL1s. These types are commonly seen on batacams and whatnot and I was hoping that you fine folk could offer any experience in linking one of these power supply types with my XL1s. Part numbers would be great ;-) as I have not found any solutions on the net. I have seen many shots of peoples rigs with these options but I am not sure how they sourced the parts to put it together.

Any help much appreciated!

[Ed Frazier]

Hi Grant,

You didn't say why you wanted to use something other than the Canon batteries, but if you are just looking for extended operating times, two Canon 945s mounted on the CH910 dual battery adapter will give you at least 4 hours of operation. You can also swap out one battery without shutting down the camera.

One good reason to go with Anton Bauer would be to allow the use of a hard disk recorder such as the FS3 or to power on-camera lights, but if you don't need to power extra equipment, the Canon or third party batteries are a lot more economical.

Here's a link to one AB kit for the XL1 from B&H http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=171011&is=REG.

[Grant Brennae]

Thanks Ed,

It's kinda funny I've been looking through B&H's website for days now looking for all kinds of stuff amongst batteries and didn't come accross that.

My reasoning for going to the Anton Bauer is more or less the pro aspect of it and durability. I'm looking for ruggedness and well of course to add a couple pounds to my shoulder, lol.

You mentioned powering a camera mounted light. This has sparked another question... Do you or anybody know of an attacment for mounting a Lowel Pro Sungun on the XL1s? I know I would need a belt pack to power it, which is fine. Once again its the professional stuff I am looking for, the lights that canon and some other third parties offer look cheap and made out of plastic. I'm a Beta SP kinda guy before I bought my XL1 so I'm very used to these pieces of equipment.

Cheers,

[Rob Wilson]

Grant,

I would add to the above that using a 14 VDC AB system does offer additional flexibility since you can power lights, LCD monitors and other 12VDC accs. from it. There are adapters that convert the Canon batts to 12VDC but they add additional cost/confusion in my opinion. The other benifit when using other accs. is the increased capacity of the AB batts. Being a Beta guy, you know the biggest benifit, AB's stand up to a lot of abuse.

[Ed Frazier]

I don't know about the Lowel light you reference, but there are a number of lights available that can be ordered with the AB Power Tap connector. Here's one by Frezzi you might want to consider http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=239663&is=REG and the Ultralight-2 from AB http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=134559&is=REG. Frezzolini makes other pro lights as well.

You can also purchase shoe mount studs http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...u=69233&is=REG or http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...u=77789&is=REG that will let you mount just about anything to the XL1S.

I hope this helps.

[Yean Tan]

I think it'll be better to go with the idx adapter. Go with the lithium batteries. They are lighter and last so much longer. Alternatively, just get loads of cheap bp-945's off ebay

[Don Berube]

I have the IDX A-E2XL1 battery plate for the Xl1 and a few IDX Endura 50 Lithium Ion batts - very nice setup, lightweight and long lasting.
http://www.idxtek.com/accessories.htm

- don

[Rick Bravo]

We went with the Anton Bauer TrimPacs for a longer run time while being able to power an AB UltraLight 2 on the XL without having to use a separate battery.

Check out some pics at: http://home.mindspring.com/~ricks-pics/

The added weight on the back does help balance the camera a little better. As another SP kinda guy, it has taken quite a bit of getting use to when dealing with these cams.

RB

[Don Berube]

Hi Rick,

Bravo! I always love it when people trick out their XL1's :o)

Very impressive indeed. Do you do a lot of shooting from a helicopter? Have you considered using a gyro-stabilizer? I bet you would appreciate what it would do for your air born shots.

Very cool with the ElectroPhysics adaptor. How is that working for you? And the combat outfit,,, now, that is impressive! What degree of bullet-proof protection does it give you? I had to wear bullet-proof vests before, once we were in a war zone in the Sudan region in Africa. Gives you a lot of peace of mind I bet. However, I am not so sure that I would want to "bump into you in a dark alley" though.

I *strongly* suggest that you equip your Canon B&W viewfinder with a TIFFEN TELE2x Wide-Angle Viewfinder adaptor
http://www.tiffen.com/tele2x.htm
It is liberating - as no focusing diopter is required and it will allow you to see your shots (and focus) easily - without having to keep your eyes (errrrrrrrrr I mean 'goggles') glued to the viewfinder tube. It's like having a flip-out high resolution B&W monitor on your XL1. I'd sell you my spare TELE2X, but I just sold it. You can order one from Tiffen, ask for the Ikegami model.

Here's a shot of my XL1s rig (with TELE2x, FS-3, DOLGIN ENGINEERING brace, A/B Goldmount, etc)
http://noisybrain.com/firestore/donberube_concept2

Looks like you need to get yourself a FireStore FS-3 next.

Please note that I am now using the lower profile and powerful IDX Endura 50 batteries mounted onto an A-E2XL1 battery plate.

Will you be at NAB this year? Let me know.

Keep in touch,

- don

[Rick Bravo]

Your rigs aren't too shabby either!

Yes, I do ALLOT of aerial video, not with the XL-1 though. I use a Beta SP with a Schwem Gyrozoom for all of the really important stuff.

The picture you saw was taken while testing the XL-1s' auto lens with the stabilizer. It's OK in the wide to medium-wide but terrible at the long end...the whole picture "chatters" if you zoom full in. The stabilizer is not made to take out that frequency of motion.

The night vision is awesome although very expensive.

The gear that I am wearing, known as HATCH gear, was for last November's Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) talks held here in Miami. None of the outside equipment is bullet resistant, it is made to take blunt trauma. I am wearing a Level II vest under all of the stuff you see as well as knee/shin/instep protection much like a baseball catcher would wear as well as toting 100 ounces of a Pedialyte/Gatorade/water mixture strapped to my back in a CamelBak to fend off dehydration.

Looks cool, major pain in the ass to work in!

The tele2X is a great idea, especially when having to shoot through a gas mask.

Unfortunately, I have too much going on down here right now and won't be able to attend NAB.

Take care, RB.