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.

[Davy]

rft_cannon.

Re-USB connector.

Wonder what you meant by USB port broken.  As you probably know, SMD technology calls for different soldering techniques, usually  the skimpiest amount of solder is used.

What usually happens is,  with all the pushing and pulling the soldered USB socket comes away and a refix normally solves the problem.... but some can  get  physically damaged or even pull the copper tracking ( the circuit conductors) away from the 'printed circuit board',  very rarely this happens though.

Something similar hapened to the USB connector on a high end Pro amplifier.... all what was required here was to level the old solder off so the connector laid flat,  using solder paste and holding the connector firmly down give it a blast off hot air from a SMD soldering unit until the solder melted - job done.

It happens quite a lot with DC jack plugs because the solder is only a soft metal and soon fractures with any repetitive tension or stress such as pulling and pushing.

Thought I'd get back to you on this.... all may not be as bad as one thinks.

Dave

[tomino]

Hi dswansonil,

your comment is the best hitting the point.
I live in Germany and have been following that lengthy poor-battery-life issue with that model since I set my sights on it before being marketed. I read consumers' comments and reviews on quite a few sites including that on Cameralabs.

To me as an avid photographer and Canon cams user there is no other way out but Canon admitting marketing a real crap and making up for this. That would be the only smart solution for Canon to re-gain some reputation. Charging 260 bucks or 290 EUR here on this side of the woods in Europe for this camera is a crime. Folks should all return it with no remorses!
But sadly there is too few who are strict on spending their hard earned money. Even for 100 USD or 100 EUR this model is overpriced!

[dswansonil]

scupking:  Did you receive your ZS30 and test it out?

[rft_canon]

Well, thanks to this forum and Canon's seemingly "it's your problem, not ours" handling of the battery issue, I ended up getting a Nikon Coolpix S9500. I considered the Panasonc Lumix ZS25 but didn't like the feel of it in my large hands. All 3 of these camera fall into the same general category and are very similar. I just hope the Nikon doesn't end up having battery issues such as the Canon's. Selecting cameras are simply weighing in a the trade-offs -- Canon Lost.

I still look forward to the Canon EOS 70D as a replacement for my 40D, but I will probably give it some soak time once it comes out to see what kind of issues Canon has with that camera ... whenever it is released.

[scupking]

 Dswansonil,

No I haven't since its still backordered. I actually canceled my order of the ZS30 and ordered a ZS19. I should have it by Monday.

[scupking]

Just got the pany zs19 today. So far love the camera. I have taken over 100 pics and some 1080p videos and battery is still full. Also the layout of the controls are much better then 280. The mode control is on top, no stupid pop up flash, a touch screen and it has a nice rubber section to hold onto. Another thing is the speed. I have never had a point and shoot take pictures as fast as this. The flash is also very good for a point and shoot. It has HDR and more custom options. I bought it refurbished for only 154. I haven't loaded the pics onto the computer yet but I was able to get some great pics of the moon at 20x and then 30x digital. The one thing the sx 280 had going for it was it was good at higher iOS settings. That was the only thing it had that was good. The zs19 reminds me of the old Canon A series that I liked. The zs19 does not have GPS but I never wanted a GPS in my cameras. So far the zs19 is a great 20x zoom point and shoot. Brand new its the same price as the sx280 and I would say even though its not as good as the 280 when the iso goes up it is still a much better camera overall. No more flashing batter and at this point with 2 batteries I should be able to take as many pics and videos as I would like in a day without an issue. So if you don't need a GPS in your camera this would be the one to get that is at the same price point as the sx280.

[dswansonil]

Thanks scupking.  Good review.  I'll take it as a vote for the ZS30 as I'd rather consider the latest model unless, like the 280, it has a serious flaw.  The ZS30 has a higher battery life rating than the ZS19 and some other minor improvements.  It also adds GPS and WIFI but I also have no interest in either. 

[scupking]

Dswansonil,

Let me know how you like the ZS30 when you get it. One other thing I liked about the zs19 is wasabi has an external power plug and 2 1200mah batteries for only $26. That way I don't have to use the camera to charge the battery. What would make the pany perfect is if they stayed around 12MP. Other then that they are great!

[pawl]

Wow, you both quickly forgot the neg review of the Panasonic, a couple of pages back:

Videophan: Ok, when you zoom in completely, the TZ40  has difficulty to focus indoor.  It will take pictures which are out of focus. If I use the iA mode, chance of good focus is better but still it struggles at the maximum zoom.  I tried P and A mode, it was really bad, there were more out of focus shots that I have ever seen and the aperture with A mode was set to the widest. It will nail focus when you zoom out using wide angle but when you zoom in to the telephoto end, it is terrible.  Also, I find that quite stupid that you have to charge the battery in camera.  So if you have 2 batteries all charged, when one is flat and you want to charge it while using your camera with the second one, you can’t do it. So I have returned it today, no regrets.

I'm considering getting it, like you both, but I'm not thinking it'll be the perfect camera.

[scupking]

Pawl,

I read the review a few pages back before I bought the camera. I have also read lots of reviews and video reviews on the zs20 (same as the zs19 but with GPS) and ZS30. I have no issues with the auto focus on my ZS19 at full 20x or even at 40x digital. I took many great pictures of the moon last night with not one being out of focus... Also the video performance is much better then the sx280.