Sony A55 And A33 DSLR Cameras Can Get Too Hot When Shooting Video

Recording high-definition movies or shooting still images continuously at a high speed with Sony’s APS-C size image sensor, found in the well-received SLT-A33/A55/A55V, requires a large amount of power. Therefore, if you keep recording continuously, the temperature inside the camera, especially the image sensor, will increase. As the increase in temperature would affect the image quality and overload the internal system of the camera, the camera is designed to turn off automatically.

Sony was not exactly clear about this issue when the camera debuted in late August, and only issued this warning several days ago. To their credit, Sony did state from the beginning that these cameras would only be able to shoot up to 29 minutes of video. The A33/A55 are capable of shooting in AVCHD (1080i) and in MP4 (1440 x 1080/640 x 480) formats.

The table below shows the approximate recording time for which you can record a movie continuously (until the recording automatically stops) when you start recording after the camera is turned off for a while. You can record a movie for a longer time by setting [SteadyShot] to [Off].

Note: The continuous movie recording time varies depending on the ambient temperature and the camera’s usage status before recording. If you turn on the camera and keep using it for composing the subject or shooting still images, the temperature inside the camera increases and the recording time may be shorter than those listed in the table below.

When the recording stops due to the high temperature, please leave the camera turned off for several minutes, and start recording again after the camera cools down. For example, if you use the SLT-A55 at 30° C (86° F) and leave it turned off for 5 to 10 minutes after recording stops due to high temperature, approximately 3 to 4 minutes of recording is available.

To record a movie continuously for a longer time, consider these options:

• Avoid exposing the camera to direct sunlight as much as possible.
• Turn off the power when the camera is not in use.
• Use a tripod if possible, and set [SteadyShot] to [Off].