Canon HF G40 - remove clip length limits

[missionpoint]

We're using our new Canon HF G40 to record the sermons at our church. We are recording in 1920 X 1080 29fps. We are using a high speed 64 gb memory card. At about 30-35 minutes the camera starts a new clip. The sermons are typically about 40-45 minutes. Because of the camera splitting video into 2 clips, we have to import them into video editing software to combine them into one video before I can upload it online. Is there a setting that I'm missing in the camera that would allow me to remove the clip length limit? The memory has plenty of room so that's not causing the limit. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[missionpoint]

What would happen if I format the SD card for NTFS in Windows? Would the camera not recognize it?

[VideoGeek]

That would not be a good idea and probably will cause problems.  The NTFS format won't work with the camcorder.  Believe me I've thought of doing the same thing myself.  I may have even tried it.  Either way it is always safest to format the card in the camcorder.

[Stephen]

You could always call our team. They're happy to walk you through the best way to get the most out of your situation! 

The number is 1-800-OK-CANON (800-652-2666) from 10am to 10pm (ET) during the week. 

[missionpoint]

Thanks. I called Canon, but they're only suggestion was to lower the resolution. Due to the camera file system being FAT32 I'm limited to 4GB clips. The canon representative agreed that Canon needs to look into the option of having a different format that allows us to record longer videos without creating multiple clips.

[VideoGeek]

Thanks for the update.  I don't think this is unique to Canon.  The only camcorders I have that doesn't break the clips into files is are tape based (miniDV and 8mm) and prepping them for upload is an even longer process.  It would be nice to have one continuous clip for each scene.  If NTFS is out of the question then what about ExFAT since both PCs and Macs will recognize that file system  It's a thought.

[missionpoint]

Agreed. I think Canon and the other companies need to be seriously discussing this. Especially since 4k video (and it's larger file sizes) is becoming more popular on the consumer level.

[Penniwinkle]

If I had known this upfront, I would NOT have purchased your product. I feel I was ripped off now.

I need to do 90 minutes at a stretch, not 15.

[Inapickle]

---

@Penniwinkle wrote:

We just bought a brand new video recorder camera to record a 90 minute presentation and my partner didn't notice it turned itself off after 15 mintues.

Why?  And HOW to work around?  A 64 gb chip is worthless if it only records for 15 minutes.

---

I don't know why it would do that. Page 44 In the User Manual:

Did it happen just the one time or does it happen everytime ?

Was this on battery power or using the DC power adapter ?

Was it connected to a LANC remote control and/or on-camera (field) monitor? Connections should always be made before the camcorder is powered on.

Have you tried changing the SD card ?

As for split mp4 files, the Pixela Data Import Utility will join them:

And on page 39

[Inapickle]

---

@Inapickle wrote:

Did it happen just the one time or does it happen everytime ?

Was this on battery power or using the DC power adapter ?

Was it connected to a LANC remote control and/or on-camera (field) monitor? Connections should always be made before the camcorder is powered on.

Have you tried changing the SD card ?

---

Given the lack of feedback I think it's reasonable to assume that this was a case of 'operator error' and was not due to a fault with the camcorder per se.

[brokaw357]

VideoGeek explained the reason for the 4gig file sizes. Now a bit about what you can do about it. I'm part of a woodworking guild that conducts 80+ woodworking classes per year. Most of them are videotaped and the better ones are edited for posting on YouTube. There are a number of programs (some free, many low cost) that can concatenate your multiple files into one contiguous file (MP4 or the like.) We choose to use the Sony Vegas/Movie Maker product to actually edit out the parts of the recording that don't apply. We then add in a header and trailer that gives the title, date, talent, and subject. We used version 12 that we purchased from Amazon for around $40 for several years. They came out with v13 which didn't work very well, they sold the product, the new owners came out with v14 which is OK. The learning curve for video editing can be intimidating at first. There is a lot of educational material on the Sony products. Most notable are Movie Studio Zen and Bill Myers (guerillabill).