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.

[flyingski]

Panasonic ZS-30

[ruko]

Sony ZS-30. Very interesting. My next camera. Shame shame shame on you Canon !!

[UnionStation]

Ruko was one of the few people in this thread who believed Canon's fix even came close to working. It appears he's now joined the multitude of us who feel completely burned by Canon and this lemon of a camera. If you got this camera for Christmas, my advice is to RETURN IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!! Canon won't even acknowledge there's a problem - so don't bet your money on a fix that will probably never come.

[dswansonil]

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@ruko wrote:

Sony ZS-30. Very interesting. My next camera. Shame shame shame on you Canon !!

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If you've got the money and are interested in low light video like indoor basketball, look at the Panasonic FZ200.  The fixed length 2.8 lens is worth the money.

[ruko]

Yes I believed in Canon because Canon has been very good to me in the past. In fact the firmware download did work initially, but after about a month of intermittent battery charging, wife takes hundreds of pics, the camera now shows low battery all the time during video. It also now will not turn on unless the button is pushed several times and sometimes she has to remove/install the battery to get it to come on. Also a slight jar will turn off the camera. Canon really should do something about their lemon..

[nattypattyo]

After extensive research, I purchased the SX 280 camera for my honeymoon to Jamaica. I was completely aware of the battery issues, but purchased the camera anyways for all of its other features. Unfortunately, the battery glitched on several occasions when timing was crutial for taking a picture/video on the honeymoon. I fumbled with taking the battery and memory card out of the camera and trying to reset it, only to miss my opportunity for capturing the shot. There were other times when the camera would shut off randomly even though the battery was 100% charged. These experiences were so frustrating that I've decided to return the camera.

I would like to buy a camera that matches in picture quality for a similar price. I know several people recommended the Panasonic ZS30, but I read that the picture quality wasn't nearly as good. Has anyone returned their SX280 and found a camera that compares on picture quality for a similar price?

[flyingski]

The ZS-30's video isn't as good as Canon,IMHO, but you can make a few tweaks in post production to make it entirely acceptable.  The ZS-30 tends to over-expose but that can be corrected if you abandon the full auto function.  The footage it produces for a blu-ray looks great on HD TV and I promise it looks much better than the footage you didn't get with the SX-280.  If you want great Canon video buy a SX-260 if you can find one or perhaps a used DSLR like the T2i.

[UnionStation]

Anyone thinking about buying or keeping an SX280, PLEASE learn from nattypattyo's experience - this camera is unfixable. Despite the great features you think it has, the whole "not working when you need it" thing tends to be a bit of a drawback.

[bkoldys]

The SX260 HS is really close to the 280, got an almost brand new one on ebay for 150

[nattypattyo]

UnionStation, I can tell you're incredibly upset about purchasing the camera. I didn't mean to further upset you with my post, but hopefully you found some solace in your rant against me.

Flyingski, thank you for the information about the ZS-30 and the SX260. Both of these seem like good options.