Canon Vixia HF-R800 "Cannot Record"

[ZenGeekDad]

My Canon Vixia HF-R800 is unable to record to a new top-brand micro-SD card (64 GB).

(This is just to provide a record of it.  I doubt anyone has a fix.  But, feel free to prove me wrong!)

Details:

Camcorder = Canon Vixia HF-R800.  Relatively new (<1 yr old) / very light use / never abused (I'm a middle-aged video hobbiest and am very fussy with my gear; this is a spare camera for me; used for maybe 6 shoots).

Camcorder has recorded trouble-free to prior SD cards -- e.g., to a PNY 32 GB Class 10 / UHS-1 / V90 / "95MB/s R/W".

The currently-failing SD card is a Sandisk Ultra, 64 GB micro SD XC-I (class 10 / UHS 1).  This SD card works flawlessly in ever other camera I use it in (Canon XC15, Nikon D7200, Panasonix TM700, GoPro Hero5), and works fine with my PC.

I initialized this failing SD card in the Canon HF-R800.  (Home icon on touch screen > Other Settings [screwdriver & hammer] > wrench tab at far right > Initialize (4th up from bottom) > Initialize (button at bottom of screen) > Complete Initialization (bottom button of scrren again).  This did not help.

I also tried wiping the card in my PC, by doing a standard format (as opposed to a Quick Format), then trying as is, and when that failed to allow the Canon Vixia to record to it, then repeating the Complete Initialization in the Canon HF-R800.  Again, no luck.

I've repeated the in-Canon HF-R800 Complete Initialization a couple-few times, just to give it every chance to work.  No luck.

I've confirmed the Canon HF-R800 currently records just fine to another 64 GB micro SD card (in this case, a Samsung Closs 10 / UHS-1 claiming 48 MB/s R/W).

Note: Canon's 1st-level monitors / staff here might try to claim this problem is due to using a poor SD card.  But that doesn't wash.  Sandisk is about as reliable a brand as they come.  And that Sandisk SD card is working just fine in every other camera and device I own.

I'm not trying to gain anything here.  Just sharing my experience.  That way, if a lot of this sort of experience gets posted, we can start to sort out the patterns, and make more informed buying decisions.

[ZenGeekDad]

Wait, you said with great emphasis that Canon DOES NOT RECOMMEND using micro-SD cards.  Right?  So I'm just asking how you learned that.  Not trying to be a pain here.  Just genuinely trying to learn.

[BurnUnit]

I based my observations largely on a response to this very forum post, from Richard, who's listed here as a "Canon Product Expert". If I'm not mistaken, I believe he contributes here on a voluntary basis, so I figure he has no ulterior motive.

As posted by Richard:

"We recommend against the use of cards that require an adapter to fit in the camcorder (i.e. micro-SD or Mini-SD). The increase in the number of connections between the camcorder and memory card (from the memory card to the adapter, then from the adapter to the camcorder) makes a malfunction more likely."

Also, by doing a site search using the search terms "micro", "sd" and "adapter" you will find seven pages of links returned. The majority of the threads concern problems encountered when using micro sd cards and adapters in Canon DSLRs. I took the liberty of extrapolating that information to also apply to Canon video cameras. And I did so feeling that I wasn't taking too big of a technological leap.

http://community.usa.canon.com/t5/forums/searchpage/tab/message?advanced=false&allow_punctuation=fal...

Maybe Canon doesn't state their "non-recommendation" more clearly because they also realize that using a micro sd card and adapter can work OK in certain circumstances. But they may also realize, as you've found out, that that they don't always work as reliably as their recommended full-size sd cards.

[ZenGeekDad]

Nicely answered. Thanks.

[gstrumberger]

I used the same micro-SD with adapter to film a pretty important music event recently. Everything recorded fine--but now I can't retrieve the video/audio files, in their entirety, from the camera! It plays fine while in the camera but when I remove (for instance) the mico-SD and adapter from the camera and use a card reader, all I have is video. No audio. When I try to offload the files, all I get are error messages.

Am I completely out of any kind of luck here? No way to, say, transfer from the card into the internal memory? I'm fairly desperate as we needed the footage to apply to get into a major music festival this summer--and application deadline is looming.

I agree, too, that it would have been prudent of Canon to state that they did NOT recommend using a micro-SD card in this camera because results cannot be guaranteed. I thought I'd be fine using the adapter--as others apparently thought as well.

Thanks - G

[BurnUnit]

Have you tried copying your files with the card and adapter in the camera using the USB cable instead of a card reader? What software are you using to open the videos? Do you have sound when opening other video files shot the same camera on a full size SD card?

[gstrumberger]

I first pulled the card out of the camera and used the card reader to work with the files. All I got was video-no audio. Windows Media Player opened them OK and played the video but, no audio.  Also was able to open the file this way using Power Director. Again, no audio.

Then I wondered whether I'd have audio if I put the card back into the camcorder. At that point, video and audio played on the camera's screen but I wasn't able to open the file with any other software via the camera with a USB cable connected to the computer. No video, no audio--nada. Just got repeated error messages "unable to retrieve file".

This was the first time I used this camcorder so not sure if a full size SD card will net me different results. Of course, I intend to test it before shooting anything else.

[ZenGeekDad]

gstrumberger: 

I've never had the problem you describe, on my Canon Vixia HF-R800.*

My advice to you:

1 - Your best option is to try to copy the file(s) from the Vixia to your PC over a USB cord from Vixia to PC.

2 - If that fails, you might try playing it from your camera to your PC (over an HDMI cable; you need a mini-HDMI to standard HDMI cable) and recording the input at your PC, ... assuming you have means to do that.  If you edit video, your editor can probably do live capture (e.g. Premiere Pro can).  If not, then google "capture live video free software" and see what grabs you.  I saw Wondershare in one "top ten" list.  I have Wondershare for downloading web video, and I like it for that, but I have never tried it for recording a live HDMI-inputted signal.

________________________

* I've used mostly micro-SD cards in adapters in it, but at times opted for standard sized SD cards too.  To date, the only difference I've seen between micro-SD and SD is the above-hypothesized differnce in reliability of data transfer (where I got the one FAIL, in recording to a micro-SD via adapter, which  started this thread).

[gstrumberger]

Appreciate all the advice. This entire problem has frustrated me to the Nth degree.

I did attempt to copy the files. I found the camcorder as a "device" on my computer. When I open it up, it shows no files to copy! Yes, I double-checked my settings in the camera, and on the recording itself, to make absolutely certain the file was on the SD card. It is.

I also thought about playing it on my computer through the camera, via HDMI cable, and capturing the footage through PowerDirector that way. They do have that option. However, it won't play on my computer while the SD card is in the camera! The footage only plays on the camera's screen!

The User Manual has a section about transferring files from the internal memory to a removable SD card--but nothing about the reverse. So, I don't even know whether that's possible.

As I mentioned earlier, if I remove the SD card and play the footage on my computer through a card reader, all I get is video--no audio.

I'm not an "expert" at this sort of thing, but not exactly novice either. I mean, I've worked with video footage before so this entire problem baffles me.

[BurnUnit]

If it were me the next thing I'd try is to borrow or buy another micro SD card adapter. Can you download both video and audio from the same camera that's been recorded on a full size SD card or the camera's internal memory?

[gstrumberger]

Haven't tried that yet...though I have wondered whether I'd have trouble using other Media. If yes, then something's wrong with the camera.

Am getting a full sized SDXC to try it out.

However, I can't seem to get the camera to go back to using the internal memory. When I first did the Basic Set-Up (I just got this camera for Christmas), I selected using removable memory. Doesn't seem to want to let me move out of that. (When I take the existing SD card out, shut camera off, then turn it back on I get repeated "No Memory Card" message.) Used the large PDF User Manual to try and find out how to do that but came up with zip.

Any guidance there would help, too.

Thank you!