Do all mirrorless/DSLR cameras stop video recording after a relatively shor

[edurbrow]

Do all mirrorless/DSLR cameras stop video recording after a relatively short time?

I’ve been using a Sanyo HD1010 and Panasonic HX-WA20 for recording my videos. The Panasonic stopped being able to take still pictures a few months ago, but still takes video okay. The Sanyo seems to have died for video and pictures recently. I thought I would try to up my game by buying a camera that can do 1080 x 1920 at 60p. Both my cameras do/did only 60i. I enjoy taking stills and I have no way to do that now, so I thought I would buy a still camera that can also take video. Taking stills with those video cameras was very limited.

I have found only one camera that can fulfill my criteria in my price range (around $500) and that is the Nikon 1 J5. My top priority is to take music videos of myself. Therefore, being able to see myself in frame is crucial - 180º flip screen. I need English in the menus and that eliminates all Sony and Panasonic here in Japan. So I was all set to buy the Nikon 1 J5 and downloaded the manual. I noticed it said that the video will stop after 10 minutes recording at 60p.

My question is: Is this relatively short recording true of all still cameras? Is this a hopeless quest? My HX-WA20 seems to have a limit of around 4.2GB for movies but it immediately starts recording another file. The last frame has no audio and the beginning of the next clip has no audio so there is an audible glitch. However, If I’m on the ball, I’ll record audio with a portable recorder if it is live and with proper studio mics if it is in my audio studio. The video clips can be put together seamlessly with no dropped frames. Do any still cameras automatically continue to record video after the maximum file size is reached?

Ed Durbrow
Saitama, Japan
http://www.youtube.com/user/edurbrow?feature=watch

[smrpix]

Do all mirrorless/DSLR cameras stop video recording after a relatively short time?

Basically yes, for either legal or technical reasons. Legally, in Europe particularly, the tax is different for a still camera or a video camera. The difference is defined by the duration of the video recording capability. Technically, these cameras are subject to overheating so it gives the processor a chance to rest.

Your Panasonic has a different issue. You were recording within the AVCHD structure. The entire structure is meant to be imported into an NLE that will recognize and stitch the spanned clips. Loading them as individual files is what's giving you the error.

[edurbrow]

Thank you.
I was loading the Panasonic and Sanyo videos directly into a NLE. Though I only noticed this recently so maybe it was only on the Panasonic HXWA-20. Because I could zoom in and see the waveform ends is how I know I was losing a tiny bit of audio. However, the video appears to not drop a frame.

So about the cameras, they don't automatically create a new file, eh? And you have to wait for them to cool off or could you hit record again and have it start recording video right away?

[smrpix]

Since this covers such a wide range of cameras it varies. On most cameras you can hit the shutter again immediately and begin a new recording. Some models can send a continuous signal to an external recorder (so the camera doesn't have to do the heavy lifting on compression and recording.) And of course, new models with new capabilities come out all the time.

[edurbrow]

Thank you. I guess it will be a shot in the dark as to the capabilities of the Nikon 1 J5. I'll just have to get it and hope for the best.