Sony NP F970 batteries

[jemjemjem]

Hey guys,

Looking around for batteries for my video light.

I know it fits a NP-F970 sony battery, but its abit too expensive.

So Iam looking around for other sony batteries , smaller in scale but with the same connection.

Do you guys know sony battery convention(not sure if this is the right word to use), just wondering what are the other batteries I can consider that share the same connection with the F970.

 

[kandinsky]

Which light do you have?

The NP-F970 belongs to the L series (NP-F570, NP-F730, NP-F770, NP-F970). Check the specs for your light to find out which ones are compatible.
Also find out how many hours operation you can expect on an NP-F970. Because no point getting a lower capacity batt because it's cheaper, but runtime ends up being really low to be useful.

You can try getting 3rd party/OEM instead of the originals. Buying direct from ebay or a site like dx.com is usually cheapest if you don't mind waiting (slow shipping) and willing to deal with some risk/hassle as quality might be hit-n-miss. Or you can try local retailers like sg.battery-locator.com or worcell, should be easier to do returns/exchange if there are issues, with at least 1 yr warranty. Some of the usual stores may carry also, Challenger, Harvey Norman, etc.

Here's a previous thread on the topic: http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/video-cameras/371121-np-f970.html with advice from DXNMedia.

avoid 3rd party batts for F970/F960 series. Not very reliable, and not exactly cheap also.
Tried a few brands, and for the reliability & confidence, I'd rather stick with Sony originals.

I think East Gear should have some for sale.

SLS 2nd level have a shop called Unicell, seems quite reliable according to some of my friends who are regular DPs....but still after experiencing a few unreliable cells, I would prefer to have the peace of mind on using originals.

1) the sony chargers tend to give it a more reliable charge
2) the batt indicator seems to be more accurate in calculating the amp/hours & discharge rate.

I just hate it when it says 40mins left on the counter, but it dies off in a while....macham a live time-bomb waiting to go off without notification and instead of worrying about your shots, you're worrying about the batts.

In my work serving some broadcasters, there's definitely no room for unnecessary failures, not like some event or wedding coverage work where if you miss the footage, just don't put it in the edit.

I've encountered the 30mins left then suddenly dies thing. Really :sweat:
Gotta assess if this is crucial to your work. If you go cheap, manage the risk somewhat by having plenty of spares.

 

[jemjemjem]

wow thanks alot of the info, will really read into them.

Will post if i have more questions

thanks!!