Leica SL2 overheats after 33min / Battery issue (2022, Firmware 4.1)

[Nico1700]

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I also feel that Leica people don't like to camplain about Leica cameras. 

I mean when you watch 2 reviews about bmpcc you already know that you have to find a solution for battery life. For the Leica i watched a ton of reviews and noone mentionned overheating. 

I feel like i'm the first one who tries 4k60 for over 30min, thats why it i need to mention it. If noone complains there would be no improvement, right? 

[LocalHero1953]

31 minutes ago, Nico1700 said:

I also feel that Leica people don't like to camplain about Leica cameras. 

I mean when you watch 2 reviews about bmpcc you already know that you have to find a solution for battery life. For the Leica i watched a ton of reviews and noone mentionned overheating. 

I feel like i'm the first one who tries 4k60 for over 30min, thats why it i need to mention it. If noone complains there would be no improvement, right? 

Yes, I agree, though I'm still puzzled by why you get overheating at 60fps but I don't at 50fps. I shall try a run this afternoon with your set-up.

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[Photoworks]

Many people complained about the battery issues over the last 2 years, and there was no much help from Leica in figuring out what power bank you can use together better performance. 

The 4K60p recording limit has only been lifted with the last FW update, it is not something everybody has played with it. 
It is good to mention it and find the limits and solutions. But there is not going to be much of improvement to aspect from Leica. Hardware is not going to change on the SL2.

but to be fair overheating at 60p is an issue that can happen with many mirrorless cameras. if that is the main reason to use the camera I would probably gotten a different camera.

I am quite happy with the SL2 and Leica giving us the option of squeezing out performance for us to use. I have used the SL2 for video along with photos and I don't think there is another camera giving you the option to switch menu from photo to video like that.

[LocalHero1953]

2 hours ago, Nico1700 said:

I feel like i'm the first one who tries 4k60 for over 30min, thats why it i need to mention it. If noone complains there would be no improvement, right? 

I have just tried what I think is your set-up: C4K, 60fps, 4:2:0, 10bits, 200mb/s, L-GOP, .mov, L-Log, segmented video.

It ran for 79 minutes before the battery died, and filled 106Gb of SD card storage, consistent with other variations.

I checked the camera a couple of times, and it was quite warm, but overheating does not appear to have come into play.

I've just noticed that you were using a SL2, while I was using a SL2-S. Could the different resolution of the sensor and the amount of processing required to create 4k be the cause?

Edited June 29, 2022 by LocalHero1953

[Nico1700]

6 hours ago, Photoworks said:

Many people complained about the battery issues over the last 2 years, and there was no much help from Leica in figuring out what power bank you can use together better performance. 

The 4K60p recording limit has only been lifted with the last FW update, it is not something everybody has played with it. 
It is good to mention it and find the limits and solutions. But there is not going to be much of improvement to aspect from Leica. Hardware is not going to change on the SL2.

but to be fair overheating at 60p is an issue that can happen with many mirrorless cameras. if that is the main reason to use the camera I would probably gotten a different camera.

I am quite happy with the SL2 and Leica giving us the option of squeezing out performance for us to use. I have used the SL2 for video along with photos and I don't think there is another camera giving you the option to switch menu from photo to video like that.

Yes i think even today it is one of the best hybrid cameras overall. It's competitors being the Sony A1, Canon R5, R5C and now the Nikon Z9. I choose this camera because i think it has the best image quality (color-rendering especially) of all the others mentioned and while the autofocus is lacking, i think the most important argument for a camera should be the image quality. 

[Nico1700]

5 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I have just tried what I think is your set-up: C4K, 60fps, 4:2:0, 10bits, 200mb/s, L-GOP, .mov, L-Log, segmented video.

It ran for 79 minutes before the battery died, and filled 106Gb of SD card storage, consistent with other variations.

I checked the camera a couple of times, and it was quite warm, but overheating does not appear to have come into play.

I've just noticed that you were using a SL2, while I was using a SL2-S. Could the different resolution of the sensor and the amount of processing required to create 4k be the cause?

Oh yes i understand now! This is not really comparable. The processing power needed is not the same

[Photoworks]

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5 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I have just tried what I think is your set-up: C4K, 60fps, 4:2:0, 10bits, 200mb/s, L-GOP, .mov, L-Log, segmented video.

It ran for 79 minutes before the battery died, and filled 106Gb of SD card storage, consistent with other variations.

I checked the camera a couple of times, and it was quite warm, but overheating does not appear to have come into play.

I've just noticed that you were using a SL2, while I was using a SL2-S. Could the different resolution of the sensor and the amount of processing required to create 4k be the cause?

Isn't the 4K60p on the SL2s in super35 mode?

[LocalHero1953]

11 minutes ago, Photoworks said:

Isn't the 4K60p on the SL2s in super35 mode?

Yes (APS-C). 25fps is full frame.
Is the SL2 different?

[Photoworks]

25 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Yes (APS-C). 25fps is full frame.
Is the SL2 different?

Sl2 is in full frame at 60P, there is an option of super 35 too

[LocalHero1953]

1 hour ago, Photoworks said:

Sl2 is in full frame at 60P, there is an option of super 35 too

That option is greyed out at C4k 50/60 and 4k 50/60 in the SL2-S

[Nico1700]

I ordered the FXLion 98Wh Battery that supports USB Power Delivery, a USB-PD cable (60W) and a new SD Card V60. This FXLion Battery is able to run the Canon R5C on 4k60p for over 5h.

On the Leica SL2 it is not working! With a full internal battery and the external battery attatched, the internal battery lasts about 1h in C4k 60fps 10bits. I tested the same settings without external battery attached, runs just the same time about 1h. 

I guess that people who think that it is working are using it differently, like shutting down the camera more often than recording, so that the battery has time to recharge.

 

 

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[Photoworks]

5 hours ago, Nico1700 said:

I ordered the FXLion 98Wh Battery that supports USB Power Delivery, a USB-PD cable (60W) and a new SD Card V60. This FXLion Battery is able to run the Canon R5C on 4k60p for over 5h.

On the Leica SL2 it is not working! With a full internal battery and the external battery attatched, the internal battery lasts about 1h in C4k 60fps 10bits. I tested the same settings without external battery attached, runs just the same time about 1h. 

I guess that people who think that it is working are using it differently, like shutting down the camera more often than recording, so that the battery has time to recharge.

 

strange. sounds like the battery drains quicker than it can charge again.

I can try it with the grip.

[Photoworks]

I had 2 cameras SL2 running for 45min at 4k60p, the batteries still show 75% on one and the one with grip 2 batteries full. both cameras had USB-C battery attached.

Recording was interrupted at 45min, probably by overheating, didn't get working. it is a hot day today.

in any case not sure what the point is to shoot long takes in 60P. Mostly I shoot at C430p or 24p

[Nico1700]

1 hour ago, Photoworks said:

I had 2 cameras SL2 running for 45min at 4k60p, the batteries still show 75% on one and the one with grip 2 batteries full. both cameras had USB-C battery attached.

Recording was interrupted at 45min, probably by overheating, didn't get working. it is a hot day today.

in any case not sure what the point is to shoot long takes in 60P. Mostly I shoot at C430p or 24p

Yes i have done this test many times now. At 4k 60fps the camera shut down somewhere at 40min due to overheating and the internal batteries show 75%, then you shut off the camera and start it again, because you need to record something important. It will run until 1h recording time and then it will stop, even if you have 25% batteries left. You can have a USB-PD on or not, it will be the same by more or less 5min. 

With a battery grip it is not comparable. The camera will overheat at the same time but your recording time will be double or triple because you have 2 or 3 batteries..

I don't see myself telling the client after 40min, hey we should make a break the camera is overheating^^ 

Edited July 2, 2022 by Nico1700

[Nico1700]

In 1080p / 60fps / All-I, the USB Charging is somewhat working. I can record for 3h50 before the internal battery is dead, but my FXLion Battery has 50% charge left. 

I could work with that but it is clearly not running by external power. 

I will do more tests with an Atomos Ninja, when i have one. It could be that with an external recorder the camera doesn't use too much power that it has time to recharge faster than discharge. 

[Photoworks]

19 hours ago, Nico1700 said:

In 1080p / 60fps / All-I, the USB Charging is somewhat working. I can record for 3h50 before the internal battery is dead, but my FXLion Battery has 50% charge left. 

I could work with that but it is clearly not running by external power. 

I will do more tests with an Atomos Ninja, when i have one. It could be that with an external recorder the camera doesn't use too much power that it has time to recharge faster than discharge. 

I have tried recording external and it was the same issue. camera stopped after 45min

I got hot. I had no SD cards in stand was only recording over HDMI.

Batteries didn't ever go down much.

[LocalHero1953]

It looks like that external power of any sort is just used for charging the battery, not running the camera. If the video demands are high, the battery is discharged quicker than it can be recharged. This appears to apply to the SL2-S as well as the SL.

What does seem specific to the SL2 is the overheating issue. I haven't been able to make the SL2-S overheat.

[BernardC]

21 hours ago, Nico1700 said:

Yes i have done this test many times now. At 4k 60fps the camera shut down somewhere at 40min due to overheating and the internal batteries show 75%, then you shut off the camera and start it again, because you need to record something important. It will run until 1h recording time and then it will stop, even if you have 25% batteries left. You can have a USB-PD on or not, it will be the same by more or less 5min. 

In a way, this shows how well Leica manages heat for what is mostly a stills camera. We've all read stories about competing cameras that overheat much faster than that.

I don't know if you need to record long takes regularly. If you do, you should consider a more video-centric camera. There are four of these in the L-mount universe: Panasonic S1H and BS1H, Sigma fp and fp-l. Those cameras have additional cooling, which is easy to see because they are quite a bit thicker than the SL cameras. I know that the Sigmas can take external power via a dummy battery (that's what I use), I'm sure that Panasonic also offers power solutions.

You should also consider renting a "real" video camera.

[Nico1700]

7 hours ago, BernardC said:

In a way, this shows how well Leica manages heat for what is mostly a stills camera. We've all read stories about competing cameras that overheat much faster than that.

I don't know if you need to record long takes regularly. If you do, you should consider a more video-centric camera. There are four of these in the L-mount universe: Panasonic S1H and BS1H, Sigma fp and fp-l. Those cameras have additional cooling, which is easy to see because they are quite a bit thicker than the SL cameras. I know that the Sigmas can take external power via a dummy battery (that's what I use), I'm sure that Panasonic also offers power solutions.

You should also consider renting a "real" video camera.

In a way you are right and yes many other cameras overheat also, but on the other hand if one pay's the premium price for a hybrid Leica camera, it is expected to work flawlessly or at least what the specs promise. I mean Leica is known for blameless quality, right? If the specs mentioned 4k/60fps 45min max., i would maybe reconsider my choice.. The videos i saw mentioned that overheating is not an issue because the body is aluminium and the heat dissipates along the body. 

I'm asking myself if the problem here is even physical, or a software issue. Maybe the camera can't stand the L-GOP Codec for long and if they would set it in ALL-I or another easier codec the camera wouldn't overheat? 

It happend to me that in the middle of a wedding shoot my old camera overheats and i assure you that you don't want to be in that position. Worse is if the camera doesn't allow you to record and you have to wait for several minutes. Fortunately on the SL2 after the overheating message it is possible to continue to record after restarting the camera but i would not take the chance for long recording sessions and go for 1080p/60fps instead. Thats kind of annoying because one argument to buy this camera was the 4k60 10bit, now i can do it for short clips, but can't use it for long bigger shootings.

I mean for that price i could have bought a medium format camera for photography and a cinema camera for videos, so yes i think it is fair for people to know, before they buy into it.  

 

Edited July 3, 2022 by Nico1700

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[Nico1700]

8 hours ago, Photoworks said:

I have tried recording external and it was the same issue. camera stopped after 45min

I got hot. I had no SD cards in stand was only recording over HDMI.

Batteries didn't ever go down much.

I'm asking myself why, because on an external recorder the camera is practically doing nothing, except sending the HDMI signal. That should be easy.. 

Do you have an Atomos Ninja? Do you record ProRes / DNX?