Generic HMC80 Batteries

Michael Anthony Hermogeno · December 8th, 2011, 09:26 PM

i need to take a pic... the rear locking pin on the camera won't engage... it's as if the battery is 1/32" too big... it slides into place just right, and i can power the camera on, but since the little pin can't clear the battery to lock it in place, the battery slides out...

i went on adorama and filled out their contact form yesterday afternoon, but am still waiting for a reply...

i could take a dremel to the battery and grind it down just enough but i shouldn't have to... looking back at the reviews on adorama for this battery, they are all good but a number of folk had to return the battery for a new one as the battery would not stay locked in the camera... seems to be a common occurence?

it's soooooooooo close to working, but it's that darn fraction of an inch.. hahaha...

Michael Anthony Hermogeno · December 8th, 2011, 09:50 PM

ok... well, tried again just now, and i found that if i jiggle the back of the battery down, thus lifting the front of the battery where the connectors are, it shifts the battery just enough to clear the lock pin and it locks in place... whew...

so now that i figured how to get the battery to mount, i finally got around to putting it in my stock charger...

it's too long for the charger, so it doesn't lock into place... so i put in place, and then tilted it on its side to keep the battery in the charger... first two attempts led to a flashing LED on the charger which means the battery isn't compatible, right? ugh...

i was not going to give up, so took it out again and mounted it on the charger a third time... it seems to have worked for now... solid green for now...

keeping my fingers crossed...

i wonder if L.A. Colors charger for their extended battery will work with this thing...

Chris Harding · December 9th, 2011, 12:19 AM

Hi Michael

My battery's base is 58mm exactly..I'm just wondering if the plastic moulding was just "rough moulded" but 1/32" seems a bit excessive unless the moulding process formed a ridge??? All my batteries drop into the 80's chargers with no issue....I would personally take a strip of emery cloth and just sand around the 3 sides (not the terminal side) and that should do the trick...examine it under a magnifier and see if there is any part of the moulding that can be trimmed!

BTW: All Panny batteries take a LONG time to charge so expect 3 - 4 hours on a low battery!!!

Chris

Michael Anthony Hermogeno · December 9th, 2011, 12:45 AM

thanks Chris... yah, im sure it's less than 1/32" haha... i finally have this battery figured out and what amount of finessing it will take to load it into the camera...

how spooky... just as i was reading your comment about it taking 3 to 4 hours, i glanced up at the clock and it's been about 3 hours and 15 minutes... i glanced at the charger, and a couple seconds later, it was fully charged, or so i hope...

just plugged the battery into the camera... 242 mins according to the LCD... guess i am good to go?

Chris Harding · December 9th, 2011, 06:07 PM

My batteries in record mode usually show up at 263 minutes but start becoming horribily inaccurate under 100 minutes....Yesterday I was doing two Realty shoots and withing 15 minutes it dropped from 151 minutes down to 53 minutes...then again I had already done a 2 hour shoot and was halfway thru my second so the cam run time was probably at least 3 hours total and the battery was still good!!!

Chris

Michael Anthony Hermogeno · December 9th, 2011, 06:15 PM

ok cool... as soon as i get a carry bag for the camera, i will order a couple more batteries... i typically only need about 2 to 3 hours total record time...

Doug Thompson · December 9th, 2011, 07:41 PM

To give the HMC80 better balance, I went with the Anton Bauer Gold Mount adapter and used the Lithium Ion batteries from B4B (Batteries 4 Broadcast). The B4B power cells costs half what the AB batteries do. I've been using them on various cameras for a couple of years now and love them. They provide enough weight to overcome the lens-heavy bias plus give me five hours plus of battery life. Having the AB Gold Mount on the back also provides a way to daisy chain accessories like a wireless mic adapter and the mount gives me an extra power outlet for lights, monitors, etc.

Doug Thompson
Blue Ridge Muse
Blue Ridge Photography
Buffalo Mountain Films
Blue Ridge Muse | News, views and musings from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwestern Virginia

Michael Anthony Hermogeno · December 9th, 2011, 09:56 PM

those AB batteries are no joke on price... although, the B4B batteries are also quite an investment...

definitely something to keep on my wishlist though...

Doug Thompson · December 9th, 2011, 10:34 PM

Amen on the price of AB batteries. I used them for years but found the B4B ones a better value for the money. An AB Dionix 90 will set you back $350-$400. The B4B equivalent is $235 direct from Kevin at B4B. I have both and find I get more life out of the B4B. The only downside is that you can't charge the B4Bs on AB chargers or the other way around but a travel charger for the B4B series is just $115,

Helen Oster · December 11th, 2011, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Anthony Hermogeno

i need to take a pic... the rear locking pin on the camera won't engage... it's as if the battery is 1/32" too big... it slides into place just right, and i can power the camera on, but since the little pin can't clear the battery to lock it in place, the battery slides out...

i went on adorama and filled out their contact form yesterday afternoon, but am still waiting for a reply...

If you need to return it please let me know: Helen@adorama.com

Michael Anthony Hermogeno · December 11th, 2011, 04:07 PM

Thanks Helen!

I got the reply email from customer service today.

But, I finally figured out how to jiggle the battery in and it works.

I will be keeping this one.

Helen Oster · December 11th, 2011, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Anthony Hermogeno

Thanks Helen!

I got the reply email from customer service today.

But, I finally figured out how to jiggle the battery in and it works.

I will be keeping this one.

OK; well, you now know where I am if you ever need help with anything in the future.

December 8th, 2011, 09:26 PM	#16
Michael Anthony Hermogeno Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Glendale, CA Posts: 31	Re: Generic HMC80 Batteries i need to take a pic... the rear locking pin on the camera won't engage... it's as if the battery is 1/32" too big... it slides into place just right, and i can power the camera on, but since the little pin can't clear the battery to lock it in place, the battery slides out... i went on adorama and filled out their contact form yesterday afternoon, but am still waiting for a reply... i could take a dremel to the battery and grind it down just enough but i shouldn't have to... looking back at the reviews on adorama for this battery, they are all good but a number of folk had to return the battery for a new one as the battery would not stay locked in the camera... seems to be a common occurence? it's soooooooooo close to working, but it's that darn fraction of an inch.. hahaha...

December 8th, 2011, 09:50 PM	#17
Michael Anthony Hermogeno Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Glendale, CA Posts: 31	Re: Generic HMC80 Batteries ok... well, tried again just now, and i found that if i jiggle the back of the battery down, thus lifting the front of the battery where the connectors are, it shifts the battery just enough to clear the lock pin and it locks in place... whew... so now that i figured how to get the battery to mount, i finally got around to putting it in my stock charger... it's too long for the charger, so it doesn't lock into place... so i put in place, and then tilted it on its side to keep the battery in the charger... first two attempts led to a flashing LED on the charger which means the battery isn't compatible, right? ugh... i was not going to give up, so took it out again and mounted it on the charger a third time... it seems to have worked for now... solid green for now... keeping my fingers crossed... i wonder if L.A. Colors charger for their extended battery will work with this thing...

December 9th, 2011, 12:19 AM	#18
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Generic HMC80 Batteries Hi Michael My battery's base is 58mm exactly..I'm just wondering if the plastic moulding was just "rough moulded" but 1/32" seems a bit excessive unless the moulding process formed a ridge??? All my batteries drop into the 80's chargers with no issue....I would personally take a strip of emery cloth and just sand around the 3 sides (not the terminal side) and that should do the trick...examine it under a magnifier and see if there is any part of the moulding that can be trimmed! BTW: All Panny batteries take a LONG time to charge so expect 3 - 4 hours on a low battery!!! Chris

December 9th, 2011, 12:45 AM	#19
Michael Anthony Hermogeno Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Glendale, CA Posts: 31	Re: Generic HMC80 Batteries thanks Chris... yah, im sure it's less than 1/32" haha... i finally have this battery figured out and what amount of finessing it will take to load it into the camera... how spooky... just as i was reading your comment about it taking 3 to 4 hours, i glanced up at the clock and it's been about 3 hours and 15 minutes... i glanced at the charger, and a couple seconds later, it was fully charged, or so i hope... just plugged the battery into the camera... 242 mins according to the LCD... guess i am good to go?

December 9th, 2011, 06:07 PM	#20
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Generic HMC80 Batteries My batteries in record mode usually show up at 263 minutes but start becoming horribily inaccurate under 100 minutes....Yesterday I was doing two Realty shoots and withing 15 minutes it dropped from 151 minutes down to 53 minutes...then again I had already done a 2 hour shoot and was halfway thru my second so the cam run time was probably at least 3 hours total and the battery was still good!!! Chris

December 9th, 2011, 06:15 PM	#21
Michael Anthony Hermogeno Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Glendale, CA Posts: 31	Re: Generic HMC80 Batteries ok cool... as soon as i get a carry bag for the camera, i will order a couple more batteries... i typically only need about 2 to 3 hours total record time...

December 9th, 2011, 07:41 PM	#22
Doug Thompson Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Floyd, Virginia Posts: 99	Re: Generic HMC80 Batteries To give the HMC80 better balance, I went with the Anton Bauer Gold Mount adapter and used the Lithium Ion batteries from B4B (Batteries 4 Broadcast). The B4B power cells costs half what the AB batteries do. I've been using them on various cameras for a couple of years now and love them. They provide enough weight to overcome the lens-heavy bias plus give me five hours plus of battery life. Having the AB Gold Mount on the back also provides a way to daisy chain accessories like a wireless mic adapter and the mount gives me an extra power outlet for lights, monitors, etc. Doug Thompson Blue Ridge Muse Blue Ridge Photography Buffalo Mountain Films Blue Ridge Muse \| News, views and musings from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwestern Virginia

December 9th, 2011, 09:56 PM	#23
Michael Anthony Hermogeno Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Glendale, CA Posts: 31	Re: Generic HMC80 Batteries those AB batteries are no joke on price... although, the B4B batteries are also quite an investment... definitely something to keep on my wishlist though...

December 9th, 2011, 10:34 PM	#24
Doug Thompson Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Floyd, Virginia Posts: 99	Re: Generic HMC80 Batteries Amen on the price of AB batteries. I used them for years but found the B4B ones a better value for the money. An AB Dionix 90 will set you back $350-$400. The B4B equivalent is $235 direct from Kevin at B4B. I have both and find I get more life out of the B4B. The only downside is that you can't charge the B4Bs on AB chargers or the other way around but a travel charger for the B4B series is just $115, __________________ Doug Thompson http://www.blueridgemuse.com

December 11th, 2011, 04:07 PM	#26
Michael Anthony Hermogeno Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Glendale, CA Posts: 31	Re: Generic HMC80 Batteries Thanks Helen! I got the reply email from customer service today. But, I finally figured out how to jiggle the battery in and it works. I will be keeping this one.