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.

[myasg]

Sorry guys and gals. The Canon took great pics. No doubt a out it. But the Sony DSC WX300 does just as good an imaging job with a much better battery life at the same price. I have always been a major Canon fan and loved their products and customer service. This is just an unfortunate situation and in the future I will still look at Canon.

[UnionStation]

Actually, this is tailor-made for a class-action suit. And if my "ranting" is bothering you, please forgive me. I want to get the message out that this camera is terrible and that there's no ETA on a fix for a design flaw that Canon acknowledged two weeks ago (and denied weeks before that - and is currently denying now in the U.K., from what davy is reporting). Personally, RCJ, I don't believe you are stuck past a return window. There's a documented flaw with this camera, and reputable retailers will likely work with you to keep your business. Mine did, no questions asked. I got my money back on my first camera, and will be returning the second shortly. And please keep in mind that Canon has clearly been monitoring this forum because this is where they've responded to tell us that they're working on the problem. If you want to go ahead and give Canon a pass on this, feel free. But there are a lot of us here that want Canon to know that we feel burned and want answers.

[RCJ]

Union, if I was giving Canon a "pass" on anything, I wouldn't be wasting my time here. And yes, I could probably persuade B&H to give me my money back. But the fact is I bought the camera primarily to take stills (anyone buying it primarily to take video was bound to be disappointed and should buy a video camera, which would do the job better and for less), which it continues to do without any problem, so I probably will wait for Canon to fix it. I'm tempted to return it anyway, just for the benefit of getting one for a substantially lower price, and hopefully solution to the problem, later on. 

[RCJ]

Myasg: Thanks for posting that. Looks like a nice camera. Two questions: How wide is the wide end of the zoom on that, and how's the image stabilization compared to the Canon? Any noticeable difference?

Oh, also: Battery life?

[pawl]

I think you're right on most of your points, US, though I still think our plaints won't make them work any faster on a fix. I do not understand why Canon (and other major manufacturers, like Apple) seem to handle these things so poorly—though I'm not sure if it would simply further aggrivate me to hear the rep repeat on this forum "we are working on a fix."

@UnionStation wrote:

Actually, this is tailor-made for a class-action suit. And if my "ranting" is bothering you, please forgive me. I want to get the message out that this camera is terrible and that there's no ETA on a fix for a design flaw that Canon acknowledged two weeks ago (and denied weeks before that - and is currently denying now in the U.K., from what davy is reporting). Personally, RCJ, I don't believe you are stuck past a return window. There's a documented flaw with this camera, and reputable retailers will likely work with you to keep your business. Mine did, no questions asked. I got my money back on my first camera, and will be returning the second shortly. And please keep in mind that Canon has clearly been monitoring this forum because this is where they've responded to tell us that they're working on the problem. If you want to go ahead and give Canon a pass on this, feel free. But there are a lot of us here that want Canon to know that we feel burned and want answers.

---

[UnionStation]

B&H gave me a full refund - and couldn't have been nicer, even though I was outside their return window. I, too, bought this camera mostly for stills, and for me, the sx280 looked fantastic on paper but was a practical disappointment on many levels. I purchased 2, and found them to be identical. But for me, the big shocker was Canon's terrible customer service. I got a Nikon as a replacement and am quite happy. I'm just hanging around here to see how long Canon drags this out, and how little regard it shows loyal customers. Most people won't wade through 27 pages of this forum, true enough, but if they see nothing else, I hope they see that Canon is keeping anyone who bought this camera slowly twisting in the wind, waiting for word on when there might be a fix.

[myasg]

Battery life is 400 + pictures and about 80-90 video. Look at the specs on B&H and Best Buy. Also 1080p and pics within video. Please let me know what you think after looking at specs. I love it. I returned the Canon and Nikon 9500 and the Sony is a great little camera. Also 20x zoom.

[pawl]

Well, you've convinced me, US, to check with B&H about returning and upgrading to the ZX30 (which they have in stock now, or did last week).

[RCJ]

Thanks myasg. I'll check it out. I'm also thinking about returning to BH if I can find an alternative I like. Requirements for me are a wide-end wing angle (24 or 25mm equivalent), good low-light performance, good stabilizer. Other stuff like true HD video and wifi a plus but not required.

[UnionStation]

I called B&H customer service number and told the rep there was a known flaw that Canon had acknowledged with no ETA on a fix. I said I knew it wasn't B&H's problem but asked if there was any way they'd take back the lemon that I bought in good faith - even though it was outside their return window. Minutes later, I had a return shipping label in hand, and two weeks later, the money was refunded to my card. I can't tell you how much I respect B&H for that simple gesture.