Both companies started by making simple accessories. Now they want to master the complicated ones. After making a wide variety of cages and camera accessories, SmallRig has moved into lighting and wireless follow-focus units. Viltrox, on the other hand, started with lens adapters and focal reducers before moving on to cinema lenses. Now, both companies are taking a stab at making a better V-mount battery for your cinema camera with the SmallRig VB mini line and the new Viltrox BV-99. But do these new tools have enough reliability and features to give filmmakers a reason to switch from trusted brands? Let's get into it. Small Rig, Smart Power The SmallRig VB99 and VB50 mini V-mount batteries came out in July of 2022. To make these new kids on the block attractive to creatives, SmallRig focused on making the battery smart and keeping it compact. SmallRig’s battery management system (or BMS) chip was designed to take up less space while supporting multiple charging protocols. This includes bi-directional USB-C PD fast charging at a max of 45W for the VB50 and 65W for the VB99. Read More...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Thursday, 30 March, 2023