I’m not quite sure whether it would be a good idea to get a dirt cheap V-Mount battery plate costing just $10 to $15, especially after you have already invested $5,000 or $6,000 in a camera system such as the URSA Mini 4.6K or URSA Mini Pro 4.6K respectively. But if putting different hardware bits and pieces together is your true passion and soldering connections doesn’t bother you that much, then this extremely affordable battery plate adapter might be just the perfect fit for you.
In the video below, Emm of Cheesycam.com will show how you can easily add the suggested accessory to your favorite URSA Mini camera in less than a few minutes.
Personally, I would rather pick a bit more robust and reliable product, but if you are working on a shoestring budget and you really need a quick and dirt cheap solution, then this DIY battery plate seems like a real no-brainer.
Just take off the back plate on your URSA Mini camera, use the included breakout cable found in your Ursa Mini box and simply sober the black and red cables accordingly just as shown in the above video. Also, make sure that you a have a decent soldering iron and a piece of tin at your disposal, and of course, the V-Mount battery plate itself.
Furthermore, you can use a similar accessory not only for your URSA Mini 4.6K or URSA Mini Pro 4.6K but also for other filmmaking gear that utilizes a similar source of power. As Emm claims, he has been using these cheap V-Mount battery plates for quite some time in conjunction with a bunch of his accessories without any issues whatsoever.
All in all, if using a barebones plate doesn’t seem like a feasible solution, you may want to pick up one of the many V-Mount Battery Plate Adapters available out there. Just be prepared to shell out somewhere between $100 and $1,000 for a high-quality out-of-the-box solution. Either way, it’s always great to have multiple power options to pick from regardless of your budget constraints.
[source: MrCheesyCam]
B&H and Amazon Order Links:
Blackmagic Design URSA Mini 4.6K Digital Cinema Camera (EF-Mount)
Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 4.6K Digital Cinema Camera
Supon Battery Back Pack Plate Adapter
Other V-Mount Battery Plate Adapters
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Had this exact battery plate before. The plastic push-lever that unlocks the battery broke after a few months and the metal part got bent. Was still usable, but always gave me the sense it doesn’t lock well and felt very cheap, which it was. Spend a bit more, if you can afford.