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