7D Heat Warning

[Rakesh Jacob]

I think everyone should just... cancel thier orders and wait it out. If it's allready shipped just refuse to accept delivery when it get's to you. Just PM me who your order was with... so... I can... keep track, just as a public service

 

[mhood]

Yea! If there were manual controls, we could come out of LV...even turn the camera off for a minute...let it cool down and get our settings back...no problem. ;-)

 

[plasmasmp]

I've shot several 8GB cards over the past 2 days, long takes even in the heat. No overheating yet.

 

[Barry_Green]

Because comments from people with pre production models are filtered by Canon.

I have never had any comments filtered out by anyone on any preproduction model I've tested.

However, any time I've found a problem, I have reported it directly to the manufacturer because it would be quite unfair to them to go reporting bugs in a preproduction model.

So I very, very much doubt that Canon is stifling any negative commentary, it's just that the folks that had preproduction models, if they reported the issue to Canon and Canon said "we'll look into it", then those folks would rightly and properly refrain from saying "watch out for overheating".

 

[Lucian]

I have never had any comments filtered out by anyone on any preproduction model I've tested.

However, any time I've found a problem, I have reported it directly to the manufacturer because it would be quite unfair to them to go reporting bugs in a preproduction model.

So I very, very much doubt that Canon is stifling any negative commentary, it's just that the folks that had preproduction models, if they reported the issue to Canon and Canon said "we'll look into it", then those folks would rightly and properly refrain from saying "watch out for overheating".

Well according to one of the members at dvinfo who had a test model, he said he had to submit all footage to canon before posting it.That's filtering right there. Not to mention that negative feedback will likely take any test pilot out of the loop.

And as you say yourself, you're averse to posting negative findings.

 

[Barry_Green]

Keep your opinion of the D300s OUT OF THE 7D THREADS.

We are tired of the cross-pollution, yes. Discuss the 7D in the 7D threads, the D300s in the Nikon threads, etc.

 

[Taylor Rudd]

Not to mention that negative feedback will likely take any test pilot out of the loop.

Simply untrue. Beta testing exists for feedback, especially critical/constructive (read: negative) feedback. Canon isn't going to whack someone because they didn't scratch Canon's back. Negative PUBLIC feedback may get someone canned, but that's why it is a preproduction model. Put it through the paces to make a better camera for us civilians.

There is no censoring going on. Quality control, maybe, but not censoring.

 

[kalieaire]

i wouldn't worry too much. if it is a widespread problem, Canon usually takes care of the issue. If not, just send it in for an RMA or to the Canon repair depot and they should take care of everything.

 

[Barry_Green]

Well according to one of the members at dvinfo who had a test model, he said he had to submit all footage to canon before posting it.

I would never post footage from a preproduction model without the manufacturer's approval. It's a preproduction model, and any results may or may not be representative of the finished product. I think any and every beta tester understands that.

I have, many times, been granted the A-OK to go ahead and post footage from a preproduction unit, but every time I have done so, I've also clearly labeled it as "preproduction footage".

That's filtering right there. Not to mention that negative feedback will likely take any test pilot out of the loop.

Well, if what someone says gets 'em taken out of the loop, and what they said is true and carries through to the production model, then that reflects poorly on the company. But if a tester makes some negative pronouncement on a preproduction product, and it refers to issues that are solved in the production unit, then that tester has unnecessarily harmed the manufacturer and the product's success in the marketplace. They should indeed be taken out of the loop (and slapped).

I just don't think anyone with any manner of standing or reputation would do something like making negative observations on a preproduction unit, that might be solved on a production unit. It's not that the manufacturers forbid us, or demand approval, it's that anyone with a brain in their head would keep negative commentary about a preproduction unit to a minimum with the understanding that such situations as they discovered may very well be fixed before the product goes into production.

I've done pre-pro and product testing/evaluation/reviews for DSC, Canopus, Serious Magic/Adobe, Panasonic, 16x9, Focus, CoverLens, all sorts of companies, and I know guys like David S. and Ned Soltz and C.R. Caillouet and Barry Braverman and others who do this sort of thing all the time, and I can't think of a single time any of them has ever told me that they were "prevented" from saying anything (unless, of course, under a nondisclosure agreement.) But frequently yes, we're told not to publish footage from preproduction units, unless it's really, really close to production.

 

[Barry_Green]

i wouldn't worry too much. if it is a widespread problem, Canon usually takes care of the issue. If not, just send it in for an RMA or to the Canon repair depot and they should take care of everything.

Frankly I wouldn't expect any repairs to apply in general, because they've already called attention to the issue in the manual. It's an acknowledged limitation -- if you record too long, the unit can overheat, the video quality can degrade, and the unit can even stop recording on its own if it gets too hot. When something like that is spelled out in the manual, it means they're fully aware of it and they are not going to "fix" it, it's just part and parcel of how that particular product works.

 

[Lucian]

I'm actually on the side of Canon, if I was a shareholder and knew Canon had invested hundreds of millions in a new product, especially a potential game changing product like the 7d, I'd control publicity like a third world dictator. Just look at this thread, it's just kindling, but could potentially erupt in to a conflagration. Personally, I don't think there's anything to it, but I'll have my 7d tomorrow and will test and see for myself.

Btw, there's a heat wave in LA right now, hmmmmm wonder if the 7d is connected somehow...

 

[Barry_Green]

I haven't done any testing of Canon prerelease products, but I sincerely doubt they "control publicity" beyond a gentlemanly "if you find any problems, please report them to us directly so that we can have a chance to fix them before the product's released." Maybe Philip or someone else who's beta-tested for them could answer further, but ... I doubt they're "controlling" anything.

I understand your point and I think that testers all pretty much understand that yes, there's a massive investment at stake and they're trusting us, and it's our job to be worthy of that trust while still presenting an informed and honest assessment of the product. So good news can be shared, bad news (on preproduction) goes to the manufacturer. If the manufacturer fixes it, then the bad news need never come out. If the manufacturer doesn't fix it, then the bad news comes out as soon as the issue is detected in the production unit.

 

[kalieaire]

Another note regarding that. CMOS cameras are known to produce more noise the longer they're on and thus more heat.

Those familiar with astrophotography already cool their cameras down with Peltiers and other similar devices - either that or employ Canon's long exposure reduction method which basically takes "black frames" and subtract them from the original exposure.

Unfortunately, this sort of noise reduction isn't feasible in video.

It would be nice if there were some way to connect a heatpipe to a camera and utilize my tripod or stabilizer as a heatsink, but there's no "PR" friendly method to do so.

 

[patssle]

Well, I was thinking of getting the 7d, but this is a huge flaw. It needs to be addressed ASAP by Canon. Did the 5dmk2 ever have this problem?

 

[Michael Olsen]

Note: I hold no responsibility for any damage to your cameras should you decide to use coldpacks on them. None at all. Zero. Zilch. Ever.

In all seriousness, I wonder what percentage of cameras are having this issue. Could be a problem if it is ubiquitous.

 

[Barry_Green]

Well, I was thinking of getting the 7d, but this is a huge flaw. It needs to be addressed ASAP by Canon.

Don't expect Canon to address it at all. They put notices in the manual to alert the user to the problem. That's indicative of that they feel that the product as-is is commercially viable and that this heat issue is not a problem. Whether it's a problem for you or not is your own decision, but Canon putting a warning in the manual is probably as far as they're going to go.

 

[Barry_Green]

Note: I hold no responsibility for any damage to your cameras should you decide to use coldpacks on them. None at all. Zero. Zilch. Ever.

In Alaska we put hot-packs on the camera LCDs to keep them working, so yeah, we might seriously consider putting cold-packs to keep the Canon cool.

In all seriousness, I wonder what percentage of cameras are having this issue. Could be a problem if it is ubiquitous.

Of course it's ubiquitous -- all of them have heat issues. It's documented in the manual.

A 7D isn't a camcorder, it's a still camera with a video feature added onto it. Don't plan on using a 7D to record an all-day event, it's not designed to handle it.

 

[Michael Olsen]

A 7D isn't a camcorder, it's a still camera with a video feature added onto it. Don't plan on using a 7D to record an all-day event, it's not designed to handle it.

True. I suppose its troubling to learn that the problems seem to be worse than on the 5D. Oh well...adapt we must!

 

[Barry_Green]

I don't know if it's worse on the 7D than the 5D, but there may be some validity to the idea that the 7D's two Digic chips are generating more heat than the 5D's single chip...

 

[PSA1]

Don't expect Canon to address it at all. They put notices in the manual to alert the user to the problem. That's indicative of that they feel that the product as-is is commercially viable and that this heat issue is not a problem. Whether it's a problem for you or not is your own decision, but Canon putting a warning in the manual is probably as far as they're going to go.

I saw that in the manual while back but I thought it would heat up after a few hours of use, who would have thought that it would heat up after 6 minutes mild 82degree weather? 6 minutes is not long use, I would have wait if I knew but so far according to other report it seems to do it in 720 60P which I don't use much so I guess for me it is ok.