So I've never tested the well known 12 minute recording limit of my 7D. Yesterday I set the camera up at the beach to record some cloud movement for undercranking and my family eating lunch. I just Logged and Transferred the clip into FCP to find the clip duration is 19:14:02 long. Recorded in 24P. Anyone have a clue as to why this is possible?
Curious 19 minute single shot on 7D
- Thread starter _JD_
- Start date
TooTallTim
Well-known member
12min limit is based on the fact that the file limit is 4Gb, which roughly equates to shooting for 12mins. If there is very little data change then the length of time it records before it hits 4Gb will increase.
It's not a 12-minute limit. It's a 4GB limit. Under typical shooting conditions, yes, that comes out to about 12 minutes. Consider, though, that shooting clouds may not be the most data-taxing subject matter for the h.264 stream. Since it is recording less data from frame to frame, it can record more frames. Add to that the difference between 30p and 24p: since 24p records 6 fewer frames per second, you'll actually be able to record more (time-wise) in 24p within that 4GB.
Barry_Green
Moderator
Yep. Put the lens cap on, and it'll probably record for 24 minutes. As Alex said, the less taxing the scene is on the codec, the lower bitrate the codec will use, and therefore it will record longer before it hits the 4GB limit.