Film production equipment is notoriously expensive. But some of the most helpful tools can still be had for a song.
There are a multitude of differences between being a still photographer and being a filmmaker. Different sets of clients. A greater reliance on being part of a crew versus a kingdom of one. Oh, and, of course, your images move in one and don’t in the other. But there’s also a key difference between buying a still camera versus buying a video camera (or a mirrorless camera you plan to use primarily for video). In the case of a still camera, you can buy a camera and lens and pretty much be off to the races. When it comes to video production, purchasing a camera and lens is often just the start of the drain on your bank account. Monitoring devices, camera support, transmitters, lens adapters, follow focuses—the list never ends. Pretty soon that “deal” you got on a cinema camera ends up being twice as much as you expected.
Well, while many of those expenses can’t be avoided, they can sometimes be kept to a minimum. Companies like SmallRig have done a good job of producing smaller accessories around the margins that manage not to cost an arm and a leg. But, price aside, I’ve found a handful of these products to be among the most cost-effective in my kit, especially when it comes to extending battery life. So I thought I’d share two of those products with you today.
SmallRig VB99 Mini V-Mount Battery
If you’re like me, you have a small armada of V-Mount batteries collected in your various camera kits. These oversized block batteries may not win any beauty contests, but they make the world go around when you have a million and one different accessories that all need power to make your shoot happen. Rather than have a gaggle of individual small batteries, many accessories allow you to connect them directly to a V-Mount battery/battery plate and run everything off a central power source. This makes things easier, as V-Mount batteries can hold an enormous amount of power and, when they finally do run down, can be replaced at a single point of connection. Thus, you can replenish all your devices with one battery change without having to take apart your rig.
Yet, things can always get smaller. And, in recent years, Mini V-Mount batteries have begun to dominate the landscape. Same utility, just in a smaller package. SmallRig has jumped into the game with the VB99 Mini V-Mount Battery. Mini V-Mounts come in multiple varieties and power limits. But I like the VB99s because their size makes them extremely portable, while their power limit of 99 Wh keeps them just below the cutoff for being able to take them on most international flights. So they are easy to travel with, while lightening your load on the back of the camera.
SmallRig Compact V-Mount Battery Mounting System
Who doesn’t love building up their cinema camera with a baseplate and 15 mm rods? Nothing looks more proper than a great camera build. It’s the filmmaker’s version of flexing in front of a Ferrari. But we replace the Ferrari with an Alexa 35. Still, there are other occasions when you want a more compact package.
Specifically, when using a mirrorless camera. Let’s face it, the main advantage of using a mirrorless camera to capture video in the first place is the small form factor. You’ll still need to build it up, most likely, in order to operate in earnest. But when you start building it up too much, you start to wonder why you didn’t just start with a larger body to begin with.
Recently, I’ve been shooting a lot with my Canon R5C. It is really an amazing “cinema” camera that comes in a small form factor. The monitoring tools especially give it a massive leg up, and the size is just right when I want to capture high-quality footage without lugging around a larger body. There’s only one problem. The battery is awful. Or perhaps it's the battery draw from the camera? I don’t know. I’m not an engineer. All I know is that my batteries would drain quicker than you can say the word “lithium,” and I had to come up with a solution.
That solution started with the SmallRig Mini V-Mount mentioned in the previous section. But I wasn’t eager to mount the camera to a full-on baseplate and rails setup for two reasons. One, the camera’s smaller size is what appealed to me. And, two, because I am a photographer and a filmmaker, I wanted to have this particular camera setup in a way that I could quickly transition from built-up cinema mode to minimalist still-photographer mode.
The answer to my prayers ended up being the SmallRig Compact V-Mount Battery Mounting System. Screwing onto the Canon R5C (or other mirrorless cameras) via the tripod mount positions the unit behind the camera and allows you to mount a V-Mount battery snug against the body. This is similar to the way you would mount a V-Mount either directly to the back of many larger cinema cameras or use rails to mount a V-Mount sled. In this setup, we can take away the rails and sled and simply connect the base of the unit to the camera directly.
The unit is hinged in the middle, folding up and down. This helps for two reasons. One, this lockable hinge allows you to properly position the V-Mount battery where you want it. Also, the hinge allows you to completely fold down and collapse the system when not in use. Thirdly, the hinge allows you to fold a loaded V-Mount down and out of the way in the event that you need to access controls directly on the back of your camera.
The camera mounts to the base unit with a quick-release system. So, the way I have it set up, I have my SmallRig Compact V-Mount Battery System loaded and ready to rock for video at all times. Then, when I want to shoot stills, I simply disconnect any wires running into my R5C, slide it out of the quick release, and I’m able to shoot stills completely free of any of my video accessories. When I want to remount it, it’s just as simple as sliding it back into the quick release, reconnecting the USB power cord from the battery to my R5C, and it’s back to having eternal life.
I am currently using it with the Canon R5C, but the setup would work with any camera. Note that it is probably best deployed with cameras that have fully articulating screens (ones that flip out to the side rather than only straight back), as the battery placement may otherwise block your view of the LCD. Or, of course, if you are mounting an external monitor (which can also be charged by the V-Mount), then having the V-Mount pressed against the back of your camera would also not be an issue.
This little one-two punch of the Compact V-Mount System and the Mini V-Mount battery has transformed my mirrorless camera into a serious production tool. With a 1 TB CFexpress Type B card and powering the camera via the V-Mount, the camera can run all day without running out of memory or power. I find the setup incredibly efficient, and because of that efficiency, I often reach for the system far more than even more expensive tools at my disposal.
Thanks for the ideas.