[Deacon1972]

Just bought a finepix S4400 and an 8GB card, when in HD recording mode it only states I can record 9 mins 41 secs. I have done a little searching but found nothing relating to my model, only ones that can't handle large storage cards where the camera can only read 2GB at a time, my camera is SDXC compatible and can take large storage cards, so is it a design flaw in that the camera can only show 2GB of storage even though it can take larger storage?

[grahamlthompson]

I think you may be misinterpreting the info. Flash memory is usually formatted using the FAT filesystem. This has a limit of 4GB for any single file. HD camcorders often record in 2GB chunks creating new files on the fly at 2GB. You will probably find you can record up to 4 full 2GB clips on your 8GB card.

[chrisjr]

If you scroll down the specs on this page

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/dig...pecifications/

And locate the section where it talks about the number of images you can store there is a note just below the section on movies that states individual movie files can not exceed 2GB in size. Hence the limit on duration.

I suspect this is a limitation of the file system they use.

[Deacon1972]

Cheers guys....

Yeah, got confused with the compatibility of the camera with large storage cards and what the maximum file limit the camera can physically create at any one time (2GB).

Apart from not being able to display full recording times, which to be honest it's not a big problem, as it is a camera at the end of the day, not a camcorder, it's not half bad.

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by Deacon1972

Cheers guys....

Yeah, got confused with the compatibility of the camera with large storage cards and what the maximum file limit the camera can physically create at any one time (2GB).

Apart from not being able to display full recording times, which to be honest it's not a big problem, as it is a camera at the end of the day, not a camcorder, it's not half bad.

Even expensive HD camcorders often miss a bit of audio and or video when they create new files on the fly generally around the 2GB limit. Apart from filming stuff like weddings then clip lengths in normal use rarely exceed 20 seconds or so. You just use a video editing package to join them into a cohesive movie

[Deacon1972]

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

Even expensive HD camcorders often miss a bit of audio and or video when they create new files on the fly generally around the 2GB limit. Apart from filming stuff like weddings then clip lengths in normal use rarely exceed 20 seconds or so. You just use a video editing package to join them into a cohesive movie

No weddings just yet, got it mainly for our first Grandchild due in August, photos/video, doubt the clips will very long at first as all they do is sleep.

[ivanwilson]

I think it may be a limitation on cameras being used as camcorders. See here-
http://photo.stackexchange.com/quest...-time-duration

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by ivanwilson

I think it may be a limitation on cameras being used as camcorders. See here-
http://photo.stackexchange.com/quest...-time-duration

The post is inaccurate. Fat file systems have a file size limit of 1 Byte less than 4GB.

Some pvrs use FAT drives and seamlessly produce multiple files on the fly, others use a different FS. Humax for instance use Linux EXT3.

[ivanwilson]

No, if you read the link you'll see that camcorders have differing import duty hence camera manufacturers restrict movie recording time

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by ivanwilson

No, if you read the link you'll see that camcorders have differing import duty hence camera manufacturers restrict movie recording time

FAT32 file size limit of memory cards is 2gb, but then you could chain the recordings seemlessly together "spanning" and have a playlist metafile to link them (how do PVRs cope)

This is incorrect, stick the memory card in a PC and you could write a file of 1 Byte less than 4GB to it.

Proper camcorders that do pay the import tax also often use a max of about 2GB file size. This is a decision made by the maker and not imposed by the file system.

My HD Sony camcorder records in 2GB chunks if you record long enough. Fortunately joining these on a PC is seamless unlike some other cameras.