Battery Options & Run Times For The Canon C500 II

In this post we show you 3 common options for powering the Canon C500 mark II camera, for runtimes up to 17 continuous hours.

Ben Bateman, Jamie Harris

Updated April 25, 2022

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3 min read

Canon C500 MKII

There are three common battery options for the Canon C500 mark II. One of these options requires the optional EU-V2 expansion unit, or equivalent (the EU-V2 is available as an option with our camera kits).

Before we get into the different options and their corresponding battery life, it's useful to know that the average power consumption of the Canon C500 II without any accessories - apart from the standard monitor - is 28 to 34 watts, with a peak as high as 63 watts.

TL;DR

Here's a summary of the typical C500 mark II run times using the common battery options. All times are based on recording 4K Cine RAW lite at 25fps.

Canon BP-A Series Batteries

The first battery option is the Canon BP-A series batteries, which are also used with the Canon C200 and C300 mark II/III cameras. These have two capacity options.

The smaller BP-A30 is rated at 45 watt hours and will provide approximately 1 hour of recording time in 4k Cine RAW lite at 25p. Then there's the larger BP-A60, which is rated at 90 watt hours and will provide approximately 2 hours of recording time in the same format.

The BP-A series batteries mean the Canon C500 II has a much smaller footprint than when the EU-V2 expansion unit is attached (which is required to use v-lock batteries).

V-Lock Batteries

The second option is to power the camera with V-Lock/V-Mount batteries by using the optional EU-V2 expansion unit (or some other battery plate that is compatible with the C500 II).

V-Lock batteries come in various sizes, but as an example a 150 watt hour battery will give you approximately 3 hours of recording time in 4K Cine RAW Lite at 25p.

Canon C500 II with the optional EU-V2 expansion unit. The camera footprint is increased significantly, but in return you get additional audio channels and can power on-camera accessories.

Using the EU-V2 expansion unit also opens up the option of powering common accessories with the V-Lock battery, in addition to the camera. Typical accessories powered this way are wireless video transmitters, onboard monitors/recorders and even on-camera lights.

In this case you will need to take into account the power consumption of your accessories as they can significantly affect the battery run time.

Block Batteries

If you need longer run times you also have the option of powering the camera with an external block battery, which will have a much higher capacity. The Block Battery D800, for example, is rated at 800 watt hours and will power the C500 mark II for well over 17 hours.

The Block Battery D800 on the left, and the Anton Bauer Cine VCLX on the right.

Block batteries are typically heavy and large, so they aren't always practical. But if you are shooting in a studio or other location where you aren't moving around a lot, they can be a great way to power the camera all day without needing access to mains power.