AC130: AC130 / HMC150 Batteries

[Phil1076]

Does anyone have any insider information as to whether the AC130/160 will be compatible with HMC150 batteries? What about the IDX/no-name Hong Kong batteries?

 

[dcloud]

i surely think so

 

[MadHMC150]

They would piss off a bunch of people if that weren't the case..

 

[Barry_Green]

The AC160/130 uses the same batteries as the HMC150 and all other AVCCAM cameras.
The HPX250 uses the same batteries as the DVX/HVX/HPX170.

 

[firehawk]

So, the hpx250 uses the same batteries as my dvx100b, And the ac130/160 do not, correct?

 

[abeas]

My AC160 works great with my 150 batteries. However, last night I did receive a message "This battery is not compatible with this camera" or something like that with one of my large HMC150 batteries. I turned the AC160 off and back on and the message went away and it worked fine.

 

[Barry_Green]

Hpx250 uses dvx/hvx/hpx170 batteries.
AC130/160 use hmc150/80/40 batteries.

 

[tolyinoz]

Do no name batteries work as well as Panasonic batteries?

 

[Mike Warren]

Do no name batteries work as well as Panasonic batteries?

That's all in the luck of the draw. Often, they are inferior to the genuine item, but it varies greatly.

 

[scapsinger]

Do no name batteries work as well as Panasonic batteries?

The no-name batteries are really close the the Panasonic branded battery prices right now, so if you're buying new batteries for the HMC150 or the AC160/130 or the AF100, might as well go with the Panny batteries. They are guaranteed to work (obviously) and usually have a higher mAh capacity (5400 mAh versus 4800 to 5200 for the off-brand ones). The Pannys also show the remaining time on the battery which is constantly recalculated based on usage...when you open or close the LCD it recalculates remaining minutes, same thing happens if you use the servo zoom a lot or keep auto focus on and constantly searching.

Having 4 or 5 little ticks on the battery icon is not nearly as descriptive. The drain on the Pannys is much more linear, whereas the off-brands tend to be much more steep as you approach the end of the capacity. With an actual "minutes remaining" readout, you could potentially use a battery all the way to the "1 minute remaining" point without fear, but with a blinking battery icon, who knows how much actual time you have left?

Just my two cents. Panasonic doesn't pay me to sell their batteries, I'm just telling you that for the small current difference in price, it's probably worth it to grab the Panny batteries.