REVIEW - I just wrapped a series for A&E Television and got to use the IDX Endura Batteries. The Camera was a Sony 900 Cine Alta HD camera fixed for Gold Mount series batteries. That was not a problem as there is a gold mount to V-mount adapter that is super easy to find. The Gold Mount Anton Bauer batteries have been the industry standard for long term shooting situations for at least the past 10 years, and many times I have cursed the quality and consistency of each individual battery as they all seem to have their own personalities. Sure the smart LED system provides information but these batteries and especially the ones rented form the bigger rental houses have often had thousands of charging cycles put through them.
There have been many days on location and out in the field that I have cursed the Hytron brick batteries and the blinking display as well has the unexpected drop off without a warning. So this time around we decided to use go with the IDX ENDURA batteries. The chargers we used were four slot capacity standing chargers that actually charge all of the cells continuously instead of one-at-time-trickled-to-death waiting and waiting for the cells to be topped off. A simple red-light to green-light indicator alerts when the battery is fully charged and thats fine by me. I never wanted to spend an afternoon by the pool reading the manual for a battery charger LED display anyway.
The IDX Endura batteries work like champs They are alot lighter than the Hytron Series batteries, and far more reliable. At least compared to the old beaten down Hytrons that the big rental houses ship out all over the world. I know, I know, the Endura batteries are better compared to the Anton Bauer Dionic series but if you do alot of shooting and renting of massive amounts of gear, I'm sure you have heard the rental house state that they are all out of Dionics and therefore your only option is to rent the dusty.
Another cool feature is that the battery casings are dockable onto each other, the front of the battery is male, and back of the battery is female, enabling the AC or Operator to just connect a fresh battery onto the back of the battery attached to the camera, kind oif like a Lego. That means you no longer have to power down in a critical situation just to change batteries, you can just piggyback a fully charged cell onto a dying cell and continue to record. A great feature, and something you could never do considering the weight of a Gold Mount series Hytron.
In conclusion, I'll be requesting the IDX batteries and V-Mount adapters on all of my future gear lists. They are just that good, and reliable, and I dont want to have to consult an engineer just to tell me what the LED Display means for a friggen camera battery! Bye Bye Bricks, Hello V-Mounts.
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