Comparing The Top 5 Battery Plates for RED Komodo in 2022

[@calebgrahamfilms]

Thanks for this! For anyone interested I've been running the Tilta plate since I've had the camera for about 2 years now, and have also had the same overheating issue described here- and have now started having power loss issues also from bumping the battery during regular operating. Seemed like a great plate at first but definitely has more issues than I realised.

[@jessecook3593]

Dude, the most in depth video. Don't even own a Komodo and I watched the whole thing. Subbed.

[@jessecook3593]

Update: bought a Komodo lmao

[@garrettsammons]

😂😂😂 best camera I’ve owned. So much fun!

[@TylerEdwards]

Coco-Modo gets my vote! I love it. I just wish RED would allow DC voltage to be displayed instead of just the lighting bolt indicator on the main screen!

[@garrettsammons]

I hear you man! Mutiny IO just came out with a breakout box that displays voltage which is super helpful. Maybe I’ll make another video in the future that focuses on breakout boxes

[@ScottBalkum]

A quick warning, you should not hot swap any plate unless it has a sharkfin. The reason is, pulling the battery will cut power to your external devices, including monitor. doing so should require you to remove the SDI to prevent 12G SDI port damage when reapplying power. Even plugging in your Komodo will not aleviate this. Komodo will not pass power. I mention this because I’ve been getting a lot of questions about hot swapping.

[@garrettsammons]

It’s a good call Scott! The only plates here that have full hot-swap are the Wooden Camera and Bebob plates. They do carry power to all external devices when plugged into mains. With the others, you’re absolutely right.

[@falconawesomeness1141]

This isn’t fully true. The shark fin plates are technically not hot swap plates but more of a dual battery life/power plate for getting double the runtime. But! They can be used as hot swaps if you place the batteries on about two minutes apart to gauge when to swap and how much time you have to get another battery on. A true hot swap plate is like the one from CORE. It’s called the Jetpack and comes in c Mount and gold Mount. I saw a DP use it and he gave me the rundown of how it works. It’s pretty neat. Never knew such a thing existed. Picked one up about a month later.

[@ladarieusparrish]

This is the most helpful video for those who are building their rig for the Komodo

[@danielduanetvtech]

Would love to see more videos on the Komodo, super helpful! Also 🙌 for being a Michigander.

[@ab-cx6bd]

Wonderful video, thanks so much! Side note - could you tell me a bit about that lovely Leica lens and the adapter that you are using :-)

[@xomoboss7887]

A quick question on the swx plate… is it automatic connected to the camera or you will need the dTap cable to connect the plate and the komodo

[@ImageGeneration]

Excellent, detailed analysis and well-organized - thank you! Was leaning toward the Bebob or Wooden Camera based on your review, but the new Tilta Advanced Power Module adds a breakout box and is a game-changer, will probably have to go with that rather than combining the Wooden Camera Battery Slide and B-Box. Based on your warning about the original Tilta I probably won't use the USB port.

[@rawmediapaul]

Great video Garrett!!! Thanks for in-depth video!

[@garrettsammons]

Happy to help!

[@topicruben]

Thanks for all the info, Garrett. Great video 🙏

[@marklholloway]

Best plate is Shape V-Mount Pivoting Plate for Komodo. Only uses one of the Canon BP slots and lets you keep a BP battery on the second slot for hot swap 👍 Love Wooden Camera but definitely more expensive.

[@joshdiditt]

When you hot swap batteries, do you need to unplug the SDI?

[@garrettsammons]

If you’re hot swapping, you’re never losing power, so SDI protocol doesn’t need to happen.

[@MortyFilms]

Thanks for sharing this! Super in depth comparison, helped me a lot. I’m actually using the Core SWX plate and am also recently experiencing a lot of issues with it. My camera is shutting down all the time, it didn’t do that when I first got the plate. So yeah, looks like I should be switching to the Bebob. Do you have any experience on the newer Tilta version?

[@garrettsammons]

Breakout boxes (including the new Tilta one) are awesome. If you’re thinking about going that route, I’d suggest checking out Mutiny IO’s breakout box.

[@MortyFilms]

@@garrettsammons cool, thanks for the reply 🙏🏼

[@Zehahahaa]

What do you think of the Mutiny battery. Plate

[@garrettsammons]

The guys over at Mutiny IO are crushing it. That one falls into the Breakout Box category (hence them not being in this video). If you are looking for a bit more functionality than simply a power plate, that’s a great option.

[@readytochop2462]

The standard core v hasn’t let me down once since Nov 2020, shot about six shorts with it. SDI is a little difficult to access, buts it’s doable.

[@garrettsammons]

That’s good to know! I haven’t had any issues with mine, but some of those reviews are super freaky.

[@AlexanderKnoppVideography]

Love the Wooden Camera battery slide because you can still hot-swap batteries!

[@garrettsammons]

It’s a game-changer for sure!

[@justinavila1320]

cool review! Thank you. I will add that a lot of rental houses in NYC use the basic Tilta plate. Just picked myself up one used from one as I wasn't sure if I'd want to go V-mount solution or not and for the price it worth it as a tester. So far so good. I haven't gotten to use any of the other plates, but the worst thing for a rental house is to have heavily used gear fail on a client so its interesting that they run with the Tilta a lot.

[@garrettsammons]

I wonder if it's just a cost-saving measure. If the Tilta plate fails, it costs a lot less to replace than some of the other options.

[@AlexanderKlose]

Bebob was to late. Love the Micro Vs and use them all the time. As a plate I rock the Core plate and it works since the Komodo is out and in my hands. No wiggle and power issues. What I like most about the core, is actually the direct connection with no cables. Lemos on the other hand would have been great indeed.

[@garrettsammons]

The Core SWX has got a lot going for it! I’m glad to hear it doesn’t slip for you. The power level communication is also a huge W.

[@altercinema4311]

Coco Modo has a non-recessed power switch? hahahah. I'm sure that will never accidentally get shut down during a take.

[@wayneyudp]

When you say that the wooden camera plate is truly hot swappable, i assume that when i plug the ac power from the wall to the dc in in the plate, i don't need to unplug the sdi cable at all while changing the v mount? which means no sdi procedure need to be followed? Thanks!

[@garrettsammons]

If the plate is plugged into the wall, you don’t need to use SDI protocol to swap batteries. It will be truly hot swappable at that point.

[@wayneyudp]

@@garrettsammons Awesome and do you know what will happen let’s say the wooden camera battery plate is charging all the accessories via its dtap port, and I also have a bp955 along with the battery plate, what if at the time i didn’t notice that the v mount on battery plate is actually running out like dead(all accessories are down), would that burn the sdi? cuz technically the bp battery can’t maintain the power to the accessories right? Much appreciated!

[@garrettsammons]

The main idea behind SDI protocol is that you want no part of your video signal chain plugged in prior to powering down devices. The reason being, you run the risk of a short in the electrical. If the accessories go down and the camera stays up, you can still short from losing power on the accessory side of the video signal chain. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to voltage or time read outs and swap batteries before they fully die.

[@boogabooga5481]

Is there any point in buying any batteries from red if you can get a vmount ?

[@garrettsammons]

There are some uses I think for sure. FPV, gimbal, backpacking, rigging cameras up in extremely tight spaces, etc. That said, if this is your A or even B cam, I definitely think brick power is the way to go.

[@josiahbartlett7701]

Its ground hum brah, caused by a ground loop. Plug in one of these bad boys in between your shared power source and all audio devices and you good. Search this on the ZON, worked for me, maybe works for you too HiLetgo ADUM3160 B0505S 1500V USB. Good work, earned my sub, Keep it up.

[@garrettsammons]

You rule dude! Thanks for the product plugs. I’ll check em out!

[@cubul32]

Hey Garret, and Co, do you get the "unapproved battery" error message with the tilta plate?

[@garrettsammons]

It’s been a minute since over used the plate, but I’m almost positive it did. It being a plate that doesn’t plug into the dc port, but rather uses the battery terminals.

[@cubul32]

@@garrettsammons thanks Garrett

[@garrettsammons]

🤙

[@TheTechnoPilot]

To be clear, that USB ground loop problem isn’t related to the plate, it’s a very common issue with USB powered audio accessories and I wouldn’t specifically blame Tilta for that. This issue is amplified when the audio device power shares its ground with the camera. I wish there was a simple solution, but it’s one I’ve been trying to find an elegant solution to for years in my camera rigging.

[@garrettsammons]

Oh, this is good to know! I wonder why I haven’t had issues running the audio off usb with the other plates. The bebob and Core SWX ran the audio just fine. If you find a good solution for it, please do share! I’m always looking for ways to improve the reliability of my rigs.

[@TheTechnoPilot]

@@garrettsammons it could be that they are filtering their grounds somehow and that’s really good to know, but it has definitely been an issue across of a lot of expensive gear. For me what I would love to see is companies like Rode and Sennheiser put these circuits into their products and not rely on the power plate to do this isolation. I’ve run into this issue all versions of the Rode Go, as well as the Sennheiser AVX and XSW systems. Interestingly the Sound Devices MixPre 6-II doesn’t have this issue when powered over USB with any of its outputs so it can be done. I’ll definitely share if I find a simple electronics solution.

[@TheTechnoPilot]

@@garrettsammons great work on this very in-depth comparison btw! The only plates I felt you missed were the new higher end Tilta plate with the gen lock breakout and the Vaxis 600 transmitter plate.

[@garrettsammons]

Sound Devices makes some of my favorite audio gear. I use the Rode stuff primarily as scratch for the camera (redundancy baby!).

[@garrettsammons]

I didn’t want to try and fit breakout boxes into this mix only because those are a much more premium product with more features than just power. The Mutiny IO breakout box looks amazing. The Vaxis K600 also is super interesting with the built-in transmitter. Lots to expand on in this series!

[@GarretGamesTV]

Im here because my tilta plate keeps powering off and losing connection! Gotta get a new one!

[@JonPais]

This was awesome, Garrett. From a fellow Michigander.

[@garrettsammons]

Thanks Jon! ✋🏼 represent

[@JacobVossFilms]

Loved the video - just wanted to note though that different VMount batteries have wildly different fits so the battery brand itself will also dictate how snug or loose a connection is but, that being said, I’ve had VMounts get stuck on plates and others get disconnected when looked at wrong. After being burned quite a few times I’ve come to the conclusion that Gold Mount is really the only reliable option for me. Just to name some names - I’ve found IDX vmount plates to be a bit loose and shape plates to be wayyyy too tight. If I had to choose one though I’d probably go in the middle just to be compatible with the most brands. Again great video (and thank you for doing a comparison between the plates) just wanted to let other people I’m the comments (in the future) know that there are often issues with lots of VMount plates/batteries depending on the brand combos

[@garrettsammons]

I appreciate all that info Jacob! Super helpful. I’m using the Anton Bauer v-mounts here and they are a perfect fit on all the plates. The fit movement I’m demonstrating (and the sound you here) is the play between the plate and the camera, not the play between the battery and the plate. That said, you’re absolutely right in terms of gold mount reliability! It’s industry standard for a very good reason.

[@kazlepek6552]

@@garrettsammons I wish I knew this before investing in all V mount 😔

[@zacharyj.5329]

I have a tech Question, if anyone has the answer. When using the Wooden Camera plate, does the overcurrent fuse also help P-tap accessories handle current, like a monitor. I know of the whole SDI protocol, no problem there. I have just heard when plugging P-tap directly into external batteries it is more prone to issue, and Red recommend not using P-tap. Anyone using the taps on the wooden camera with great success and safety? I also use a SDI galvanic isolator for that added protection and a more worry free set up when renting out. Thank you

[@garrettsammons]

Hey Zach! Thanks for the reply. Yes, the fuse handles overcurrent to all the ports, including the D-Tap. I too use a galvanic isolator just in case (while still following protocol)

[@zacharyj.5329]

@@garrettsammons Thank you my friend. I sure appreciate it.

[@isiahflores7072]

What about the Vaxis 600kv?

[@garrettsammons]

That one is closer to a breakout box with its functionality. I’m thinking about doing a follow up with that, the new Tilta breakout box, WC B Box, and the Mutiny IO breakout box.

[@jaylewis2611]

If the wooden camera fuse goes off suddenly, won't the power cut damage the SDI port?

[@garrettsammons]

It doesn’t cut power to the camera, which is definitely the key to saving your SDI.

[@jaylewis2611]

@@garrettsammons I see. Quick question. If the power dies on the battery before you swap it, is it the same as plugging/unplugging it with the SDI in?

[@garrettsammons]

Yes. You definitely don’t want the battery to die before properly powering down using standard SDI protocol. If you want to hotswap the battery, plugging the DC in on the wooden camera plate will keep everything powered while you make the swap.

[@jaylewis2611]

@@garrettsammons What about hot swaps / plugging DC in? Do you first unplug SDIs?

[@garrettsammons]

Yah. ARRI has a standard SDI protocol somewhere online that lists the process and reasoning for how to power down, disconnect, and reconnect. There are also help pieces of kit called Galvanic Isolators. They’re expensive but definitely remove a lot of the risk of blowing your port. Vaxis makes a sudo-isolation cable. It’s much cheaper and works similarly. I have one I use on my kit all the time.

[@andrew_maccoll]

Great video! Add in Ignite Digi next time 💥😃

[@cinemaipswich4636]

The heat problem for the Tilta is strange. The 14.8V is just passed through, so the heat problem is from the USB. Strange.

[@garrettsammons]

My thoughts exactly. Don’t know if it’s a widespread issue or my unit specifically… odd either way!

[@Yotho]

Your explain is awesome!

[@garrettsammons]

Happy to help!

[@zinosfilm2272]

Pls what's the website of wooden camera

[@garrettsammons]

woodencamera.com/products/battery-slide-pro-v-mount-red-komodo

[@calebbrunkow]

Leica R’s for the win!

[@garrettsammons]

Just picked up the 15mm. So excited!

[@Ishmael77]

Don’t get the tilta. It made my sdi go in and out of signal because it was powering my monitor and camera.

[@combojerman28]

one of the best is missing here!

[@xavieryt412]

Sad you didn't include...well... the best battery plate of all lol which is the VAXIS ATOM 600 for KOMODO. Complete data transfer, hot-swapable, power switch, active fan, slick size, position rotate.... AND video transmission included.

[@garrettsammons]

I’ve been debating doing a follow-up video on breakout boxes. Mutiny IO, Tilta (recently), and Vaxis all have horses in that race. I didn’t include breakout boxes in this video because it wouldn’t be a straight comparison as battery plates are missing loads of features that breakout boxes have.

[@StefanoSpiti]

for me the best battery is BLUESHAPE

[@tomjkelly]

I own the Core V lock one and I wouldn’t.t recommend it. First one would short circuit if any pressure at all was put in the back of the battery. I returned it and the new one did not have this problem….however……It does not pass any information to the camera and have been on to them about this and downloaded different firmware. It does not carry red protocol info as i have Bebob micro batteries that work fine on my Red Gemini but do not pass any info to the Komodo. No voltage info and always says full battery even when the v lock is about to cut out. This has cost me whole takes on films where the battery cut out half way through a take and corrupted the file. I am still on the fence about what to do bout this but im probably going to go down the approved bp955 and bp975 route as I need that battery info on the camera.

[@garrettsammons]

Thanks Tom! This is the experience I’m absolutely trying to avoid. The mutiny IO breakout box displays voltage which would be super useful if you want to use universal power but know how much you’ve got left in the tank.

[@tomjkelly]

@@garrettsammons No worries. I have decided to move away from the v lock solution and use the camera as it was intended with Red approved BP 955 and 975 batteries. Apparently they can be charged on the camera with DC power which is nice. I will let the 1st AC worry about powering accessories as Im happy running my monitor off batteries. I can use my v locks for my lights as they are still useful for that.

[@Alias2089]

Tilta plate shorted out my Komodo and is no longer on the approved user list