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]

Since you asked, RCJ, I returned one of the two sx280s I purchased. I am about to return the second. And I'm assuming your question is rhetorical, because you've been around long enough to see my many postings on this topic and my motivations for keeping up the heat on Canon. Sorry you don't appreciate my input, but I "insist on lingering here and spouting off" because someone out there might benefit from a view other than "those wonderful people at Canon care about us and are working hard 24/7 to get us a fix."

The arrogant, inept way Canon treated me when I was among the first to report this problem, the two faulty cameras I purchased with my hard-earned money, and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution should be justification enough. But I'll settle for knowing that I've warned a few fellow consumers away from the sx280 and helped convince others to return their cameras before it's too late. Instead of criticizing fellow customers, I'm focused on hammering away at Canon's good name until they cry uncle. If more of us did that instead of questioning each others' right to comment, Canon and other companies would think twice about treating customers so shabbily.

[RCJ]

Union: Not rhetorical at all. Everybody needs a hobby, and clearly your "heat" is bringing Canon swiftly to its knees. Knock yourself out, and let us know when someone cries uncle.

BTW, read my post. I wasn't "questioning your right to comment, and in fact said so. I just honestly wondered why anyone who had already returned their camera would bother to do so. Logical question. 

[josh_a]

I just returned my SX280 as well. Disappointing! I really don't want to hit the market again. I made an assumption based on the Canon name and on the positive reviews of the earlier SX260.

[UnionStation]

Mock me if you want, RCJ, but Canon and all big companies pay attention to what's being said about their brand. If enough people complain and start returning their defective cameras and refusing to buy them, you'd better believe even a company as big as Canon will eventually bend. They're betting we'll all just grumble a bit and take whatever they give us. There's power in numbers. My hobby is taking pictures with a working camera, not complaining about defective products to a company that seems not to care. If I can help a fellow consumers thinking about buying or returning the sx280 avoid the frustration we're all experiencing, it's a worthy investment of time.

[completelocks]

here here

[completelocks]

reply to an email, I received the folowing this morning. This is from canon uk.....

Dear Mr. White,

Thank you for your reply.

We would like to inform you that there are no known issues regarding PowerShot SX280 HS. If there were any known issues, they would be announced in the important information under PowerShot SX280 HS on our Canon website.

[videophan]

If you use Camera Window (Canon software) to download images, the opening window gives battery capacity. I had the camera in M mode when I connected the camera via USB, I turned it on and opened Camera Window. This was the display:

I then turned the camera off, changed to movie mode, and turned the camera on with USB still connected. I opened Camera Window and this was displayed:

I guess all this indicates is that Camera Window displays battery capacity as reported by the battery level indicator but clearly the battery cannot have two widely disparate levels at the same time. Incidentally, I turned the camera off a third time, changed mode to auto and turned it back on. This time Camera Window again reported the battery capacity as full.

[mcasale16]

Videophan is the Camera Utilities accurate when it comes to firmware? The firmware on mine (sent back  to Canon for a fix and in transit being returned to me as I type) is Firmware: 1-14.0.1.0. I plan on checking the new firmware data when I receive the camera back. 

[mcasale16]

Here is the SX 280 firmware update USA-

https://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer?pageKeyCode=prdAdvDetail&docId=0901e024808f7d56

[filipb]

Yeeha!  Even before Jessica told us here!

Canon USA, UK and Europe has it, but not yet Belgium - will come through later I guess (translation needed?).

More info on the fix in the support page:

1. Increases the duration of movie shooting by 20% in cases where the optical zoom is used compared to cameras running Firmware Version 1.0.0.0 or Firmware Version 1.0.1.0 ...

2. Fixes a phenomenon with cameras running firmware version 1.0.0.0, in which the low battery level warning is prematurely displayed while shooting in movie mode.

I will try this tonight and report back!

Regards,

Filip.