Power is the most common reason a good used camcorder sits unused. The camera arrives, the original battery is flat or won't take a charge, there's no charger in the box, and the right replacement turns out to be a pack you've never heard of. None of that is hard to fix if you know what the camera takes before you buy it. This guide covers the battery families you'll meet, what to expect from an old pack and why the AC adapter is the piece to look for in a listing.
Assume the battery is tired
A rechargeable pack that has sat in a drawer for fifteen or twenty-five years may hold little or no charge, however good it looks. Don't pay extra for "battery included" unless the seller shows the camera running on it. Treat the original pack as a bonus, and price the camera as if you'll need a battery or, at the least, a way to run it from the wall.
That matters for testing too. A seller who can't power the camera can't show it playing a tape, and a camera that hasn't played a tape is a gamble. If a listing says "no battery, untested", that's usually the reason.
The AC adapter matters most
If you can only have one power accessory, make it the AC adapter. It runs the camera from the wall, so you can test it without a working battery, and on many Sony models it also charges the battery inside the camera. Each model page names the adapter that came with it where we could source it. The Sony CCD-TRV128 uses the AC-L15, for example, and the DCR-VX1000 the AC-V615.
The voltage is rarely a problem. The Sony adapters we checked are rated for 100 or 110 up to 240 volts, 50 or 60 hertz, and RCA's CC421 adapter takes 100 to 240 volts, so a camera from abroad works in a US outlet with a simple plug adapter. Check the rating printed on any adapter before you plug it in, though, and never use one with the wrong output voltage or plug for the camera.
Sony's battery families
Sony made more camcorders than anyone, and it changed battery shapes several times. Packs from different families don't swap, so check the family before you buy a spare.
- NP-55, NP-77 and relatives: 6-volt packs on early 90s Handycams like the CCD-TR81, which came with an NP-55.
- NP-F L series: larger InfoLithium packs on cameras like the DCR-TRV310 and DCR-VX2100.
- NP-FM M series: InfoLithium packs on cameras like the CCD-TRV128 and DCR-TRV27.
- NP-FP P series: smaller InfoLithium packs on later palm-size models like the DCR-HC42.
The VX1000 is its own case. It takes the NP-720 or NP-F730, Sony's manual says it can't use the NP-F750, and it doesn't read InfoLithium information at all, so it won't show minutes remaining.
InfoLithium and the C:04 code
Sony describes InfoLithium as a lithium-ion pack that talks to the camera, so the camera can show roughly how many minutes are left. Sony says the readout is approximate, and the low-battery mark can start flashing with five to ten minutes to go. Later Sony cameras check for it. Sony's self-diagnosis list includes C:04, which means the camera has detected a battery other than InfoLithium. So a cheap replacement pack that doesn't talk to the camera properly can trigger that code. If you see C:04 with a third-party pack, the pack is the first suspect, not the camera.
Canon, JVC, Panasonic, RCA and Sharp
Every maker had its own families, and many changed them between models.
- Canon: the XL1, XL1S and GL1 take 7.2-volt BP-900 series packs. The ZR45 MC and ZR65 MC take BP-500 series packs (they came with a BP-508), and the ZR100 takes the NB-2L family.
- JVC: JVC's VHS-C cameras took BN-V packs. The manual for the GR-AX26 family lists the BN-V22U and BN-V25U and an AA-V11U adapter and charger.
- RCA: the full-size VHS CC421 ran on 9.6-volt lead-acid packs, the EP096FS or the longer EP096FL. Later RCA VHS-C models used nickel-cadmium packs, and the MiniDV CC9370 a lithium-ion pack.
- Sharp: Hi8 ViewCams like the VL-AH50U take 3.6-volt nickel-metal hydride packs, the BT-H22 or the longer BT-H32.
The model page for each camera lists the pack it came with and the alternatives its manual names, where we could find them.
Old chemistry, old cautions
The oldest packs aren't lithium-ion. The CC421 ran on lead-acid batteries, and RCA's manuals for its later VHS-C cameras carry the RBRC recycling seal for their nickel-cadmium packs. Don't throw old packs in the trash. Take them to a battery recycling drop-off.
Whatever the chemistry, look at an old pack before you charge it. A pack that's cracked, swollen, leaking or corroded at the contacts should go to recycling, not into a charger. Clean, dry contacts on the pack and in the camera are a good sign.
Bigger packs, longer runs
Most families came in more than one size, and the bigger packs run much longer. Sharp quotes about an hour and 35 minutes from a BT-H22 on the VL-AH50U and about 3 hours and 10 minutes from the BT-H32. Sony's battery table for the VX2100 goes from the small NP-F330 it came with up to the NP-F960, which it rates for about 9 hours of recording. If you plan to shoot away from a socket, a long pack of the right family is worth looking for in a listing.
What to look for in a listing
When you're comparing listings, check the photos for these, in this order.
- The AC adapter or charger. It lets you test and use the camera from day one.
- A battery of the right family. Match it to the model page. A pack from a different family won't fit.
- Proof it runs. A photo or video of the camera on, ideally playing a tape, powered by what's in the box.
- The model-specific cables. Many cameras use a special A/V cable, and on some, like the DCR-HC42, the dock carries the FireWire and USB jacks.
Missing power pieces aren't a reason to skip a good camera, but they're a reason to pay less. For the rest of the checks, see our used camcorder checklist.
