Overheating 7d at DVinfo.net

Dinesh Deokota · August 5th, 2011, 10:57 PM

Hi, has anybody filming with a 7d experienced overheating of the camera. I am new to 7d filming and it was a bit of problem when it showed the warning halfway into an interview. My solution so far is to slot in a fresh CF card and change the battery as they tend to be extremely hot but can anything be done at all other than getting another body?. has it happened to you?

Tom Dickerson · August 6th, 2011, 06:50 AM

I have read various comments about the overheating issue with the T2i and 7D. Some claim that an external battery grip and the use of an external monitor reduce some of the heat inside the camera. I've also read where some claim it doesn't.

I believe it does help. Just purchasing an external battery grip help me a little. I'm going to get an external monitor next.

As you are probably aware, if shooting outdoors in direct sunlight it is best to keep the camera shaded.

Dinesh Deokota · August 6th, 2011, 09:42 PM

Thank you Tom - I will do exactly that. I think an external battery grip could take some heat off the camera.

Tom Dickerson · August 8th, 2011, 08:48 AM

Dinesh - Please take note that I stated I believe a battery grip helps - and so does an external monitor, but I am not sure it eliminates overheating completely. Some have said it does, some have said it doesn't.

Ian S Lewis · August 8th, 2011, 02:28 PM

If you shoot hand held a lot that can be a problem I have found. Where your right thumb naturally rests gets very hot and keeping your hand there for extended periods I think stops some heat escaping. Thankfully shooting in the UK heat is rarely a problem. I have heard of people using icepacks in tea towels, or having 2 bodies, (swap out the overheated one). Hope that helps some.

Dinesh Deokota · August 10th, 2011, 01:59 AM

Thanks Tom and Ian - I suppose it does not solve the problem completely - maybe getting another body will be the most sensible idea with a guarantee of dealing with the problem. I suppose Canon will solve the problem after I have bought the second body :-)

Stu Holmes · August 10th, 2011, 08:29 AM

Canon 60D does not overheat, that is what everyone is saying.
Also i dont think the T3i / 600D overheats either.

The articulating screen i think helps, getting that away from the body helps dissipate heat, or maybe Canon just achieved better heat-management with these later bodies.

so.. consider maybe getting a 60D or t3i/600D as your next body. I'd imagine filming in India the heat management issue is a problem.

Also people have successfully used 'coldpacks' to keep the camera cold. I am sure i have read about this here on Dvinfo.net

EDIT: yes here is the link to the cold-packs that you can use to help keep camera cold. Tape it or rubber-band it to the camera when taping long sessions, and it should keep the camera running. OK its not something you want to do ALL the time, but when you *need* the camera to keep working, it can be done :
By Dezign First Aid Introduces Urea Based Instant Ice Packs

also read here :
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eo...on-report.html

Sergio Perez · August 10th, 2011, 09:41 AM

The camera definitely overheats a lot. I'm in a place in Asia that's very hot and humid and the 7D is much much worse towards overheating than the 5D, for example. The only solution I've found is to shut off the camera whatever possible.

Buba Kastorski · August 10th, 2011, 10:34 AM

I know a lot of people say that switching LCD off does not make any difference, but my 7D never overheats on stedicam, when I use only external LCD, I mean 2 hrs +, and the same unit gives me that red warning after approx 40 min with LCD on.

John Wiley · August 11th, 2011, 06:13 AM

You could also try turning down the LCD brightness, as long as you are using a viewfinder/hood in sunlight. It's not proven to work but hey, anything that might help is worth trying. I have my 550D LCD brightness turned right down and I've never had the camera overheat, even in direct sunlight on hot summer days after several hours.

Jonanthan Carr · August 20th, 2011, 09:43 AM

On firmware 1.2.4 my 7D never over heated, compared to all the other firmwares. And I keep my 7D on at all times. Now with 1.2.5, I do get the occasional over heating problems now and again. But mostly when it was EXT. day shoots in the sun, during the heat waves in NYC.

Andrew Petrie · August 21st, 2011, 11:10 AM

I have had one overheating experience with my 7D, using the latest firmware and the canon battery grip (which some people swear helps prevent the issue).

Dinesh Deokota · August 23rd, 2011, 08:54 PM

Thank you all for your suggestions - its very kind of you to give your inputs.

Geen White · November 8th, 2011, 01:14 AM

I recently lost a client due to the overheating issue of the 7D.
He did his research and contacted me to tell me about it.

I have never had this problem but I guess it is not that unusual.

Bruce Foreman · November 9th, 2011, 08:16 PM

Some T2i/550D owners have reported the media card being very hot when they got the overheat warning icon on their cameras. In all cases they were using "bargain brand" media. Performance got better when they switched to something like SanDisk.

That model uses SDHC media and I have no idea if the same could apply to CF media.

I have a 7D as well as a T3i and 60D. The articulating LCD on the T3i and 60D seems to help the overheating by allowing heat to "escape" the body easier. I don't try to run any of them for long periods, most of what I do is in sequences of short "takes" with the camera being shut down while setting up for the next scene/take giving the internals time to cool down. I've never even seen the overheat warning on the 7D.

The only time I've seen it on one of mine was with a T1i (sold it when I got the 7D), I was trying to get the highlights of an hour long event out in the Texas sun and kept the camera in "standby" when not filming so as not to miss a quick start. Got the overheat warning as I was recording the last part of the event so I lost nothing anyway.

August 5th, 2011, 10:57 PM	#1
Dinesh Deokota New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Nepal Posts: 13	Overheating 7d Hi, has anybody filming with a 7d experienced overheating of the camera. I am new to 7d filming and it was a bit of problem when it showed the warning halfway into an interview. My solution so far is to slot in a fresh CF card and change the battery as they tend to be extremely hot but can anything be done at all other than getting another body?. has it happened to you? __________________ D

August 6th, 2011, 06:50 AM	#2
Tom Dickerson Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Mesa, Arizona Posts: 86	Re: Overheating 7d I have read various comments about the overheating issue with the T2i and 7D. Some claim that an external battery grip and the use of an external monitor reduce some of the heat inside the camera. I've also read where some claim it doesn't. I believe it does help. Just purchasing an external battery grip help me a little. I'm going to get an external monitor next. As you are probably aware, if shooting outdoors in direct sunlight it is best to keep the camera shaded.

August 6th, 2011, 09:42 PM	#3
Dinesh Deokota New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Nepal Posts: 13	Re: Overheating 7d Thank you Tom - I will do exactly that. I think an external battery grip could take some heat off the camera. __________________ D

August 8th, 2011, 08:48 AM	#4
Tom Dickerson Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Mesa, Arizona Posts: 86	Re: Overheating 7d Dinesh - Please take note that I stated I believe a battery grip helps - and so does an external monitor, but I am not sure it eliminates overheating completely. Some have said it does, some have said it doesn't.

August 8th, 2011, 02:28 PM	#5
Ian S Lewis New Boot Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest UK Posts: 18	Re: Overheating 7d If you shoot hand held a lot that can be a problem I have found. Where your right thumb naturally rests gets very hot and keeping your hand there for extended periods I think stops some heat escaping. Thankfully shooting in the UK heat is rarely a problem. I have heard of people using icepacks in tea towels, or having 2 bodies, (swap out the overheated one). Hope that helps some. __________________ http://www.danavideoproductions.co.uk

August 10th, 2011, 01:59 AM	#6
Dinesh Deokota New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Nepal Posts: 13	Re: Overheating 7d Thanks Tom and Ian - I suppose it does not solve the problem completely - maybe getting another body will be the most sensible idea with a guarantee of dealing with the problem. I suppose Canon will solve the problem after I have bought the second body :-) __________________ D

August 10th, 2011, 08:29 AM	#7
Stu Holmes Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Europe Posts: 844	Re: Overheating 7d Canon 60D does not overheat, that is what everyone is saying. Also i dont think the T3i / 600D overheats either. The articulating screen i think helps, getting that away from the body helps dissipate heat, or maybe Canon just achieved better heat-management with these later bodies. so.. consider maybe getting a 60D or t3i/600D as your next body. I'd imagine filming in India the heat management issue is a problem. Also people have successfully used 'coldpacks' to keep the camera cold. I am sure i have read about this here on Dvinfo.net EDIT: yes here is the link to the cold-packs that you can use to help keep camera cold. Tape it or rubber-band it to the camera when taping long sessions, and it should keep the camera running. OK its not something you want to do ALL the time, but when you need the camera to keep working, it can be done : By Dezign First Aid Introduces Urea Based Instant Ice Packs also read here : http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eo...on-report.html

August 10th, 2011, 09:41 AM	#8
Sergio Perez Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Macau Posts: 331	Re: Overheating 7d The camera definitely overheats a lot. I'm in a place in Asia that's very hot and humid and the 7D is much much worse towards overheating than the 5D, for example. The only solution I've found is to shut off the camera whatever possible. __________________ If you don't believe in your film, no one else will.

August 10th, 2011, 10:34 AM	#9
Buba Kastorski Trustee Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,414	Re: Overheating 7d I know a lot of people say that switching LCD off does not make any difference, but my 7D never overheats on stedicam, when I use only external LCD, I mean 2 hrs +, and the same unit gives me that red warning after approx 40 min with LCD on. __________________ I love this place!

August 11th, 2011, 06:13 AM	#10
John Wiley Trustee Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Byron Bay, Australia Posts: 1,155	Re: Overheating 7d You could also try turning down the LCD brightness, as long as you are using a viewfinder/hood in sunlight. It's not proven to work but hey, anything that might help is worth trying. I have my 550D LCD brightness turned right down and I've never had the camera overheat, even in direct sunlight on hot summer days after several hours.

August 20th, 2011, 09:43 AM	#11
Jonanthan Carr Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: United States Posts: 50	Re: Overheating 7d On firmware 1.2.4 my 7D never over heated, compared to all the other firmwares. And I keep my 7D on at all times. Now with 1.2.5, I do get the occasional over heating problems now and again. But mostly when it was EXT. day shoots in the sun, during the heat waves in NYC. __________________ Dp Reel http://www.visualcinema.com/reels/ Rentals in NYC http://www.visualcinema.com/rentals/cameras/ Scarlet-X SN#634 "HEXTALL"

August 21st, 2011, 11:10 AM	#12
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	Re: Overheating 7d I have had one overheating experience with my 7D, using the latest firmware and the canon battery grip (which some people swear helps prevent the issue). __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

August 23rd, 2011, 08:54 PM	#13
Dinesh Deokota New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Nepal Posts: 13	Re: Overheating 7d Thank you all for your suggestions - its very kind of you to give your inputs. __________________ D

November 8th, 2011, 01:14 AM	#14
Geen White Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: High Desert CA Posts: 46	Re: Overheating 7d I recently lost a client due to the overheating issue of the 7D. He did his research and contacted me to tell me about it. I have never had this problem but I guess it is not that unusual.

November 9th, 2011, 08:16 PM	#15
Bruce Foreman Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: San Angelo Texas Posts: 1,518	Re: Overheating 7d Some T2i/550D owners have reported the media card being very hot when they got the overheat warning icon on their cameras. In all cases they were using "bargain brand" media. Performance got better when they switched to something like SanDisk. That model uses SDHC media and I have no idea if the same could apply to CF media. I have a 7D as well as a T3i and 60D. The articulating LCD on the T3i and 60D seems to help the overheating by allowing heat to "escape" the body easier. I don't try to run any of them for long periods, most of what I do is in sequences of short "takes" with the camera being shut down while setting up for the next scene/take giving the internals time to cool down. I've never even seen the overheat warning on the 7D. The only time I've seen it on one of mine was with a T1i (sold it when I got the 7D), I was trying to get the highlights of an hour long event out in the Texas sun and kept the camera in "standby" when not filming so as not to miss a quick start. Got the overheat warning as I was recording the last part of the event so I lost nothing anyway.