SWIT S-8U62 XDCAM EX battery at DVinfo.net

Sean Seah · January 12th, 2009, 10:02 AM

HAs anyone tried these yet? I'm pretty keen to have it as a backup.

SWIT S-8U62 replacement for Sony BP-U60 Battery/ PMW-EX1 camera [SWIT S-8U62] - $189.00 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

Mitchell Lewis · January 12th, 2009, 10:05 AM

I'm waiting for them to come out with a version for the EX3. (cable isn't long enough)

Paul Kellett · January 12th, 2009, 10:34 AM

Yes i've got the Swit EX1 battery.
Last's about as long as the BP-U60.
It's got a d-tap outlet as well, i'm also using the Swit s-2000 light as well.
The only thing not good i'll say about the battery is the led indicators for remaining battery, they're not at all accurate, 4 led's at 1st then drops real quick to 3 then 2 then 1 then stays at 1 led for ages even though the voltage doesn't drop much.
However you can tell the camera (via the battery alarm in the menu) what low voltage is.
I set low voltage 1 to 13.5 volts and low voltage 2 to 13 volts.
Fully charged shows 16 volts on the EX1 screen.
These settings are similar the the low voltage % settings which can be set with the proper sony batteries.
I'd buy another one of these batteries in a flash, wouldn't have to think twice.
Loads cheaper than BP-U60.
Charges fine on the EX1 charger.
TIP..When charging, make sure the fly lead is tucked into the battery, it makes some sort of circuit.

Paul.

Paul Kellett · January 12th, 2009, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mitchell Lewis

I'm waiting for them to come out with a version for the EX3. (cable isn't long enough)

The cable could easily be cut and extended, it's just twin core cable.

Paul.

Juergen Hansen · January 12th, 2009, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean Seah

HAs anyone tried these yet? I'm pretty keen to have it as a backup.

SWIT S-8U62 replacement for Sony BP-U60 Battery/ PMW-EX1 camera [SWIT S-8U62] - $189.00 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

I was told by my dealer in Germany, that the EX3 version with longer cable will be available at the end of January.
Jürgen

Steve Gibbons · January 12th, 2009, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean Seah

HAs anyone tried these yet?

See discussion here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/sony-xdca...g-modulus.html

Raul Rooma · January 12th, 2009, 07:08 PM

i'm agreed with Paul about swit battery.Can confirm about led indicator ,that not adecuate but battery working time is as it must be..also as mentioned by Paul earlier that swit oncamera led light enough good..i ordered the promo package-battery and light and quiet happy with them.

Anyway - i recommend this product!

kind regards

Raul

Kevin Cates · January 13th, 2009, 02:45 AM

I've been using the Swit for about a month. I would recommend it. I have the U60 and they are very similar is duration. It is about 1/4 inch longer than the sony bat - to make room for the power cable. Haven't noticed the LED light issue. I will be buying another one.

Bob Grant · January 13th, 2009, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juergen Hansen

I was told by my dealer in Germany, that the EX3 version with longer cable will be available at the end of January.
Jürgen

We got two last week.

Juergen Hansen · January 13th, 2009, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Grant

We got two last week.

Hi Bob,
from which dealer? I am looking desperately for the batteries. At the end of the month I will come to New Zealand for filming, so maybe your dealer could send them to NZ... but we are talking about the EX3 battery version with the longer cable?
I would appreciate it, if you could send me contact details.

Bob Grant · January 13th, 2009, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juergen Hansen

Hi Bob,
from which dealer? I am looking desperately for the batteries. At the end of the month I will come to New Zealand for filming, so maybe your dealer could send them to NZ... but we are talking about the EX3 battery version with the longer cable?
I would appreciate it, if you could send me contact details.

Yes, the EX3 battery with the longer cable. Ours came from the local dealer, Lemac, two doors down from where I sometimes work. If you're flying through Sydney or Melbourne you might be able to pick them up on the way through. Suggest you email Lemac.

If I can be of any help drop me a PM.

Jay Lee · January 13th, 2009, 08:40 PM

Been using one of these with my EX1 with no problems. Like having them for longer shoots. Just covered the CES show and used the D-tap with my Zylight and I couldn't be happier with that combo. Started running down around lunch, so I plugged in and recharged while we ate, then we were back on and it seemed to get a decent charge quickly.
Thumbs up on this one.

Phil Hanna · January 14th, 2009, 09:48 PM

I have the Swit S-8U62 and love it. I had concerns about the LEDs on the back. They are not accurate as to the remaining voltage, however, the voltage reading in the viewfinder is very accurate as to remaining amount left. I contacted Gubobin Zhu (gb@swit.us) and couldn't be more pleased with his concern and offer. He sent a new battery to me and told me if I was not happy, to return it to him for full refund and he would pay the shipping. Hard to beat.
So, The battery lasted about 4.5 hours and charges just fine. I would highly recommend the battery and the distributor without reservation.

Phil Hanna

Alex Dolgin · January 15th, 2009, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Hanna

I have the Swit S-8U62 and love it. I had concerns about the LEDs on the back. They are not accurate as to the remaining voltage, however, the voltage reading in the viewfinder is very accurate as to remaining amount left. I contacted Gubobin Zhu (gb@swit.us) and couldn't be more pleased with his concern and offer. He sent a new battery to me and told me if I was not happy, to return it to him for full refund and he would pay the shipping. Hard to beat.
So, The battery lasted about 4.5 hours and charges just fine. I would highly recommend the battery and the distributor without reservation.

Phil Hanna

I 'd like to clear the issue of the LEDs being not accurate. This has something to do with how the LEDs on this battery work. Basically, there are 2 ways to indicate state of charge. The first, and the most popular is to have a built in circuit measure the cell voltage, and turn the LEDs on according to the voltage measured. As the battery gets discharged, the voltage changes from about 16.8V down to about 12V. This is the same idea used in many other electronic devices like cell phones, etc. When designing the circuit, the design engineer is trying to characterize the discharge curve of the battery, and to set the trigger points he thinks are close to real life decrements in say 20% or 25% of the total battery capacity. The second, and this is more elaborate and accurate way of doing this is to use "Fuel gauge" technology, relying on actually metering the amount of charge going in while charging, and going out while powering the camera. This technology was originally developed by Anton Bauer, and then became popular with laptops, and a few other battery related products. The first, voltage based approach suffers from the fact that the battery voltage depends on both state of charge and load. This is why your cell phone can indicate all battery bars the moment you want to make a call, and then drops to one bar when you actually use it.
The reason I explain this is Sony BP-U30/60 battery uses the fuel gauge circuit; it digitally transmits information to the camera. It uses their proprietary communication protocol. Swit (or any other generic vendor) can not do the same, so they use voltage based indication, and instead of using the Sony link, just powers the camera via the 12V jack. So by the virtue of using this method, it can not be as accurate. I did some tests, and found out that while not powering the camera, the SWIT battery LEDs are closer to real state of charge than otherwise. They are still on the low, more conservative side from being exact. Try to use them when the camera is off, or while the battery is not on the camera.
Now, for the good news, I tested several SWIT battery samples, and they all deliver exactly the same charge as the Sony BP-U60, which agrees with the field reports here.

Craig Terott · January 17th, 2009, 02:48 PM

I'm jacked up about this battery/light combo. Just purchased one set (to make sure I like it before I buy more).

My only reservations are with the light. 40 Watts claimed. Curious to know if owners of the light believe this spec is accurate? ...or does it seem to be overstated?

I'm using Bescor lights now with NiHydride battery packs. I'm constantly switching battery packs at events - and when they die, they die fast, something I constantly worry about so I don't get caught when I'm shooting something important. I'm looking forward to being able to monitor battery remaining for camera & light in LCD. Also, looking forward to no longer having to lug around a 2lb battery pack.

This is a cool solution.

January 12th, 2009, 10:02 AM	#1
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	SWIT S-8U62 XDCAM EX battery HAs anyone tried these yet? I'm pretty keen to have it as a backup. SWIT S-8U62 replacement for Sony BP-U60 Battery/ PMW-EX1 camera [SWIT S-8U62] - $189.00 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

January 12th, 2009, 10:05 AM	#2
Mitchell Lewis Trustee Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Kennewick, WA Posts: 1,124	I'm waiting for them to come out with a version for the EX3. (cable isn't long enough) __________________ Sony EX3, Canon 5D MkII, Chrosziel Matte Box, Sachtler tripod, Steadicam Flyer, Mac Pro, Apple/Adobe software - 20 years as a local videographer/editor

January 12th, 2009, 10:34 AM	#3
Paul Kellett Trustee Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bristol UK Posts: 1,273	Yes i've got the Swit EX1 battery. Last's about as long as the BP-U60. It's got a d-tap outlet as well, i'm also using the Swit s-2000 light as well. The only thing not good i'll say about the battery is the led indicators for remaining battery, they're not at all accurate, 4 led's at 1st then drops real quick to 3 then 2 then 1 then stays at 1 led for ages even though the voltage doesn't drop much. However you can tell the camera (via the battery alarm in the menu) what low voltage is. I set low voltage 1 to 13.5 volts and low voltage 2 to 13 volts. Fully charged shows 16 volts on the EX1 screen. These settings are similar the the low voltage % settings which can be set with the proper sony batteries. I'd buy another one of these batteries in a flash, wouldn't have to think twice. Loads cheaper than BP-U60. Charges fine on the EX1 charger. TIP..When charging, make sure the fly lead is tucked into the battery, it makes some sort of circuit. Paul. __________________ Round 2 GH5,FZ2000

January 14th, 2009, 09:48 PM	#13
Phil Hanna Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Indian Rocks Beach, FL Posts: 165	Great battery and even greater distributor I have the Swit S-8U62 and love it. I had concerns about the LEDs on the back. They are not accurate as to the remaining voltage, however, the voltage reading in the viewfinder is very accurate as to remaining amount left. I contacted Gubobin Zhu (gb@swit.us) and couldn't be more pleased with his concern and offer. He sent a new battery to me and told me if I was not happy, to return it to him for full refund and he would pay the shipping. Hard to beat. So, The battery lasted about 4.5 hours and charges just fine. I would highly recommend the battery and the distributor without reservation. Phil Hanna

January 12th, 2009, 07:08 PM	#7
Raul Rooma Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Estonia Posts: 113	i'm agreed with Paul about swit battery.Can confirm about led indicator ,that not adecuate but battery working time is as it must be..also as mentioned by Paul earlier that swit oncamera led light enough good..i ordered the promo package-battery and light and quiet happy with them. Anyway - i recommend this product! kind regards Raul

January 13th, 2009, 02:45 AM	#8
Kevin Cates Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Fairfax, CA USA Posts: 33	I've been using the Swit for about a month. I would recommend it. I have the U60 and they are very similar is duration. It is about 1/4 inch longer than the sony bat - to make room for the power cable. Haven't noticed the LED light issue. I will be buying another one.

January 13th, 2009, 08:40 PM	#12
Jay Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 57	Been using one of these with my EX1 with no problems. Like having them for longer shoots. Just covered the CES show and used the D-tap with my Zylight and I couldn't be happier with that combo. Started running down around lunch, so I plugged in and recharged while we ate, then we were back on and it seemed to get a decent charge quickly. Thumbs up on this one.

January 17th, 2009, 02:48 PM	#15
Craig Terott Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Glendale, AZ Posts: 691	I'm jacked up about this battery/light combo. Just purchased one set (to make sure I like it before I buy more). My only reservations are with the light. 40 Watts claimed. Curious to know if owners of the light believe this spec is accurate? ...or does it seem to be overstated? I'm using Bescor lights now with NiHydride battery packs. I'm constantly switching battery packs at events - and when they die, they die fast, something I constantly worry about so I don't get caught when I'm shooting something important. I'm looking forward to being able to monitor battery remaining for camera & light in LCD. Also, looking forward to no longer having to lug around a 2lb battery pack. This is a cool solution.