Rare Breeds Relies on Helix MAX for Native Dual Voltage Power
When Core developed and released the Helix Max line of batteries, we wanted to give productions options so they could make a decision that was best for them. The Helix Max pack is a dual voltage battery that comes in V, G, and B-Mount. So anyway you slice it, we can put the battery on any camera or device that takes on-board packs. As soon as Helix Max hit the market, we spoke with a lot of rental houses, cinematographers, ACs, production managers, and individuals who understood the need for high voltage was coming, but low voltage wasn’t going anywhere.
Enter the release of two new cameras. Arri’s Alexa 35 and Red’s Raptor XL. This put the conversation in high gear and Core was there with the answers. One rental house we have had the pleasure to work with is Rare Breeds. They are a quickly-growing camera rental house based out of Culver City, CA. With multiples of nearly every camera and a vast assortment of optics in their inventory, they are on the brink of moving into a 6,000 square foot facility shortly after the new year.
To support those cameras, Rare Breeds turned to Core’s Helix Max batteries for their high and low voltage needs.
“We chose the Helix batteries to go along with our Arri Alexa 35 purchases. We needed a battery that could handle both high and low voltage, as well as maintain the normal gold mount style pins that AC’s have on their accessories. From my experience AC’s hate having multiple battery types to deal with on set. The Helix is safe for everything.”
Core’s Helix Max battery packs were able to achieve this for Rare Breeds. Using Core’s Direct Connect plate to change the B-mount on the Alexa 35 allows the rental house to go g-mount for everything. They now have interchangeable packs for all of their cameras and accessories without the worry of putting the wrong battery on a piece of gear. Since Helix is Native Dual Voltage, they will power everything with the correct voltage.
This is also a huge relief for the AC on the project. Uniformity in battery mounts and voltage equals a happy 1st AC. One type of charger and no worries of the 2nd grabbing the wrong battery or putting the wrong one on the wrong charger.
Speaking of chargers, the transition to Helix has been made simple by Core. Existing chargers in your fleet can be used to charge these packs. Rare Breeds also appreciated this design.
“One of the best parts about the gold mount Helix batteries is that they required virtually no transition for us. We’re still able to charge them with our existing chargers and can put them to use on all of our gear.”
Core takes pride in its products and design. Everything we do is done with the client in mind. Making your job easier and giving you time to concentrate on your project is our main priority. We heard this from Rare Breeds as well.
“Despite this growth, the Rare Breeds ethos remains the same as always: cameras are common and people are rare. Ultimately, it’s people that make movies and the equipment is all secondary. That said, providing the right gear for the right applications almost always leads to more positive experiences after productions leave our prep floors.”
By going with Core, we hope you can concentrate on your customers as well and not worry about the gear you provide. Rental houses are huge in building relationships in this industry. People do come first, and by having reliable gear on the shelf, this allows you to grow those relationships.
-Stay Core Driven!
