SX280 - battery life shooting video

[factoryguy]

UPDATED May 5:

I apologize to the forum for mixing two different problems.  They are unrelated.

Problem #1:  User error.  I thought I was using a class 6 SD card but I was wrong. The yellow "!" indicates a pathologically slow card.  Upgrading to a class 10 resolved this problem.

Problem #2: UNRESOLVED.  Red battery indicator comes on prematurely.  On a fresh charge, it'll turn red after recording for a couple of minutes.  On a partially drained battery, it turns red immediately upon entering movie mode or pressing the record button.  Turn the camera off and then right back on in "still" mode and it shows full charge and works fine ... until trying to shoot video.  I have not precisely measured recording times but it'll record for at least 20 (maybe 30?) minutes while flashing red.

[UnionStation]

First, I feel the need to point out that some of us are seeing REAL battery drain - not just some erroneous flashing red light. My camera would shut down and give me the replace battery message. There was no turning it back on, and I've read numerous posts about others having the same issue. Some of you may have a false meter issue that's an inconvenience, but make no mistake that a lot of people are experiencing real battery drain. For those hoping it's a battery issue, I had THREE Canon brand batteries, and they all reacted the same way. For those of you hoping Canon is working on a firmware update, I ask this: How long are you willing to wait for Canon to fix this, and is it really worth the hassle?

For Uberaugie: I got Nikon's Coolpix P330. The lens doesn't zoom as far as the sx280, but it opens up to f/1.8 at the low end. The Nikon also has a larger sensor, and the photos look a lot better. I've had a lot of point and shoots - mostly Canons that served me well until I traded up - but this Nikon is the camera I wish I'd purchased in the first place.

[scupking]

Bought this camera a few weeks back and have the same issue. Battery light starts flashing as soon as I start taking video. Last night my Fiancee was graduating from college. Brought the camera started to take a video of her getting her diploma and it dies.... This is completely unexpectable. Put a new battery in and guess what as soon as I started taking video the battery light came on. So I didn't take any other videos that night because I didn't want to miss taking pictures of her. This needs to be fixed asap or I will return this camera for another brand....

[scupking]

Ok just ran a test. Took the battery off the charger when it was full put it in and hit record. Battery light started at 5 minutes 30 seconds. Battery died at 20 minutes. So you get 20 minutes of video right off the charger and only 5 minutes without the light flashing. In this day and age we should be able to get an hour of video....

[videophan]

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@scupking wrote:
Ok just ran a test. Took the battery off the charger when it was full put it in and hit record. Battery light started at 5 minutes 30 seconds. Battery died at 20 minutes. So you get 20 minutes of video right off the charger and only 5 minutes without the light flashing. In this day and age we should be able to get an hour of video....

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Did you just let the camera remain static recording video or did you move the camera and zoom the lens in/out as video was being captured? I think the more demands you make on the camera during capture, the less time you get, and using the zoom seems to put high demand on the battery. I was capturing video when the low battery indicator was flashing and tried to zoom in on an object. The lens started to zoom, screen went black, and I got the recharge battery warning. The camera would not power back up without recharging the battery.

These are specs in the 280SX User Guide:

[scupking]

I zoomed in and out about 5 or 6 times to full 20x and then back. I was running it at 1080 at 30fps.

[BigCTM]

If you do not plan on using the video functionality, is there an issue with the battery life?  It sounds like the issue relates to using the camera for video only.  

[scupking]

You only get around 200 pictures before the battery runs out. Sony wx300 can take 500 on one charge. Don't see why canon can't do that. If the Sony had manual controls it would be perfect...

[Jessica]

Hi everyone, thanks again for all of your valuable comments on this topic. We’ve confirmed premature display of low battery level while shooting in movie mode with the PowerShot SX280 HS. We are currently working towards a resolution and will provide an update shortly.

[UnionStation]

Thanks, Cannon, for admitting to an obvious flaw that your customer service reps so adamantly denied. Thanks for treating me and other customers like we didn't know what we were talking about. Thanks for convincing me to return your lemon of a camera so I could go out and buy a Nikon that's better. I'm sure the customers who decided to stick it out will thank you for resolving the problem quickly - and I'm sure future customers will thank you for treating their concerns and complaints like they matter.

[BigCTM]

The Nikon you bought (P330) is a different kind of camera than the SX280.  It's like comparing apples and oranges.  Issues with new cameras occurs regularly.  The Nikon D600 oil on sensor is an example for Nikon.