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Nov 14, 2006
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Anton/Bauer makes shoots 'EZ' with new battery, camera support
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by Chuck Gloman
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Anton/Bauer is a name that people in the business have trusted for a long time. When I started in 1980, I used nothing but Anton Bauer brick batteries on all my cameras. Recently, the company introduced the new ElipZ System, which includes three components of handheld shooting: battery, camera support, and an on-camera light.
With the development of smaller camcorders, smaller batteries became the norm. Unfortunately, they provide a lot less run time than you usually need. ElipZ is a battery system designed for the latest breed of mini-DV and HDV camcorders.
Power To Spare
The largest battery for my Sony Z1 HDV camcorder gives about six hours of continuous use. The ElipZ is a 10k lithium-ion battery that provides up to nine hours of operation. Lithium-ion batteries are quickly becoming the technology of choice because they charge quickly, don't have "memory" problems, and may be charged and discharged more often than metal hydride or nickel cadmium.
Weighing in at about one pound, it's a thin, flat battery, designed so your camcorder can rest on it once connected. Just like a tripod, the ElipZ has a plate that screws into the bottom of your camcorder. A large blue quick-release lever on the battery lets you mount and dismount the unit in seconds. The bottom of the ElipZ has another screw mount to place the camera on a tripod or some other support gear (such as the EgripZ).
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| The ElipZ battery fits under your camcorder and provides hours of shooting power. |
When purchasing an ElipZ, you need to get the right connector cable to use the battery with your camcorder of choice. Because the ElipZ is positioned under your camcorder, a connection cable needs to the power source to the get all that juice to your camera.
At the back end of the ElipZ is a unique connector that allows charging of the battery (with the supplied AC charger) and connection to the camera. Because I was using the Z1, the 10-inch cable went from the back of the battery (under the camera) to an adapter that slides into the camera's battery slot. The cable dangles a little bit, but the adapter resides deeply inside the battery cavity.
You will need to get used to a few things. The first is a tiny blue LED that remains on once the battery is charged. This little light never goes out and tells you that the battery has a charge - this is the only way to determine this. The drain from the battery to power this LED has to be microscopic, but still it stays on all of the time.
Another concern is that when using the ElipZ, you no longer have a battery charge indicator displayed in the viewfinder or LCD monitor. Just like when using AC, the camera assumes you have plugged into a wall outlet and does not bother telling you how much power you have. However, the battery has its own built-in amber alert; when the amber LED comes on, you've got about 20 minutes of life left. The problem is that you have to keep looking at the side of the battery to determine this.
The ElipZ doesn't add that much weight to the camera because it is below rather than on the back, so you have no balance problems. You also have LEDs on the charger to tell you its charging status.
Results will vary, of course, based on the camcorder you use and whether or not you power a light simultaneously, but you'll get plenty of power from the ElipZ. I charged the battery fully then used it over the course of two days (I shot for three hours each day, but had the camera on for at least eight hours) without a problem. In other words, it performed as advertised, just what I expected from Anton/Bauer.
You can buy the battery for $199 and the charger for $179 (or in a combined package for $299). Connector cables are sold separately for $79 each, and make sure you order the right one for your camcorder.
Get A Grip
The EgripZ is a unique, handheld camera support device. Looking like something out of a collection of Charles Atlas exercise gear, it attaches to the bottom of your camcorder like a tripod, and you can also attach it to the bottom of the ElipZ.
Weighing only 12 ounces and with a list price $129, the EgripZ lets you smooth out those shaky handheld shots on camcorders that aren't designed to rest on your shoulder. The left and the right hand grips flex individually down until they touch, if you so desire, giving you the "grip" you need. Best attached to the camera with a screwdriver , you can run, jump, and carry the camera for hours just holding the hand grips.
Attached to the ElipZ under the Sony Z1, it took a few moments to get the right "feel" to balance the camera. When the front end wanted to dive, twisting back with your wrists brings the camera to level again. Like using any stabilizer, once you are familiar with its operation you can get amazing results -- but don't expect your first shot to be perfect.
As I was unpacking the EgripZ from the box, a student asked me what it was. Once I explained it to him, he immediately asked if he could use it for some run-and-gun interviews he was shooting. Connected to a Panasonic 100B (with an external matte box), he said that the EgripZ helped balance the extra weight of the matte box and allowed him to grab Dutch tilt shots as he was walking.
I thought he would tire of it shortly. However, after two days -- when I finally got it back -- he suggested that our department get several of them. Other students who saw me using it on a shoot thought it was "cool."
Using the EgripZ quickly becomes second nature. Even with the ElipZ, the EgripZ helps balance out any extra weight on the camera. I can see lots of uses for both of these Anton/Bauer goodies -- the ElipZ for long shoots without access to AC, and the EgripZ for long, handheld shots where fluidity is mandatory. You might also want to check out the ElightZ (not reviewed here), the company's new on-camera light.
Chuck Gloman is an awarding-winning producer/director of photography with more than 800 commercials to his credit, and is a member of the faculty of DeSales University. Contact him at chuck.gloman@desales.edu.
MORE INFO
Anton/Bauer antonbauer.com
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