InBroadcast - March 2022 - 22

22
www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 12 - Issue 3 | March 2022
InStudio
Mini PAGlink -
A Great Concept, Miniaturised
Review by Alister Chapman,
DoP and Cinematographer...
I
've
been
using PAG batteries
forever, well at least for as long
as I have worked in film and TV and
that's a very, very long time now. PAG
batteries have always been known
for their robustness, reliability and
performance, all things that are vitally
important to me as often I find myself
shooting in some very remote and
very tough environments.
For around 7 years I have been
using the PAGlink battery system.
PAGlink allows you to quickly
link
together multiple batteries. This has
many benefits. For a start you can
charge many batteries at once with a
single channel battery charger. This
is great for me when travelling as I
can use the tiny PAG travel charger to
charge several batteries overnight. Or
back at base with my 2 channel PAG
charger I will often put 3 or 4 linked
batteries on each charging channel
so that all my batteries will charge in
one single session. And you are not
limited to using a PAG charger; you
can stack the PAGlink batteries on
almost any charger.
Another benefit is being able to link
a couple of batteries together when
you need a higher current output,
perhaps to power a big video light
or to run a higher powered digital
cinema camera. If you're using more
than one battery on a camera it is
even possible to hot-swap the rearmost
battery without needing to turn
off the camera or stop recording.
The PAGlink batteries have served
me extremely well and even after 6 or
more years of use are only showing
very minimal capacity loss. But as
modern cameras are getting smaller
and require less power, even the
already relatively compact PAGlink
batteries
overkill.
sometimes
seem like
Enter the Mini PAGlink series
The new MPL batteries have taken
what was already a great concept
and miniaturised it. Using the latest
battery cell
technologies, PAG has
managed to produce new, smaller
and lighter stackable batteries with
similar capacities
to the original
PAGlink batteries. PAG has listened to
customer feedback and added D-Tap
ports to the tops of the batteries, as
well as an additional USB output
module, which can be swapped for
other modules if you need them,
such as Hirose or Lemo. In addition,
the MPL batteries are fitted with
industry
standard ¼ " mounting
points. These can be used to either
mount accessories to the battery or
to mount the battery on to something
that doesn't have a standard battery
connection.
My
first
real
test
batteries was a trip to Iceland to
shoot the Fagradalsfjall
volcano.
When travelling by air you must take
your Lithium batteries as carry-on
luggage. The MPLs are built to very
high standards and UN tested, so you
can be confident that they are as safe
and as flight-friendly as possible. The
smaller size and light weight makes
it nice and easy to travel with these
batteries.
To get to the volcano you have
for the MPL
to hike up a small mountain using
rocky, slippery and sometimes very
steep routes. It's around 2.5 miles
from the nearest road to the closest
places from where you can see the
volcano crater, so a minimum of a
5 mile round trip. I was working on
my own, so had to carry camera,
lenses, tripod and batteries in a
backpack; plus spare clothing, food
and drinks as the weather in Iceland
changes frequently and can often be
quite nasty. So, every gram of weight
counted. I was shooting with a Sony
FX6 using an Atomos Ninja V raw
recorder and needed enough power
to run everything for a full day of on
and off shooting. The PAG MPLs had
just
become available and were
perfect for the job. The built in D-Taps
could be used to power the recorder.
I used a V-Mount adapter plate for
the camera and the USB port in the
MPL batteries was perfect for topping
up my phone for the live streams I
was doing.
I spent several days up at the
volcano, often hiking even further
from the road, seeking out different
camera angles and different views.
A single 99Wh MPL99 ran the whole
setup for most of the day. By adding
an additional 50Wh MPL50 onto
the back of the MPL99 I had power
in reserve. The diminutive size and
light weight of these batteries made
a big difference for this shoot. Then,
back at the hotel I could use the PAG
travel charger to charge all of my MPL
batteries overnight by linking them;
no need to get up in the middle of the
night to swap batteries over.
Since then, I've used the MPL
different
size
batteries
applications.
for many
Their
small
is
deceptive - they don't look like they
would be able to power anything for
a long time - but they can. On a shoot
walking around London, I powered
a Venice 2 using the stacked Mini
PAGlink batteries, to keep the weight
low. The batteries ran the camera
for close to 2 hours. The run time
indicator on the battery, as well as in
the camera's viewfinder, was highly
accurate.
I
can't
system highly
compact
negative is that the original,
PAGlink
batteries
Mini PAGlink
larger
and the new
batteries
can't be connected together. A new
mating system was required for the
smaller batteries. Stacked together,
a pair of MPL99s can deliver up to
12 amps of power, enough for most
video lights, despite their diminutive
size. The intelligent linking system
means there is no issue connecting a
fully charged battery to a flat battery.
These are very clever, small, light and
compact batteries.
https://paguk.com
recommend the PAGlink
enough. The only
http://www.inbroadcast.com https://www.paguk.com/landing/PAGlink https://www.paguk.com/landing/PAGlink https://www.paguk.com/landing/PAGlink https://www.paguk.com/landing/PAGlink https://www.paguk.com/landing/PAGlink https://www.paguk.com
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