GEAR
MINI TESTS
TIGHT FIT Hahnel’s
SPECIFICATIONS HL-U100 PRO (HL-U70 AND HL-U35 IN BRACKETS) Type: Lithium-ion Fitment: Sony BP-U Voltage: 14.4v Power remaining indicator: Four-level LED Power output terminals: Two D-Tap terminals; 5v, 2.3A USB-A (None) Capacity: 6850mAh, 99Wh (6800mAh, 98Wh; 2700mAh, 39Wh)
HAHNEL BP-U BATTERIES £300/$TBA HL-U100 Pro; £185/$TBA HL-U70; £100/$TBA HL-U35 hahnel.ie
HL-U100 Pro is the perfect size for the battery compartment on a Sony FS7
One of the attractions of a pro-level camera such as a Sony FX6 is that it can take huge batteries, meaning an end to power anxiety that can cripple smaller mirrorless cameras. The FX6, like many of Sony’s cinema cameras as well as high-end camcorders, takes the BP-U fitment, which means you can buy high-capacity batteries and simply slot them right into the rear end of the camera. The larger ones stick out and add weight, but that’s the price you pay. If you aren’t bothered about size and weight, then you can upgrade to a V-Mount system, but that’s more expensive and larger still. That is why opting for large- capacity 14.4v BP-U fit cells is the most popular as they can provide lots of juice for hours of runtime, and are smaller and cheaper than V-Mounts. There are loads on the market, with the vast majority undercutting Sony’s own batteries in terms of price and adding more advanced solutions. That is certainly the case with the flagship of the Hahnel BP-U range, the
new HL-U100 Pro. This clips right into the back of the camera, and uses all the standard Sony chargers – although, of course, Hahnel would prefer it if you bought its own. The Pro model puts out 6850mAh and 99Wh, which makes it legal for airlines as it’s just under the magical 100Wh limit. But the added extras in the Pro are two D-Tap sockets and a USB socket, allowing you to use the battery to charge or run lots of different accessories whether the camera is in use or not. You can power a monitor/recorder like an Atomos just by buying the right D-Tap to Atomos cable. This takes away the weight and hassle of an extra, different-fit battery to run the larger screen. The D-Tap sockets can also be used as a charging input. The USB connection is a USB-A type, so can’t charge the battery, but it can juice up anything under 5v, 2.3A, like a mobile phone. The amount of power left in the battery is displayed on four LEDs – which is OK, but not as accurate as a
percentage figure. That would need an extra screen to display and would cost more, too. The HL-U100 Pro has excellent build quality and fit easily into the Sony FS7 we tested it on. We did a day’s shoot and still had lots of power left. It depends on how much you shoot, how often you review the footage and whether you are running any accessories out of the D-Tap port. But it performed exactly like one of Sony’s own BP-U cells, and the camera didn’t reject it as a ‘non-approved battery’. If you can’t stretch to the Pro model and don’t mind having less power, Hahnel now offers the HL- U70 and HL-U35 models, which don’t have extra outputs. They are just replacements for standard Sony versions but cheaper, but still have the four-LED light to warn of how much power is remaining, though. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 8/10 As much power as Sony cells but a better price Pros: All legal for air transport Cons: No external outputs on smaller cells
TRIPLE TREAT Choose from basic batteries
in different sizes, or the flagship HL- U100 Pro
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