GH2 A second battery needed?

Mj882

Mj882

Well-known member
I'm going on holiday and will be filming a lot whilst touring around. How long does the camera normally last for when recording 1080/24p footage? Couple of hours?
 
I don't know exactly how long but I can guaranty you that having two batteries is not an extra at all. I can't remember doing a single shoot without swapping my batteries after maybe a few hours. If you're rich enough, 3 batteries would even be better. Alternatively you can look into making your own external battery (GH2 8.4v external battery test on Vimeo http://goo.gl/yuTp6)
[edit] you can also go with this factory made battery adapter for all kind of batteries: (Panasonic Lumix power solutions : Dolgin Engineering, Camera Power Solutions http://goo.gl/1qfEI)
 
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im going on a euro trip and i bought 2 extra batteries for my gh2 (damn you pana!). i have 2 extra batteries for my gh1 also and on a long days event shoot i generally go through 1 battery swap. the third is there just in case, if i forget or dont have time to charge....and no im nothing close to rich, just paranoid =)
 
The rich part was only a joke because those batteries are so damn expensive and you can't even use the other cheaper brands (damn you Pana!), and no you're not paranoid, prepared.
Enjoy your euro trip and bring back some great shots to share here with us!
 
Phenixone said:
The rich part was only a joke because those batteries are so damn expensive and you can't even use the other cheaper brands (damn you Pana!), and no you're not paranoid, prepared.
Enjoy your euro trip and bring back some great shots to share here with us!
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all good mate, my reply was in humour too.

yeah tell me about it, they cost 4x as much here in Australia than in the US....i just buy from the US =). I haven't even left yet and I've already spent a small fortune preparing for it lol. My first destination coincidentally is Paris =)
 
Same here MR Fanny, I've bought the GH2 Body Only+Nikon F Mount (already had 3 AIS lenses) and now might get an extra battery. Also thinking of getting a bag for it all. Damn I just realised I'm off holiday in 3 days!

Phenixone, I'll take that into account. Might be safer just to get the proper one, even if it's a little more costly.
 
I use non- Panasonic batteries with no problem, got at B&H around $25 each, there 1500 mah but don't know if they last longer then the 1200mah camera battery. Only problem is battery life guage doesn't work with non-Panasonic. Also if battery runs down while filming you lose the last clip, wheather i'st 10 sec or 50 mins long, the clip is there but can't import it. I get close to 1hr with either type of battery using the LCD, I just change batteries around 50 mins
 
Yeah the Gh2 batteries are pretty bad. I have the same batteries as BruceR you can get them on Ebay cheaper than b&H. They work but they have no battery indicator and don't sleep the camera so you have to remember to shut the camera off or it will just stay powered. I would spend the $100+ and get two extra factory batteries if I could find them.
 
Much of the battery longevity depends on the lens being used: Lumix lenses with electronic focus, autofocus, and especially OIS will drain the battery far faster than an all-manual legacy lens. In an active paid video shooting day, I get about 1.5h with the 14-140, and about 2-3h with an all-manual c-mount or Nikon.

I don't care for the off-brand batteries simply due to the suddenness of their depletion, no warning whatsoever... just black and the possible corruption of whatever you're recording at the time. Also, even my Chicom battery listed as 1800mah doesn't last as long as the 1200mah Panasonic batteries. Just not worth it.
 
I find that keeping the GH2's EVF set to turn on/off automatically via its eye proximity sensor, and keeping the LCD closed most of the time, greatly helps getting the most life out of the batteries.

P.S.: I own 2 Panasonic batteries and will probably get a 3rd soon.
 
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Price has dropped on the Panasonic GH2 batts. at B&H, Adorama, Amazon, etc. from $70 to $50. They seem to be in stock now also.
 
I can confirm this. I purchased a cheap off-brand battery kit at Amazon.com with two batteries, one charger and one car charger and they are a pain. Capacity is less, no indication of battery condition and they shut down without warning. This has cost me a few shots already. I now use them for back-up batteries only. I keep them in my back pocket and if I do have to use them it will be for 30 minutes maximum. I'll buy extra Panasonic batteries asap. Is there a mains 110/220v adapter available for the GH2?

mcbob said:
I don't care for the off-brand batteries simply due to the suddenness of their depletion, no warning whatsoever... just black and the possible corruption of whatever you're recording at the time. Also, even my Chicom battery listed as 1800mah doesn't last as long as the 1200mah Panasonic batteries. Just not worth it.
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The price of the Panasonic Batts is ridiculous! However, you do get a good amount of recording time from them.
Your doing holiday shooting, so I suspect having 2 batteries will be plenty.
As long as your not walking around watching your entire vacation through the LCD screen... then you should be fine.
You could get the cheap knockoff batts. on Amazon and get about solid 30-40mins worth of recording out of each.
Usually you can buy 2 - 4 including a travel charger for half the price of 1 Panasonic batt. (just read the reviews to see if anyone else reports a problem with the product.)

If your doing a JOB with the camera, then you NEED to have a few batteries and be able to rely on them working...
 
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