FS5: Anybody have much experience with 3rd Party Batteries?

L

Leo Burton

Member
Hi Guys

I'm just about to pull the trigger on the FS5, and had a few questions.

With regards to Batteries with D-Tap, some people have had problems on the Swits (The 62's) are the 63's the same? Communication issues, formatting SD cards issues etc..?

I hear that Hawks-Woods are great, and work really well.

Has anyone had any experience with the Beillen BL-U65
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beillen-B...0-U95-EX1-EX3-XDCAM-D-Tap-Cable-/171085266559

Or Ex-Pro 90wh (no D-tap) these are very reasonably priced.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ex-Pro-Di...600397?hash=item5b0f78d28d:g:a7QAAOSwPhdVG~Tq

Do any of these charge on Sony Charger, or do you need to get 3rd party charger?

I'd appreciate any feedback from current owners.

Thanks in advance
 
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I have the ExPro. It charges fine on the Sony charger. I haven't used it enough to have any opinions about it other than that.
 
Leo, the SWIT S-8U63 are issue free for a number of years. Just make sure you get a new one as at some point in the past (~ 2 years back) they upgraded the firmware to make them work with FS-7. The first generation made before FS7 came out would not work (they were compatible with EX1/ EX3 models only),
 
I've had the Swits for the FS7 for almost 2 years. They are going strong and the D-Tap is nice to have (but you need an adapter).

Highly recommend them.
 
I have the watson replacement for the BPU-90. Big battery with lots of juice. Most days I don't have to change the battery at all. Love it.
 
Leo Burton said:
What is the adapter? Do all the BPU d-taps need an adapter?
Click to expand...

The Swit needs the adapter because the D-Tap is in a weird location (on top). But the adapter works great. Here's the link.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/co...&m=Y&c3api=1876,92051677562,&is=REG&A=details

For 3rd party batteries, you have to be careful. Some of them are "Dumb," meaning you have to run an extra D-Tap from the BP-U to the FS7 to power the camera. Not ideal IMO.

The Swit works natively like the original Sonys and display battery life.

Also, the Swit's work on the Sony charger, but you can buy a dual / simultaneous Swit charger with is cheaper than the Sony.
 
Atobit said:
4 month ago I purchased 3 of those battery from Hawk-Woods, BP-75UX:
http://wwwY.hawkwoods.co.uk/Prods/Product/BP-75UX
They have two D-Tap ports, I use one of them to power a monitor or recorder.

I use a Watson dual charger without issue:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1143844-REG/watson_d_4231_duo_lcd_charger_for.html

Rarely clock reset issue happen.
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, are the Hawkwoods and Watson's chipped for the FS7? I know initially when the FS7 came out, neither battery was chipped and on the Hawkwood you had to run a separate cable. Not sure if that's the case anymore.
 
Thanks for all your response people.
I think I'll go with 2 x swits 83s wth d-taps, and 1 x ex-pro 90, as a final one to get me through a days filming.
 
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