Thinking about buying Hero 7 Black, worried about the overheating - some advice please

[ll60174]

Hi,

I'm currently using the Hero 4 Black and it is serving me well, though I consider to buy the 7 Black.

As I'm reading a lot about the overheating issues with the 7 Black, I'm a little worried and hope somebody can either confirm my worries or maybe tell me it won't be that much of an issue in my setup (I know you can't guarantee anything).

The plan is basically to use it about 8 hours straight, at ~30°C. Since we're talking about Paintball, there will most likely be some off-time during the march back to the spawn, but (I hope) it won't be that much.

Recording is planned in

1080p120

Pro Tune on (could be off, using it solely for ISO-limit)

Stabilization on

GPS off

Voice control off

WiFi on, Smart Remote connected

No battery inside, powered via PowerBank

Thanks for any help.

[aenriquez · Accepted solution]

@ll60174, when using 2.7K and higher resolutions, and/or frame rates above 60fps, it is normal for the camera to become warm and use more power when using these modes. Lack of airflow around the camera and using the camera with the GoPro App can also increase camera temperature and power consumption, and decreases camera recording time. 

Your setup seems fine for me. If you will have the camera attached to an external power source, I suggest removing the battery if you will be using the camera for very long-term shooting to prevent the camera from overheating – at some point, preventing potential damage to the battery as well. Other users have expressed similar suggestion when using external power source for continuous recording. On a side note, without the battery installed, the camera will eventually turn off the moment that the external power stops.

In addition to this, ensure that you're using a recommended SD card for HERO7 Black camera. Freezing and overheating issues typically indicates that there is potentially an issue with the microSD being used.

And lastly, have the camera updated to the latest firmware version. I suggest performing a manual update installation: Software Update Instructions for HERO7 Cameras

Hopefully this helps! 

Ann

[aenriquez · Accepted solution]

@ll60174, when using 2.7K and higher resolutions, and/or frame rates above 60fps, it is normal for the camera to become warm and use more power when using these modes. Lack of airflow around the camera and using the camera with the GoPro App can also increase camera temperature and power consumption, and decreases camera recording time. 

Your setup seems fine for me. If you will have the camera attached to an external power source, I suggest removing the battery if you will be using the camera for very long-term shooting to prevent the camera from overheating – at some point, preventing potential damage to the battery as well. Other users have expressed similar suggestion when using external power source for continuous recording. On a side note, without the battery installed, the camera will eventually turn off the moment that the external power stops.

In addition to this, ensure that you're using a recommended SD card for HERO7 Black camera. Freezing and overheating issues typically indicates that there is potentially an issue with the microSD being used.

And lastly, have the camera updated to the latest firmware version. I suggest performing a manual update installation: Software Update Instructions for HERO7 Cameras

Hopefully this helps! 

Ann

[ll60174]

Thanks for the reply.

Taking out the battery was planned. Regarding the instant-off when running solely on external power - you mean when the external is empty, there will be no auto-shutdown but a hard cut to off (and therefore risking fileloss)?

Thanks in advance.

[aenriquez]

@ll60174, yes that is correct. Since the camera (without battery) is directly plugged in to a power source, it will eventually shut off once the external power stops or gets disconnected.

[ll60174]

I can live with that, need more mAh then :-D

Thank your very much for you help, I'm off buying a gopro now.

[aenriquez]

You are awesome, @ll60174! Feel free to post back if anything else comes up. Stay stoked, and have fun capturing moments using your GoPro!