How the Battery Planner Works

The Basic Formula

Runtime (h) = (Capacity × Usable% × Efficiency) ÷ Total load (W)
An internal 90% efficiency factor accounts for DC-DC converter losses. The default 80% usable capacity protects battery health by avoiding deep discharges.

Wh vs mAh

Watt-hours (Wh) directly measure usable energy. Convert mAh: Wh = (mAh ÷ 1000) × V. Example: 14.4V, 6600 mAh V-Mount = 95 Wh.

Shooting Day Planning

Batteries needed = ⌈ shooting hours ÷ runtime per battery ⌉. Always round up — bring at least one spare.

Charger Strategy

A charger running in parallel reduces how many batteries you need to carry. Key metric: how many batteries can the charger cycle during your shoot? Charged batteries = shooting hours ÷ charge time per battery. Rotate through the charger while others are in use.
Note: multi-slot chargers often deliver less power per slot simultaneously — enter the per-slot wattage for an accurate estimate.

V-Mount vs Gold Mount vs Small Form Factor

Cinema rigs typically use V-Mount (common in Europe and Asia) or Gold Mount (Anton Bauer, dominant in North America) batteries — both designed for high-drain broadcast use at 14.4 V with capacities from 98 Wh to 230 Wh. Mirrorless cameras use smaller proprietary packs (LP-E6, NP-FZ100, BLX-1) rated at 7–20 Wh. Under full accessory load — monitor, wireless follow focus, transmitter — these small batteries drain 2–3× faster than camera-only use. Power accessories from a D-tap output on a larger V-Mount battery where possible to extend camera battery life.

Cold Weather and Battery Performance

Lithium-ion cells lose capacity in low temperatures. At 0 °C expect 20–30% less runtime than the rated capacity. At −10 °C the loss can exceed 40%, and batteries may show a false "full" reading that drops suddenly under load. Keep spare batteries in an inner jacket pocket or insulated pouch until needed — a warm battery performs dramatically better than a cold one straight from a bag.

Camera Battery Runtime & Shoot Planner