My PMW-300 heats up after about 10 minutes of use. I know that some heating is normal, my EX3 did it too. There is no effect whatsoever on the functioning of the camera, but when the body is about the same temperature as a fresh cup of coffee, and hot to the touch, I wonder if that is excessive. It is always most noticeable when filming in the sun. Do others find the same behavior?

Black will absorb the heat from the sunlight. Same as a black car on a hot day, compared to a white car.

Andrew

Andrew,

Yes you are correct, but I am amazed at how much heat seems to be soaked up from the sun. Knowing this I wonder why the manufacturers don't go back to the pale gray bodies that Canon still uses on it's lenses, and that their old mini DV tape camcorders had?

Cameras are black (and we wear black clothes at times) because it gives the least chance of reflecting off any of the subject matter we are shooting ... and revealing the presence of the photog or his gear.

It's also very slimming. :-P

I've had other cameras (and silver/grey metallic panelled tape decks) heat up in the sun at outdoor events. The easy solution is to drape a cloth over the top of them.

Andrew

I once kept a Hi8 Sony HandyCam on my dash as a full time dash cam. One hot day I came out to find the black top hatch/button row and pop out tape door warped. The silver body of the camera was unaffected, but then it was much thicker as well. :-)

Paul

Steve - what I find to be a very handy tool to have around is a laser thermometer. Harbor Freight has one on sale until April 30 for $35.99.

"Non-contact infrared thermometer with laser targeting, Centech brand (house brand?). Lot 60725
I have a different make and one has to use a correction factor for various surfaces with it.

One way to calibrate it with a correction factor would be to leave the cam in an environment where the temperature didn't change much for several hours, like maybe overnight, then take it's temperature and compare that with the ambient temperature.

Another suggestion, maybe a little umbrella would help for the outdoor shoots. Would help with viewing the viewfinders too.