VX & PD series battery / batteries

[Andre De Clercq]

No Alfred, you need NP-F... (without M) batteries. Outputs: Video (composite cinch), Y/C (Hosiden) and Firewire.

[Alfred Okocha]

Thanks Andre, pity about the batteries.. (Firewire to connnect to monitor?? Is that possible?)


Thanks.

[Mike Rehmus]

normally monitors don't have firewire (except for the latest and expensive models) so composite video or S-Video are the only choices.

[John DeLuca]

Mike, what longest lasting battery do you recommend the most for the pd-170?

[Mike Rehmus]

The big Sony batteries. They have the power and they (at least all mine have ) last a long time. I have Sony Li-On batteries that are 6 years old and still work well. The local college has some on VX-1000's that are over 8 years old.

[Alan Christensen]

I recently bought a "genuine" Sony NP-F960 on Ebay for about $40. It came in packaging that looked exactly like what you would see in a store in the US (Sony packaging). I thought it was a great deal until I tried to charge the battery and it stops charging at about 200 minutes (vs about 600 minutes on my other 960's). I have written to the ebay seller asking for an exchange, but no reply so far. I guess that is why I buy 90% of my stuff from B&H...

I have noticed that it is sometimes possible to get my 2100 and my 170 to accept a third party battery after initially rejecting it. If you recycle the power switch you can usually get the camera to accept the battery rather than giving the dreaded message. It isn't a reliable approach so I only resort to this if I am in a pinch. Normally I only use the third party batteries with my 2000, which doesn't complain at all.

[Zander Taketomo]

hello, i have a gift certificate to amazon.com so i was wondering if this is a legit battery for the vx2100... i know that sony tried to eliminate the compatability with some of the 3rd party batteries but maybe one of you have tried this battery out, thanks

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007LV4Z/qid=1104004229/br=1-10/ref=br_lf_p_10//103-1234096-0215030?v=glance&s=photo&n=11041781

[Alan Christensen]

I have several "incompatible" batteries that work fine with my VX-2000, but that generate a message when used with my VX-2100 and PD-170. The camera gives a message that the camera requires "Infolithium" batteries, then shuts down. However, if I flip the power switch off, then on again, the message does not reappear and the batteries appear to work properly. I believe that the message only appears when the battery is first placed on the camera, and then the camera turned on. The message never appears again if you leave the battery on the camera. Given that the batteries normally stay on the camera, this has turned out to not be much of an inconvenience.

[Tyge Floyd]

I'd like to begin by thanking Chris Hurd and the whole dvinfo.net community for all the help and knowledge I've gained by my daily visits since a friend referred me here last year. It's sure nice to be able to research a problem or get the insight of much more experienced camera operators available here.

I received my order from B&H yesterday and am now the proud owner of a Sony PD170. My first impression of the new rig is that I'm very impressed with the low light capabilities but the added manual features will take some getting use to.

I ordered a Sony 1.7 Telephoto lens that is going back to B&H. When the zoom is at it's widest angle with this lens installed I get the corners of the view cut off. (I know there is a technical term for this but it escapes me at the moment.) This characteristic is unacceptable to me. I'll either buy another brand that does not do this or do without.

Is there another lens I should consider?

Of coarse the camera came with a small battery, but I would like to have 6-8 batteries as I will be traveling quite a bit. I purchased a NP-F770 today that boasts an 8hr recording time. I know the real world use I get out of it will be less.

Do you own any of the NP-F960's?
Are they worth the added expense?
And finally, where is a good place to order them at a good price?
Im also looking for a good dual/multiple charger with AC/DC power options.

I bought the Sony UWP-C1 wireless mic system and really like how the receiver unit came with an adaptor for mounting on the smart shoe.

I have the supplied mic for the camera plugged into Input1, the wireless mic into Input 2.
I have the Rec CH Selection set to CH1-CH2.
Input 1 Level is set to Mic, phantom power is On.
Input 2 Level is set to Mic, phantom power is Off.
Do I have this setup correctly?

I'm monitoring audio with a set of headphones and watching the db meter as instructed in several threads and articles found here. I'm hearing some interference or buzzing when the LCD is opened. (Though I shoot through the viewfinder 99% of the time.) I've read in a few places that the PD170 had a problem with this when it was first began shipping, but that the problem was resolved on later models. My serial number is 11123**.

I'm at a loss as to what causes this. Any ideas?

Finally, I need an on camera light for nighttime interviews in the outdoors. I've see the cheap 10w lights Canon sells but think I'll need more than that.

What would you suggest?

Sorry for the long post and multiple questions. Answer one or all at your leisure. Thanks again. I'm really excited about this new camera and this weekend it's getting put to the test for the first time. I'm helping a friend who has a new outdoor product shoot some footage outside for an instructional DVD he wants to include with the product.

[Boyd Ostroff]

<<<-- Originally posted by Tyge Floyd : When the zoom is at it's widest angle with this lens installed I get the corners of the view cut off. (I know there is a technical term for this but it escapes me at the moment.) -->>>

I think "vignetting" is the term you're searching for. I'm not familiar with that lens for the PD/VX series, but I'm guessing you will experience something similar with just about any telephoto adaptor. To avoid that problem you would need a huge, heavy chunk of glass. Before returning the lens you should see if anyone knows of an adaptor which will not vignette at full wide... I tend to doubt that such a thing exists.

Also, you need to be aware that both the viewfinder and LCD panel "overscan" on the PD-170 and virtually all prosumer camcorders. This means that they don't show the entire video frame. So in reality I think you'll find that the tele adaptor vignettes before you get to the full wide zoom, but you just aren't seeing it in the viewfinder. Plug a professional monitor into the camera which has an "underscan" feature - that means it will show the entire 720x480 frame. If you don't have one, then capture a few seconds of footage to tape and import it into your editing software to have a look. That should also show you the full frame.

This is not generally a problem since all consumer TV's also overscan, however if you're going to project your footage on a screen or distribute via the web then you may find some unpleasant surprises that you didn't realize were in the frame.

[Martin Archer-Shee]

I too offer the same thoughts re tele-converters. Tele ad-ons will vignette at least part of the main lens zoom range. If using an ad-on (any) you should be aware of the limitations and only use it at towards the tele end of the camera's native lens. I have a Century Optics 2X.

Batterywise it is wise to have as much"power" as you anticipate using, but practicallity comes into play as well $$$$ . If you have several (2, 3?) high energy batteries AND a good traveling charger you should be set. I bought an Optex charger (model # Li2000) (It can also handle other brands/formats, Canon etc. , of LiIon batteries) to handle my batteries for the PD150 (same used for PD170) and the "M" series on my sony 828 digital. The charger comes with a house line adapter and also a 12v car adapter. Since it is separate from the cameras I can almost always be charging the required battery. It is small too so is easy to add to the kit. I am sure there are other similar units.

One more question addressed. Hopefully someone will jump in on the other subjects

Martin

[Greg Boston]

Hey Tyge,

Congratulations on your PD-170 purchase. I would like to hook up with you sometime and compare the XL-2 and PD-170 side by side in a low light situation to see how the Canon stacks up. As far as the vignetting goes, I would echo what Boyd and Martin said. Just watch channel 8 news stories. There's at least one field camera that is showing vignetting. I see about 2 or 3 stories per newscast with this phenomenon. I will send you my cell phone # by private mail.

Have fun with the new camera!

=gb=

[Craig Seeman]

>>I have the supplied mic for the camera plugged into Input1, the wireless mic into Input 2.
I have the Rec CH Selection set to CH1-CH2.
Input 1 Level is set to Mic, phantom power is On.
Input 2 Level is set to Mic, phantom power is Off.
Do I have this setup correctly?<<

Look at the Rec CH Selection VERY CAREFULLY. Many people get confused by this. It is sending CH 1 input to BOTH CH1-CH2. Not something you want if you're using another mic in CH2. Set it to CH1 (which means the mic on CH2 will then go to CH2).

The rest of the Mic settings are correct for what you're using.

[Bob Harotunian]

I use the Canon WD58 WA adapter and it does a pretty good job. There is some vignetting but it only becomes noticeable with vertical objects at the edges of the frame. At another wedding forum, there seem to be many other PD-170 owners using the WD58.

You might want to consider the new NP-F970. Two might be all you need.

I like the Frezzi micro-fill on board light. Expensive but dimmable from 35W, very small and lightweight. Just need a soft box for diffusion.

Good luck with your 170!
Bob

[Tyge Floyd]

I think that if I had 6-8 970's that should get me through a couple of days of shooting before having to recharge. I have an assignment in the works that will put me in Zimbabwe for a month or more this summer and I'm worried about being caught over there without enough camera juice. There could be times when I'll be away from electric power for 2-3 days at a time, though I would presumably have DC or even inverter power possibly.

I talked to B&H and they are allowing me to return the Sony 1.7 lens. I'll put that money toward additional batteries for now. After some actual field use time behind the camera this past weekend I've just about decided the telephoto lens may be something I just will not need as much as I had originally thought.

I'm a lot more comfortable with the audio settings now. I did end up switching the Rec CH to CH1.

I'm still shopping for a lighting answer. Thanks for the input.

Craig, let's get together soon and see how these cameras compare in low light. I have to tell you I've been very impressed thus far. Shoot me an email to editor@texasoutdoorsman.com.