My 7D arrived yesterday, and the first thing I did this morning was check it out thoroughly. I got one 8 gig card and shot for a total of 3 cards' worth, in other words about 75 minutes, stopping only to delete the footage and start over. I had the live view mode on continuously before and after shooting, for probably over 2 hours.

No heating at all. No warning light. Camera gets barely warm to the touch, no hotter and maybe not even as hot as my xH A1 when it's on for as long.

I was doing 1080P/24 only because that's what I'll do almost all the time. If I do any 60fps it will be for slomo and would only be in short takes.

I'm sure that if you're shooting in hot sun when the ambient temperature is over 100 degrees (F), the warning light might come on. But in my case anyway I don't shoot for as long continuously as I just did. If I were doing an event or a long talk, I wouldn't use this camera anyway. I'm not saying some haven't seen the heating warning, but I have not been able to make it come on with my camera. I'm indoors, and it's cool outside so the furnace heat goes off and on, and I set the camera on a tripod in front of a heating vent up near the ceiling, aimed down on the camera. So anytime the house heat was on, the camera was getting the warm air. Not like shooting in summer sun in Scottsdale or Baghdad, but best I can do today. I'm a happy camper here. No heating problems.

hey Bill,

I think it might be unit specific... mine is doing just fine as well...

Granted, I hear higher ISOs generate higher heat, so that might be linked...

I shot for 25 minutes at 6400ISO, no heating.

My 7D arrived yesterday, and the first thing I did this morning was check it out thoroughly.
What firmware version does it have?
I had the live view mode on continuously before and after shooting, for probably over 2 hours.

No heating at all. No warning light. Camera gets barely warm to the touch, no hotter and maybe not even as hot as my xH A1 when it's on for as long.
That has been my experience as well so far with the 24p and 30p modes. I've shot a few hours in 30 C with the camera on nearly continuously, but haven't done lengthy tests yet in 60p mode.

@Bill Pryor:

Camera was in LiveView Mode 2 h before filming and 2 h after filming for 75 minutes?

That mean the display will not the critical heat source so setup a scene with display on will not a real problem?


Daniel von Euw

Total time for the display on was over 2 hours, about 75 minutes of that time was shooting. I don't know what firmware version it is...battery is charging at the moment so I can't look.

I got mine last wensday (firmware 1.07) and did exactly what bill does. I recorded on my 2 16 gb cards, so about 1h30 of video at 24p without any heating warning.

My only problem now is that the computer is not seeing the camera when I plug it in. Nor does it like the card when I try to use the old card reader I have. I can use EOS Utility and find the camera but it only grabs stills off each video clip. I should be able to plug the camera in and see it like a drive but I get nothing. Mac, latest OS, FCP studio 3. Opening FCP won't do anything either.

"(patient) Doctor, my arm hurts when I do this. (doctor) Then don't move your arm like that."

Will somebody please do the same tests using 60fps. I need to shoot a lot of 60fps and the same testing at 60fps will help us all get closer to what is causing the temp icon to keep showing when the ambient temp is not hot.

My only problem now is that the computer is not seeing the camera when I plug it in. Nor does it like the card when I try to use the old card reader I have. I can use EOS Utility and find the camera but it only grabs stills off each video clip. I should be able to plug the camera in and see it like a drive but I get nothing. Mac, latest OS, FCP studio 3. Opening FCP won't do anything either.

Bill,

I have this same issue with my camera, my Mac won't see it as a drive. My PC sees it just fine and I can copy files straight to my HD. I can also copy the files to my Mac using Iphoto, which sees the camera just fine. It's not a huge issue, but I think it is kind of strange.

My only problem now is that the computer is not seeing the camera when I plug it in.

I have this same issue with my camera, my Mac won't see it as a drive.Don't bother connecting the camera to the computer, guys... there's really no reason to do that, unless you want to run the camera remotely from your computer keyboard. Use an SDHC card reader instead (less than $15 and available locally). This keeps your camera -- and its battery -- free for shooting.

Nor does it like the card when I try to use the old card reader I have. That's because your old card reader isn't SDHC compatible. Toss it, and get a new one -- pretty much all of the new ones are SDHC compatible these days, and they're dirt cheap.

Be sure to not plug the camera into the computer before you install the software or the software will not work, (my mistake on the first camera, did not read the instructions installion software) I sent my first one back cuz of dead pixel, my new one arrived with 1.0.9 firmware and so far no heat warning, but the temp here in TX is much cooler now that a few weeks ago when I had the heat warning so can't really tell if the new firmware fix it or not.

Could be the card reader. But why won't the computer see the camera? When I open the EOS Utility software I installed, it does talk to the camera, but it downloads a still frame out of each video clip, not the video. And the camera doesn't show up as a drive at all. It's weird that the EOS utility grabs a freeze but I can't find any way to get video.

I'll get a new card reader tomorrow and see what happens on that front. I prefer that anyway, but the camera should work too.

Well, this is interesting...I suddenly remembered that my wife's laptop has Snow Leopard. I've never got around to getting it for my editing system yet. I plugged the camera into her computer, iPhoto opened up and imported all the video clips perfectly. I would prefer to see the camera like a drive and put them in a folder, but as Adrinn said, it's weird but you can live with it. I'd prefer to drag and drop to a folder off a card reader. I'll go to Best Buy tomorrow morning and pay 30 bucks for a $15 reader and see if that works. The old one I have I got when the 20D first came out and a 1 gig card was a thing of great size. Chris is probably right about that situation. Hopefully. And, I guess I'll get Snow Leopard for my computer as well. It's cheap, I just never got around to doing it.

Alex, there's been lots of 720p/60 testing on the 7D already and that's when it gets hot. I already knew that so I didn't bother to try it. I'll only use 60fps very rarely and for short periods of time so it's not an issue for me. If you want to shoot for long periods of time in that mode, it may not be a good camera for you.

I would prefer to see the camera like a drive and put them in a folder
Canon doesn't implement the USB mass storage device profile, only the PTP interface, so the 5D can't be treated as an external drive.

I got mine last wensday (firmware 1.07) and did exactly what bill does. I recorded on my 2 16 gb cards, so about 1h30 of video at 24p without any heating warning.

i think from previous threads the issue was 'almost' exclusively with 60p.. we should be pretty safe with other framerates (well for sure i'll be safe in holland!)

About the 7d not showing up on the PC, ive read this before and was because of not installing the software, not the same as the 5d that (i think) shows up as a drive, did you install the CD Bill?

Sorry couldn't get back to you earlier Bill. I wanted to be absolutely sure I had no issues before replying.

Shot in HOT HOT HOT hawaiian sun in 1080 24p for 2 days. Not a single issue. Filled up over 100GBs. Pushed both of my 7Ds to the limit and not a single issue.

Love this camera :).

Manus, yeah I did the installation. There's probably something I overlooked there.

Randy--great news about the lack of heat in the sun. It could be that the heating has been only specific to some models and hopefully those guy can get it resolved. As far as I'm concerned, it's a non-issue, at least for 1080p/24. I plan to see what it does in 720p/60 eventually, but that doesn't concern me much. I am working on a short where a couple of slomo shots might be nice, but they won't be long runs. If I were shooting sports, I'd have to check this out very carefully.

Unfortunately, the gloomy overcast skies are gone here today and it's bright and sunny. Unfortunate because the only ND filter I have for my matte box is a .3. I have a black softnet too that eats a little bit of light, so I'll throw both of those on and stop way down and see if I can shoot some more tests outside.

To help nudge this back on topic, I have shot for extended periods(over 45 min) in 1080 30p mode and have not seen the warning light again. For those who haven't read the other heating thread, I had the light pop up on a long 720 60p shooting test. I have considered sending the camera back and/or contacting Canon, but I don't think this will effect any real-world shooting I am likely to do. So, I'm just going to keep this minor limitation in mind for future use. If it becomes an issue during next summer's hotter days I may end up sending it in for warranty repair.

Adriin,

You say a long 60fps test and the temp icon came on. Can you tell us exactly how long it worked before the heat issues? Sports is one of the things I will need 60fps, as well as FX for ads and movie. I cannot go out on the field and say I need a second take after the camera cools down. I cannot tell the client we have to wait for the camera to cool down. Especially when they pay by the hour. Because of these reasons, this camera cannot be considered for professional use.

I am happy for those that only need standard fps and are willing to limit their work and creativity. But, as a professional for many years, I feel it is important to have all the tools that work to get the job done and not miss or lose any work. This 7D is advertised as shooting 60fps. The Canon ads should also have within the same paragraph the statements about heat issues and limits you will have and the length of time it will work before you must let it cool down or lose quality in the image. Printing it in the manual in a discreet manner and then finding out "after you buy the camera" is not a good way of doing business in my opinion, and I then lose faith in the manufacturer. This reminds me of Panansonic refusing to say what size sensors were in their cameras a few years back. Later, we all found out they used the smallest sensors among their competition.

The subject of this thread needs to be changed to "no heat unless you need 60fps". To only say no heat is misleading and covering up all the truth.

Alex,

Don't get me wrong this is an excellent camera and I'm very satisfied overall. However if I was going to be shooting exclusively in 60p, I'm not sure if it's within reason for it to show a warning icon after filling up one and a half 8g cards. It may be that my particular camera is more prone to it than others. If this occurs within normal usage for me I will be sending the camera in for repairs.


I shot 60p for just under 40 mins in a 76 degree room before the light came on. Then I switched over to 1920x1080 30p and had no issues with another full card at that frame rate. Mind you, I stopped the camera as soon as the light came on to prevent damage, so I don't know if there is any IQ degradation at that temperature. I will be sure to update future trials and tribulations with this awesome camera, as I think this is one of the best tools for capturing imagery I've owned thus far.

Adrinn,

You say 40 minutes at 60p before the temp warning and this is what I wanted to know. I understand everything else and I appreciate the information form an end user.

I've had my 7d for a few weeks now. When the heat warning light issue came up I ran my camera for about 1 hr 20 minutes or so pointed at a tv with no problems in around 70 F temps.

This past weekend I shot for about 50 minutes in temps a little under 70 F. Went to lunch, came back and shot another 80-90 minutes. Got the warning light around 50 minutes and again about 20 minutes later. We only gave the camera a few minutes rest after the warning lights.

Temps were definitely under 70 C so I'm contemplating what to do. With the 5D mk ii firmware update announcement, I may go for a 2nd used 5D mkii and sell the 7D. The low light is much better on the 5d is much better and I do like the photo quality. Since we were warned on the 5D, it is somewhat bothersome with the 7D and it's two processors.

Well it's not 60fps only that it is limited to.

We shot a wedding last weekend and had it come up halfway through the (l o n g) ceremony. Tried it again last night just sitting in the lounge room - ambient temp about 25C.
After only 20 - 21 mins (that's 12 mins after which it stopped and we just restarted it right away then another 8-9 mins) we got the temperature warning coming up.

We are in PAL land here and shoot in 25 fps at 1080 hd.

It's a bit of a disappointment as the 5ds we used never had any issues.

It is just my camera? Should I take it back and try another one?

Some clips from what we shot are here in case you are interested: Clay & Tamara - Amore at Amamoor on Vimeo

A good friend of mine is planning a shoot in a tropical jungle with temps of 100 degrees F and 85% humidity. My interpretation of everything that I've read is that it'll be risky to use the 7D in that environment, even if they only shoot 1080/25p (we're in PAL land). What do you guys think? They'll need to travel very light so won't be able to take a 2nd camera body as backup.

If I were him, I'd seriously consider a Panasonic GH1 shooting 720/50p. I haven't heard anyone have overheating issues with the GH1, plus it has a lovely EVF.

I just picked up my replacement 7D. My first unit which was heating up in 30 minutes or less of continuos shooting.

Ran a test with the new 7D in 1920 30 format air temp 75 degrees. SS 30, f2.8, ISO 5000. It ran through 12GBs before I looked up to see the flashing red icon. Shut it down for 2 minutes and ran it again for another 5 minutes before it started flashing again. Still well under an hour before heating icon flashes.

I am reading reports that this is not the case with all 7Ds. Not sure what course of action to take. I would really like to invest in lenses and a rig for the cam but I am a bit dismayed to see this icon again.

I really did not put the first cam through any real work because my dealer said it needed to be in total mint condition in order to get my replacement. I shoot action sports so I have been sticking to the EX1. This indoor testing in a controlled environment has been my primary experience with the 7D.

what card are you using?

I am using an 8GB DELKIN CF Pro. I had posted about the possibility of this being a CF card but some one had responded stating that the card should not make a difference. Any info on this would be welcomed.

I ran a second test thus morning. Same temperature of 75 degrees, SS 60, f2.8, ISO1000. I changed the format to 1920 24. The camera recorded for 2 hours and 20 minutes continuously before the overheat icon came on. A more positive result than the 1920 30 test I did yesterday. Next I will repeat these test again using an external monitor to see what difference losing some LCD heat can make.

Doing my best to objectively test the 7D to figure out if this unit is indeed more hot tempered than other units.

Just got the overheating warning for the first time. 1080 24p with about 20 minutes of talking head shooting. My mistake was I didn't have a white towel over the camera as it was being hit with sunlight at sunset the whole time. I am SURE that if it was covered, it wouldn't have appeared.

Randy

Sounds like you are shooting in similar conditions to what I want to use the 7D in . Can you describe the work flow you did for the couple of days shooting 100GBs. Was it start and stop that allowed the camera to have little breaks here or there or were you shooting for extended periods that kept the cam rolling for longer takes. I would like to get a feel for how hard you were able to push the 7D without the heat icon.

Thanks for any info

Hey Guys we had over heat issues with the previous firmware and right now with the most recent update everything looks good so far.
I will report if I see it again.

Starting and stopping off and on for about 8 hours or so in the sun. It wasn't running continuously the whole time.

Keep in mind, if I would have put a white towel on the camera, I'm pretty sure the icon wouldn't have came up.

Did it again this past weekend and it was only during that one portion of the day it came on.

OK, this is getting confusing. It seems there are several possibilities for why some people are getting the overheating error and some are not: ambient temp, firmware, CF card, frame rate, variation in the manufacturing, whether or not the camera is hand held etc.

I'd suggest that we start logging some of these details. For those of you with 7Ds, *please* can you post a reply with the following information so we can start to examine stats rather than anecdotes? But for this "survey" to be at all meaningful, we need as many 7D owners to respond - both those who have experienced the overheating icon and those who haven't.

Have you experienced the dreaded "overheating" icon?
If so, for how long were you shooting before getting the icon?
Ambient temp?
Humidity?
Camera body exposed to direct sunlight?
Handheld or on a tripod?
Firmware version?
What date did you receive your 7D? (ideally we want the serial number if you're happy to provide that info!)
CF card make, model and size?
Frame rate?

Sure - it won't be possible to answer some of these questions with absolute accuracy. But that's not the point. We just need a few stats so we can start to sink our teeth into this problem.

So, for example, one useful outcome of this exercise is that we might find that the icon only appears if the camera is hand-held or in direct sunlight. Who knows...

My main goal here is to figure out as objectively as possible if there are heat issues associated to certain 7D units or are heat warnings the nature of of all 7Ds. The unit I am testing is a replacement for my first 7D and they both seem to exhibit about the same early warning when shooting continuously.

Ran another test this morning. Same temperature, indoor airco 75 degrees. Recording format 1920 30, SS 60, f2.8, and ISO 1000. Same CF card Delkin PRO UDMA. I hooked up the HDMI output to an external monitor disabling the internal monitor.

The result was about the same as my first test with 1920 30 with the internal monitor running. Recorded about 12GBs before the heat icon began flashing. Time wise this was around 35 minutes from the time I turned the camera on until the time I stopped it. 30p is my setting of preference for shooting action sports with the EX1 so 1920 30 is the likely format I would be shooting with the 7D.

I find it interesting that from the exterior the camera is just slightly warm to touch, the battery and the CF card are also a little warm but nothing I can touch is hot. I am not sure if this is a good or bad sign. It could mean Canon set the heat threshold low or it could mean the internal heat is not being dispersed to the body efficiently.

Are there any knowledgeable users out there that know the mechanics of DSLRs and what the heat sensor is measuring.

One of my primary goals for the shooting with the 7D is capturing interviews with a shallower DOF. The camera heating up at 35 minutes will certainly come into play.

Off to NYC to film the NYC Marathon. I will be using the EX1 and shooting some b-roll with the 7D.

Happy Halloween

Following up to my earlier post.
I spoke with my dealer and the canon rep last week. Today my dealer called me up and said, "come on down and pick up a replacement 7D".

Very nice of them I thought. They just replaced the body outright.

Sad news is... A little over 30 mins of shooting and the temp icon shows up again. So the new one is no better than the old one.

:( Will let the dealer know in the morning.
So that's 2 for 2 overheating with me.

I'm not too keen on upgrading firmware if the updates don't help me, but has anyone updated to 1.1.0 with results in regard to the overheating?

Shane (an others)....why not help us all out here and post the shooting/format/firmware etc. information Jack suggested so we can analyze any data that comes in. Just started testing my brand new 7D right now.

EDIT: Also, just for info there is one report of an extended "busy" problem that someone has reported over on "the other forum" (nothing to do with overheating etc.) so I for one will hold back on updating until more brave soles post successful results about Firmware updating to this current one - just in case!

EDIT 2: Just completed some testing with a 16GB Sandisk Extreme III card which I filled completely with video shot with a mixture of 720p 50fps and 1080p 25fps (just boring footage of me playing with camera and editing in my office). Camera would record for about 10-11 minutes on each clip before closing the file. No overheating warning came on. On desk and a bit of handheld. Ambient about 18C (indoors) and Firmware is 1.0.9 with a serial number (within 10) of the 0380302150 area. Also did a lens cover test whilst recording video ....and as far as I can tell....I'm looking at a completely black full res monitor screen on my Mac Pro... I've absolutely no stuck pixels. So, I'm pretty happy so far! Glad I bought a spare battery as video really sucks the juice out of the thing!

OK Andy, here's the guff...

I'm shooting 25fps
firmware is 1.0.9 (Is that the latest?)
The CF Card is a Sandisc Extreme III (200X or 30MB/s)
The battery is the official Canon LP E6

Now to the latest news.
Yesterday I took the 2nd 7D back to the dealer and he just gave me another one No questions asked. Fist test from a cold start at about 25C room temp and I had Temp Warning by 31 mins.
That's 12:24 - stopped and restarted immediately - 12:24 again then 6:32 for a grand total of 31 mins 20 seconds. Almost identical to 7D #2.

That's 3 for 3 on my end. :(

EDIT - Just discovered that there is a 1.1.0 update out for the firmware. Sorry I'm behind the times.
Will run some more tests tonight and see if it makes any difference.

I got my first camera from the very first shipments.
Heard about the overheating and posted that I'd gone 1:20 to 1:30 minutes with no problem.

Shot a job in under 70 F and got he heat icon in around 45 minutes.

came back and test with the AC adapter and it went around 1 to 1:10 hrs before seeing the overheat icon.

Took camera back and got 2nd camera. Right out of box, put in AC adapter and tried. Went around 1:20 minutes. 68 F on temp. 30 FPS, manual settings shutter at 60 ISO 320.
V 1.09 on software (2nd version) .

The quickest overheat was with custom picture frame, nikon lens and adapter, and battery.

I think AC adapter is good for about 15-20 minutes more before heat icon when over battery usage. But that's about my only guess.

I have had a 5D mark 2 since the end of november last year and never have seen the heat icon.

Not sure what to think other than the 2 processors are probably a problem.

Latest report:
Only just now had a chance to update the firmware to 1.1.0 and give it a test.

Updated firmware last night - started the test fresh this morning. Camera was cold - as in unused for 12 hrs overnight - turned on and test started immediately.

Restating all previous stats as before...
I'm shooting 25fps
Sandisc Extreme III (200X or 30MB/s)
Canon LP E6 battery

Got an unusual 15:30 on the first clip
(must have been the subject matter - large areas of solid colour)
15:03 on second clip
9:15 and the warning light comes on.

That's almost 40 mins. (i'd say 40 actually with the pauses to restart inbetween clips)

What's different?
Updated firmware and the office ambient temp was about 2 degrees C cooler than the last test.

Later in the day I expect that time would go down to the usual circa 30 mins.

Are there really people out there with 7D that don't do this?

Re your important question "are there really people out there with 7Ds that don't do this" I've done some more testing today.

Identical envrionmental conditions to post I did above (indoor, mild temps etc.) except in this case I has the Eos 7D Utility on my MBP going with the USB connection - so I had live view on the 7Ds screen (as well as on the MBP screen). Starting from a cool/off camera I filled my 16GB Sandisk Extreme III card with 1080p 25fps video until I got the card full termination. I tried to get near enough successive instant starts of recording as soon as the previous 4GB clip closed out. No overheating icon at all...maybe I'm just not shooting for long enough yet - judging by some of the posts above I need it going for much longer. IS was on for the first 4Gb clip (as I forgot), then off (as it was just resting on a table top).

I've another 16GB card arriving in a few days time so then maybe I can get the thing to come on after running for much longer (if I'm unlucky!) - I'll try then and report back again.

I got my first heat icon today, this was probably after about 1 hour of shooting. I don't think it affected the recording.

thanks all for the info... interesting stuff...

...Fist test from a cold start...

<childish snigger>

My 7D overheated after shooting less than 20 minutes in 1080 30P continuously. Prior to that, I was shooting for about 30 mins off and on.

I let it cool down and it overheated again and once more after about 5 minutes breaks in between.

1080 24p didn't give me these kind of issues.

Hmm.......it's my "main" 7D being that I shoot with it the most so I wonder if the proc's thermal paste wears down over time?

Relevant settings are LCD is on 1 notch above middle, 1080 30p, canon brand battery, monopod mounted, 80 degrees ambient air in slightly humid hawaiian weather, and about 1250 iso, 40 shutter, and 2.8 ap.

Hope this helps with something. Don't want to go to Canon yet as I need the 7D to shoot quite a bit more stuff.

is anyone using the battery grip? I haven't had time to test but I'm using the battery grip and I wonder if it helps keep some of the heat away from the main body?

Just a thought.. no heat icon so far but I haven't been running it as ragged as you guys testing.. I'll try the test tonight.

Starting from a cool/off camera I filled my 16GB Sandisk Extreme III card with 1080p 25fps video until I got the card full termination. I tried to get near enough successive instant starts of recording as soon as the previous 4GB clip closed out. No overheating icon at all...maybe I'm just not shooting for long enough yet - judging by some of the posts above I need it going for much longer.

Wow! No way I could fill a 16GB card with non-stop (you know what I mean) shooting. Interested to see what your other tests show.

Canon here is baffled! As I say, I'm on my third and they are all essentially the same. 30 - 40 mins depending on the ambient temp.

This maybe a bit behind the times but I've recently purchased a 7D to use along with my 5D2 and ran into the overheating issue when I used it for the first time on a shoot yesterday.

I was shooting in an air conditioned building, not very hot at all. I was using a marshall HDMI monitor so the LCD wasn't on and used the camera on and off all day. I was shooting at 1080/25 and recording to a 32GB UDMA Sandisk Extreme card. At one point in the day though I was shooting an interview and after around 15 minutes of continuous use the temperature warning light came on. I had no choice but to leave the camera running and the footage looks fine.

It's a bit worrying that this happened in non-extreme temperatures though, I'm planning on using the 7D at an event in St Tropez in May and now I'm a little concerned about this issue.

The 5D was fine all day.