Any way to get around the 4GB limit for the T2i?

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dalethompson

Well-known member
I was filming today with the T2i and I'm using it as my secondary camera (but it should be my first in actuality). I'm filming my documentary myself, so I roll the T2i with my HVX200 at the same time and just interview. I'm only getting 12 mins of footage at one time since I'm filming at 1920 x 1280, so I have to start the recording again, which is too bad because I have to get up and reset it again to record. I wish I had a second person to help me out but this is just not the case.

Is there any way around the 4GB clip limit for the T2i? Or will the RC-6 remote (or another remote) allow me to keep on recording in 4GB clips (and eliminating me getting up to record again).

Sorry for the simplistic question, I just got my T2i a week and a half ago and I'm still trying to figure it all out.

TIA,
Dale

P.S. On a side note, unreal footage I got from the T2i and the 18-55mm 2.8 lens, I now want to sell my Panasonic HVX kit and get another Canon.
 
no way to get more than 12min/4gb. its a combo of fat32 file structure and to prevent over heating(so they say). what it actually is from is that in the EU if a camera can record more than 30 minutes its also classified as a video camera and therefor must have a higher tax rate, or something like that. thats why there are 2 versions of the GH1, the usa one can record till card fills up, others can't. and if you're thinking, well thats 30 minutes, why did they leave it at 12? thats so that they wouldn't have to implement file spanning, which could have been more headaches. so they just left it at 4gbs. and if you're shooting 640x480, that tops off around 29 minutes at 4gbs.

just have that camera as the closer one to you. stop recording when you're asking questions and start right back again as your question is coming to an end.
 
thanks manglerBMX. I was hoping for a solution but I will just have to live with this.

I will buy a $1 digital clock and just hang it off the tripod where the T2i sits. This way, I know when to end my questioning so I can get up and continue filming without the camera stopping :)

I wonder if there will ever be a fix for this (ie magic lantern), seems like one of the only flaws with this camera.
 
dalethompson said:
I wonder if there will ever be a fix for this (ie magic lantern), seems like one of the only flaws with this camera.
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I don't think that there will ever be a "fix" for this. It something that should be far more difficult to accomplish than what Magic Lantern has done so far. Everything that Tramm Hudson has been able to do is essentially based on two main principles: (1) adding tweaks based on hooks in the underlying programming and hardware, and (2) making custom overlays for LCD output (on-board and video-out), which is related to (1). For instance he was only able to hack 1080i output through HDMI, while recording, by unlocking capabilities that were found to be already somewhat present in the original firmware. And even then, he said that it was unstable.

There are multiple aspects to the problem. First of all, we don't know if the camera is capable of reading any file system other than FAT32. Even though it supports SDXC, the next generation memory format doesn't require the exFAT file system. The first wave of SDXC devices actually still use FAT32. Adding exFAT support might thus require writing entirely new functionality from scratch, which is quite different than tweaking the graphics of the overlays and unlocking hidden functionality. So exFAT support would have to written into the original firmware, not Magic Lantern. Second of all, we don't know exactly how the camera shuts off the recording after reaching 4GB or 29:59. Third, we don't know if QuickTime MOVs actually support file-splitting and chaining like AVCHD MTS files do. If it's not supported by QuickTime, then it's a QuickTime issue more than a camera issue. Finally, the Canons are known to have an overheating issue that becomes more threatening the longer that a camera is in continuous operation. So even if you were able to overcome time limit, the camera could overheat after half an hour and either shut down randomly or trash your footage with hideous noise (it's happened to me).
 
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Also, the recording time limit is hardly "one of the only flaws with this camera." The Canon DSLRs' video modes have numerous serious shortcomings that have been discussed ad nauseum on this and other sites. The time limit is far less likely to ruin your footage than any of the other issues. To me, it's a non-issue. Remember how only a couple of decades ago, most major documentaries were still shot on film? Yeah, 35mm film has a time limit of about 11 minutes per roll. Starting and stopping a take is a lot more tedious and time-consuming than pressing a little button. So I see no reason to complain here. I can hardly imagine that most interviewees would ramble for more than ten minutes per question on a regular basis. Just start and stop between questions, and you should be fine.
 
I guess I'm slightly spoiled with interviewing continuously right now because my setup is with my HVX200 and a 160GB firestore, so I've been able to do 90 min sessions non-stop because the firestore is able to capture everything. But, of course, it's a totally different setup and beast too than the T2i, so I can't really compare one to another.

I can live with this for now, the T2i is my B camera for now, I will just have to plan around this with my interviews.

The wireless remote for the Canon, does it turn the video on and off again if it's hit the 4GB limit? At least this would save me from getting up and starting the video feature again for the T2i.
 
the wireless remote acts just like the record button on the camera. it won't automatically start back recording, you'll have to hit the button again.

think 12 minutes is bad? i was using the nikon d90 before the 7d was out. i was lucky to get 5 minutes with that camera. thing over heated like crazy. i was very happy to get 12 minutes, ha!
 
Yeah, I shouldn't complain really, I'm thrilled so far with the T2i for what I bought it for right at this moment (B camera to the HVX200). It's not designed to be the workhorse like the HVX200 but it compliments it very well. I will get used to the T2i's limitations and adjust accordingly, it's not a deal breaker for me. I love the footage it allows me to get too... this is why it's not a replacement for the HVX200, more like a nice accessory to getting the most you can from one shoot.
 
Koui:

It stops and starts video though after the video mode (pressing the button) has been initiated, right? It wouldn't start the video mode on it's own or after the 4GB limit has been reached, correct?

-Dale
 
Dale, the RC-5 will start and stop video just like you were pressing the video record button on the camera. You still have to set the mode dial to Movie.

You'd either press stop on the remote near the end of the 12mins and press start again for another 12mins, or let the camera stop by itself at the end of the 12mins and press start again on the remote.
 
Sweet!

That's all I needed to know, I never really got a definitive answer for this before from someone on the T2i, thanks for clarifying this for me.

At least it solves the awkwardness of getting up after a question to reset everything... now I can just time it out and end one question, pause, stop & start the video mode and continue on.

I'm assuming the RC-6 does this too... do you know what's the difference between the remotes in the RC series?

Thanks,
Dale
 
No, Barry is absolutely correct, it's 4GB maximum for the 7D just like the T2i:

"The maximum video file size is 4GB. This isn't so much a limitation of the camera as a limitation of the FAT32 file system which is used to store data on the CF memory card. FAT32 is used on most Windows PCs and 4GB is the maximum size allowed for any single data file in the FAT32 system. With the 7D video, 4GB is enough to record for about 12 minutes. You can record any number of 4GB video files on a card, so you can record about 48 minutes of HD video on a 16GB CF card, but you have to do it in 12 minutes segments. In SD (640x480) mode you can record up to 30 minutes minutes in any one file." - Bob Atkins (bobatkins.com)
 
dalethompson said:
No, Barry is absolutely correct, it's 4GB maximum for the 7D just like the T2i:

"The maximum video file size is 4GB. This isn't so much a limitation of the camera as a limitation of the FAT32 file system which is used to store data on the CF memory card. FAT32 is used on most Windows PCs and 4GB is the maximum size allowed for any single data file in the FAT32 system. With the 7D video, 4GB is enough to record for about 12 minutes. You can record any number of 4GB video files on a card, so you can record about 48 minutes of HD video on a 16GB CF card, but you have to do it in 12 minutes segments. In SD (640x480) mode you can record up to 30 minutes minutes in any one file." - Bob Atkins (bobatkins.com)
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I don't think that you understood my post.

The 7D is unique among Canon HDSLRs in that the HDMI-out signal stays in 1080i while recording, instead of switching to 480p. This allows you to capture the signal with a BlackMagic card or a nanoFlash. The actual usable video, even after deinterlacing, is not 1080p, more like 720p because of letterboxing and overlays.

I know the 7D very well, since I used to own one (which I pre-ordered the night that it was announced), and about half of my DVXuser post count is in the 7D forums.
 
...and introduce more problems for us to complain about (why does it overheat so much more often now?!?!)

Kegan
 
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