If you believe what you are hearing is the term “B-mount” and not “V-mount,” then you can relax, you got it right.
With this first major update to pro batteries in years, ARRI has teamed up with bebob to create what the company hopes will become the new standard for 24-volt batteries, cameras, and related gear: the B-mount battery.
The system is well thought out, as you would expect when you team up with a company known for its camera and lighting gear with a pro-video battery company. The new B-mount resulting from this collaboration promises some advantages over the common 12-volt Gold mount and V-mount battery systems that are currently available.
B-Mount BatteryCredit: B&H
Open Source with 24 Volts
The B-mount is not some move by ARRI to lock you into its batteries—on the contrary, the ARRI B-mount is available to any manufacturer that wants to incorporate it into their batteries, cameras, or lighting. While available to anyone who wants to use it, ARRI and bebob will maintain control of the standard.
This control of the standard, while simultaneously making it available, is meant to combat changes that occur when manufacturers attempt to reverse-engineer, or come up with their own version of other popular mounting systems, thus ensuring interchangeability between multiple battery and camera/lighting brands.
A lot of detail has gone into the B-mount battery system. Most notably, although it is designed as a 24-volt system, there is also a 12-volt system for legacy gear. It uses the same physical mount and same connectors, but each plate has a chip in it that directs the battery to deliver either 24 volts or 12 volts.
B-mount batteries can run 24 volts or 24/12 volts, and the voltage that goes to your device is controlled by the plate on your device, so there are no switches to set, no wire jumpers to move. Put a 24-volt battery on a 12-volt device and it won’t power the device, thus protecting both camera/light and battery.
24v B-Mount Battery PlateCredit: B&H
The Future Is Now
While ARRI is going to release its next digital cine camera as the first native B-mount battery camera, B-mount batteries, plates, and chargers are already available and in everyday use. Numerous manufacturers have already signed on to the B-mount system, which is poised to replace the venerable Gold and V-mount systems of the past.
Want to dig a little deeper in the specs? Check out the full breakdown of this new battery standard at B&H.
Check out weekly specials, deals, and rebates: Pro Video Gear, Pro Audio Gear, Lighting
Source: B&H
