Australia and my 7D freak out (overheating)

J

jaydigges

Active member
After purchasing my 7D in october I have had the opportunity to shoot lots of great stills and few fun video tests, but I have yet to use it on a commercial project. (I have access to 2 SONY ex1s)

I have a client who is taking me to australia for 2 weeks and this provided me the opportunity to spend more money on gear...(got a redrock eyeSpy) When I began reading about the limitations in regards to overheating I started to freak out. Its Summer down there! and What if my camera turns off in the middle of a testimonial or interview???

I did some tests and found my 7 D was capable of 30 minutes of recording and then needed at least an Hour to Cool down (2-12min clips and a 9 min clip).

My immediate solution was to bring a good consumer camcorder for any long format stuff. ( I bought a sony HDR-SR12 120GB off craigslist)

However, the problems have gotten worse! after shooting stills for a few hours my camera started shutting off after 1min! or 20 seconds! Im trying to test a theory that might have to do with the relative space on the memory card. Im doing one set of tests with a mostly full 16GB card and then another set with a blank memory card.. but I am grasping at straws here.

My test today produced a 13 second video clip followed by a 11 minute one, followed by a 9minute one! This is starting from a completely cool camera. (its wintery here in boulder)

Has anyone used the 7D in summer like conditions? Is my 7D broken?


Also Im wondering if anyone has worked on a hack to override the automatic shut off when the memory card door is open. maybe this would help the heat situation?
 
Last edited:
If you have access to the EX1, why not just take that along with the 7D and use it for the interviews?

Sounds risky to go overseas with a camera that isn't primarily a video camera to shoot a video project - for a client - without a quality backup.
 
the Sony EX1s are not mine. They belong to the community center where I have my office. I can use them onsite with my clients at no charge provide I work around their schedule... They could not likely be without them for 2 weeks.
 
The heat issue on the 7D remains somewhat nebulous. In fact, the only thing that remains really solid about it (in my opinion) is that there is definitely a concern about using the camera for extended periods of time.

What's causing the heat? I think it is the prolonged use of components which were designed to be used only sporadically - to take pictures. The use of the sensor to continuously capture images for scores of minutes on end probably contributes. Not to mention the DIGIC processors - again, made to handle individual still images - having to continuously work their magic for half an hour. Along with the continuous battery draw, the constant LCD usage, and the continuous writes to the CF cards. And the situation gets worse if its held between two relatively warm human hands, and worse still if our sun is beating down on its black surface.

Fixing the problem has created some options which may or may not work for you. There has been some discussion about the nature of the footage being recorded - consensus seems to be that shooting faster frame-rates and more downscaled footage makes the camera hotter faster. So, following that logic, 1080p/24 is the coolest setting you can shoot. Other recommendations include the use of a flag to shade the camera while recording if possible and the use of a fan to provide some airflow. Getting your hands off of the body (which insulate it and provide an additional source of heat) is also likely to be beneficial. It's also possible to carry a spare body and switch every so often so as to prevent one from getting too hot. I don't really know how much leaving the CF card door open would do for venting the heat...

The RED cameras have (or at least, had) similar issues with overheating. Some users have considered a somewhat unconventional approach.

1190811374565339834859.gif


This is definitely a recognized issue with using the 7D. There are ways around it, to some extent, but the problem definitely remains. Given your current situation, I would definitely take along an EX-1 (or two) in addition to the 7D.
 
Thanks for the advice Michael... Im going to Icepack my DSLR baseplate... that should help.

Im really interested in hearing more perspectives on this issue. but I also want to share my current solution. I can't afford to bring the SONY EX1, partly because this is a solo trip and I already have plenty of video and audio gear to bring.

Im using the SONY HDR SR12 as a back up camera. This has 2 really good things going for it. The image quality is top of the line for a consumer camera, and it has a 120GB hard drive. Its not Ideal because it has no 24p, but I got it off craigslist for a REALLY good deal. So i'll be able to sell it after the trip with no loss of $.

I just have to give my exuberant endorsement of RedRock micro at this point. I researched shoulder support systems, FF, and mattboxes extensively for two months... My ending conclusion was that I didn't need the FF or the Mattbox and I spent my whole budget ($900) on an eyeSpy standard w/ extra grip and a 3 pack of Micromounts. It feels a bit strange to look at your gear and say to yourself... I spent $33each on these little micro mounts?!? I spent $190 for a second handle grip and cross bar??!?

But it makes it all worth while in situations like this because the set up is 100% customizable. Check out the dual guns...
 

Attachments

  • photo (1).jpg
    photo (1).jpg
    131.6 KB · Views: 0
  • photo.jpg
    photo.jpg
    130.8 KB · Views: 0
Make sure, if you can, to have shade. General Heat is one thing but prolonged exposure to direct sunlight will heat the camera body up like no other.

Carry an umbrella or something you can shade the camera with and you actually may be just fine.
 
jaydigges said:
Thanks for the advice Michael... Im going to Icepack my DSLR baseplate... that should help.

Im really interested in hearing more perspectives on this issue. but I also want to share my current solution. I can't afford to bring the SONY EX1, partly because this is a solo trip and I already have plenty of video and audio gear to bring.

Im using the SONY HDR SR12 as a back up camera. This has 2 really good things going for it. The image quality is top of the line for a consumer camera, and it has a 120GB hard drive. Its not Ideal because it has no 24p, but I got it off craigslist for a REALLY good deal. So i'll be able to sell it after the trip with no loss of $.

I just have to give my exuberant endorsement of RedRock micro at this point. I researched shoulder support systems, FF, and mattboxes extensively for two months... My ending conclusion was that I didn't need the FF or the Mattbox and I spent my whole budget ($900) on an eyeSpy standard w/ extra grip and a 3 pack of Micromounts. It feels a bit strange to look at your gear and say to yourself... I spent $33each on these little micro mounts?!? I spent $190 for a second handle grip and cross bar??!?

But it makes it all worth while in situations like this because the set up is 100% customizable. Check out the dual guns...
Click to expand...

That thought had crossed my mind, to see it actually setup is pretty sweet. Good combination.
 
I'd avoid using the HDR SR12 as much as possible, it's a POS compared to the 7D and any other video camera. A client of mine gave me some footage from one to use in an edit with HVX/7D footage...I used 2 shots from it - they stick out like a sore thumb.

It records AVC H.264 at 16Mbps, which fully committed suicide on me in post. At least the 7D is at 40Mbps+.
 
I live in Sydney and yes, it's hot here at the moment, but the 7d works fine, no worse than any other camera I've used in terms of overheating.
 
jaydigges said:
I just have to give my exuberant endorsement of RedRock micro at this point. I researched shoulder support systems, FF, and mattboxes extensively for two months... My ending conclusion was that I didn't need the FF or the Mattbox and I spent my whole budget ($900) on an eyeSpy standard w/ extra grip and a 3 pack of Micromounts. It feels a bit strange to look at your gear and say to yourself... I spent $33each on these little micro mounts?!? I spent $190 for a second handle grip and cross bar??!?

But it makes it all worth while in situations like this because the set up is 100% customizable. Check out the dual guns...
Click to expand...

Nice setup. I understand you with the price of the redrock stuff. It's insane. I can't find a decent BALANCED shoulder setup for less than 600 bucks. Why? It's just some bars and grips and stuff. Insane premiums when my lens costs less than that. Doesn't make sense.
 
I can't speak for the 7D but I just shot a short over 3 days here with my MKII and had no overheating problems. The weather wasn't as hot as it can be here though and it was all shot indoors. We do have rental houses here believe it or not so you could hire another camera body if you're really worried.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top