Camcorder v DSLR

paddyrg

Specific point on cannon DSLRs - at full definition they can shoot upto 12 minutes in a clip, perfect for shooting drama, dreadful for filming bands in pub backrooms. There may be workarounds, but they'll always be workarounds.

Gloomendoom

paddyrg wrote: »

Specific point on cannon DSLRs - at full definition they can shoot upto 12 minutes in a clip, perfect for shooting drama, dreadful for filming bands in pub backrooms. There may be workarounds, but they'll always be workarounds.

A good point. I read somewhere that the limit is something to do with the import tax on video cameras.

Johnmcl7

The limit for duty is 30 minutes, any device that can record video for longer is classified as a camcorder and attracts a higher rate of duty for those sold within the EU. Some cameras may have limits much shorter than this due to resource limitations while others may officially have the 30 minute limit but may not last as long as that due to lack of cooling - I find I can only get around 20 minutes indoors with NEX cameras before the sensor overheats and the camera shuts down.

For some cameras (such as Panasonic, possibly Canon) there are firmware patches available to remove the 30 minute limit.

John

paddyrg

Gloomendoom wrote: »

A good point. I read somewhere that the limit is something to do with the import tax on video cameras.

The arbitrary 30 minutes limit is, but it applies to standard definition clips. The 12' HD clip limit is a technical limitation of shooting on cards formatted as FAT32, where you only have 2^32 locations you can address, and the 44Mbps data rate (ie great quality compared with most camcorders) means you run out of addressable space in the file at what works out to be 12 mins!