How to record 7+ hours of video on battery only

[tsg]

Hope this is the correct forum. I am looking for a camcorder that can record a continuous 7+ hour video without interruptions. All the "long life" batteries seem to top out at about 3 hrs. Is there a way to do this with a dummy battery and a power pack? I have seen some suggestions for DSLR cameras but not for long length movies. Any suggestions welcome. Don't need 4K, 1080p is fine.

[KarMa]

I use a 12V car battery, low wattage DC to 120V AC inverter (100watt inverter), 120v outlet to camera (dummy) battery converter. Obviously this is not electrically efficient but it works. You also need a 12V charger to charge the battery up again.

[tsg]

Unfortunately, I need to have all of this on a tripod that I can move around with. The old camcorders (Sony, Toshiba) that had Hi8 tapes had large long-life batteries. So strange that the new ones don't last that long. What about some type of USB conversion that would let me use a 30000 ma power pack?

[dellsam34]

Some camcorders have double batteries so one can be swapped out when low while the other one is powering the camcorder. I have no idea where I saw it or which model but I'v seen them.

[KarMa]

Yeah many higher end DSLR cameras (which can be used for video recording) have an extended grip add-on that will slot 2 batteries for long life. https://www.amazon.com/Canon-9130B001-Battery-Grip-BG-E16/dp/B00NI3CD1K

[tsg]

I see that but those are way out of my price range. Are there any camcorders that can run straight from 5V USB where I can use a power pack? Or, is there something that can convert USB 5V to whatever the camcorder battery voltage is? Has anyone done this?

[Cornucopia]

Another tripartite constraint.

Pick 2:

• Portable
• Longlasting
• Inexpensive

Scott

[dellsam34]

Unfortunately, I need to have all of this on a tripod that I can move around with. The old camcorders (Sony, Toshiba) that had Hi8 tapes had large long-life batteries. So strange that the new ones don't last that long. What about some type of USB conversion that would let me use a 30000 ma power pack?

It can be done if you know about 18650 Li-Ion battery cells, You would make a pack of cells in series up to the working voltage and add packs in parallel up to the amp hour needed, You would need a BMS board installed to control the cells during discharge and charge up the pack. I've done it numerous times on different devices including old power tools that run of Nickel Cadmium and metal hydrate batteries.

[aedipuss]

a portable generator and ac connection to the cam is about your only choice.

[dellsam34]

There are tons of choices it depends on how handyman the person is, Off the shelf stuff cost ten times more DIY solutions.

[tsg]

I found my solution. For those interested, it is:

Canon Vixia HF R800 camera with BP-727 Battery Pack
RLERON 25000mAH Power Bank
CA-110 USB Power Adapter

This combination will run the camera for 12+ hours. When you remove the external power from the Power Bank, the camera will continue recording using the internal battery (for about 2h 50m), giving you enough time to switch to a fresh Power Bank while continuously recording until the SDXC card is full.

[dellsam34]

I'm afraid that power bank will not last that long, try it and let us know.

[Cornucopia]

@tsg, while that might be a decent option, that doesn't COMPLETELY satisfy your stated requirement of portability, if you are expecting to be near where you can charge the spent powerbank(s) from AC mains. Also, to do this consistently regardless of environmental factors (cold temp = reduced charge capacity), you will need at minimum 2 and possibly 3 or 4 powerbanks to fully encompass the seamless round-robin failover of power. Thus, not as inexpensive.
Also, I must ask, have you tested this in the field? As the saying goes, "in theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice, there IS"*. It OUGHT to work, but there is that moment of power fallback where the recording could glitch, or stop/fail.


Scott



*attributed to Yogi Berra.

[dellsam34]

The camcorder is rated 3.9Ah, And the pack is supposed to be 25Ah which is not in real life, Chinese business man are liars so it will be in the vicinity of 9Ah, which is about 2 hours of recording time if you are lucky.

[tsg]

None of this is theory. I have these exact items and have tested them repeatedly. The Power Bank lasted over 9 hours and the camera was still recording.

When the power bank was unplugged, the camera continued uninterrupted recording using the internal battery. The battery indicator (for the BP-727) said that there were about 170 minutes remaining on the internal battery but, at that point, I stopped the recording since I had already been recording longer than 7 hours, which was the goal.

I pointed out that the camera would not stop recording when the external power was unplugged and replaced with a fresh source of power in case anyone wanted to record for longer than 12 hours (9 from Power Bank and 3 from Internal Battery). My configuration did not require that feature but it was nice to know that it was an option.

Just to be complete, this 128GB SDXC card is in the camera.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

[johnmeyer]

1. My Sony CX-700 has a 10+ hour battery, which I have and have used.

2. I have a LiON battery for jump starting cars. I has a variety of 5V (USB) and 12V (via various connectors) outputs. It should power your camera for 24+ hours.

[Cornucopia]

Guess it depends on what one's definition of "portable" is. And "inexpensive".


Scott

[johnmeyer]

Guess it depends on what one's definition of "portable" is. And "inexpensive".


Scott

Both batteries are in the $60 range. The LiON jump starter fits in my shirt pocket.