5D3 - shooting stills while shooting video = dead camera

[drmikeinpdx]

Yesterday I was using my 5D3 with the 70-200 F/4 IS as a hand held video camera to shoot a blues band at an outdoor blues festival. It was a warm day and the camera got a bit warm from being in the direct sun.

After shooting a minute or two of short video clips, I got the bright idea to shoot some stills without stopping the video recording - just wanted to see how that worked. After a few shots, the camera locked up. No LED or LCD display, no response to any controls. Switched off and on again.... still dead.

I took out the battery for a few seconds and put it back in.... still dead. Checked to see if the mirror was locked up and it was not.

I walked back to my gear bag, where my assistant was watching the primary tripod mounted camera, and replaced the battery with the backup battery. Everything worked fine then and I was able to record the rest of the performance. When I wanted to shoot some stills, I switched out of video mode first.

I was suspicious that the third-party battery might have been at fault, so when I got home I put it back in the camera and everything worked fine.

I guess the camera just had a temporary nervous breakdown from being asked to do too many things at once!

I am still pretty new to the world of video - first time this has happened to me. Has this happened to you?

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

It seems to me an overheating problem.

Thank you for sharing, and would not recommend doing pictures during video recording.

 

[tpatana]

It seems to me an overheating problem.

Same guess here, and maybe it just took that amount of time to cool down enough to power up again.

Also guessing that the still shoots had nothing to do with the heating.

 

[Don Haines]

probably overheating....

When shooting video outside, take some light coloured cardboard (like a cereal box) and use it to make a sun-shield for your camera and the overhang over the back makes it easier to see the LCD display....

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Overheating is the likely issue. A warning shows in the viewfinder when its getting too hot. 4K FF cameras are going to overheat even worse. Camera manufacturers have tried to deal with the heat issue, but its still a problem.

 

[drmikeinpdx]

Thanks, I will have to watch out for that. I didn't think it was overheating because I was shooting short video pieces, maybe 20-60 seconds, then taking a 1-2 minute break.

Interestingly, I had a T5i shooting continuously at the same time for about 28 minutes on a tripod in full sun with no problem. It was quite hot to the touch when I got back to it and I was a bit worried. I figured that if it was OK, then overheating probably wasn't the issue with the 5D3. Maybe the smaller sensor doesn't get as hot as the one in the 5D3.

 

[sjschall]

Could it have been the card? I've had similar problems where it turned out that the card got corrupted. I've also had the camera freeze up for no apparent reason before, although this rarely happens.

 

[cayenne]

I've shot stills while shooting video with no problem.....MOST of the time with me..was by accident...hahaha.

But, I've never had that cause my camera to lock up. I"d look more suspiciously at the 3rd party battery (I refuse to buy any of them), or as other said, perhaps a card corruption type issue.

 

[Ruined]

I was suspicious that the third-party battery might have been at fault, so when I got home I put it back in the camera and everything worked fine.

It is possible the third party battery got much hotter than a first party battery would have, causing the camera to overheat.

 

[tron]

I was suspicious that the third-party battery might have been at fault, so when I got home I put it back in the camera and everything worked fine.

It is possible the third party battery got much hotter than a first party battery would have, causing the camera to overheat.

In theory a battery with higher internal resistance (= a battery capable of supplying less max current) would heat more but we cannot know if this is the case for some 3rd party batteries of course. Fortunately the camera is again functionable.

 

[ezorb]

I have done this extensively with a 5D3 and never had issue, even with very long video recording times. I do live in a cooler climate so I cant rule out heat.

 

[drmikeinpdx]

The problem has not repeated itself, perhaps because I have not tried to shoot stills while recording video!

The camera is working perfectly with various batteries. Both the photos and video clips from the event in question turned out fine, no sign of file corruption.

I haven't really taken the camera out into the hot sun since then. The only risk of overheating has been when shooting hot models. LOL!

 

[Bennymiata]

T5i, plastic, 5d3, metal.
Guess which one retains heat more?

I've often shot stills during video with no problem, but the video stops for about a second while the still is being taken.

 

[sanj]

I was suspicious that the third-party battery might have been at fault, so when I got home I put it back in the camera and everything worked fine.

It is possible the third party battery got much hotter than a first party battery would have, causing the camera to overheat.

This seems to be the best diagnosis. This has never ever happened to me. It is perfectly ok to shoot still while doing video....