Does your 550D overheat?
 

I have read a lot of threads about the Canon 7D overheating. I have not heard anything about the 5D MK2 overheating.

Has anyone experienced any overheating and shut down with the Canon 550D?

The longest I have run the 550D has been 7 minutes indoors with no problems.

Thanks for any information.

It hasn't happened to mine yet. I used it for a paying job yesterday with no problems. That said, I'm in Ireland, the job was outside and the weather was sunny but cool.
Andrew

No yet. May be when the weather will go warn ...

We shot for hours on one commercial and no problems with the 7D. Biggest problem was that we only had one fully charged battery, so, we struggled with that.

At Sundance, we had no problems with heat. Of course, it was really cold there, ha!

Yes a couple of times but I was shooting for over an hour (short clips) When I saw the warning, I just shut the camera down for about 5 minutes, then it was ok for the rest of the shoots.

Wish there was something we could do to prevent it from happening at all!

Did a 2 camera shoot yesterday with a T2i and a 7D, the 7D overheated after about an hour of setup and a 10 minute shot, the T2i didn't overheat at all, but the 7D's battery lasted a lot longer than the T2i's! The shoot was inside, not very hot.

My T1i did overheat last year on a crazy hot day, that wasn't surprising though...

It is an absolute fact that these cameras will overheat. I got 75 minutes out of my 550d last week, I stopped the test, the camera did not give up. Last night I was working in a very warm club, got the warning mid way through the 4th, 11 minute clip. It was not a problem as we had EX1s as main cams. Its just a matter of keeping an eye on everything, and taking tempratures etc into account.

I took my new 550D out for the first time today, and deliberately left it switched on in video mode to test for overheating. After 30 minutes of Singapore midday temperatures (mix of sunshine and cloud) the red temperature bulb warning came on but I was still able to take the shot.

So it's definitely a problem if you are in a warm environment. I think it will be good practice to switch the camera off whenever possible.

Richard

The manual says...
 

the temp. indicator may come on while shooting video, but it will continue to shoot.
Obviously, the lower data rate of HD is easier on the camera than high-rate still photography.

Received this from Canon Support:

We haven't found any issues with the Rebel T2i or 7D overheating. The
working temperature range for your camera is 32-104F. The working
humidity is 85% or less. Please be sure to only use the camera within
the specified range. If you are recording video in high temperatures
you should let the camera rest between recordings.

They should have also recommended to keep the camera out of the sun. A black camera looks great, but soaks in heat. Especially avoid having the sun shine on the LCD. I've had my 5D2 overheat once after having it on a tripod with the sun shining on the back of the camera. Keeping a white cloth available to put over the camera would be a good idea in warm conditions.

Hi Jon,

I am willing to compile of list of overheating problems and send them to Canon but I need specific information to submit to them.

I will ask all users with overheating problems to provide the following information and then I will submit a summary to Canon and keep on top of them until we get this resolved.

I worked in computer tech support for a government contractor debugging computer programs for years and the best way to debug these problems is to be able to reproduce it, so the more detailed information we have the better chance we have to solve this problem.

As soon as Canon can repeatedly reproduce the problem the sooner we will have solution.

Here is the information I will need before I can submit it to Canon:

Camera Model
Serial Number
Firmware version
Your e-mail address and phone number so I can forward it to Canon in case they want to contact you.
Location: country, city, state, where you were shooting.
Were you shooting outside or inside?
Were you in the sun or shade?
Ambient temperature, estimated humidity.
What memory cards were you using, any additional devices attached, etc.
Handheld, tripod, steadicam, etc.
What modes were you shooting in, eg. 1920 30fps, 720 60fps, etc.
How long was the camera on, how were you using it.
Any other relevant information.

Hopefully, we can get this resolved in the near future.

We saw the overheating icon during a wedding ceremony yesterday. It was indoors at room temperature and just three 10 minute clips was all it took to overheat. Most likely we could have kept shooting for a while but we just shut down the camera.

So in a warm setting either we'll need to shield/cool the camera or just not use it.

I used it a couple of days ago as a b-cam and it was a controlled situation with 5-8min takes. Since I was directing, I purposefully took a bit of time between takes and shut the camera completely off for that time. Never saw the temp light and it performed flawlessly.

Also of note, I was using the AC adapter instead of the battery which was really nice. I also have the battery grip coming and am curious to see how that performs. The reason I mention this may be flawed logic, so let me hear your thoughts, a battery in use will generate heat. The AC adapter generates it's heat at the power supply which is not in the camera. With the battery grip, the batteries are outside the camera too...maybe it'll help!

This was way different from the previous shoot where it was on quite often.

I saw the thermometer for the first time yesterday, but it wasn't red.
While shooting (for the first time) 720 60P, in a climate controlled office, which is kept at about 72 degrees.
The thermometer came on (as I said not red, but showed up o screen for the first time) after only 1 minute after turning it on.

To date I haven't seen the thermometer at all while shooting 1080 30P, usually in 5-10 minute intervals.
But curious that it showed up shortly after running 720 60P. hmmm.....

Me to
 

My unit overheated about 90min. into a shoot off and on with just that camera. Not a real problem as far as Im concerned in that I don't really see this unit in the same way as I see my HV20 and HV30 cameras. Its really for getting better color depth in low light and of course that super pretty DOF stuff. ..... and Its my very 1st SLR so I now can hone my Still photo chops as well.

What I really want is an HPX300 for doing video work.

Love my T2i so far.

Got the heat warning today shooting a Quinceanera outside. It was a 70 degree day here in Maryland. Camera was on for prob 40 mins then I shut it off for a couple of mins and went back to filming no problem.

Not so far... even though it's been warm for this time of year in Michigan.

Not 90 degrees warm, but warm.

Of course, I tend to turn the camera off every instant I'm not using it to conserve power.

john

First night out lesson...
 

I've had good success with test shoots around the house, but last night I finally got the heat indicator while shooting a dance party so crazy they blew the main breaker on most of a good sized auditorium! The AC went with it and the room did not even begin to cool for nearly 90 min. after the power was restored. My reaction was to simply power-off the camera for a while, then continue.

When the battery finally ran out (and here's the lesson) it was (I'll say) quite warm. Not really hot, but warmer than I expected. Batteries do warm when discharging, but the confined space may be a problem.

From now on I'm going to carry a spare battery and swap it often. I think this will limit some of the heat build-up.

since getting the battery grip, I've had no issues

That's good to hear! I'm getting one for sure.
Are your batteries pretty warm after a shoot?
I'll bet not so hot as two discharging batteries are inherently cooler.

(Why didn't they think of that?)

Someone needs to design an umbrella that attaches to the hot shoe. It could be attached on sunny days to keep it cool. Who is up for it :)

fairy warm...shoot yesterday it was about 80 outside and 100 inside! YUK! I think getting the batteries out of the camera helps. I also did a shoot with the power adapter and had no issues.

Cinegear.us - Quality Film Gear
Check out the Cinegear Cutter - Flag Clamp.
I bought one years ago and carry it everywhere.
It saved my biscuits on sunny shoots and in rain!
I can't say enough good things about such a cheap bit of kit!

I picked up the battery grip yesterday and had a mammoth shoot today. Shot pretty close to all day for about 8 hours. Inside we shot interviews for about 4 hours straight, then shot outside for most of the afternoon.

Absolutely zero temperature warnings!!!! It was wonderful. Previously I'd had it overheat after about an hour of shooting under interview conditions and was worried about today. But it was awesome, never even came up and I shot the crap out of the camera.

Most testing needed, of course, but I'm incredibly pleased with the grip. Being able to change batteries without removing the camera from the tripod is worth the cost alone, the overheating issue is just a super bonus.

I'd say the battery grip moves solidly into the required accessories category.

well, did another shoot indoors with 5-8 min takes and wasn't til the end of the shoot that the temp light came on. This is with the battery grip. It was about 85 deg outside and not much cooler in. My buddy's 5D got its warning about the same time as mine which sucked cause we had to halt the take.

Then last Saturday I shot outside for almost 2 hours with the battery grip and it came on a few times but it was close to 90 deg and camera was in the sun for a good chunk of time. Luckily it was all b-roll.

I think Philip Bloom has the right idea...need two bodies for serious work.

Today was my first day with the T2i as my primary camera on a shoot and I'd come to the same conclusion. While not for heat issues I just wanted a second camera available for b-roll and to use if something happens to the primary.

And at $700 it's a no-brainer, though I'm considering getting a 7D for the primary.

since the grip hold all the batteries under the body, i wonder we can use the part of the grip that takes place into the body to add a very small fan (or even a cooling element).

T2i = perfect
 

I just shot a 2 hour theatre production with the T2i and several other cameras. I shot the dress rehearsal and the main production making a total of 4 hours of footage in 1 day from the T2i. I went through 4 battery changes and 2 X 32 gig memory cards.

Absolutely no overheating whatsoever.

The theatre was full and the stage lighting made it a little warm, but I was shooting constantly in bursts of 5 to 10 minutes with a break of 5 seconds between each. The camera felt a little warm in my hand but not significantly warmer than usual.

Maybe direct sunlight on the black body will increase the chance of overheating, but using this camera as it should be used (ie. as a backup to your main setup) should cause no problems at all.

The memory cards were core micro class 6. Maybe that made a difference? Maybe the 5 second breaks were enough to keep it cool? Maybe the fact that is was on a tripod and not hand-held did the trick? Whatever the reason, it never even came close to overheating.

Sean, that's great to hear! I've been looking for a 'B' camera for my theater shoots, using an FX-1 as the continuous wide shot and I would love to be able to shoot an hour at a time. I could work with 5-10 second breaks...

If possible, I would like to be able to focus mid-stage and have a depth of field that would include both upstage and downstage movement. What lens(s) did you use and how was the DOF and focus?

Currently, I'm importing my HDV 1080i footage into a standard def timeline, using the larger frame for pan & scan 'close-ups'. The Rebel would probably slow down my editing but it would be an affordable option. Any other thoughts on your theater shoot experience would be nice.

Has someone tested how long on average the time is from warning of overheating till the camera stops functioning correctly if you try to continue?

Everyones 7D, 550D will overheat at sometime or another, The average shutdown time is about 5 minutes. For any long shooting sessions you will be much better off with a dedicated camcorder. These DSLRs generate a lot of heat, they are simply not designed for extended shooting. Having said that, I use my 550D as B cam to an EX1, and its a perfect tool for grabbing cutaways and infills. I know a lot of guys use there DSLRs as A cams on day long shoots, and get away with it. But they will overheat at some time. As long as we are aware of that and use the cameras within their limitations, its no problem. Now if only they could address the awful aliasing and moire problems !!!!

At NAB, one of the Canon reps told me the cameras generate more heat when they use an external monitor.
He said the CPU has to work harder to push the information out.

theatre shoot
 

Eric..I had the XHA1 as my wide centre shot (will also keep it 1080 and crop/pan as the final product will only be DVD quality) and an HF100 as a side cutaway shot. I moved around with the T2i to get as many different detail shots as possible. I used a 17-55 and a 50/1.8. I had it on a tripod for front of house shots and then hand-held backstage for more documentary style clips. I also had an assistant with a 5D using an 85 and a 200 for closeup face expressions. (It was a dance production). I have 9 different streams to put together from the 3 performances. It's going to be spectacular, but not really worth what little I am being paid!

I have to say I LOVE the T2i. Its so light that I was able to shoot for almost an hour straight completely hand-held. The image quality with the 50mm prime fully open is stunning. The focus was difficult on the moving subjects, so I used the auto focus (half pressing the shutter release) on the floor at the dancer's feet and then re-framed....that way it focused much faster and more accurately.

As I mentioned, I had no overheating issues at all even after shooting over an hour hand-held on the second night. Yes, it got hot in my hand but the warning never came up.

Hi Daniel,

Its all very anecdotal at this point. A few days ago I decided to run all my batteries (15) and cards (12 x 16gb) through three bodies all day long while I was editing just to make sure I didn't have any lemons. When they stopped recording I hit the button to start them up again. When the card filled up I formatted the card and started over. When the batteries ran out in the grips I replaced them. I went for literally eight hours and only once, with one of the cameras, did I have the overheating warning pop up. I was as surprised as anyone to see that they didn't overheat. I plan on running the same test again next week.

Ran my T2i recording a recital tonight @ 1080-30P. Ran it almost non-stop for about 75 minutes, perhaps with one 3 minute rest and may 2 or 3 one minute rests. The red thermometer popped up about 2 minutes before finishing the last piece, which I was able to finish without the camera shutting down. I'm downloading the card now, hopefully it all came out.

well I just got my T2i this week and I did a test shoot right out the box see my post http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eo...-good-bad.html , from all the posts that I have been reading it seems like it overheat more shooting 60fps then 24 or 30 fps, of course more frame to process at 60, on my test shoot I use 60 fps and it overheated too many times, I have not tried 30fps yet.
Also people experiencing less overheating when using the battery grip, I don't know why that is the processor still work as hard !!

Overall I still think for the price of this camera and the quality of the image it can give you, the benefits outweighs all the problems that it has.

88 degree day in Maryland. The over heat lamp came on quite a bit throughout the day. I would have to shut the cam off for 1 minute and resume filming. Little frustrating.

Was this with or without the battery grip?

It was without the battery grip. I'm waiting on a 3rd party battery grip to be released.