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.

[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?

[UnionStation]

A lot of people here have disagreed with me, Peterdev, but I did not find the stills taken by the SX280 to be all that great. I found them to be grainy, too contrasty, and a little bit soft – even in perfect lighting situations. The shooting menus are not all that well laid out, and the software is all but useless. Then there's the GPS – a total battery drainer. You can do a lot better than this camera for the same price – and even get something to shoot video.

[glisten]

@Peterdev,

The pictures that I could take with my SX280 were nearly identical to my Canon 60D. Not sure if that means my 60D was overpriced or the SX280 punches above its weight. When the SX280 worked, I liked it. A lot. Loads of features. GPS, good zoom, big screen, easy to use.

Unfortunately, even in still mode, my camera would petulantly shut down after 2 seconds to 2 minutes on any given day. That was with a freshly charged Canon battery and a spare Canon battery as well. The problem was intermittent. About 2 of 3 days it would work perfectly. But about 1/3 of the time it had this problem. It was maddening as most intermittent problems are. Worse, the camera completely bricked about two weeks ago.

Bottom line, it was unreliable. It was like a beautiful car with loads of features that you could not rely on. If you turned the key you might go where you wanted to in great style or you might be stuck in your driveway.

I sent mine back without any real hope that Canon will be able to fix it. My anticipation is that it will be sent back with some non-diagnosis like, "Could not replicate the user's experience." At least I tried.

My recommendation is to avoid this particular camera. Other Canon cameras and other manufacturers are out there. I have no doubt you will find a camera that will serve you, just not the SX280.

[Davy]

I wonder how  the new SX700 will compare,  they've upgraded the battery folks by 60mA - big deal, a midgets whisker carries a bigger punch.

What I am definately against is being sent a refurbished unit when you send one in under warranty - 'I' want a NEW camera not one that belonged to someone else that has been 'doctered'.

Fairly and squarely Canon has lost the plot.... they didn't put the SX270/280 through their paces did they? Their QC, testers call them what you will, must have been asleep on the job.

Canon USA, Canon UK or Canon anywhere else is not to blame these folks are only doing as they are told to keep their jobs, it's the Canon HQ heirachy for allowing this to happen - what would you do if you  had worked for Canon? These folks start speaking out there will be no one at Canon.... they are a team and the whole team has been let down by their managers.

I can only think the reason being for such an astrocity is the SX270/280 being a rush job, to keep up with their competitors, because no company would knowingly realse a 'dodgy product' it's a gamble that failed, a gamble that will affect future sales.

Sorry I won't be rushing out to buy the SX700, I doubt many other folks would hang fire too, standby for 'dodgy reviews'.

Dave

[bradmoss]

What I can't definetly understand is this thread located at Canon's website??

Canon allows us to share our bad feelings about their product, we ask them for a solution, we conclude they have not one but they still have this thread as he more visited and posted into in all their website.

Can anybody understand why is this thread here??

[glisten]

Bradmoss,

Agree. It is interesting that they let this thread continue. I have no explanation for that.

[peterdev]

I appreciate the replies and interesting perspectives on this well worn and frustrating subject. I am going to go out this afternoon to take photos at a bird sanctuary along with a Canon SLR and some L lenses. I have just been sitting here thinking about all the Canon cameras I have bought for myself and my family - and the experiences I have had. I still have 4 Powershots for underwater photography, and 2 slrs - and at this stage I am not sure I can learn a new menu and camera operating system. I have seriously thought about buying one of the minimalist cameras that you operate with knobs and buttons, but so far have stuck with Canon because I know every detail of how to operate it.

I am also baffled as to why Canon has approached this problem in this way, and in my view you definitely cannot attribute it to the Japanese business culture. We did however see Toyota not address problems on a global scale that eventually they were forced to recall and resolve.

Big Brand companies going quiet when they have big problems is not unprecedented - google IMS Engine failure, or MR2 precat problem - and see how Porsche and Toyota denied/ignored design defects that cause catastrophic engine failures.....

I will get back on what my sx280 still pics look like later in the week.