sony pmw ex1r battery

[Michael Armao]

I have a Sony PMWEX1R camera
realistically speaking how long is a Sony BP U60 battery going to last me at a wedding event. How long is a BP U 30 going to last me at the same event. Also is there a cheaper battery that will last me as long if not longer? If so which one is it.

[Alex Dolgin]

Originally Posted by Michael Armao

I have a Sony PMWEX1R camera
realistically speaking how long is a Sony BP U60 battery going to last me at a wedding event. How long is a BP U 30 going to last me at the same event. Also is there a cheaper battery that will last me as long if not longer? If so which one is it.

The BP-U60 is approximately a 3 hour battery, the BP-U30 is a half of that. The most popular non Sony battery is made by Swit, model S-8U62. It is the same capacity, but less expensive and has a D-Tap jack for video lights and accessories. There are also Switronix batteries 2x capacity of the BP-U60, but they are also 2x heavy and large.
HTH

[Michael Armao]

thanks Alex for the info

if i was to buy the swit ronix ex-l96 what cable would i need to attach the battery to a monitor. if the battery goes in the same spot the org sony battery goes how come i have to use a cable to connect it to the camera 12v plug? How long will a switronix ex-l96 battery last in the Son PMW EX!R

[Alex Dolgin]

Michael, you need a D-tap cable to connect the battery and your monitor. The monitor end of the cable is usually a 4 pin XLR.
The L-96 battery is good for about 6-7 hours but it will depend on how you use your camera, and what else is powered by it.
The DC cable to power the EX camera is used by all the 3d party battery manufacturers, so there is no need to defeat the Sony communication protocol.
HTH

[Michael Armao]

thanks for the info im sorry for asking so many questions but tomm i have to order batteries so im just trying to figure it all out.

would i be able to use the switronx ex l96 to power a marshall xp70 monitor as well as a flo light 128 at the same time, and what cable would i need then.

How long would i get out of the battery if i just powered the monitor.

[Keith Dobie]

Michael -- did you order your batteries yet?
The Swit battery that was mentioned works fine. I recently got two of them with my camera. If you are able, get one and test it first to make sure you're happy. The way the battery cable connects to the EX1 isn't very "neat" but it works. You also lose some of the onscreen battery info you get with Sony batteries. Only reason I got the Swit was that it has the extra D-tap port. Otherwise I would spend the extra and get the Sony batteries. They will be more secure and you'll have less wear on the DC input jack.
If the idea is that you'll use it to power both camera and other accessories then I think you would want to test it first. I tried powering my old Anton-Bauer Ultralight-2 (20 watt halogen MR16 bulb) via the D-tap. It didn't work for long, camera shut down. I'm looking for a low-wattage LED replacement for the MR16 -- or may have to get an LED panel type light (which I'm avoiding if possible)

Anyone know how much power you can safely pull from a Swit while it is also powering the EX1/R?

[David Cilberti]

Hi I'm a newbie to this forum.
Just bought an EX1R, I stress the R! I bought what I thought would be a less expensive battery that would last longer and cost less. COMER BL-U95 is supposed to work by "fooling" the camera with a wire that makes it think it is being powered by AC. Problem is when I connect the battery as it should be in the camera I immediately get a battery error message. Spoke to the dealer, got a second battery, same results. I could use it without actually plugging it into the camera slot but it is heavy and it defeats the purpose of a hand-held rig by flopping around in the camera. Did the new design of the EX1, meaning the R, do something to prohibit the use of ANY NON SONY batteries? Is there one out there that works while still being able to plug into the camera properly? Thanks for any insight in advance.

[Alex Dolgin]

There is a switch inside the battery, when you pull the DC plug out and plug it in the camera 12V jack, it is supposed to disable the business end of the battery. Sounds like yours does not. Both Swit and Switronix work without any problem.

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[Keith Dobie]

David -- I think it is normal to sometimes get the "Battery Error" message when using these 3rd party batteries — but it depends on what order you do things.

Here's what happens with my Swit batteries:
1. If the battery is attached to the camera, and the power cable is plugged into the battery (itself), then when I turn on power I get the message "Battery Error. Please Change Battery".
2. If the battery is attached, and the power cable *IS NOT* plugged into itself (battery), then nothing happens when I turn on the camera.
3. If I turn on the camera with the battery attached and the cable plugged into the DC jack, then the camera powers up normally.

I'm guessing you will have similar results with your battery.

Keith

[Marty Welk]

Another thing to note about battery in the EX1r if you leave the sonys own battery in the cam, it will draw the battery down , just sitting there on the camera Off. (for days on end)
it is in the manuel. they wanred me :-) While it is common to keep the internal li-ion button batteries charged and all via the external power sources, the quantity the camera sucks up when off, is IMO high.
i have not measured it, and it was weeks unused, but good to know that leaving OEM battery in the back of the camera was a dumb idea.