S3 video questions.

[cabbieman]

I have three issues here.

1st, can anyone tell me what the video/film icon does on the icon dial. If I want to video, I just use the video button on the back. I've set the dial to film and pressed the shutter button but it only takes pictures so what's it for and how do I use it?

2nd, sometimes when I'm using the video,I will get a series of white bars that turn red after 30 secs or so then after about a minute it will stop videoing saying it's busy even with an empty 2gb card in.Why is this?

3rd,my 2gb memory card will say it has room for say 20 mins of video but it will only get to about 10ish then stop.

It seems like pot luck as to whether number 2 or number 3 occurs when I video

[XOO]

I seldom, if ever, use video mode.
But as I recall you can only shoot 1 gig of movies without interruption.
The shutter button is for taking still images even while shooting a movie.
Lastly, make sure your card is a high speed one and it should be formatted in the camera.
Maybe the movie buffs can help additionally.
Bill

[cabbieman]

xoo,thanks for the reply. I'm using a sandisk ultra2 2gb mem card, doesn't say high speed on it so can I assume it isn't? I've done a low level format on the card but that didn't make any difference.I'm aware of the facility for taking photos when using the video but whats the icon for on the dial?

[griptape]

The ultra II is plenty fast enough. Honestly, I don't think there is any benefit to using movie mode instead of just pressing the dedicated movie button. Chances are the dedicated button was decided on after the mode dial and software had already been finalized, so they just left both.

[David Metsky]

The Ultra-II is a high speed card, and should be plenty fast enough. But, what you are seeing certainly sounds like a card that can't keep up with the video. Can you try another card and see what happens?

There's a 1G limit to file sizes on the S3. That translates to between 8 and 9 minutes of video. After that, it'll stop taking video and you need to hit the button to start a new one.

[oj88]

@cabbieman,

I'll try to answer your questions:

1. The Video icon on the mode dial is for you to change settings or features specific to movie mode. For instance, you can change white balance and My Colors, among others, when you press the Function button. Also, if you press the ISO button, you can manually set the video exposure settings by using the left and right scroll buttons. Pressing ISO again will restore it to auto exposure.

2. The bars tells you the status of the camera's internal memory buffer. When you take pictures or videos, it is initially stored in a high speed camera buffer before written onto the SD card. If the SD card you're using isn't fast enough, the camera buffer will overflow (white bars fills up, turns red) and will stop recording until the buffer contents has been emptied into the SD card.

3. I think this was answered above. The video mode on the S3 has a 1GB or 60-minute limit (whichever comes first). Video recording will automatically stop if either condition is achieved.

[Visual Reality]

For me, the 1gb limit is reached in around 8-9 minutes.

[jonalta]

@cabbieman,
I'll try to answer your questions:

Orly, you gave such very useful tips. These should be migrated to the S2/S3 Tips sticky thread (unless these were already there). Thanks.

Also, 8-9 minutes video is the 1Gb limit when taking at maximum resolution. Sometimes, if I really need to take long videos, I have no choice but to reduce to smaller size or lower frame rate .

[David Metsky]

Or just have a 10 second pause in the video. As you approach 8 minutes just look for a convenient place to stop the video. You can start another 1G segment in about 10 seconds.

[cabbieman]

Thanks everybody,my questions have been answered. oj88, #1 is something I didn't know about at all. Thankyou