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.

[eazycanon]

I've been waiting for an update before buying the sx280. I've been watching Gordon Laing's google+ account and he recently posted the item below. Maybe I'm just a  born again skeptic but a return to the manufacturer sounds like a component(s) replacement rather than a good old firmware upgrade!. I hope Gordon updates this soon.

https://plus.google.com/103519655975029093996/posts/NkuewnzCRKV#103519655975029093996/posts/NkuewnzC...

[Davy]

Think it's been mentioned that Canon Uk does not know of the problem..... they ought to do, they should make it their business to find out if they don't, Canon EU knows about it for sure?

I sent Canon UK an inquiry which they passed to Canon EU... fobbing me off telling me it had a one year warranty etc, I provide several links and they still don't know geesh...... what do they use for brains?

I even suggested them getting off their backsides, getting a SX270/280 and finding out for theirselves!

Canon needs to come clean on this and not just on forums,  used and refurbished units are mounting as many people are returning them and they haven't been out a month, what use is that? Canon must think we are all suckers and will put up with it - how come the camera wasn't fully tested before release, what went wrong?

Canon had better get their fingers out because they are getting rather a lot of people annoyed..... a pea-brained person would say this is not good for business, at this rate they will never buy a Canon product again.

C'mon Canon take it on the chin or lose customers.

Anyone noticed the zoom noise from the motor when zooming, is this good, bad or indifferent?

[UnionStation]

Even if this problem can be fixed with a firmware update, other posters have noted there's no obvious documentation in the manual and nothing in the menu that shows this camera can be updated by the user. It's not inconceivable that every camera with this problem might have to be returned to Canon for a fix. How long do you think that would that take? Weeks? Months? Care to comment Canon? Your silence speaks volumes about how little you care about customers.

[RCJ]

The software that comes with the camera has an obvious firmware upgrade path. Discussed earlier on this thread.

[UnionStation]

There's no guarantee the software can install this firmware. Everyone who's gotten action from Canon to date has been asked to return the camera for repair - with a week or two turnaround time. The fact remains that Canon has yet to answer us with anything other than a weekly "we're workin' on it" message in this forum. And that's only for users in the U.S. Users in the U.K. aren't even getting Canon to admit there's a problem. Anyone who's thinking about buying this camera should learn from our experience, and anyone thinking about returning theirs should realize that we seem to be a lot more interested in solving this problem than Canon seems to be.

[RCJ]

Didn't say there was, and I share all the frustrations I was simply responding to your suggestion that there was no way to do firmware updates, in general, in the camera, when clearly there is. It's also quite possible that Canon has developed some sort of temporary patch that will make the camera work, but don't want to put it out for mass distribution until it's been fully tested.

[UnionStation]

All we know for sure is that this camera has a serious flaw, and that Canon has done precious little to address our frustration. Whether Canon solves the problem today, or never solves it, it's my opinion that Canon has done damage to its brand. I think we all should keep pestering Canon - or just return the cameras - to deliver the loud, clear, united message that we don't appreciate being taken for granted as customers and that we can/will go elsewhere if they release a substandard product and then go radio silent for days (or deny there's a problem, as they're apparently doing in the U.K.). Forgive me if I'm being repetitive, but for those thinking about buying this camera right now, is it really worth the hassle?

[pawl]

UnionStation,

It may be worth your while to feel better simply for sake,of your venting, but I can assure you that "pestering" does zip towards getting Canon to fix this. Canon would have to be the lamest company around to not be working on solving an issue that will (already has) bite into their profits. And Canon is not the lamest company around, they are and have been right up at the top of the heap for consumer electronics. Mistakes? Sure, they make em. Piss of some consumers while making these mistakes? Evidently. But really, can anyone here think that Canon, with the already thousands of posts on this thread, will work any faster from any ongoing nagging? No.

[UnionStation]

I respectfully disagree, pawl. If nothing else, we're doing fellow consumers a favor by alerting them to the ongoing nature of this problem and the uncertainty of a solution. And I sincerely hope this mistake is eating into Canon's profits. We can agree to disagree on this, but I don't think that quietly waiting for a fix and assuming that Canon cares is a good strategy. My investment of $350 gives me the absolute right to raise hell for a substandard product. I tried to deal with Canon, and they dismissed me. From then on, I decided to make my complaints publicly and frequently. I firmly believe that every customer who vents, every customer who returns this lemon of a camera and every customer who refuses to buy one votes in favor of better customer service.

[RCJ]

They have the message, and any consumer who buys one today in spite of 25 pages of posts on here won't be dissuaded by a 26th. Being stuck past a return window, I'm not happy about it, either. But I'm also realistic enough to know that more ranting about whether a major global corporation "cares" about me personlly (hint: No, they don't) is going to make a difference. Maybe you should sue them in small claims court to get your money back.