Does your 550D overheat?

Clayton Moore · April 3rd, 2010, 07:11 PM

My unit overheated about 90min. into a shoot off and on with just that camera. Not a real problem as far as Im concerned in that I don't really see this unit in the same way as I see my HV20 and HV30 cameras. Its really for getting better color depth in low light and of course that super pretty DOF stuff. ..... and Its my very 1st SLR so I now can hone my Still photo chops as well.

What I really want is an HPX300 for doing video work.

Love my T2i so far.

Monday Isa · April 3rd, 2010, 08:39 PM

Got the heat warning today shooting a Quinceanera outside. It was a 70 degree day here in Maryland. Camera was on for prob 40 mins then I shut it off for a couple of mins and went back to filming no problem.

John Vincent · April 4th, 2010, 01:40 PM

Not so far... even though it's been warm for this time of year in Michigan.

Not 90 degrees warm, but warm.

Of course, I tend to turn the camera off every instant I'm not using it to conserve power.

john

Rusty Rogers · April 12th, 2010, 07:09 PM

I've had good success with test shoots around the house, but last night I finally got the heat indicator while shooting a dance party so crazy they blew the main breaker on most of a good sized auditorium! The AC went with it and the room did not even begin to cool for nearly 90 min. after the power was restored. My reaction was to simply power-off the camera for a while, then continue.

When the battery finally ran out (and here's the lesson) it was (I'll say) quite warm. Not really hot, but warmer than I expected. Batteries do warm when discharging, but the confined space may be a problem.

From now on I'm going to carry a spare battery and swap it often. I think this will limit some of the heat build-up.

Robert Turchick · April 12th, 2010, 07:12 PM

since getting the battery grip, I've had no issues

Rusty Rogers · April 12th, 2010, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Turchick

since getting the battery grip, I've had no issues

That's good to hear! I'm getting one for sure.
Are your batteries pretty warm after a shoot?
I'll bet not so hot as two discharging batteries are inherently cooler.

(Why didn't they think of that?)

Chad Dyle · April 12th, 2010, 07:56 PM

Someone needs to design an umbrella that attaches to the hot shoe. It could be attached on sunny days to keep it cool. Who is up for it :)

Robert Turchick · April 12th, 2010, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty Rogers

That's good to hear! I'm getting one for sure.
Are your batteries pretty warm after a shoot?
I'll bet not so hot as two discharging batteries are inherently cooler.

(Why didn't they think of that?)

fairy warm...shoot yesterday it was about 80 outside and 100 inside! YUK! I think getting the batteries out of the camera helps. I also did a shoot with the power adapter and had no issues.

Rusty Rogers · April 13th, 2010, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad Dyle

Someone needs to design an umbrella that attaches to the hot shoe. It could be attached on sunny days to keep it cool. Who is up for it :)

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Bryan McCullough · April 20th, 2010, 07:59 PM

I picked up the battery grip yesterday and had a mammoth shoot today. Shot pretty close to all day for about 8 hours. Inside we shot interviews for about 4 hours straight, then shot outside for most of the afternoon.

Absolutely zero temperature warnings!!!! It was wonderful. Previously I'd had it overheat after about an hour of shooting under interview conditions and was worried about today. But it was awesome, never even came up and I shot the crap out of the camera.

Most testing needed, of course, but I'm incredibly pleased with the grip. Being able to change batteries without removing the camera from the tripod is worth the cost alone, the overheating issue is just a super bonus.

I'd say the battery grip moves solidly into the required accessories category.

Robert Turchick · April 20th, 2010, 08:09 PM

well, did another shoot indoors with 5-8 min takes and wasn't til the end of the shoot that the temp light came on. This is with the battery grip. It was about 85 deg outside and not much cooler in. My buddy's 5D got its warning about the same time as mine which sucked cause we had to halt the take.

Then last Saturday I shot outside for almost 2 hours with the battery grip and it came on a few times but it was close to 90 deg and camera was in the sun for a good chunk of time. Luckily it was all b-roll.

I think Philip Bloom has the right idea...need two bodies for serious work.

Bryan McCullough · April 20th, 2010, 08:20 PM

Today was my first day with the T2i as my primary camera on a shoot and I'd come to the same conclusion. While not for heat issues I just wanted a second camera available for b-roll and to use if something happens to the primary.

And at $700 it's a no-brainer, though I'm considering getting a 7D for the primary.

Giroud Francois · April 21st, 2010, 01:09 PM

since the grip hold all the batteries under the body, i wonder we can use the part of the grip that takes place into the body to add a very small fan (or even a cooling element).

Sean Philips · April 22nd, 2010, 11:39 AM

I just shot a 2 hour theatre production with the T2i and several other cameras. I shot the dress rehearsal and the main production making a total of 4 hours of footage in 1 day from the T2i. I went through 4 battery changes and 2 X 32 gig memory cards.

Absolutely no overheating whatsoever.

The theatre was full and the stage lighting made it a little warm, but I was shooting constantly in bursts of 5 to 10 minutes with a break of 5 seconds between each. The camera felt a little warm in my hand but not significantly warmer than usual.

Maybe direct sunlight on the black body will increase the chance of overheating, but using this camera as it should be used (ie. as a backup to your main setup) should cause no problems at all.

The memory cards were core micro class 6. Maybe that made a difference? Maybe the 5 second breaks were enough to keep it cool? Maybe the fact that is was on a tripod and not hand-held did the trick? Whatever the reason, it never even came close to overheating.

Eric Lagerlof · April 23rd, 2010, 12:50 AM

Sean, that's great to hear! I've been looking for a 'B' camera for my theater shoots, using an FX-1 as the continuous wide shot and I would love to be able to shoot an hour at a time. I could work with 5-10 second breaks...

If possible, I would like to be able to focus mid-stage and have a depth of field that would include both upstage and downstage movement. What lens(s) did you use and how was the DOF and focus?

Currently, I'm importing my HDV 1080i footage into a standard def timeline, using the larger frame for pan & scan 'close-ups'. The Rebel would probably slow down my editing but it would be an affordable option. Any other thoughts on your theater shoot experience would be nice.

April 3rd, 2010, 07:11 PM	#16
Clayton Moore Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Sacramento, Ca. Posts: 70	Me to My unit overheated about 90min. into a shoot off and on with just that camera. Not a real problem as far as Im concerned in that I don't really see this unit in the same way as I see my HV20 and HV30 cameras. Its really for getting better color depth in low light and of course that super pretty DOF stuff. ..... and Its my very 1st SLR so I now can hone my Still photo chops as well. What I really want is an HPX300 for doing video work. Love my T2i so far.

April 12th, 2010, 07:09 PM	#19
Rusty Rogers Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 177	First night out lesson... I've had good success with test shoots around the house, but last night I finally got the heat indicator while shooting a dance party so crazy they blew the main breaker on most of a good sized auditorium! The AC went with it and the room did not even begin to cool for nearly 90 min. after the power was restored. My reaction was to simply power-off the camera for a while, then continue. When the battery finally ran out (and here's the lesson) it was (I'll say) quite warm. Not really hot, but warmer than I expected. Batteries do warm when discharging, but the confined space may be a problem. From now on I'm going to carry a spare battery and swap it often. I think this will limit some of the heat build-up. __________________ *Rusty* Rusty Rogers \| Films

April 12th, 2010, 07:12 PM	#20
Robert Turchick Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 1,389	since getting the battery grip, I've had no issues __________________ The older I get, the better I was!

April 12th, 2010, 07:56 PM	#22
Chad Dyle Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: New Orleans, LA Posts: 410	Someone needs to design an umbrella that attaches to the hot shoe. It could be attached on sunny days to keep it cool. Who is up for it :) __________________ www.chaddyle.com www.chaddyleproductions.com

April 20th, 2010, 08:09 PM	#26
Robert Turchick Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 1,389	well, did another shoot indoors with 5-8 min takes and wasn't til the end of the shoot that the temp light came on. This is with the battery grip. It was about 85 deg outside and not much cooler in. My buddy's 5D got its warning about the same time as mine which sucked cause we had to halt the take. Then last Saturday I shot outside for almost 2 hours with the battery grip and it came on a few times but it was close to 90 deg and camera was in the sun for a good chunk of time. Luckily it was all b-roll. I think Philip Bloom has the right idea...need two bodies for serious work. __________________ The older I get, the better I was!

April 3rd, 2010, 08:39 PM	#17
Monday Isa Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: College Park, Maryland Posts: 913	Got the heat warning today shooting a Quinceanera outside. It was a 70 degree day here in Maryland. Camera was on for prob 40 mins then I shut it off for a couple of mins and went back to filming no problem.

April 4th, 2010, 01:40 PM	#18
John Vincent Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,065	Not so far... even though it's been warm for this time of year in Michigan. Not 90 degrees warm, but warm. Of course, I tend to turn the camera off every instant I'm not using it to conserve power. john

April 20th, 2010, 07:59 PM	#25
Bryan McCullough Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 842	I picked up the battery grip yesterday and had a mammoth shoot today. Shot pretty close to all day for about 8 hours. Inside we shot interviews for about 4 hours straight, then shot outside for most of the afternoon. Absolutely zero temperature warnings!!!! It was wonderful. Previously I'd had it overheat after about an hour of shooting under interview conditions and was worried about today. But it was awesome, never even came up and I shot the crap out of the camera. Most testing needed, of course, but I'm incredibly pleased with the grip. Being able to change batteries without removing the camera from the tripod is worth the cost alone, the overheating issue is just a super bonus. I'd say the battery grip moves solidly into the required accessories category.

April 20th, 2010, 08:20 PM	#27
Bryan McCullough Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 842	Today was my first day with the T2i as my primary camera on a shoot and I'd come to the same conclusion. While not for heat issues I just wanted a second camera available for b-roll and to use if something happens to the primary. And at $700 it's a no-brainer, though I'm considering getting a 7D for the primary.

April 21st, 2010, 01:09 PM	#28
Giroud Francois Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: switzerland Posts: 2,133	since the grip hold all the batteries under the body, i wonder we can use the part of the grip that takes place into the body to add a very small fan (or even a cooling element).

April 22nd, 2010, 11:39 AM	#29
Sean Philips New Boot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba Posts: 7	T2i = perfect I just shot a 2 hour theatre production with the T2i and several other cameras. I shot the dress rehearsal and the main production making a total of 4 hours of footage in 1 day from the T2i. I went through 4 battery changes and 2 X 32 gig memory cards. Absolutely no overheating whatsoever. The theatre was full and the stage lighting made it a little warm, but I was shooting constantly in bursts of 5 to 10 minutes with a break of 5 seconds between each. The camera felt a little warm in my hand but not significantly warmer than usual. Maybe direct sunlight on the black body will increase the chance of overheating, but using this camera as it should be used (ie. as a backup to your main setup) should cause no problems at all. The memory cards were core micro class 6. Maybe that made a difference? Maybe the 5 second breaks were enough to keep it cool? Maybe the fact that is was on a tripod and not hand-held did the trick? Whatever the reason, it never even came close to overheating.

April 23rd, 2010, 12:50 AM	#30
Eric Lagerlof Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Pacifica, CA Posts: 348	Sean, that's great to hear! I've been looking for a 'B' camera for my theater shoots, using an FX-1 as the continuous wide shot and I would love to be able to shoot an hour at a time. I could work with 5-10 second breaks... If possible, I would like to be able to focus mid-stage and have a depth of field that would include both upstage and downstage movement. What lens(s) did you use and how was the DOF and focus? Currently, I'm importing my HDV 1080i footage into a standard def timeline, using the larger frame for pan & scan 'close-ups'. The Rebel would probably slow down my editing but it would be an affordable option. Any other thoughts on your theater shoot experience would be nice.