Topic: batterys for video camera

[Gordon]

just bought a  PV-GS320.  anyway wondering what kind of long running battery y'all use?  I will usually be able to get ac but can't always count on it.  I know the ones that come with it don't last too long.

[fanofthemule]

I bought the Energizer ER-C545 batteries for my PV-GS300's.  The stock batteries I have now last about 75-90 minutes max, so I use those for the opening band and then put on the bigger battery for the main act.  The ER-C545's will last between 110-140 minutes each.  I would compare this battery to the middle battery here:

http://www.laptoptraveller.com/battery-panasonic-pv-gs320-digital-camcorder-accessories.html

If I were you I would just spend the extra $4 and get the biggest battery you can.

The only thing with ac is if you do a bunch of pan and zoom with the camera you'll have the cord to contend with.  If it's mainly a static shot you're good.

[Liquid Drum]

Is it best to get the DU21? I have recently got a NV-GS280 and the battery it came with is 1100mAh. I can't seem to find any bigger than 2100mAh.

Also, are there different types out there (like makes)? I ask because I've seem some for awfully cheap on ebay (from ebay stores) but then I've seen others on the net for double the price.

Here's what I'm looking at:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UK-Battery-pack-For-Panasonic-CGA-DU21-NV-GS37-NV-GS400_W0QQitemZ110256777976QQihZ001QQcategoryZ109082QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And then here is a site selling for over double the price:

http://www.digiprintuk.com/panasonic-cgadu21-p-1152.html?gclid=CJH-v8Dw15MCFQpLQwodRk08Zw

They look the same to me but I want a battery that will last a good 2 hours and not go bad too quickly.

Thanks (sorry to hijack)   

[stantheman1976]

Get the DA21 batteries with the highest mAh rating you can find.  Brand doesn't matter as long as it's name brand.  Buying off eBay is risky.  The 8 hour batteries you see aren't made with the same quality control standards as name brand batteries.  I've ordered 6 total off eBay over time.  They don't last for the full 8 hours advertised but they do last for several hours.  The main thing I've found with those batteries is outside case often is a tiny bit too large and the contacts inside the battery might not make full contact with the terminals on the camera.  I got two of those from one seller that wouldn't work unless I firmly pressed the battery upwards to make contact.  The outside was too big and made the contacts sit so low that they were unusable.  I have three now that if I press down on the battery it will lose contact but as long as I don't put too much force on them they work fine and provide a fairly long running time for $20.

So the moral of the story is, in this case at least, stick with name brand unless you like to gamble.

[Liquid Drum]

DA21?

The batteries I'm looking at don't seem to be branded, they all look the same. 

[stantheman1976]

Sorry.  I meant DU21.  Original batteries will have a Panasonic or Energizer brand name on them.  With official brands you'll be sure to get what's advertised.  With the generic, no name brand batteries you'll likely still get a good amount of power from them but not quite as much as they claim.  I've filmed for 2-3 hours at a time with my generics and still had power left, so they are not terrible.  They just don't seem to have the stricter quality control when being manufactured and the bigger name companies should have.

[Liquid Drum]

Sorry.  I meant DU21.  Original batteries will have a Panasonic or Energizer brand name on them.  With official brands you'll be sure to get what's advertised.  With the generic, no name brand batteries you'll likely still get a good amount of power from them but not quite as much as they claim.  I've filmed for 2-3 hours at a time with my generics and still had power left, so they are not terrible.  They just don't seem to have the stricter quality control when being manufactured and the bigger name companies should have.

Many thanks for the info, +t.

Think I'm gonna shell out for the more expensive to make sure I get the full power.

[Gordon]

Sorry.  I meant DU21.  Original batteries will have a Panasonic or Energizer brand name on them.  With official brands you'll be sure to get what's advertised.  With the generic, no name brand batteries you'll likely still get a good amount of power from them but not quite as much as they claim.  I've filmed for 2-3 hours at a time with my generics and still had power left, so they are not terrible.  They just don't seem to have the stricter quality control when being manufactured and the bigger name companies should have.

Many thanks for the info, +t.

Think I'm gonna shell out for the more expensive to make sure I get the full power.

ditto!  I've been looking at the ebay ones.  my main concern was the amount of negative feedback most of those sellers have.  many complaints of wrong batteries being sent, no reply from sellers etc etc.  good to know there are other issues as well.

[stantheman1976]

I found one seller with high ratings and that's where I got my last 3 from.  I got 3 batteries for less than 1 new name brand and they all work so I'm satisfied for now.

[mr qpl]

if not already tried, go to Batteries Plus, they usually have some nice ones at reasonable costs. They'll also evaluate battery life for your set up for free.

[greatape]

I bought a couple cheap DU21's from Fatgadgets last year.  I'm happy so far.

[rastasean]

just bought a  PV-GS320.  anyway wondering what kind of long running battery y'all use?  I will usually be able to get ac but can't always count on it.  I know the ones that come with it don't last too long.

While I don't know anything about the battery, I just wanted to say nice camcorder. I used to read this board a couple years ago and the guy loved his gs320: http://www.pana3ccduser.com/ I don't know if you that board or not. If you don't mind my asking, where did you get the camcorder? The camcorders I see at best buy only let me down since they usually don't have mic input anymore. How pathetic is that??

[stantheman1976]

The GS320 does not have a mic input.  It's predecessor, the GS300 did.  I have both and they are equal in video quality.  I don't understand why Panasonic continually abandons their best models.  The GS400 is one of the best consumer camcorders ever made because of its image quality and loads of controls.  Panasonic would sell a ton if they were still being made.  Now from what I hear Panasonic won't even make any tape-based consumer camcorders.  It worries me to see the move away from tape to DVD and hard drive camcorders for consumers.  I make the prediction that in 10 years there are going to be a ton of sad people because that cute video of their kids eating chocolate cake at the first birthday party will be gone forever because they trusted a recordable DVD it was put on that went bad.  I use an iRver H12 and 320 to record from mixer and/or lapel mic(s) for interviews or weddings I film but I always output the finished product back to a tape so the cleaned up video with good sound is preserved for the maximum amount of time and it won't hurt anything if I lose the WAV files recorded on the iRiver.

[guitard]

A lot of the eBay sellers are selling cheap Chinese knockoffs.  The price is a dead giveaway most of the time.  If they are only charging half of what a reputable dealer is charging - but claiming it's the real thing - don't believe it.  And of course, check the feedback - that'll usually tell you if they are legit or not.

[Liquid Drum]

Got my DU21 the other day. I tested it last night and it lasted just over 4 hours on the initial charge (that included recording over a dv tape 3 times and then watching bits of it back).

Thats good enough for me.   

I got it from here if anyone in the UK is looking for a decent battery:

http://www.digiprintuk.com/panasonic-cgadu21-p-1152.html?gclid=CIm1sLft2JMCFQ2rQwodkDIZYw

It includes a 2 year warranty which is very nice indeed.

[Gordon]

just ordered 2 of the 2200mah from amazon for $18 each.  that should do me just fine.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002ATWPW