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.

[completelocks]

or maybe they just dont give a flying crap, as there are a few of us, and millions of paying customers who have working ones

[videophan]

filipb...This could explain many issues:

1. Two people I note, RCJ and the poster who took graduation pictures saw a "significant" improvement with firmware 1.0.2.0 whereas I did not as well as MANY others who posted. The two may have had firmware 1.0.0.0 so the update improved their issues at least to the level I was experiencing which was still not satisfactory to me since I already had firmware 1.0.1.0 as many posters confirmed with their cameras prior to the firmware update release.

2. If I had read the release notes for 1.0.2.0 CAREFULLY, I would not have anitcipated any change as to when the low battery indicator appeared, only longer video time when zooming. What, in fact, I saw was that the firmware update did something more than Canon seems to claim. Before the update, after using the camera for a relatively short period of time, switching the mode from still to movie mode, the battery would go from full to low battery indication. This occurred before movie capture was ever initiated. After the update, this occured much, much later. In fact, I started a movie with the battery indicating full in movie mode, zoomed once and the flashing red low battery icon started, zoomed a second time with the camera shutting down and "recharge the battery" indicator. To me it seems 20% more movie capture where optical zoom is used has been achieved by changing the level that is deemed critical to initiate the low battery level and has made using the battery indicator even more difficult.

3. It could also explain why some of the early posters who sent their camera in got it returned stating there was nothing wrong with the camera. They already had version 1.0.1.0 and that is all Canon had to offer at the time. Why the Canon CS rep couldn't have asked them for their seiral number to determine which firmware version they had, a priori, before returning the camera for "repair" is baffling. I know CS never asked me my serial number and I spoke with at least three different reps.

Another "gripe" I have about Canon  USA is that there is no changelog/release notes offered at their site for firmware 1.0.2.0. I had to go to the Canon UK site to find the information. I have never seen firmware updates released with other products I own that do not have release notes so that you can decide whether you really need to update or not.

[filipb]

videophan, it is on the USA site, but not immediately visible when downloading indeed - it is a product advisory, but how to navigate to it easily, I don't know:

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

[filipb]

Ha, I am unpacking the firmware update zip and the actual binary is dated May 17!

Why the long delay in publishing?

[filipb]

Oops, when trying to update via Camera Window, it complains about a missing information file (*.xml), though it is only asking for .fi2!

Anyone tried via this way?  I would rather avoid formatting my card ...

[filipb]

Ok, firmware update also works without formatting the card ...

[pjiracek]

How did you manage that? I get the error about the missing xml file

[LSousa]

I don't understand....

[videophan]

On the Canon USA site, this is the way I would assume an SX280 customer would check for updates:

Go to http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_sx280_hs#DriversAndSof...

click  Drivers and software; select OS;  click firmware. In the compressed file you download, there is the firmware update, instructions for updating in several languages and that is it. How hard would it be to include a text file with release notes/changelog? ... or at least explain what it does on the page prior to download.

I tried to find the page you linked to on my own and was unsuccessful until I entered Product Advisory in a search window. How would Canon expect me to know that, a priori? If you hadn't sent me to a page titled Product Advisory, I would have been clueless searching on my own.

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@filipb wrote:

videophan, it is on the USA site, but not immediately visible when downloading indeed - it is a product advisory, but how to navigate to it easily, I don't know:

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

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[completelocks]

well... its been interesting reading. But I am gonna turn email notifications off now.

I sent mine back. I dont believe you should have to either search for a bigger battery, or spend ages chasing a company down for a fix when they dont even acknowledge there is an issue.

I realised there was a problem, they denied it, then released a firmware up date, it failed, I sent it back, they lost a sale and a loyal canon buyer (£1500 in the last 3 years)

Guys, your posts have been invaluable. And i hope you get the issue sorted, or get a camera you're happy with.

Cheers 🙂