1D Mk4 motordrive question

[larryplacido]

Hi,

I have had this intermittant issue with my 1D Mk4. For example, I have set the camera to shutter priority to catch a sequence of action. The motor drive is set to High. Normally, I would just shoot off a burst and things would be fine.

But, for some reason, every now and then, I shoot off a burst of say 7 frames, it would go through the first 5 with the normal sounds and functions. However, it would hesitate for a brief moment, then pick up the last 2 frames. In all my years with Canon gear, I've never encountered this...

Has anyone else had this issue with their 1D Mk4?

And to further compound the issue, with the same example of it set to shutter priority, I get another issue. I'll run off a string of 4 frames, say at 1/1000, but the next frame suddenly is at 1/800, then it goes back to 1/1000 for the next frames.

Again, this is an intermittant issue, but it has me perplexed as to what is happening. I'm not changing anything in my way of shooting. It's been maybe a year or so since I've had that body in to get clean and checked.

So...any thoughts, comments or ideas would be greatly appreciated.... It really is aggravating for me to have this happen especially if it's an important event.

Thanks,

Larry

[wq9nsc · Accepted solution]

With the shutter speed also changing, it sounds like you may have safety shift enabled under custom functions.  Take a look at your custom function settings.

Rodger

[BurnUnit]

What kind of SD cards are you using? Brand and model name? Were they purchased from a reputable dealer? Are you using a Canon recommended full size SD card or a mini SD card with an adapter? Have the cards been low-level formatted in the camera prior to use?

[larryplacido]

Slot 1 has a CF Lexar Pro 1066x, the SD slot has a Sandisk Extreme card. I can't remember off hand if it was a regular SDHC or a micro w/ an adapter. I'll have to check it out when I get home. And yes, all my cards are always low formatted in camera before use...

Large JPEG to the CF card, large RAW to the SD with it being my back up images.

Thoughts?

[wq9nsc · Accepted solution]

With the shutter speed also changing, it sounds like you may have safety shift enabled under custom functions.  Take a look at your custom function settings.

Rodger

[larryplacido]

Thank you, I did have the safety shift enabled. That along with operator error was probably the cause for it...

Along those same lines, my SD card was a full size Sandisk Extreme Pro. I'll reset my camera to the default functions and see if that changes as well.

And one last thing, @waddizzle, you are right. I should send my RAW images to the faster card. I have various cards, as we all do and sometimes I forget to do so. Again, operator error. 

I'll let you all know if there is any more issues that come about...

Thank you all, I appreciate it.

[BurnUnit · Accepted solution]

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@larryplacido wrote:

I can't remember off hand if it was a regular SDHC or a micro w/ an adapter. I'll have to check it out when I get home. And yes, all my cards are always low formatted in camera before use...

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What about other in-camera settings for automatically making edits for sharpness, noise reduction, lens distortion corrections, etc.? These will slow down the time to buffer and write the image files to your cards.

Micro SD cards with an adapter have been known to be troublesome in at least some cameras under certain conditions. I'd guess that they could cause a bottleneck condition like you describe. Canon recommends only full size SD cards and it would be easy to test and see if a full size card speeds things up.

[Waddizzle]

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@larryplacido wrote:

Slot 1 has a CF Lexar Pro 1066x, the SD slot has a Sandisk Extreme card. I can't remember off hand if it was a regular SDHC or a micro w/ an adapter. I'll have to check it out when I get home. And yes, all my cards are always low formatted in camera before use...

Large JPEG to the CF card, large RAW to the SD with it being my back up images.

Thoughts?

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That seems backwards to me.  Write the large RAW files to the faster CF card.  Send the smaller JPEG files to the slower SD card.

[ebiggs1]

"What kind of SD cards are you using?"

This isn't important because you should be using the CF card for high speed if you truly want high speed. But for you real problem, reset your 1D4 to default settings and try again. Don't set any 'extras' until you prove all is working as it should.

Does not work as it should have Canon do a C&C on it.