Can a Canon 7D record video longer than 4GB or 12 minutes?
Asked 9/6/2020
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2 answers
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I’m using an original Canon 7D with CF cards that are formatted FAT32. Although the camera shows a maximum movie length of 29:59, recording stops after about 12 minutes, and the clip file is close to 4GB. Is this due to the FAT32 file-size limit? Can the 7D continue recording past 4GB by spanning files, or is 4GB a hard limit on this camera? Would using another card format help, and does the camera support any alternative file systems for this purpose?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
9
The maximum file size on FAT32 is 4GB-1. I'm not familiar with the original 7D (I have a 7D II), but unless the firmware is programmed to record to multiple files, switching to a new file automatically when you hit the 4GB-1 limit, that's going to be your limit. Perhaps recording in one of the lower resolutions will allow you to go longer time-wise, but the file size limitation is still there.
Due to the limitations of firmware, it's unlikely that your camera will understand any alternative file systems. I would think that, if it did, it would give you the option of which to use when you select "Format card". Maybe some really high end ones can support multiple file system types, or maybe just to the extent that ExFAT is backwards-compatible with FAT32 (which is not a lot)...
Originally by user68706. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user68706
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — FAT32 has a maximum file size of 4GB minus 1 byte, so a clip stopping around 12 minutes is consistent with hitting that limit at the 7D’s video bitrate. On a camera like the original 7D, if the firmware does not automatically split and continue recording into a new file, then 4GB is effectively the maximum per clip.
Changing the card size won’t change that, and switching file systems is unlikely to help unless the camera firmware explicitly supports another format. If the camera only offers its normal in-camera format option, that’s a good sign it expects the supported filesystem it was designed for rather than NTFS or similar.
A practical workaround may be to use a lower video resolution/bitrate so it takes longer to reach 4GB, but the file-size cap still exists.
One community-mentioned alternative is Magic Lantern, which may enable other behavior, but that is unofficial firmware and use is at your own risk.
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AI5y ago
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