Why Recording Stops During Long Continuous Shoots (7 Common Causes)
- scarlettkim7
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
During long, continuous recording sessions, many users experience situations where recording stops unexpectedly. This behavior is rarely caused by a single issue; rather, it is usually the result of multiple factors interacting with each other. The most common causes are outlined below.
1) Memory Card Write Speed Cannot Sustain the Recording Bitrate
This is one of the most common reasons.
A typical case is when 2K recording works correctly on a memory card, but 4K recording stops unexpectedly.
In such cases, it is essential to check the SD card’s Video Speed Class rating.
SD Card Video Speed Class Examples
V90: Guarantees a minimum sustained write speed of 90 MB/s
V30: Guarantees a minimum sustained write speed of 30 MB/s
V30 cards are generally sufficient for H.264-based 4K recording, but they may not be fast enough for high-bitrate formats such as ProRes 4K, where sustained write performance is critical.
For more details on SD card speed classes, please refer to:https://www.sdcard.org/developers/sd-standard-overview/speed-class/
2) Memory Card Formatted as FAT32
Some older cameras format memory cards using the FAT32 file system when recording in formats such as AVCHD or MPEG-2.
Limitations of FAT32
Maximum file size of 4 GB per file
As a result:
Recording may stop automatically once the file size reaches 4 GB, or
A single take may be split into multiple 4 GB files.
3) Camera Overheating
During extended continuous recording, the internal temperature of the camera may rise, triggering protective mechanisms that automatically stop recording.
This behavior varies by camera model.
For example, reports indicate that some Sony Alpha (α) series cameras may display warnings or shut down after 20–40 minutes of continuous recording.
Reference video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMrofwf6Olc
4) Continuous Recording Time Limits
Some camcorders impose a maximum continuous recording time limit, regardless of internal temperature.
Example: Maximum continuous recording time of approximately 13 hours
This limitation is defined by product design and regulatory considerations.
5) Battery Depletion
This is a simple but often overlooked cause.
When recording using battery power,
Recording will stop immediately once the battery is depleted.
6) Memory Card Capacity Reached
If the memory card becomes full, no additional data can be written, and recording will automatically stop.
7) Other Structural and Technical Causes (Often Overlooked)
While causes 1) through 6) are relatively easy to identify, real-world production environments often encounter more complex structural issues.
Examples include:
Memory card controller firmware bugs
Internally hidden bad sectors
Latency caused by ECC operations
Errors during garbage collection
Internal data corruption caused by sudden power loss
These issues can occur even on memory cards that appear normal during everyday use, making them difficult to detect in advance.
OFFLOADER helps address this challenge by using its Card Health Diagnose function to identify memory cards that may cause such issues before shooting begins.
Notes on NAND Flash–Based Storage Devices
All NAND flash–based storage devices, including memory cards and SSDs, experience gradual internal cell degradation not only from write operations, but also from repeated read operations.
OFFLOADER provides a verification function that rereads backed-up data and compares it bit by bit.
In practice, when the same memory card or SSD is subjected to dozens or even hundreds of verification cycles using OFFLOADER, verification errors may eventually occur.
Analysis of such cases shows that:
Actual data corruption has occurred inside the memory card or SSD, and
These issues most commonly arise in storage media that OFFLOADER’s Card Health Diagnose identifies as having fragmented sectors, slow sectors, or bad sectors.
These errors often occur during internal background maintenance operations, such as garbage collection, particularly when combined with fragmented media or degraded response characteristics.
When data corruption occurs:
Video files may become partially corrupted,
Files may fail to play back, or
In severe cases, the memory card itself may no longer be recognized by the system.
Background maintenance operations tend to occur more frequently when fragmented sectors or slow sectors are present.Therefore, the most effective way to minimize errors is to use clean, stable memory cards from the outset.
If OFFLOADER detects significant response time degradation on a memory card or SSD, proactively replacing the media before a failure occurs is the safest choice.
In the next article, we will explore the underlying mechanisms behind these structural issues and explain why they occur in modern memory cards.
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