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.

[smith]

ATTN: CANON!

YOU ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING INTO RESOLVING THE PREMATURE LOW BATTERY INDICATOR WHILE VIDEO RECORDING.  DOES THIS ISSUE RELATE TO POOR BATTERY PERFORMANCE OVERALL?  CAN WE EXPECT AN IMPROVEMENT IN BATTERY LIFE? 

[pawl]

Maybe the sx280 is simply not correctly calibrated for the lithium battery—though I'm not sure how that could wreak the kind of havoc we're all seeing with this fail.

[fmlisboajr]

For me is the samething, batery goes off while in video mode. in minutes battery draw. Do you find solution ?

[ruko]

Contact Canon. Their solution worked for me.

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@fmlisboajr wrote:

For me is the samething, batery goes off while in video mode. in minutes battery draw. Do you find solution ?

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[Sktr]

Imposible. Probably all Canon SX280 HS have this problem. I have 2 cameras ...  my friends have a new one, claimed cameras ... and still have the same problem.

Really. Send the camera back and get a new one is not the solution.

[ruko]

I did not say say, "Sending camera back is the solution" I said try their original solution which is a  firm ware update which worked successfully for me. It might not work for your camera but at least try it. I wonder how many of these cameras have been sold world wide? A million, 5 million.....?

"Really. Send the camera back and get a new one is not the solution."

[shalomalee]

The firmware update does not solve the problem of the battery flashing. You can still take video but it is quite annoying. And you must restart the camera to get the battery gauge back to normal. The firmware update does not fix this problem!!

[UnionStation]

Ruko, you don't even seem to understand what the problem is - let alone the solution. A flashing red light is a problem, regardless of how long the camera continues to shoot. If a user has no clue whether the camera will shut off in 10 seconds or 10 minutes, that is a BIG problem. Many, MANY people here have dutifully called Canon - only to get a rude brushoff - and applied the firmware fix, only to find that it makes the sx280's problems marginally easier to live with. The bottom line is that this is a camera known to have problems, and Canon has shown little willingness to admit or fix them. Best of luck to those who feel they can't live without this camera, but I advise anyone with the option to seriously consider spending your money on a camera that works better and a company that treats is customers better than Canon.

[ruko]

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@UnionStation wrote:

Ruko, you don't even seem to understand what the problem is - let alone the solution. A flashing red light is a problem, regardless of how long the camera continues to shoot. If a user has no clue whether the camera will shut off in 10 seconds or 10 minutes, that is a BIG problem. Many, MANY people here have dutifully called Canon - only to get a rude brushoff - and applied the firmware fix, only to find that it makes the sx280's problems marginally easier to live with. The bottom line is that this is a camera known to have problems, and Canon has shown little willingness to admit or fix them. Best of luck to those who feel they can't live without this camera, but I advise anyone with the option to seriously consider spending your money on a camera that works better and a company that treats is customers better than Canon.

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Hey UnionStation, You apparently didn't even read my last post. I said the firmware upgrade worked for me! My camera is working fine! I do not get the red battery light now! I do have a complaint.: Canon screwed up and should not have sent the camera out with the problems it has and should do a recall. This happens to the best of companies.

[UnionStation]

For anyone following this thread, very, very, very few people claim the firmware upgrade fixed the flashing light and battery life problem. Canon says it's fixed, but there are 70some pages here that prove otherwise. Buyer beware.