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]

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the sx280 is defective and unfixable, and that Canon could care less about helping anyone stuck with this sorry excuse for a camera. 

[Davy]

Righto, lets sort the chaff out on the SX280HS.

We all know the problems by now of the battery indicator on movies, lets put that aside.

What is the SX280HS like 'stills', are there anything better in this  price and catagory,  lets exclude DSLR's and EOS types.

Just that I was looking at the Panny TZ40 and Cameralabs give it one less on image quality than the SX280HS - whatever that means, would it be noticeable I ask?

The Panny TZ40 scores 88% whilst the Canon SX280 only scores 83% total, of course, this is for the touch screen and other 'goodies' .... I mean lets face it the GPS although better on the Panny doesn't help with the photo quality does it?

I'm lost so still holding off, maybe leave it for the next generation.

Now if I was hell bent on movies, surely I'd be wanting a 'camcorder'..... just like the news reporters on TV with a rucksack for the battery...lol.

But sure Canon are skimpying on batteries.... from the photos I noticed they were 700mA, think someone mentioned they were 1000mA/Hr type  many pages back,  Canon could have had a change of heart in increased the capacity though.

Under normal conditions a battery is charged 1/10th of it's capacity for 8 hours, so a 700mA cell would need 70mA for 8 hours.  If these are fully charged in 2 hours I think was mentioned they're drawing heck of a charge current. I agree there are some fast chargers but these reduced the number of times the battery can be recharged drastically.

Might as well mention this, it could be said they won't last long either if they  keep being rapidly discharged by drawing two or three timse it's rated current capacity, which raisies the question of current consumption in the camera.

The clue to the power consumption is the battery runs warm in operation...  my A650 uses 4 x  AA batteries, I normally use Duracell  they do last ages but they too get warm after a lengthy photo session.

One thing to remember  with any camera the screen backlight takes a fair share of power and is always ON at 'power up'.

Dave

[dswansonil]

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@Davy wrote:

Now if I was hell bent on movies, surely I'd be wanting a 'camcorder'..... just like the news reporters on TV with a rucksack for the battery...lol.

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I guess I'm one of those people who are "hell bent on movies" but who doesn't want to carry a rucksack with multiple cameras in it.  I'm spoiled by my ancient Canon S5 IS which like your A650 uses 4 AA batteries that last and last.  I want what the SX280 supposedly offers as a travel zoom; a combination of good still pictures and video with enough battery life included to get a day's worth of stills or an hour or so of HD video. 

I want to use the camera for travel where I might take a mix that is heavier on stills than video and I want to take it to a sports event where the mix is the opposite.  In neither case do I want to have to stop and dig into a rucksack to swap cameras to get a fleeting shot.   I'd rather carry extra batteries if the battery monitor would reliably indicate when I needed to change them and each carried enough juice to last 45 to 60 minutes. 

Canon's announcement of the SX280 (and the SX270 which isn't available in the US as far as I know) states that they are " the ideal travel companions for recording everything from panoramic landscapes to family holidays, in stunning detail and Full HD 60p video".  There's no footnote that says "as long as you don't mind charging or changing the battery after every 15-20 minutes of video" and then a footnote to that saying "unless you avoid using the zoom function during video operation".

To me, it's akin to an automaker advertising an SUV loaded with performance and comfort features and omiting the fact that you'll need to stop every 50 miles for gas because their EPA mileage number was determined by driving the vehicle with all the features disabled and going downhill.

 

[pawl]

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@dswansonil wrote:

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To me, it's akin to an automaker advertising an SUV loaded with performance and comfort features and omiting the fact that you'll need to stop every 50 miles for gas because their EPA mileage number was determined by driving the vehicle with all the features disabled and going downhill.

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Perfect analogy!

[RCJ]

C'mon. Camera ads are always hype. Not just camera ads, all electronic ads. Have you seen listed battery times for smart phones, then actually used one? Divide by two or three for actual time.

You have to use some common sense. Someone promises HD video, look at the battery size and rating and do the math. Batteries are the limiting factor in all current electronic gizmos. 

[tomino]

Hi dswansonil,

your comment is the best hitting the point.
I live in Germany and have been following that lengthy poor-battery-life issue with that model since I set my sights on it before being marketed. I read consumers' comments and reviews on quite a few sites including that on Cameralabs.

To me as an avid photographer and Canon cams user there is no other way out but Canon admitting marketing a real crap and making up for this. That would be the only smart solution for Canon to re-gain some reputation. Charging 260 bucks or 290 EUR here on this side of the woods in Europe for this camera is a crime. Folks should all return it with no remorses!
But sadly there is too few who are strict on spending their hard earned money. Even for 100 USD or 100 EUR this model is overpriced!

[dswansonil]

scupking:  Did you receive your ZS30 and test it out?

[scupking]

 Dswansonil,

No I haven't since its still backordered. I actually canceled my order of the ZS30 and ordered a ZS19. I should have it by Monday.

[scupking]

Just got the pany zs19 today. So far love the camera. I have taken over 100 pics and some 1080p videos and battery is still full. Also the layout of the controls are much better then 280. The mode control is on top, no stupid pop up flash, a touch screen and it has a nice rubber section to hold onto. Another thing is the speed. I have never had a point and shoot take pictures as fast as this. The flash is also very good for a point and shoot. It has HDR and more custom options. I bought it refurbished for only 154. I haven't loaded the pics onto the computer yet but I was able to get some great pics of the moon at 20x and then 30x digital. The one thing the sx 280 had going for it was it was good at higher iOS settings. That was the only thing it had that was good. The zs19 reminds me of the old Canon A series that I liked. The zs19 does not have GPS but I never wanted a GPS in my cameras. So far the zs19 is a great 20x zoom point and shoot. Brand new its the same price as the sx280 and I would say even though its not as good as the 280 when the iso goes up it is still a much better camera overall. No more flashing batter and at this point with 2 batteries I should be able to take as many pics and videos as I would like in a day without an issue. So if you don't need a GPS in your camera this would be the one to get that is at the same price point as the sx280.

[dswansonil]

Thanks scupking.  Good review.  I'll take it as a vote for the ZS30 as I'd rather consider the latest model unless, like the 280, it has a serious flaw.  The ZS30 has a higher battery life rating than the ZS19 and some other minor improvements.  It also adds GPS and WIFI but I also have no interest in either.