If you’re on set, you have the choice of A) bringing a whole bunch of batteries or B) bring less bulk and –if possible– charge your batteries as you go. Weight vs. time, so to say. Time is a precious good on a packed shooting day and you can’t afford waiting for those batteries to charge up. That’s where the new Core SWX Fleet FF charger comes in. Four fully charged batteries for your MōVI Pro gimbal in just 45 minutes! This compact 4-bay charger takes the pain out of charging up batteries for the MōVI Pro. Usually you’d use the provided single-bay chargers from Freefly to juice up the 25.2V Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries. Since the gimbal is powered by two batteries simultaneously, most of the MōVI Pro bundles come with two batteries and two single-bay chargers. Core SWX Fleet FF Charger This newly developed charger takes four of the MōVI Pro batteries and charge all of them in about 45 minutes, which is pretty impressive since the original charger by Freefly takes around one hour to charge one single battery. The Core SWX Fleet device charges the batteries independently, so it makes sure to provide each and every battery with the correct amount of charge current. This is actually important since LiPo batteries tend to be pretty delicate devices demanding for careful treatment. Having just one compact device for charging 4 batteries simultaneously seems to be much preferable than setting up a heap of cable clutter and multiple chargers. The Core SWX Fleet FF (as in Freefly) charger provides up to 2.5A charge current while accepting 90-240V AC 50/60Hz as an input voltage. The unit is 10.9″ x 4.9″ x 3.26″ (27,7 x 12,5 x 8,3 cm) in size and it weights 2.1 lbs (0,95 kg). Freefly MōVI Pro battery and charger. Pricing and Availability The Core SWX Fleet FF charger is obviously more expensive than the original Freefly charger. It’s even (way) more expensive than 4 of the Freefly chargers. But, and that might be important here: As we’ve discussed earlier, time is a precious good on the set, so being able to quickly recharge four batteries could potentially top the premium price. Especially if you’ve already paid serious money for the gimbal itself. Of course all of this only applies if you’re using the MōVI Pro gimbal system on a regular basis. But if you do, you don’t want to wait for some extra batteries to charge up, do you? Links: Core SWX Website What do you think? Would you consider deploying such a device on set? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

We talked to PAG representative Matthew Field about their new Mini PAGlink batteries and the PAGlink Micro Charger. Both products are available in V-Mount and Gold Mount. Mini PAGlink Batteries The new stackable Mini PAGlink batteries for both V-Mount and Gold Mount are designed to power smaller cameras (such as the EVA1, the Sony FS5 or even small mirrorless cameras) and their accessories. They come in two sizes – 50Wh and 100Wh and offer PAG’s smart linking technology. Up to 8 batteries can be linked (stacked) together on a camera and up to 4 for charging. Once one battery is drained, it will act as a kind of a hot swap plate and the next battery in line will be used. It is even possible to mix 50Wh and 100Wh batteries in any state-of-charge to be linked. Their capacities can be accessed in combination, allowing a current draw of up to 12A. A linked battery can be added or hot-swapped at any time. The batteries feature built-in 12V outputs to power accessories and each battery includes a fixed D-Tap output, as well as a removable module with 2A USB that can be swapped for a Lemo, Hirose or other D-Tap. PAG’s new mini batteries are compatible with larger V-Mount and Gold Mount plates. Directly visible on the battery itself, there is a numeric display of run-time on-load, available capacity percentage and the number of charge/discharge cycles. The batteries offer digital communication, which enables them to display capacity values in the camera VF/ LCD. PAG claims that their batteries are safe to fly with, as they went through UN transportation testing for Li-Ion batteries. In general, it is allowed to carry up to 20 batteries with a capacity under 100Wh and 2 batteries over 100Wh (maximum 160Wh). The battery case features an ergonomic design for safer handling and a rubberised outer band for added protection. The battery itself also features two bush inserts (1/4”) that enable the mounting of a handle or an accessory bracket to individual or linked batteries. PAGlink Micro Charger for V-Mount Batteries According to PAG, this is the world’s smallest V-Mount battery charging kit. Its dimensions are 73 x 63 x 31mm (2.87 x 2.44 x 1.22”) and it only weighs 75g (2.6oz). It can be powered via a variety of 5-20V DC sources. Charging up to 4 PAGlink batteries simultaneously is supported. The Micro Charger fully charges 1 (fully discharged) 96Wh PAGlink battery in 4hrs. Two batteries will be fully charged in 8 hours, 3 in 12 hours and all 4 batteries in 16 hours. 150Wh batteries will take 50% longer. The Micro Charger is compatible with PAGlink and Sony batteries. The charging status of each battery is shown on its individual display. The most-discharged batteries are given priority until all of the batteries are in a similar state. They are then being fully charged simultaneously. The charger features LED indications for charging, charge completion, absent battery and faulty battery. The charger can also be powered via a 12V vehicle battery through the dashboard lighter socket. Charging times are equivalent to those achieved when the charger is powered through AC supply. As a back-up option, the charger can be powered using a 2A USB wall-plug charger. The charging time for one 96Wh battery will, however, increase from 4 to approximately 10 hours. The package includes a power supply unit (AC to DC converter) with a detachable plug for the country of use and DC power leads with vehicle cigarette lighter and USB connectors. Pricing and Availability The Mini PAGlink batteries will be available in 2019 (1st quarter for the Gold Mount version and 2nd quarter for the V-Mount). The Micro Charger is already available now, as it can also be used with the older, regular-sized PAGlink batteries. What do you think of these new, stackable Mini PAGlink batteries? Can you imagine adding them to your set? Let us know in the comments below.

The attractively-named Sony NPA-MQZ1K is probably everything you’ve been looking for in those third-party power solutions for your Sony Alpha camera, all smooshed together into one nifty — if a bit pricey — little product. So, what exactly does it do? Sony NPA-MQZ1K – Quad Battery Charger This new battery adapter from Sony is first and foremost a quad-unit battery charger for the teeny-weeny NP-FW50 batteries we have come to know and love in cameras such as the Sony A7S II or Sony A6500. It is also compatible with the newer, higher-capacity Z-series batteries just announced alongside the Sony A9, and claims to be able to charge four of them in 8 hours. I think it’s safe to say that Sony shooters have been frustrated with the laughable performance of the NP-FW50s of around one hour of video use, meaning that many looked at purchasing extra batteries and multi-unit chargers, often from third-party manufacturers. This alone makes an official product from Sony with this kind of functionality not just necessary but also overdue. But its $400 price tag means it better be more than just a charger… Unlimited Power for your Sony Alpha Like the battery charger included with the FS5 or FS7, the Sony NPA-MQZ1K goes from charger to direct power supply for the camera with just the flick of a switch. The unit supplies constant power to the camera via a tethered dummy battery, which means you will have to remove the battery compartment cover to leave place for the cable. It also means you can’t charge your batteries simultaneously, but hey… at least you’ve still got that single charger that came with your camera lying around, right? There have been other dummy battery options available from third-party manufacturers, though I suspect many have decided against going down this route due to multiple forums reporting fried cameras as a result of faulty adapters. This official solution from Sony may make a lot of shooters revisit the dummy battery option, especially those in need of an unmanned B-Cam with unlimited recording time via an external recorder, such as event shooters. In addition, the Sony NPA-MQZ1K can also power up to 2 USB devices. You can use the on-board switches to choose how to route the DC power. Power… On the Go. If you thought the Sony NPA-MQZ1K would tether you to a wall outlet, think again. You can remove the battery protector, cover two of the battery bays with the included lids, and turn the battery adapter into a portable two-battery power pack. Sony NPA-MQZ1K in portable mode Sure, it may not seem as elegant a solution as a battery grip, and you’re right… if you’re a photographer. The Sony NPA-MQZ1K features six standard 1/4-20 threads to mount the unit to your rig, making it much more suitable for video shooters since battery grips are incompatible with most fitted camera cages. The Sony NPA-MQZ1K is available for pre-order from B&H for $400. It may sound a bit steep, but it does include two of the new NP-FZ100 batteries too, so yay! Is the Sony NPA-MQZ1K the holy grail of power for the Sony Alpha series? More importantly, does it sound like the right solution for YOU? Let us know in the comments below!

Here’s something that could be quite useful: A dual charger for our favourite batteries that costs half of the real thing. The name Polaroid sounds familiar but I’m not sure this is really made by Polaroid? They did put their name on it, but the user reviews on Amazon are not very promising. If you’re based in the US you can get this charger here among many other battery reseller sites. You’ll have to Google those. And if you’re into quality and money isn’t an issue, then you can be sure the freakishly expensive stuff for hdslr is always around the corner around the corner. Turbo Charger by Dolgin, full charge in under 2 hours. $394 [UPDATE]: More user feedback is coming in to warn us about this product. User guyeye says:” I have this charger (…) I can charge two LP-E6 batteries, one after another with the Canon single charger in less than HALF the time this pile-o-crap charges them…” (See full comment in the comments.) via Cinescopophilia