The dummy battery part seens weird. The grip must give the power with the internal contacts, like original grip do. Not shure if 5500mah will be enought for feed the camera + optional devices. Already powerbanks become very cheap and afforable and people are modding and using dummy batteries for feeding cameras. So if your product use internal contacts, get enought power, and price is fair, will be great addition to our gear arsenal.

Hi Grimor thanks for your feedbacks!!

The grip must give the power with the internal contacts

the dummy battery decision is more of a cost-concerned decision, the dummy battery supplies are available and requires less re-modding, but if this is a common request we will implement it.

Already powerbanks become very cheap and afforable and people are modding and using dummy batteries for feeding cameras

this grip is primarily developed for improving convenience and ergonomics over the existing external power options, but again if dummy battery is really an issue for most people we will change to direct contact. oh btw, the existing prototype can communicate with GH5 and display remaining battery in camera already

Regarding the DC/USB outputs, could you let me know what device you would like to power through this grip the most?

Thanks!

A few thoughts:

• gh5 battery is actually very good compared to other cameras such as Sony etc- gh5 has good running time on stock battery. 2h +

• gh5 add on battery pack adds bulk to bottom of gh5, so problematic for video

• lots of cheep battery power solutions exist already- such as addon battery packs that have power leads coming out of battery compartment

• such solutions as mentioned above allow the usage of v-lock batteries, or even car batteries ;-)

What I would like to see in a product that straps onto the bottom of the gh5 is a device that connects to the underside socket/pin connector. Thus allowing one to power the gh5 and also allow advanced remote operation. (Think 2.4ghz remote control of gh5)

Obviously that product would not be inexpensive- or easy to make - maybe not even possible. But that is really the only thing I would like to connect to the bottom of my gh5.

Basically that is the sort of product "I" would buy tomorrow if it existed.

What I would like to see in a product that straps onto the bottom of the gh5 is a device that connects to the underside socket/pin connector. Thus allowing one to power the gh5 and also allow advanced remote operation. (Think 2.4ghz remote control of gh5)

Thanks that is actually technically possible. The workshop i am partnering with, is in fact researching a common/generic method to wirelessly monitor and control the essentials of any DSLR/mirrorless. Not sure if we can make one eventually but i will keep that in mind.

Here is the pinout of a Pentax SLR as an example of what to expect to be able to control: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/58060907

Here is the offical battery pack for GH5:

As you can see from the images, the DMW-BGGH5 includes the Joystick control. Which means that there is already a communication setup for that control. The joystick is very useful, even if the remote only had that it would already be super useful.

Cheers, Alex

@nahlene,

Currently there are many features that are not available under WiFi control. One of which is "Focus Transition".

When Focus Transition mode is active it is not possible to control the camera, as the WiFi app thinks that the camera is under camera control- not wifi app control.

I am sure there are other instances as well- however the wifi app is also not as responsive as a dedicated remote solution. It is my hope that there could also be a way to control focus, (obviously if Panasonic have enabled that- or there is a communication line (SPI) like is used in M43 lenses: http://marcuswolschon.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/reverse-engineering-micro-four-thirds.html

Obviously this is all science fiction, but it may turn into something really cool.

As a future-proofing idea, you may think about incorporating HDMI input into the "Wireless base" idea. Or even USB3 connectivity. When Panasonic release their tethered USB mode, the unit could be updated with firmware to allow control over that as well. So theoretically you could achieve 100% control over camera body:

• Charging
• Remote Follow Focus (think Aputure DEC for Panasonic Lenses)
• Full camera control
• High Quality HDMI monitoring 1080p

Probably such a product would cost the price of the camera body itself, however if there are enough features I think people would jump on it. Especially considering that many people now own Gimbals, Quad-Copters, etc remote control, and monitoring is very important.

Charging Remote Follow Focus (think Aputure DEC for Panasonic Lenses) Full camera control High Quality HDMI monitoring 1080p

AFIK wireless 0-delay monitoring is still very expensive to achieve so that makes remote follow focus pointless if relying on the wireless monitoring through device. But i think in terms of remote control this could be an direction. Maybe the grip in the future could be developed into a modularized device which could connect with a remote controlled tripod head, which could be helpful for event shooters and wildlife filmmakers.

Guys, thanks for all the reminders and inspiring ideas. I am meeting with the lead designer of the workshop this weekend and will update the progress next week.

@nahlene yes, the tripod hole aligned with the lens makes rigging a lot of easier.

Dear all, I just came back to Toronto after another short visit in Beijing at the workshop. Thanks for being interested in this power solution development. It started simple, i was just looking for a solution to extend GH5 battery life while making the grip outputting power. Thanks for all your suggestions, we kinda leaped into the general power-supplying cage and busily working on perfecting the first prototype before launching a crowdfunding campaign.

I can't say too much technical specs now as many things are still being trailed and err'd, but here's what you might be interested:

• The device will be a power supplying cage which (maybe) uses both Sony BP970 and BPU60.
• We designed some features for better user experience, including (not final) a display and HDMI port.
• It'll have A LOT of power output ports besides powering the camera.
• It is strong yet compact, (maybe only as wide as a GH5 cage) and it will work well with all DSLR, Mirrorless and BMCC and can be used in many other way besides mounting underneath the camera.
• We will include an AA-battery to BP970 adapter, which will be launched in the campaign together.
• The device will be reasonably priced.

Please share your thoughts with us, we'd really appreciate them!!

Here're some pictures: Considering the arrangement of the batteries and total size.

Me on the right discussing feature & structures with Mr. C the lead engineer/designer of the workshop

Mr. C working on soldering pieces together for the AA-to-970 adapter

3d printing the prototype

@Vitaliy_Kiselev, thanks, i really didn't know that it exists and Mr. C did developed from scratch. I will correct it for now. Would you plz provide a link to the adapter? i googled but found nothing :p

For the power point of view, it's more an adapter for emergency usage.

@Vitaliy_Kiselev, Interesting coz i was told that this is a prototype and not being sold yet. Thanks lot for point that out.