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.

[scupking]

This camera takes very good picutres!! We just need the battery issue fixed asap.... Some other things that would be nice is to not have a stupid pop up flash and put the selection dial on top of the camera.... If those three things are fixed this would be a perfect pocket camera for those who don't want to bring the dslr along with them... Come on Canon.....

[lostlake]

Agreed! The battery issue is confusing as I was only able to take 20 plus minutes of video with the red warning flashing most of that duration.  We've been a Canon family going through 4 different ones in the last 10 years, trying to catch up with the technology.  We are still using a Canon G5 but I need a pocket camera for a weeklong vacation coming up, so I bought two more replacement batters of 3.7v with 1600mAH output hoping it would help, and hopefully I would be able to make a decision about keeping it or returning it by the time I come back from the vacation.

 The photoes I've been testing in both indoor and out so far are way better than a Nikon Coolpix my hubby bought last Christmas.  So I am hoping this Canon issue is fixable.

[lostlake]

 The photoes I've been testing in both indoor and out so far are way better than a Nikon Coolpix my hubby bought last Christmas.  So I am hoping this Canon issue is fixable.

[pawl]

Wish I could take a poll on this. I'm leaving on Friday (end of this week)  a weekend trek in the back country. What are the chances that this firmware fix will be available before I go. I've bought two extra back-up batteries, but really, do I want to be worrying about the camera shutting down (it did for me once the current camera firmware made up its mind that there was no more juice in the battery...even after turning the camera fof then on again (and trying to shoot ANYTHING...including stills).

Please Canon. If I could commence a recall all of the first batch of these sx280s until the time when you release a firmware update, I would.

[dswansonil]

I think mine will be going back later this week.  Even if they fix the battery warning light and maybe the auto image issue with a firmware change, I doubt very much they can change the actual battery drain of the video and the zoom lens.  I know they can't redesign the ergonomic issues related to the location of the battery door, the pop up flash, etc.  Canon has tried to put 10 pounds of it in a 5 pound bag and failed. 

In my opinion, Canon has focused too much on increasing the zoom rather than on the general useability of their cameras.  I have been using 5(?) year old Powershot S5 IS which has 12x and have rarely wished for more magnification.  I use it primarily for shooting indoor video (I have a 40d for still photos) of volleyball and basketball but it obviously lacks HD.  It uses 4 AA batteries and, with the high maH disposable ones, I can probably shoot at 3-5 hours or more of video or thousands of still photos before they need to be replaced.  If I could get half that performance with HD video, I'd be ecstatic.

I think I'll have to consider going with a camcorder to get the HD video with a reasonable battery life but everything I've read so far says the still photo quality coming out of Canon's more reasonably priced camcorders sucks.

[pawl]

I have a Delorme InReach that will drain a battery licketysplit when the battery setting is incorrect (put in alkiline when the settting is on lithium, quick drain). So, couldn't the camera's usage problems be corrected with a firmware?

Besides, the 270 and 260, both of which have pretty much the same specs as the 280 have had none of the same issues, as far as the reviews go. Doesn't make sense that the bells and whistles of the 280 would be the culprits here. Or am I missing something here?

[smith]

Well that's encouraging. Hopefully a firmware update will make us all happy!

[UnionStation]

I can't believe how many people are blindly hoping for a firmware update to fix everything. Dswansonil brings up a good point - this camera, even without the battery issue, doesn't live up to the hype. Canon overshot the mark and missed badly. And pawl - Canon spent weeks telling us all there was no battery issue. Don't expect it to be fixed in days.

[pawl]

It's understandable to have concluded that denial is the formal Canon stance when their phone reps said they were unaware, but while being incredibly frustrating, that did not indicate much of anything other than poor public relations. The fact that they've given a formal post on this Canon forum that they know about the issue and are working on it carries tons more weight. The 280 is so similar to the 270 (or 260 for that matter), I don't get why we think that it's anything other than the firmware. (But then, I'm not a techie so can't speak to the more intricate [possible] issues.)

[UnionStation]

I said denial, and I meant exactly that - denial. I had my case escalated up to a 'contact center supervisor,' who told me: "Such poor battery performance is not common. The several PowerShot SX280 HS cameras we have here in our office all perform within specifications." I provided these people with numerous links around the web that reported the same issue. They flat-out, full-on DENIED until the evidence was so overwhelming they had to acknowledge it. The fact that they posted on this forum that there's a problem with their brand new camera indicates nothing more to me than damage control. Let's see how impressed with Cannon when you take that lemon on vacation and miss tons of shots like I did.

[pawl]

"I feel your pain," UnionStation. But listen, I've been an APple user for a couple of decades, so I know about silence (and denial). Like Apple, Canon's a company that will fix this issue, I'm sure. I lucked out in that I read about the issue before actually losing a ton of important images (like you evidently did). Forewarned is forearmed, as they say, and I don't plan on using it for vids if nothing comes from Canon between now and the time I leave.