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.

[bradmoss]

you have to connect the camera  to a computer using the USB cable, right click over the icon that represents it and look the properties of the camera. That's the way.

[dmw]

@bradmoss: OK I did that and it says Firmware version: 1-14.0.1.0

What does yours say?

[bradmoss]

Sorry, mine says that too but it is not the firmware version.

I used the Canon Utilities that came with the Camera CD, did you install them? The program is CameraWindow, there on top of the main window it says "Firmware Version: 1.0.2.0"

[dmw]

OK, camera window says 1.0.2.0. So no difference unless there are unshown variations. At the service centre, they told us that the version they would install is not on the web site, and this is 1.0.2.c. But maybe they were lying just to make us feel like this would be a solution (what doctors call the placebo effect). However, what I can say is that the original camera, out of the box (Nov-2013), came with 1.0.2, because when I tried to install the upgrade from the web site it said that I already had that version. And there is a big improvement after getting it back from the service centre. So maybe they do have this internal firmware variant that they are testing, with different voltage-sensor thresholds. Another possibility these thresholds only affect SOME SX280 cameras, which is why they have not put the firmware on their web site because it would not be suitable for all of them.

[UnionStation]

Am I the only one here baffled that people are trying so hard to make this camera work? Isn't that Canon's job?

Multiplying the LOL factor - some of the people working hardest here to try to figure this camera's problems out are the same ones who claimed the rest of us.were exaggerating.

The sx280 is so broken that not even Cannon can figure it out.

[peterdev]

Does anyone have any valid updates on how to solve the battery problem?

[glisten]

@peterdev,

No. There are no real fixes. My take on the problem is an underdesiged battery. The 1000mAh battery is just not enough for the camera. Too low a capacity means that the battery cannot maintain voltage under heavy load.

That explains the low voltage in heavy use mode (video). It also explains the overheating if you disable the voltage sensor by taping over the middle contact on the battery. The camera draws too much current.

Also, it explains why canon can't fix the problem. Battery capacity is mostly about size. Bigger capacity means bigger size. You simply cannot fit the required battery in the compartment. Canon would have to give you a bigger battery and a bigger compartment. The expense to retrofit the camera would be huge. The expense to give everyone a newer version with a bigger battery would also be very expensive.

Canon has made an engineering error with this camera. They have compounded the error on the business side by continuing to sell an unsuitable product.

When mine comes back from Canon repair, I will test the current draw on the battery. Will let you know my findings.

[loveAZ]

Not  a battery issue, this is totally incorrect - original battery does not drain despite what the indicator is showing.

This is a camera hardware issue and this is why there is no fix

[glisten]

@LoveAZ,

I see what you are saying. No question that the problem occurs with a fully charged brand new battery. In that sense it is not a battery problem. You are correct. The battery on its own is just fine.

My suggestion is that the battery supplied is of too low a capacity. Again, just a suggestion because I have not tested it yet. For instance if the camera draws 2000mA from a freshly charged battery, the voltage will drop below the nominal 3.7V. The sensor in the camera reads voltage. When the voltage drops below 3.7 the camera shows the battery low signal on screen.

If you immediately pull the battery out of the camera, it will still show full voltage. Indeed it is still fully charged. It is just that in video mode the camera draws too much current.

So yes. I could not agree with you more that the battery is not at fault. It is a perfectly good battery. It is just doesn't have the capacity needed. The analogy would be to put a Honda civic engine in a big truck. You might be able to drive slowly on the flat but you would never be able to go up a steep hill. The perfectly good small automobile engine is just not up to the task.

[peterdev]

Hi loveAZ and glisten

Thanks for very well described problem with the camera.

Question - if I only use it for still photography - will it work flawlessly?