Buying batteries for the GH1

[dan_aka_jack]

I have heard some rumours that Panasonic have a habit of rendering 3rd party batteries useless with firmware updates.

Has anyone experienced this? e.g. have you bought a cheap battery from eBay for your GH1 only to find that the latest firmware has prevented the use of the battery?

[DonalDuc]

I do not use the update and live happy with my €-9-batteries from China :-)

In some weeks Chinese have cracked Pana-update :-))))

[PhilD]

And it's not like Panasonic is hiding it. If you want your GH1 to turn into dust then yes, don't upgrade to the latest firmware and use your 5$ batteries.

[saaby]

That's fine now, but what about in 2 months from now when they come out with a firmware update that fixes things you'd like fixed?

[dan_aka_jack]

So the rumour is true? Panasonic does disable the use of 3rd party batteries with firmware updates?

Does the GH1 have an input for an external power source? Perhaps it could be powered from a battery belt or something?

[Mike@AF]

It comes with an AC adapter. Is there battery packs or belts that give you a normal AC outlet?

[Martti Ekstrand]

It comes with a battery shaped adapter that is used in the cam's battery slot and attaches to the battery charger with a cord. The chargers output to the camera is 9.3V - 1.2A so if there are a battery pack that can be set to this I guess it's just a matter of matching the right plug.

[dan_aka_jack]

It comes with an AC adapter. Is there battery packs or belts that give you a normal AC outlet?

Not that I know of. You could probably hack one together using an off-the-shelf inverter. But I'd feel a little nervous about having 110/230volts anywhere near my body!


It comes with a battery shaped adapter that is used in the cam's battery slot and attaches to the battery charger with a cord. The chargers output to the camera is 9.3V - 1.2A so if there are a battery pack that can be set to this I guess it's just a matter of matching the right plug.

Cool. Maybe it would be possible to power it with a set of normal 9v batteries in parallel. Or perhaps it could be powered by a 7.4 Lithium Polymer battery pack (but those packs need a bit of looking after. LiPoly hates to be deep-discharged. Plus LiPoly can produce a HUGE current in a short circuit). I'm starting to think I should stop being such a cheap skate and just buy a second Panasonic battery! I was planning to buy more than one spare battery for long shoots but I have heard that the Panasonic batteries charge very quickly so perhaps it would be possible to shoot continuously all day long by alternating 2 batteries between the camera and the mains charger.

[AdrianF]

Having to use Panasonic batteries is a bit of a pain, especially as the performance of the battery supplied, whilst okay isn't exactly stellar. Battery belt could be a good option if it can be matched up.

[yslee]

It's not a rumour. It's FACT. Check the DPReview news section for more.

[dan_aka_jack]

OK. Thanks for the replies.

[rudyo]

Has anyone tried a battery belt on the GH1?
I have an extended overseas trip to hike the Inca Trail in Peru that will take me away from power for at least 3 days. I am not ready to buy 5 or 6 or more Pani batteries.

I think it would be pretty simple to make an adapter plug from the GH1's adapter that goes in the GH1 battery slot and has a plug.

I don't know too much about battery belts. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Thanks

[dracore]

Hi guys,

I'm interested in a battery pack solution as well. I wasn't able to record for very long on a single battery.. it seemed like maybe 10-15 mins max (LCD live view on)?

Is it just a matter of wiring 9V batteries in parallel and then having them go to the right adapter plug? I can't imagine it requiring anymore components other than that.

I found something similar where one guy hacks a battery pack to externally power his H4N:

http://www.bradlinder.net/2007/07/building-external-battery-pack-for.html

[rundavids]

Something must be wrong with your battery. My stock battery lasts way longer than 10-15min with LCD on.

[MR Fanny]

10-15 mins is terrible. id check the battery.

[dracore]

How much time do you typically get for continuous recording before you run out?

[Barry_V]

I just picked up a couple batteries from one of my favorite Ebay dealers. The dealer name is "itrimming" (not a plug, just happy when I find a good Ebay source). Great store for various pieces parts for iphones, ipods, AV, etc. Never a problem, super fast FREE shipping on just about everything. The battery is listed below. I also picked up a 12v accessory plug charger. Both seem to work very well so far. The GH-1 recognizes this battery. Not sure if the battery power meter works properly, as I haven't run it long enough yet.

GH-1 battery:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BATTERY-DMW-BLB13-Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-GF1K-GF1-GH1-/200480632958?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Batteries_Chargers&hash=item2ead93b07e

[Bobomatic]

Thats a smokin deal on batteries. I ordered one as a backup...



I just picked up a couple batteries from one of my favorite Ebay dealers. The dealer name is "itrimming" (not a plug, just happy when I find a good Ebay source). Great store for various pieces parts for iphones, ipods, AV, etc. Never a problem, super fast FREE shipping on just about everything. The battery is listed below. I also picked up a 12v accessory plug charger. Both seem to work very well so far. The GH-1 recognizes this battery. Not sure if the battery power meter works properly, as I haven't run it long enough yet.

GH-1 battery:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BATTERY-DMW-BLB13-Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-GF1K-GF1-GH1-/200480632958?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Batteries_Chargers&hash=item2ead93b07e

[sammysammy]

with testers battery patch, now you can use these off brand battery and they worked great, i picked one up with a charger (Plus car charger) for $18 ..they work like the normal battery

[dracore]

Do all off-brand batteries have the ability to correctly register how full they are during 1) camera use via the battery meter, 2) when charging?

[henryciullo]

i have a no brand battery that lasts less than original ( that should be normal as it is slightly less mAh ), but most anoying it will die suddenly when battery indicator in camera is still indicating 2 out of 3 bars.. it will suddenly go red and in 3-4 seconds you have a dead camera. I have never been able to see the indicator with only 1 bar with this battery... you just have to get used to it and be prepared to change it quickly.

[droon]

I have third party battery (that advertised with "works with all firmwares") However I never updated the firmware, untill now. but I patched the firmware with the tester13's ptool hack. It works.

[Darius051]

It would be the best solution to have a docking bay-type box for three batteries so that the box mounts under the camera tightened with the tripod screw. Before that you put the provided battery adapter into the camera and plug the cord into the box.
The result is 3x capacity but I don't know about the voltage since three batteries in parallel are 7,2V and the battery adapter needs 9,3V. Perhaps it could be hacked like the GH13 :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[spamrakuen]

I'm looking for a battery. Any recomendation? An eBay seller on EU would be nice.

[gcogger]

I bought one of THESE (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Battery-4-PANASONIC-Lumix-DMC-GH1K-DMC-G1K-DMW-BLB13e-/120623048924?pt=UK_Photography_DigitalCamBatt_RL&hash=item1c15b1a8dc) and it works fine with firmware v1.5.

[spamrakuen]

I bought one of THESE (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Battery-4-PANASONIC-Lumix-DMC-GH1K-DMC-G1K-DMW-BLB13e-/120623048924?pt=UK_Photography_DigitalCamBatt_RL&hash=item1c15b1a8dc) and it works fine with firmware v1.5.

Thank you.

Fw 1.5? You mean a hacked GH1? :huh:

[gcogger]

Thank you.

Fw 1.5? You mean a hacked GH1? :huh:

Oops, sorry - I had a G1 when I bought the battery, and it worked fine with its v1.5 firmware. I now have a GH1 with v1.3 firmware (the latest downloadable version) and it works fine on that too.

[ZeusFaber]

Anyone has tried these 1500mA/h batteries form Ebay UK?

http://bit.ly/kU6VTN

Or could you suggest a reliable source of batteries UE based?

Thanks

[mmmmlyy]

This battery in a Google search there are many. Found a cheaper
Panasonic DMC-GH1 Battery
http://www.panasonic-batterycharger.com/panasonic-battery-charger-1291.htm
Panasonic DMC-GH1 Digital Camera Battery, Compatible Part Numbers: DMW-BLB13, DMW-BLB13E. Battery Type: Li-ion, Voltage: 7.20V, Capacity: 1250mAh. New, 1 year warranty!

[Mrik23]

Any experience with those "Panasonic branded" batteries from China ?

http://cgi.ebay.fr/Panasonic-Battery-DMW-BLB13-For-Lumix-DMC-G1-GF1-GH1-/260679894593?pt=Batteries_Chargers&hash=item3cb1bb8641

[brudney]

I have two of those. They work OK, I see absolutely no difference from the original one. Well, except maybe that the original charger wouldn't charge them, had to buy a cheap additional one. Other than that they're just fine.