The Cameras + Formats app has added a power calculator in version 3.2 that looks to be a handy tool if you want to find out how many batteries you’ll need for a shoot, or how long your set of batteries will last you. It’s as simple as selecting your camera, entering a custom # of watts for additional accessories, like monitors, transmitters, etc, and selecting the battery you are using.
If you are using a battery that doesn’t list its capacity watt-hours, you can just click on a button and enter the mAh and voltage. For example, a Canon BP-A30 has 3200 mAh at 14.4V. This equates to 46 wH. Now, what you need to remember is that the app can only make calculations based on an average. It can’t determine battery life if you start recording in larger resolutions/higher frame rates, using the camera in cold temperatures, or using older batteries.
This power calculation feature looks like a nice quick and easy way to at least get a pretty good ballpark indication of how many batteries you will need and how long you should expect them to last for most shooting situations. Yes, you could probably just pull out a calculator or do the math in your head, but using an app on a phone that we always have with us seems like a far easier solution. The app also allows you to save the power calculations so you can easily recall them at a later date.
In case you aren’t familiar with the Cameras + Formats app, it does a lot more than just tell you how many batteries you may need. It can help you answer questions such as:
“How much drive space will I need for this FS7 shoot?”
“How long will these batteries last me on an ARRI ALEXA?”
“What’s the dynamic range of the C300 Mk II?”
“How big is this H.264 file going to be when I export it?”
The app lets you search over 100 cameras with a list that includes ARRI, Canon, RED, Sony, Blackmagic, Panasonic and more. You can also browse by format, from modern standards like ProRes and DNxHR to older ones like DVCPro-HD and Betacam.
Specs for cameras include dynamic range, sensor size, native ISO, lens mounts, resolutions, and frame rates. You can also see how well each camera and format performs with the latest versions of Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, and DaVinci Resolve. In a nice handy reference, there’s also links to the manufacturer’s website for firmware & manuals, and a phone number for support in your country.
For shooting or backing up your material in the field or on location, there is a storage calculator to determine how much footage you can fit on your camera card or hard drive– or how much storage space you’ll need for a given recording time. The transfer time estimate shows how long it should take to copy that footage.
Version 3.2 new features
Each camera now includes Highlights, which lets you see critical information at a glance. Sensor size, dynamic range, maximum resolution and year released are all easily accessible.
There are also three new specs for every camera— shutter type, internal ND filters, and price. Price fetches the current cost of the camera from B&H, and includes an affiliate link to the B&H website.
The new Power Calculator is the simplest way to determine how many batteries you’ll need for a shoot, or how long your set of batteries will last you. After selecting your camera, you can enter a custom amount of watts for any additional accessories, like monitors, transmitters, etc.
Finally, Notes is a convenient place to store observations, opinions, or anything you want to write down about a camera. Maybe you want to remember your favorite picture profile, or what ISO you prefer to rate it at, or whether or not it has clean HDMI output— just tap the Notes icon at the bottom of any camera or format page to get started.
Full List of Supported Cameras
Apple iPhone 7
Apple iPhone 8/X
Arri Alexa Classic
Arri Alexa XT/XR
Arri Alexa SXT
Arri Alexa Mini
Arri Alexa LF
Arri Amira
Blackmagic Cinema Camera
Blackmagic Production Camera
Blackmagic Pocket Camera
Blackmagic Pocket Camera 4K
Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera
Blackmagic Ursa 4K
Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4K
Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6K
Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro
Blackmagic Ursa Broadcast
Canon 5D Mk. II
Canon 5D Mk. III
Canon 5D Mk. IV
Canon 6D
Canon 7D
Canon T4i/T5i
Canon 1DC
Canon C100
Canon C100 Mk. II
Canon C200
Canon C300
Canon C300 Mk. II
Canon C500
Canon C700
Canon XF100/105
Canon XF200/205
Canon XF300/305
DJI Phantom 3
DJI Phantom 4
DJI Inspire 1 (X5)
DJI Inspire 1 (X5R)
DJI Inspire 2 (X4S)
DJI Inspire 2 (X5S)
DJI Inspire 2 (X7)
GoPro Hero 3 Black
GoPro Hero 4 Black
GoPro Hero 5 Black
GoPro Hero 6 Black
Panasonic AF100
Panasonic EVA-1
Panasonic GH4
Panasonic GH5
Panasonic GH5s
Panasonic Varicam 35
Panasonic Varicam LT
Panasonic Varicam Pure
Panavision Millenium DXL
Panavision Millenium DXL2
Phantom Flex
Phantom Flex 4K
Phantom Miro 320
Phantom Veo 340/640
Phantom Veo 4K-PL
Red One
Red Epic (MX)
Red Epic (Dragon)
Red Epic-W (Helium)
Red Epic-W (Gemini)
Red Scarlet (MX)
Red Scarlet (Dragon)
Red Scarlet-W
Red Weapon (6K)
Red Weapon (Helium)
Red Weapon (Dragon VV)
Red Weapon (Monstro VV)
Red Raven
Sony a6500
Sony a7 III
Sony a7S
Sony a7S II
Sony a7R II
Sony a7R III
Sony F35
Sony F3
Sony F5
Sony F55
Sony F65
Sony PDW-700
Sony PDW-850
Sony PMW-500
Sony PXW-X500
Sony FS100
Sony FS700
Sony FS5
Sony FS5 II
Sony FS7
Sony FS7 II
Sony EX3
Sony Venice
Full List of Supported Formats
Animation
Apple “None”
Apple Intermediate Codec
ArriRaw
AVC-Intra
AVC-LongG
AVC-Proxy
AVCHD
AVCCAM
NXCAM
Avid 1:1 / Packed
DNxHD
DNxHR
Meridien Compressed
Meridien Uncompressed
Betacam SX
Blackmagic Raw
Canon Raw
Canon Raw Light
Canon XF
Canon XF-AVC
Cineform
Cineform Raw
CinemaDNG Raw
D-1
D-2
D-3
D-5
D-5 HD
D-6
D-9 (Digital S)
D-9 HD
Dalsa Raw
Digital Cinema Package (DCP)
Digital Betacam
Dirac
DPX Sequence
DV/DVCPro
DVCAM
DVCPro HD
DVCPro50
GFCAM
HDV
H.264
H.265
iFrame
JPEG 2000 Sequence
Motion JPEG
MPEG-IMX
OpenEXR Sequence
Panavision SSR
Panasonic V-Raw
Phantom Cine Raw
Photo JPEG
PNG Sequence
ProRes
ProRes Raw
Redcode Raw
HDCAM
HDCAM-SR
Sony Raw
XAVC-I
XAVC-L
XAVC-S
XAVC-Proxy
X-OCN
XDCAM HD / HD422
XDCAM EX
TIFF Sequence
Uncompressed
The Cameras + Formats app can be downloaded for iOS devices and costs $9.99 USD. An Android version should be coming soon.
