NEX 5N or 7 overheat issues...

[Rafael Lopes]

The Panasonic GF series is more or the less the same size as the NEX series and they don´t have any overheat issues. So this has to do with some sort of bad implementation.

The thing about the NEX system is that you never know if it will record 5 minutes or 30. If it was always 30, or always 20, or always 10...one could live with it and plan for these limitations. But the tension of being surprised is not good at all.

[Rafael Lopes]

Has anyone tested thermal gel/compound?

I´ve also found the worlds smallest fans. It´s Sunon's Mighty Mini Fan: Mighty Mini Fans & Blowers - Suunon | DigiKey
Sunon's smallest fan blows us away - Cooling - News - HEXUS.net

But I cannot find it for sale on ebay or here in Brazil :(

A fan for the NEX7 would have to have more or less 2cm (height), 1,5cm (depth), 6cm (width).

[Dave Blackhurst]

The flaw in your logic is the phrase "more or less"... compare apples to oranges and you won't have a valid rusult beyond they are both "fruit"... m43 vs. APS-C?

The more electronics packed into a small space, the more difficult the heat issues you have to deal with. And the Sony manuals outline the ADDITIONAL variable of ambient temps. You can't dissipate heat as efficiently (or perhaps at all) when the ambient temps are high. Quite literally, this "issue" is as predictable as the weather.

Taking off a piece of the camera that may well be designed to channel heat away from a particularly hot part and allow it to dissipate may make matters WORSE... thus my comments on the blog posting.

Since I don't have a NEX (but am familiar with the Alphas, which share SOME of the potential heat issues), I can't say where the "hot spots" are - from postings I've read, some spots are hotter than others... it's likely that specific chips are the source of the heat, and that may vary depending on what those chips are being asked to do. And there is a cumulative effect (Aplha manuals say to turn off the active image stabilization, whch generates heat, for improved clip times - obviously not an issue in the NEX series).

It appears that the higher the ISO, the more heat is and issue - that's "interesting" and useful information if it can be confirmed.

[Ryan Douthit]

I, for one, am hoping Sony delivers a the plusses of the NEX 7 in a video camera package with the VG30 to be announced next week... (or the similar-but-full-frame VG900) and not a half baked package like the VG20. I even put my NX5U up for sale on EBay, so I'll be on the market for a new primary camera system and I like NEX enough to possibly even downgrade the camera chassis a bit with an upgrade in picture quality (a VG30 and some nice glass for the office, and I'll rent a FS100/700 for the bigger gigs.)

[Dave Blackhurst]

It'll be interesting to see what they announce - I'm intrigued by the "900" designation, which seems to ring of the old TRV900 - a classic camera... we shall see.

[Rafael Lopes]

I shot a music video last weekend with a NEX7 and the camera turned off 3 or 4 times during shooting (within less than 3 minutes shooting time). And it was only like 22º celsius! This camera is an amazing still camera and it´s able to produce incredible results video wise too, but this overheating issue really ruins it´s full potential. I used to have a NEX5N and I saw a video of an easy fix using a computer fan hooked up to a small battery, but the NEX7's LCD is positioned differently from the NEX5N in a way that you cannot stick the fan between the camera and the LCD...this sucks.

[Ryan Douthit]

I fixed my issue with the NEX 7... I bought an A77. The ability to go hand-held with IBIS when I need to, is a bonus.

[Len Imbery]

Originally Posted by Ryan Douthit

I fixed my issue with the NEX 7... I bought an A77. The ability to go hand-held with IBIS when I need to, is a bonus.

I just bought a used VG-10 without any lens...so now I can shoot whatever long videos I want and just use the Nex-7 lenses...
BTW....I've shot videos up to 6 or 7 min. with the Nex-7 without shutting down...but it does get a bit hot....I really rarely need to shoot any scene much longer than a minute or two anyway....

[Rafael Lopes]

Originally Posted by Len Imbery

I just bought a used VG-10 without any lens...so now I can shoot whatever long videos I want and just use the Nex-7 lenses...
BTW....I've shot videos up to 6 or 7 min. with the Nex-7 without shutting down...but it does get a bit hot....I really rarely need to shoot any scene much longer than a minute or two anyway....

The main problem is that you never know when it´s going to happen. I´ve shot 29min without any issues and I´ve shot 2 minutes and had the camera shut down. 90% of what I do is still photography, so having a camera that also can do video is the best options for me...who knows...maybe Sony will fix things with the NEX9...I doubt it because I´m sure they´ve implemented this overheat issue on purpose so people would have to buy their VG series.

[Len Imbery]

I guess the point of all this is that we still haven't reached the point where one device works great for every application....If you want to shoot video, get a video cam, if you want to do stills, get a still cam....and I'm not even going where the cell phone can have everything incorporated in a top notch manner<G>

[Bill Bruner]

Originally Posted by Chris Barcellos

Dear Bill

In the real world there are all types of people who shoot quality video, but don,t make a dime doing it. Thus finding acamera for $750. that take incredible video might be important

I agree, Chris. I am one of those people. That's why I recommend that anyone who wants to spend less than $800 for a large sensor interchangeable lens camera that doesn't overheat and can shoot essentially unlimited length video clips get a

GH2

 

GH2

:)

"incredible video" here:

Introducing ZENMUSE for Lumix GH2 on Vimeo

Cheers,

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

[Rafael Lopes]

I don´t want to start peeing contest, but I´ve tried out the GH1 and the GH2 for some time but IMO it cannot really compare to the NEX system when it comes to photography...which is what I do most of the time. So, if I need to sacrifice one thing in a hybrid camera it will be video...which is too bad because the NEX system has really great video...who knows, maybe the NEX9 with a full frame sensor will have a better cooling system.

[Dave Blackhurst]

Well, it's a physics problem - too much heat generated in too small a space, with no where to go... so I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope for a small NEX without the potential heat issues.

I think the answer is "A77" as noted (or A65, or A57). While admittedly not as small and sexy as the NEX7 (less $$ though!), you avoid the overheat problems for the most part (although the manual still warns of the possibility...), and you get access to a lot of nice old used A mount glass for pretty cheap. So far the bigger Alpha body seems to be working out, I actually am getting used to shooting short clips on the fly, and no sign of heat problems yet (fingers crossed). Sony's Alphas are overlooked, but really are pretty nice cameras. I'm grabbing one over a video camera most of the time now, and the more I shoot with one, the more I like it.

Sony may eventually figure out how to dissipate the heat better, but the NEX are STILL cameras, with a neat additional video function, not necessarily designed for dedicated video use. The new A99 actually looks like a killer VIDEO camera in addition to the stills, so the "hybrid" still/video camera is coming closer...

I've found even the litte TX100 to be surprisingly good for casual and "extra angle" video (1080 60p no less, for around $200!), so one has to consider what a camera CAN do in addition to what it can't. I think we'd all want a pro video camera with ful manual controls on buttons that would fit in our pocket... but there are limits!

[Bill Bruner]

Originally Posted by Rafael Lopes

I don´t want to start peeing contest, but I´ve tried out the GH1 and the GH2 for some time but IMO it cannot really compare to the NEX system when it comes to photography..

No contest here, Rafael. You might be surprised to hear that I agree with you. But I am willing to give up some still image quality for a non-overheating, event-length video function on my still camera while paying less than $700 (body only). But to each his or her own. :)

Cheers,

Bill

[Steve Nunez]

This heating issue is very saddening......worst part is that it seems to happen erratically with some users reaching 29 mins and some reaching 4......sort of a gamble to use it as a video camera.....very saddening flaw in an otherwise great camera.