SDXC Card with Canon t2i

[Tony Nguyen]

Has anyone had any success with SDXC cards on the t2i yet? Still a little unclear about the exFAT format allowing more than 4gb/12min limitation.

[Chris Hurd]

It's important to understand that the 4GB / 12 minute HD / 30 minute SD clip length limit is *not* related to anything having to do with the choice of cards or the choice of file format. Therefore the clip length limitation cannot be overcome simply by using an SDXC card, sorry.

[Tony Nguyen]

Hmm. I see.... That explains this from http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eo...ml#post1492629

Originally Posted by Randall Leong

"In addition, even if you use SDXC on the T2i, you're still limited to 4GB per video due to the limitations of the camera" - Randall Leong

[Fei Meng]

Also, there are no SDXC cards widely available for sale yet. There have been a couple of announced products, 64GB, with MSRPs around $350.

[Konrad Haskins]

The technical limit was overcome with solid state camcorders and now the SDXC cards. The EU tax code limit has not been overcome. Although I'm surprised some hacker has not hacked it.

[Martin Labelle]

I don't see much of sdxc in Montreal.
and the biggest store of the province does not sell them yet.

[Randall Leong]

Originally Posted by Konrad Haskins

The technical limit was overcome with solid state camcorders and now the SDXC cards. The EU tax code limit has not been overcome. Although I'm surprised some hacker has not hacked it.

Much of the reason for such a recording limit on large-sensor motion-recording-capable cameras such as the T2i is heat. All else being equal, larger sensors produce much more heat than smaller sensors do. This is why even the most expensive professional solid-state camcorders use only so-called 2/3" (two-thirds) sensors (the actual usable size, or effective size, of a 2/3" sensor is a bit less than that) while the T2i's sensor measures more than one full inch on the diagonal (effective size). There is no getting around the increased heat output with bigger sensors, which run exponentially hotter than their smaller counterparts. Therefore, Canon actually implemented the 4GB/12-minute limit on video recordings in the T2i in order to protect the camera's imaging sensor - and then, the camera must be turned off for a few minutes before continuing to record. Otherwise, if left to record indefinitely, the sensor would have burnt out after about 15 to 20 minutes, rendering the camera inoperable.

[Nigel Barker]

It only takes a few seconds to start another 4GB/12min take once the previous once has finished. There is no question of turning the camera off for several minutes (unless you choose to).

[Michael Clark]

I am buying a T2i and am trying to figure out what would be a better purchase. The Sandisk Class 4 64gb SDXC cards are selling for about $219 now on amazon. However, I could buy two of the Sandisk Class 10 16gb SDHC cards for $190. The small price difference is not a factor either way. My question is, would it be safer to get the two 16gb cards, since they're Class 10, even though I would only have half the storage capacity? I'll be using the T2i to videotape weddings, and since this is not my A camera, 96 minutes (4gb = 12 minutes) should be plenty. Obviously it's my goal to get a couple more cards in the future. My other two video cameras are HDV (miniDV).

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Michael Clark

The Sandisk Class 4 64gb SDXC cards are selling for about $219

For HD video recording, stay away from Class 4 cards. You'll want Class 6 cards or better.

Card capacity isn't as important as card speed, since it's a quick and painless process to simply swap out a full card for an empty one.

[Justin Chen]

I feel I'd be better to go with the class 10 so there isn't any problems with buffer overflowing and video randomly freezing. Also higher densities could have more defects and lead to problems. So multiple cards could reduce data loss if it happens

[Steve Oakley]

EU import tax is based on record length of 29 min, 29 secs.

there is NOTHING that prevents canon from lifting this for t2i / NA cameras, except its cheaper to make one camera body for everywhere, instead of loading different firmware for different models... which of course some one would "fix".

canon could let the camera support HFS+ or EXT3 or EXT4 if the wanted to, which would also eliminate the problem. FAT64.... its just too new.

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Steve Oakley

EU import tax is based on record length of 29 min, 29 secs.

Actually 29 min, 59 sec but otherwise that's exactly right, and this is the
*only reason* why these cameras are saddled with the 4GB recording limit.

The files are cut off at 29 min, 59 secs of standard definition video or 4GB, whichever limit is reached first.

4GB = approximately twelve minutes of HD video (sometimes more, sometimes less... depends on what's being shot).

Originally Posted by Randall Leong

Canon actually implemented the 4GB/12-minute limit on video recordings in the T2i in order to protect the camera's imaging sensor... if left to record indefinitely, the sensor would have burnt out after about 15 to 20 minutes, rendering the camera inoperable.

Sorry, this is not only incorrect but also easily disproved. The T2i and all other current D-SLRs will actually record well over 15 to 20 minutes of continuous video in a single clip (as long as the file size of the clip doesn't exceed 4GB). When recording standard definition video, these cameras will write a video file one second short of a full thirty minutes (that is, 29 min. 59 sec.), and since it has to downconvert to SD on the fly, the processor is working just as hard if not harder to write SD video to the card as it does for HD.

The recording time limitation on these cameras is not twelve minutes -- it's thirty minutes. In SD recording mode, you can record a single clip up to 29 min. 59 sec. in length before the camera automatically stops recording. That translates to approximately twelve minutes of HD (maybe more, maybe less, depending on what the camera is pointing at). Due to the EU tax provisions which have been discussed here many times, the camera cuts off at 29 min. 59 sec. or 4GB, whichever comes first. In HD mode, 4GB is always reached well before the 29 min. 59 sec. time limit. Hope this helps,

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

The recording time limitation on these cameras is not twelve minutes -- it's thirty minutes. In SD recording mode, you can record a single clip up to 29 min. 59 sec. in length before the camera automatically stops recording. That translates to approximately twelve minutes of HD (maybe more, maybe less, depending on what the camera is pointing at). Due to the EU tax provisions which have been discussed here many times, the camera cuts off at 29 min. 59 sec. or 4GB, whichever comes first. In HD mode, 4GB is always reached well before the 29 min. 59 sec. time limit. Hope this helps,

If Canon's intention is to ensure that the 5DII, 7D etc are not classed as camcorders & thus subject to 4.9% customs duty then they have been overzealous in their implementation. A still camera is classed as a camcorder if it is capable of recording video of resolution higher than 800x600 & more than 23fps for 30 minutes or more. Here is a link to the UK Government site where the regulation are detailed Classifying television cameras, video cameras and still digital cameras | Business Link

The resolution limit of 800x600 means that any length of standard definition recording is permissible without being classed as a camcorder & is presumably set higher than 640x480 as SD PAL is 720x576. It's not clear where a limit of 12 minutes or 4GB is arrived at as neither figures as part of the EU definition of a camcorder. Whatever the reason for the limit we appear stuck with it & I like the suggestion that the limited recording time ensures that we have an experience more akin to using 35mm film:-)

[Austin Smith]

Is there a solution yet to overcome the 30min / 4gb movie record limit?