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.

[Sktr]

If we send the camera back, we get a new one. But, with the same problem. This is not a solution 😕

Problem is SX280 HS series and Firmware.

[dmw]

An update. We took our SX280 HS to the Canon Hong Kong customer centre today. They said they would upgrade the firmware and send it back to us. We said "but we already have the latest firmware, 1.0.2" and they said no, there is a 1.0.2c firmware, which is different. They could not explain why this latest firmware is not (yet) on their web site, but assured us that this is different. My guess is that this tweeks the threshold parameters for the voltage meter so that it doesn't give false low-battery warnings during high load. When we get the camera back, I will report back to the forum on whether this fixes the problem.

[Bluestar48]

Good luck, you have faith. For me to believe anything what  they say about this camera is kind of believing the sun has just frozen.

[Davy]

We'll see...  but I doubt it.

 How strange and a new firmware update not yet released, and not a new  firmware number, now that will cause confusion,  no doubt you'll certainly be back with the good news.

So folks you want it fixed take a trip to Hong Kong,  sounds fishy to me, damage limitation perhaps?

Davy

[bradmoss]

Looking forward for your report!! Hope it works!!
If it does work, surely we could find a way of sharing that firmware??

Thanks !!

[UnionStation]

1.0.2c?!?!?!?

LOL. Canon says there's no problem, but they've already gone through an A, B and C version of firmware without acknowledging our consistent complaints that something's still wrong with this camera.

[jomjo]

Don't get me wrong. For photography, it's an excellent camera. Superb, even.

I tried the sx160 before and I was shocked by the lack of quality. So many digital artefacts that working with images at 100% was very difficult.

The sx270 and sx280 are splendid. No camera matches up to them, in the same segment, in today’s offer from Canon.

If it wasn't for this huge bug, I would still have kept my sx270. However, if it has a video shooting mode, and I paid for it, it should work when needed.

I have the feeling Canon cameras in general are underpowered. It's their week department.

My main concern was the way Canon dealt with this problem: first, denying it, then pretending to fix it. Consumers are cattle, obviously, but cattle have feelings.

Yes, the tape over de middle contact works – remove the tape when charging, for security reasons (overheating, mainly, and for the charger to know when it’s full) – but if the battery runs out in the middle of a video, this one won’t be readable.

[dswansonil]

People still trying to make a silk purse out of a pig's ear.

[Gizbeat]

I have recently received the sx270hs. My sole purpose for the camera is shooting video. It was 2nd hand and in great shape. I got 17min 1080p30 and 13min 1080p 60 with a lot of zooming. Battery warning came on about 1 minute before it would shut itself off. Turning it back on would show a full battery, but any attempt to shoot more video would shut it down.

The seller has graciously offered to accept it back, but I am wondering what people's opinions are on my shooting times. Is this within spec?

Should I give the update a go? It seems that for some people it has done more harm than good.

Thanks for the replies. Regards.

[Mylze]

Gizbeat - after downloading the update, it was my experience that the video zooming time performed much worse (with my old class 10 memory card). before performing the download, when zooming video, with a fully charged battery, the red blinking battery icon would come on about 30 seconds after first using the video zoom but it rarely shut off the camera until the battery was about half used; after doing the download update, the blinking red battery icon would come on about 15 seconds after first using the video zoom and then almost always shut down the camera about 20 or so seconds later. in my particular case, i wish that i had never performed the update. but, of course, you could have a better outcome...Mylze