Jonathan Young Endorses Anton/Bauer's Dionic XT

Anton/Bauer's Dionic XT 14V Li-ion batteries played a starring role in the production of "Mediterranean With Simon Reeve", the latest installment of the BBC's travel program featuring the well-known British author, adventurer, and TV presenter.

Renowned cinematographer Jonathan Young, the series' director of photography, tested the new batteries in extreme conditions and in challenging locations throughout Libya.

"Mediterranean With Simon Reeve" is a four-part series in which Reeve embarks on an epic journey around the Mediterranean, the birthplace of Western civilization and currently a hotbed of global conflict. The first episode, "Malta and Albania," is scheduled to air on the BBC TWO channel on Oct. 7.

Launched earlier this year, Anton/Bauer's Dionic XT is the newest generation of the highly popular Dionic battery series for broadcast and 14.4V cinema applications. Available in both V-Mount and Gold Mount, the high-performing and compact Dionic XT is capable of delivering up to 12 amps of continuous power for cinematographers, broadcasters, rental houses, and others for whom battery performance and reliability are essential.

Over his 25-year career as a director of photography and documentary cameraman, Young has worked on projects in more than 110 countries, with many of those locations considered challenging or hostile. He and Reeve have collaborated on scores of travel documentaries for the BBC including series on the Caribbean, Ireland, Greece, Turkey, Colombia, Russia, and Burma. For the new Mediterranean series, Young tested the Dionic XT batteries during a two-week shoot in Libya, in which the film crew was constantly on the go relying on all means of transportation.

"Wherever I roam on the job, my travels tend to take me to far-flung and challenging locations where reliable mobile power is absolutely essential," Young said. "As a longtime user of Anton/Bauer batteries, I've learned I can completely rely on them in any type of filming situation — even in the most rugged and remote locations. That's why I was happy to use the Dionic XTs. Not only do these new batteries deliver better consistency and performance, but they also have a more compact form factor that makes them ideal for constant travel."

Young added, "One of the things that impresses me the most about the Dionic XTs is their ruggedness. Like all Anton/Bauer batteries, the XTs have been tested to within an inch of their lives for safety, and I know they will stand up to almost any kind of treatment with extremely low risk of damage. On the Libya trip, the XTs survived dropping, being bounced around in the backs of 4WD vehicles, and plenty of other rough treatment, and they still performed flawlessly."

Another important feature of the Dionic XT batteries is their power management system, which made Young's power planning easier and gave him reassurance the batteries would not discharge too quickly. With the XTs, he was able to plan his critical power requirements for any location shoot almost to the minute using the built-in power gauges on the batteries. When planning a trek into a location that would take many hours, he was able to estimate precisely how much battery power he would need to pack in.

"Like many freelance DPs, I own a large percentage of my gear. My investment spend is critical to my business overheads," Young said. "I have always tried to invest in the best kit to help my business grow. Anton/Bauer batteries have always been my first choice. In my view, there is simply nothing else that compares to their reliability, ruggedness, and performance, and the Dionic XTs are just the latest example."