Is there a SLEEP MODE?
 

Sometimes I forget to turn off my camera and it drains the battery. Is there a sleep mode after it idles say for 1 hour?

Don't think there is.

Sleepy Heads
 

Does it stop spinning the heads though or are they spinning in the one spot on the tape forever?

I know the Z7 slacks the tape slightly and stops the heads after a while. I think they all do something along those lines to protect the heads. The "quick record" mode may override that function.

sure would like to know... ever spinning heads are no good.

On every Sony I've ever owned -- and I'm sure this is the same with all mfrs -- the heads spin down after three to five minutes, and STBY disappears from your LCD.

Only the consumer models (HC Series), to my knowledge, do the full power-off shut down thing, and you can disable that if you wish. FXes and Zs don't.

and of course the easiest way to check it is to leave your camera "ON" ans see if it drains the battery. I have forgotten to switch off my camera several times and after a while the battery was completely drained, and this means that it never shuts down as Adam mentioned.

Stelios

well yes.... if any of the electonics are on it will drain battey... but... ae the heads spinning againt stopped tape?

As I noted above, no, not after about three minutes.

Honestly I don't want a pro camera that goes to sleep. I'm the pro, the camera does what I want, if I forget to do something (like turn it off) I don't want the camera to think that it is smarter than me.

If you want a camera that has auto-everything, then stick with something from Target. Plus batteries are pretty cheap and last a long time compared to full size AB bricks. So hopefully even if your battery dies, you should have a couple spares ready to go.

I agree with Zach. Turn the camera off if your not going to be shooting with it. Turn it on if you are.

And as Adam says after a few minutes everything stops. The quick record feature prevents this I think, but I leave if off, it's not a good thing, IMO.

This is not rocket science. If you have a habit of leaving your camera on unnecessarily then you need to train yourself to stop doing so because there is no auto power down with these cams.

If you are leaving your camera on for lengths of time when you are worried about the heads, then you probably should be turning if off anyway to save battery power.

If you are paying attention you will have plenty of time to turn the camera on and start shooting again.

If things are that unpredictable then you should be recording to begin with so as not to miss action.

It's pretty simple.

Yeah, without wanting to be too cranky or judgmental, I can't figure out how someone could "forget" to turn a camera off. It's not exactly a mystery; all you have to do is look at it to tell what state it's in. If the LCD/VF is lit up, it's ON, if not, it's OFF. There are no screen savers on a cam that I know of. When I'm going to be away from the cam for more than five minutes, I turn it off.

It's like saying I forgot to turn off my bedroom light when I went to bed last night.

Adam, Don't be so sure about it. There were several moments when I shoot, using the VF only and for example waiting for the next scene to shoot (christening, wedding, etc) but somehow the scenarios change and you have to move, from the church to the reception hall, and in the tension of the moment you forget to turn the camera off. It happens.

Stelios

Actually Stelios, you are correct...it can and does happen. I've done it. But after so many times you eventually catch on that you must double-check these things. I've opened up my case more than once to double check that I did turn the camera off, because eventually you learn. As a professional I know I can't blame the camera, I have to take responsibility.

I hated the auto shut off with the VX2100. I love NOT having that "feature".