topic Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280 in Point & Shoot Digital Cameras

battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

myasg — Sat, 04 May 2013 14:11:17 GMT

in shooting mode on the sx280 it shows a full battery - when i go into movie mode the battery flasshes red - why is this - please assist. [Mod note - removed email address (for your safety) - please see FORUM GUIDELINES]. canon sx280. thanks.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

factoryguy — Sat, 04 May 2013 14:14:42 GMT

I have the same problem. (see my post - a little more detail)

Anyone else?

http://forums.usa.canon.com/t5/PowerShot/SX280-battery-life-shooting-video/m-p/22489 [Mod note- inserted link for convenience of community]

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

vitielj — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:20:36 GMT

Yes - also having this problem. Hopefully it can be fixed soon.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

Squarebrackets — Tue, 07 May 2013 22:55:21 GMT

My spouse and I are both having this problem (with 2 separate cameras). It only comes on when you either switch into movie mode or press the movie button, and stays on until you power down and turn it back on, when it decides there's no problem after all. Please fix this, Canon.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

canonuser4 — Wed, 08 May 2013 01:47:09 GMT

I called Canon and they said they need someone to send in a camera that has this issue to be able to know what's going on. They told me they have the sx280 there and theirs doesn't have the battery issue.

I took mine back and ordered another one in hopes that it will be okay. We'll find out. I do trust that Canon will find a solution but boy what a hassle!

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

plfeist — Wed, 08 May 2013 02:47:00 GMT

I have the same issue, and this is being discussed in another thread on this forum too.

Just now, movie mode was working fine, UNTIL I used the zoom. Then the battery icon began flashing. As before, I exited movie mode, turned the camera off and then on again, and the battery icon was normal.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

smith — Thu, 09 May 2013 03:05:17 GMT

Same exact story here. I am questioning the replacement rather than just returning it for a refund. I'm holding out hope. Perhaps this is a common problem with all high performance digital cameras? The fact Canon said they haven't heard of this is total BS. Be curious how your replacement turns out. Hmmm. Is poor battery life a deal breaker or not? So frustrating, especially when you intend to use it for video often. Please post your experience with your replacement!

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

canonuser4 — Thu, 09 May 2013 03:18:56 GMT

Yes, I will post about my replacement however I won't receive it until next week.

Also I don't believe it's a short battery life issue. It's that the battery icon flashes AS IF it's low when shooting video, when it actually isn't low.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

Jessica — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:06:57 GMT

Hi everyone, we are listening and will provide an update as soon as information becomes available.

Thanks for your feedback and participation in our forum.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

mikearm — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:21:51 GMT

They do not need to have a camera sent in. Any employee with this camera can prove the point in 10 minutes of replicating the dozens of posts on thisissue

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

mikearm — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:23:42 GMT

Turn the camera off and turn it back on and one can shoot dozens of photos. Switch to video, red flashing light, turn off and on and shoot another several dozen pictures.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

canonuser4 — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:50:45 GMT

When I called technical support I told her to just open an sx280 and try to shoot a movie and she'd know what we were all talking about. She told me they had a sx280 there which they used and it did not have this issue.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

smith — Sat, 11 May 2013 00:53:57 GMT

Yeah, that's the 'script' I guess. Same response for everyone who calls. It's a HUGE company so I highly doubt anyone we talk to on the phone has their hands on one. We are dealing with customer service employees, not technicians. Anxiously awaiting a resolution from Canon... return window is getting smaller each day.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

zekesmythe — Sat, 11 May 2013 01:06:49 GMT

I'm having the same problem. Just took the camera back to Best Buy and they exchanged it. New camera at home - same exact prblem. Help Canon. Graduation this weekend and I bought three batteries to get me through the afternoon. Then, I'm returning the whole batch unless Canon can come up with a fix. The camera takes absolutely fantastic photo and video images - so sad the battery issue exists.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

UnionStation — Sun, 12 May 2013 18:03:04 GMT

Yes, there's a problem. No, Canon won't admit it or do anything about it. I just posted on another forum thread about this problem. After several tries by phone, email and the Canon web site, I was contacted by a 'contact center supervisor' who suggested I might've gotten a defective camera and there was no known problem as far as Canon was concerned. He wrote, "Such poor battery performance is not common. The several PowerShot SX280 HS cameras we have here in our office all perform within specifications." I responded with the links of several comments on YouTube, Amazon and elsewhere, and he never responded. The bottom line is that Canon either doesn't know or doesn't care that there's a probem - and suggests that we're all just making this up. I voted with my pocket and returned the camera for a full refund and purchased one by another manufacturer. Canon actually did me a favor.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

videophan — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:17:39 GMT

I received my SX280 on 5/11 and had this low battery level problem after recording about two minutes of video. I have drained and recharged the battery but that did not correct the problem. I have fully charged the battery, removed the memory card, replaced the battery and hit the on/off button twice in rapid succession. This improved the problem but only marginally. It is very distracting having this low battery indicator flashing while trying to use the camera. You can turn the camera on and off to solve the problem if you are taking still photos but there is no workaround if you are taking videos of any significant length.

Five months ago I ordered the predecessor to this camera, the SX260. As soon as I placed the charged battery and a memory card in the camera and turned the camera on, it shut down in 60 seconds with the error:

A camera error was detected

Will shut down automatically

Restart camera E32

This happened independently of any particular function. One minute after turning the camera on and placing it on a table, the camera would shut down with the error message. I called Canon Customer Service. They asked me how long I had had the camera. When I said one day, the CS rep recommended returning the camera to the vendor for a refund. Now I have another Canon camera with issues right out of the box. Where does quality control happen at Canon? At the consumer level? If so, where is my paycheck?

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

dswansonil — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:31:08 GMT

I've been a Canon user for years and decided to replace my S5 IS. Based on the spec's and the reviews, I was about to buy the SX280 today but then I ran across these posts on the battery life. The main thing I do with the S5 is shoot video of my daughter's volleyball and basketball games and unless this battery issue is resolved I don't feel comfortable buying the SX280. I guess I'll have to go back to comparing the spec's of its competitors.

Wake up Canon!

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

videophan — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:17:06 GMT

@videophan wrote:
I received my SX280 on 5/11 and had this low battery level problem after recording about two minutes of video. I have drained and recharged the battery but that did not correct the problem. I have fully charged the battery, removed the memory card, replaced the battery and hit the on/off button twice in rapid succession. This improved the problem but only marginally. It is very distracting having this low battery indicator flashing while trying to use the camera. You can turn the camera on and off to solve the problem if you are taking still photos but there is no workaround if you are taking videos of any significant length.

Five months ago I ordered the predecessor to this camera, the SX260. As soon as I placed the charged battery and a memory card in the camera and turned the camera on, it shut down in 60 seconds with the error:

A camera error was detected
Will shut down automatically
Restart camera E32

This happened independently of any particular function. One minute after turning the camera on and placing it on a table, the camera would shut down with the error message. I called Canon Customer Service. They asked me how long I had had the camera. When I said one day, the CS rep recommended returning the camera to the vendor for a refund. Now I have another Canon camera with issues right out of the box. Where does quality control happen at Canon? At the consumer level? If so, where is my paycheck?

Update: I sent several emails to CS at Canon. The first response was a request to return the camera for repair. I responded asking if Canon would pay for shipping both ways for repair. The first response was no, that is not the warranty policy. I checked and the charge for UPS ground shipping insured to purchase cost is $15.50 plus their charge for return shipping. I responded that the camera was now 3 days old and malfunctioned out of the box. I requested that my issue be escalated to a supervisor. While waiting for a response, I called Canon technical support and spoke to someone who seemed knowledgeable. He claimed he tested an SX280 while I was on the line and did not observe the issue at his end. I asked him if it could possibly be the battery and his response was "not likely." I explained the offer from the email at CS to send the camera back in at my expense for service and my hesitancy due to shipping cost both ways for a new camera. He said he understood but made no offer to pay for shipping. I checked my email after the call and was offered "as a one time courtesy only" prepaid shipping for repair,

My inclincation now is to return the camera to the vendor for a credit. Maybe this is now the standard way that defective products are dealt with. I suppose if I had bought the camera from a local store, that is what I would have done, but I didn't and instead bought the camera from a reputable internet vendor. You would think, however, that Canon would show some interest in satisfying the customer and not leave customer satisfaction to their product vendors.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

mcasale16 — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:42:22 GMT

I have the same issue.

Re: battery flashes red when taking movie? sx280

rstephenson — Wed, 15 May 2013 02:42:45 GMT

The SX280 has just arrived in Australia. I have just returned my first camera because of the battery level indicator problem (Canon has a 14 day DOA policy in Aus) and found my second has exactly the same issue. I then found this forum. Canon Australia is unaware of any problem and told me to take the first back to the store because it was probably faulty. I'm hoping this can be firmware fixed. Like most who have found this problem I ran out and bought a spare battery. Unfortunately my 6 year old son's first school presentation can't be recorded again. The camera died after 3 seconds into it. The picture I should have then taken was the dirty look my wife threw me after I told her the battery went flat.

I've made a youtube video just in case anyone needs a reference when complaining. Hopefully the symptoms are common.

http://youtu.be/_yjS-mFPXhk