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.

[LSousa]

I think Canon doesn't fix that at all.

[utomo]

Why Canon did not fix this ? Maybe canon need recall the SX280 because of this mistake

is this a problem of the DIGIC 6 ? 
I hope new cameras with DIGIC 6 did not have this problems

[ruko]

---

@LSousa wrote:

I also bought mine last week on Canon.  Because the camera cames with 1.0.1 firmware i have made the update,  so i think is a camera built before the May update. So all the 280SX have this problem..... 

---

Did the update work?

[Sktr]

Really, It is impossible to firmware 1.0.2.0 help ...

[utomo]

Lets make this thread always on first page. 

so canon and other user can always see this issue

[UnionStation]

There's needless confusion here. Canon DOES monitor this thread - and has given its final answer: The sx280 is fixed to Canon's satisfaction. If you don't like the flashing red light, you're out of luck. Canon gives everyone who complains the same form email, asking you to send the camera back if you believe it isn't working as advertised. They'll return your camera in a week and tell you it's fine. I complained about this back in late April, and Canon told me then what you're hearing now: There is no problem, and if you don't like it, feel free to buy another camera. I bought TWO of these cameras and returned both of them in utter disgust at how Canon treated me as a customer. Canon wants your money, but not your opinions. 

[Davy]

So the SX260 has a better battery life shooting movies.... I thought they were the same camera apart from the processor, could this not be the clue?

Dave

[LSousa]

No it doesn't.... 

[ethanol]

I managed to get an early SX700. It arrived today (a few weeks before it is generally available I think).

Some photos of the unboxing

Quite a few sample images

After a full charge, I took the camera out for a spin today. Wanting to confirm whether the camera suffered from the same battery problems as the SX280. It was well suited to a family trip we had planned to Dreamworld.

I took around 200 photos and about 8 mins of videos. Battery is still showing as 2/3 full and initially had no red battery warnings when using video / zoom. Later in the day, the flashing red battery symbol started to flash, but I never had a shutdown from lack of battery and as mentioned its still showing as 2/3 full. Zoom at 30x (tiger, Koala,..) shows some usable results.

I also took a few videos - all at FHD 60p :

Rollercoaster

Dodgems

Tigers

Big Drop

Log Flume

Apart from a High speed video which bumps the framerate up to 240fps iit drops the resolution to 320x240 :

Slow Motion

[UnionStation]

In other words, Canon has produced another generation of camera that has a battery meter you can't trust. Flashing red light means "battery low" - not "battery still maybe 2/3 full but proceed at your own risk - maybe you'll get some shots, maybe you won't." We now have reports from 2/2 testers that suggest the meter in the sx700 is giving false low-battery warnings. Despite how great this camera (or the sx280) may be, what good is it if you don't know whether you'll be able to more pictures or just have the camera shut off and die when you need it most?