Which Battery?

D

dmchord

Active member
I know I need to buy a back up battery for my camera. The second battery that came with the "kit" is 1600mah 45 minute job.

Now, I'm seeing CGR-D54 and CGA-D54 as the batteries for this unit, and the text on the battery that come with it is in Japanese, so that's no help! Then there are places who claim to have "replacement for CGR-D54" and yet they don't list the HVX as one of the units their battery is compatible with.

Can someone direct me to a reputable battery seller where I can get a good, long-lasting battery without breaking the bank? Thanks.
 
Lowest priced batteries are on Ebay. I purchased one over a year ago and it still has good life. I would estimate when new it had 90% of the life of a new Panasonic battery, and still has about 80%. Back then you could get it for $28 shipped, now it's $40. They are shipped from Hong Kong but there is little delay.
Here is the seller's current link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Battery-for-CGR-D54-CGRD54-PANASONIC-AG-HVX200-AG-DVX_W0QQitemZ190297652448QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBatteries_Chargers?hash=item190297652448&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A10|39%3A1|240%3A1318

My 2.5 year old battery from same seller still lasts about an hour and a half. These batteries have a slightly looser fit than original but in my experience, never lose the connection.


Next in the hiearchy would be compatible batteries such as Lenmar from B&H and others. Then would come the DVXuser battery at just $80 or so (but not sure if it is currently available). Finally would be the OEM Panasonic- great long life but expensive.
 
There are other viable alternatives made by companies such as Impact, which make CGR-D54 (sold for about 100 bucks at B&H or Adorama). I bought two of them, as well as two on eBay, and they all power my HPX170 just fine. I wouldn't buy again the eBay batteries though as they are obviously made of cheap plastics and wobble a bit on the battery mount. They're my last resort batteries, just in case I need extra juice when on a tripod. I would NEVER trust those eBay bats in a run-and-gun situation, I'd be too afraid to drop one and lose footage and possibly damage internal components of the HPX/P2 card (dunno if it's possible, but one's never too careful with electronics at that price :)).

Hope this helps!
 
HVX200, DVX100, HPX170 all share the same battery design, both electrically and mechanically. If a store does not list the HVX200 as compatible, it is just up to their web designer. Look for a 5400mah capacity or better; the better ones come with at least 1 year warranty.
HTH
 
out of curiosity, anyone know if the dvxuser batteries are still available? the sponsor link still shows up on the site, but they are listed as out of stock. is that permanent?
 
The DVX User batteries are unfortunately not available any longer ;-(

Too bad, I love the ones I have, they are great batteries. Still hold a good charge and I have had them for about 2-3 years.

Dan
 
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