Overview
Last week we previewed a rechargeable battery cartridge for the Phase One/Mamiya 645 camera bodies from EJJI. We wanted to put the battery through its paces in order to see if the battery will actually power a body for 10000 frames as claimed.
One of the first things we noticed about the 10K battery was that the base (the part visible when inserted into the camera) is nearly identical to that used by Phase One & Mamiya, right down to the texture. However, we found that the battery is a bit of a tight fit in DF bodies – but does work, and slides a bit smoother on the older AFD1 we tested later. On both bodies the last 2mm of insertion require a bit of force to seal and lock the battery in place.
The Test
We rigged up a Phase One 645DF w/ a P20 digital back on a tripod and pointed it toward a simple still life scene using only available light. Using the camera’s built-in intervalometer, we began firing images in 1/2sec intervals. After more than 3300 identical frames without any apparent change in battery status, we decided we needed to change testing methods since we did not wish to increase the shot count on our P20 by 10,000 frames.
After about 90min on the charger, the battery was put into a Mamiya 645AFD with an empty film back and cable release. With the camera set to mirror-up and continuous drive we locked the cable release and started shooting. Since we did not have a way to digitally count the number of frames, we counted the number of frames captured per minute (roughly 84fps) and just kept track of the number of minutes it ran for.
At just short of 90min or about 7500 frames, we blew the shutter on the older AFD body we were testing with. This all occurred with the battery indicator on the body showing full charge throughout. We decided to attempt to drain the battery inside a DF overnight with the camera left on (set to never sleep) and the custom function set to Lithium Ion batteries. The battery survived for nearly two days.
Conclusions
This battery is significantly more stout than the often fragile battery cage that is standard for the 645 bodies as it is simply made of more material. Clearly the performance is quite impressive. Since we have yet to find a point where the battery shows a change in charge status (e.g. showing “half full”). So we can not yet tell if the battery will simply die without warning, or if it still as fresh as the indicator shows and has thousands of frames left in it. Look for an update to this test once we’re able to get a definitive answer on when & how you might expect this battery to fully discharge.
Pre-Order
As a result of this testing we are placing a large order with the manufacturer. Once they arrive we’ll put it on our eStore. But if you would like to place a pre-order to be at the front of the line (before we even put the item up on our eStore) please call 877-217-9870 or email info@captureintegration.com.
The price is $219 per battery and $109 per charger, or $499 for a kit of two batteries and a charger.
Update: We expect to ship order to end users on April 1.