Any Idea of cooling Z8 on a gimbal

[Charly3]

Yesterday got cought by termal problems of Z8 during a Video set with 9 actors. Pausing in that situation does cost money, so I´m looking for some ideas of cooling Z8 - but: I´m working on a gimbal. There´s no way to have fans blowing fast enough for cooling but not blowing positioning away - neither on camera end nor on gimbal end. Tried aluminium plates screwed under Z8 as a kind of heat spreader - didn´t work. Open card door doesn´t really help and causes positioning problems on the gimbal. So I´m leaking furthermore ideas... Any help?

 

[harpo95993]

Use a portable battery bank and remove the battery. Are you writing to both cards?

 

[Vince P]

Yesterday got cought by termal problems of Z8 during a Video set with 9 actors. Pausing in that situation does cost money, so I´m looking for some ideas of cooling Z8 - but: I´m working on a gimbal. There´s no way to have fans blowing fast enough for cooling but not blowing positioning away - neither on camera end nor on gimbal end. Tried aluminium plates screwed under Z8 as a kind of heat spreader - didn´t work. Open card door doesn´t really help and causes positioning problems on the gimbal. So I´m leaking furthermore ideas... Any help?

Which cards are you using?

What caused the issue card or camera?

What was the overheat setting?

 

[Tavarino]

Use a portable battery bank and remove the battery. Are you writing to both cards?

External power solves this problem for me, but unless I'm doing something wrong, the Z8 requires a battery to be installed, even if running on external power.

 

[harpo95993]

Use a portable battery bank and remove the battery. Are you writing to both cards?

External power solves this problem for me, but unless I'm doing something wrong, the Z8 requires a battery to be installed, even if running on external power.

My bad you are correct. However, as long as the camera is on the battery bank will power the camera and the internal battery won't be used so it shouldn't generate any heat.

 

[jimdelves]

Try thermal pads. My mate used to use them building PCs. They’re cheap in the size you’d need and you should be able to shape them

 

[areallygrumpyoldsod]

Use a portable battery bank and remove the battery.

Use a portable power bank or V-battery as power delivery to the PD port and DO NOT remove the EN-EL15C battery. Obviously you have to work out how to do this on a gimbal - which means placing the Z8 in a cage building a rig of some type to support the battery - it is possible to hold it using the hot shoe, but my pref would be to place the power bank/v-battery below or behind the camera to make balance easier.

Are you writing to both cards?

Do not write to the UHS-ii SD card EVER and certainly not for long vids if you wish to reduce heat soak.

OK - NEXT:

1. Turn the camera off between takes
2. Move the LCD slightly away from the back of the camera
3. Are you using the LCD to view the image or Raven Eye/sim and an off camera EVF - if YES then turn off the LCD/EVF and turn down the brightness
4. There are solutions to add active cooling fans to other camera bodies - I am hoping the firms that make them will make one that works with the LCD support on the Z8/Z9. These attach to a cage - the fan would also need power so a 2nd dtap from a v-battery would work - I know folk who are trying to use a USB powered near silent 150mm/120mm computer fan in static and shoulder rigs, but not gimbals where small/compact is their hope.

Finally and obviously:

Buy/use the very fastest coolest running X2.0 compatible (the latest generation) CF-E B cards you can -- ProGrade Cobalt 650GB, Delkin Black/Power G4 650GB (the latest gen), Sabrent Rocket GFX Pro 2TB, OWC Atlas Pro upto 2TB AND Nextorage NX-B1PRO Series CFexpress™ Type B Memory Card VPG 400 1,330 GB / 660 GB / 330 GB / 165 GB -- IF YOU CAN SOURCE THEM.

You note I do not include Angelbird -- the only card I used was the AV Pro X2 - but my 4TB card failed and so I cannot recommend it.

Others are recommending the new Lexar Diamond

SanDisk and others have proven highly unreliable in the past

Obviously using an XQD is pointless

--
areallygrumpyoldsod
Nikon and Hasselblad shooter -- wildlife and and --
https://www.andymillerphoto.co.uk/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajm057/
I do not respond to PMs

 

[Vince P]

This thread has some testing

Some preliminary Z8 vs Z9 card heat observations

I've been trying to find a card that (a) allows for sustained long-duration writes, and (b) doesn't ultimately overheat in the Z8 when shooting video - specifically 8.3Kp60 N-RAW N-Log HIGH quality. I *thought* I had hit upon a winning combination with the DIY Zitay enclosure + 2TB SABRENT...

www.dpreview.com

I found that, with the 2TB Angelbird cards, the card never caused a shutdown. I have the 650gb Delkin black and Prograde Cobalt. They can be filled up easily enough but do run warmer than the Angelbird. This makes sense as Angelbird have been primarily focused on Pro Video for years. The Prograde and Delkin are better for stills.

If the temperature setting was standard the camera would shut down. When the temperature was set to high the camera was able to fill the 2TB card without shutting down on internal battery. This was sat static on a windowsill so less than optimal conditions although the screen was tilted away from the body. All of this was high quality 8k60 raw.

 

[areallygrumpyoldsod]

This thread has some testing

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4716122

I found that, with the 2TB Angelbird cards, the card never caused a shutdown. I have the 650gb Delkin black and Prograde Cobalt. They can be filled up easily enough but do run warmer than the Angelbird. This makes sense as Angelbird have been primarily focused on Pro Video for years. The Prograde and Delkin are better for stills.

If the temperature setting was standard the camera would shut down. When the temperature was set to high the camera was able to fill the 2TB card without shutting down on internal battery. This was sat static on a windowsill so less than optimal conditions although the screen was tilted away from the body. All of this was high quality 8k60 raw.

Hi Vine -- would you please be more specific which type and mode of Ab card? They are far from equal.

 

[Charly3]

This thread has some testing

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4716122

I found that, with the 2TB Angelbird cards, the card never caused a shutdown. I have the 650gb Delkin black and Prograde Cobalt. They can be filled up easily enough but do run warmer than the Angelbird. This makes sense as Angelbird have been primarily focused on Pro Video for years. The Prograde and Delkin are better for stills.

If the temperature setting was standard the camera would shut down. When the temperature was set to high the camera was able to fill the 2TB card without shutting down on internal battery. This was sat static on a windowsill so less than optimal conditions although the screen was tilted away from the body. All of this was high quality 8k60 raw.

Hi Vine -- would you please be more specific which type and mode of Ab card? They are far from equal.

I´m using 2TB Anglebird-Cards - and still get this problem.

 

[Charly3]

Use a portable battery bank and remove the battery. Are you writing to both cards?

External power solves this problem for me, but unless I'm doing something wrong, the Z8 requires a battery to be installed, even if running on external power.

Did order a powerbank for 18650 for these are used in gimbal too. Hopefully this will help with temp. Ist there any settings needed that Z8 will take power from bank and not from internal battery?

 

[Charly3]

Thank´s for your detailed explanations. No I´m only writing on CF 2TB Anglebird. Had an issue with one of them after a year and got a new in exchange within a week or so.

 

[Charly3]

Hi, using 2TB anglebird, only writing on these.

Heating problems are always Card hot, Camera Hot, Camera overheated...

I´m using standard heat settings, for if i pull the card then i already burn my fingers. Don´t dare to raise limits above that.

 

[Gollan]

Can you use an external recorder?

 

[Vince P]

Hi, using 2TB anglebird, only writing on these.

Heating problems are always Card hot, Camera Hot, Camera overheated...

I´m using standard heat settings, for if i pull the card then i already burn my fingers. Don´t dare to raise limits above that.

Are you shooting 8k 60fps raw high or oversampled 4K? That's exactly what I found. If you raise the temp to high then it can go to a full card. On high there is another tier. Nikon don't say high is about risking damage to the camera, they say it's because the body may be hot to the touch, so it is not recommended to hold the camera - as in using a gimbal or tripod.

The testing is in the thread I linked above.

It's the camera temp not the card that shuts it down on standard. I have the latest Angelbird AVpro 2TB. It has a processor to draw less current for video, which is why it is supposed to be better for heat - but it does still get hot just, hopefully, not as hot as other cards.

 

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

Use a portable battery bank and remove the battery. Are you writing to both cards?

External power solves this problem for me, but unless I'm doing something wrong, the Z8 requires a battery to be installed, even if running on external power.

Did order a powerbank for 18650 for these are used in gimbal too. Hopefully this will help with temp. Ist there any settings needed that Z8 will take power from bank and not from internal battery?

USB Power Delivery set to "On" in the SETUP menu.

That said, my testing suggests that there is very little difference in terms of overheating when using USB PD vs using the internal battery.

You're far more likely to benefit from a CFExpress card that runs cooler - the Angelbird M2s are apparently the coolest.

You could probably also purchase the EP-5B and EH-5B for external power; that actually replaces the EN-EL15c battery in the slot with a dummy battery. Again, though, I'm not convinced that the battery is a significant source of heat generation.

 

[areallygrumpyoldsod]

This thread has some testing

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4716122

I found that, with the 2TB Angelbird cards, the card never caused a shutdown. I have the 650gb Delkin black and Prograde Cobalt. They can be filled up easily enough but do run warmer than the Angelbird. This makes sense as Angelbird have been primarily focused on Pro Video for years. The Prograde and Delkin are better for stills.

If the temperature setting was standard the camera would shut down. When the temperature was set to high the camera was able to fill the 2TB card without shutting down on internal battery. This was sat static on a windowsill so less than optimal conditions although the screen was tilted away from the body. All of this was high quality 8k60 raw.

Hi Vine -- would you please be more specific which type and mode of Ab card? They are far from equal.

I´m using 2TB Anglebird-Cards - and still get this problem.

Please be more precise - which Angelbird card not just its size -- model and variant all the details.

AND what format/codex/fps are you using.

 

[Charly3]

Use a portable battery bank and remove the battery. Are you writing to both cards?

External power solves this problem for me, but unless I'm doing something wrong, the Z8 requires a battery to be installed, even if running on external power.

Did order a powerbank for 18650 for these are used in gimbal too. Hopefully this will help with temp. Ist there any settings needed that Z8 will take power from bank and not from internal battery?

USB Power Delivery set to "On" in the SETUP menu.

That said, my testing suggests that there is very little difference in terms of overheating when using USB PD vs using the internal battery.

You're far more likely to benefit from a CFExpress card that runs cooler - the Angelbird M2s are apparently the coolest.

You could probably also purchase the EP-5B and EH-5B for external power; that actually replaces the EN-EL15c battery in the slot with a dummy battery. Again, though, I'm not convinced that the battery is a significant source of heat generation.

I´m using Anglebird M2 and the thermal problems are still there. If you pull CF Card and battery out of an overheated Z8 body they both are nearmost same hot. Bought Z8 to have a lighter Body on the Gimble than my Z9. With Battery-Grip it would be even more chunky than Z9. So this could not really help me out.

 

[Vince P]

Use a portable battery bank and remove the battery. Are you writing to both cards?

External power solves this problem for me, but unless I'm doing something wrong, the Z8 requires a battery to be installed, even if running on external power.

Did order a powerbank for 18650 for these are used in gimbal too. Hopefully this will help with temp. Ist there any settings needed that Z8 will take power from bank and not from internal battery?

USB Power Delivery set to "On" in the SETUP menu.

That said, my testing suggests that there is very little difference in terms of overheating when using USB PD vs using the internal battery.

You're far more likely to benefit from a CFExpress card that runs cooler - the Angelbird M2s are apparently the coolest.

You could probably also purchase the EP-5B and EH-5B for external power; that actually replaces the EN-EL15c battery in the slot with a dummy battery. Again, though, I'm not convinced that the battery is a significant source of heat generation.

I´m using Anglebird M2 and the thermal problems are still there. If you pull CF Card and battery out of an overheated Z8 body they both are nearmost same hot. Bought Z8 to have a lighter Body on the Gimble than my Z9. With Battery-Grip it would be even more chunky than Z9. So this could not really help me out.

Have you tried switching the temperature cut out to high yet in the setup menu? As I said above, with the Angelbird AV Pro Mark 2, I can fill a 2TB card without it shutting down (Not that I ever need to do that in the real world) at 8K 60 high quality. It will shut down before that Standard but it's not the card overheating that causes the issue.

 

[Charly3]

As suggested by some people in this thread I replaced the original rubber pad between Z8 and smallrig L-Bracket with a 1mm thick thermal pad - and I´didn´t expect this to happen: The complete Bracket becomes as hot as bottom of Z8. At 24° Room Temperature and with one Probty EN-EL15C Clone (2800mAH Version) I managed to record 63 minutes of 8K / 50 fps / N-RAW an an Anglebird 2TB Card. Card Hot after 32min / yellow temp Warning for Body after 38min and red temp Warning for Body after 43 min.

So even if there is was a shutdown after 63 min of continuous recording - this is a great step forward compared to temp shutdown between 20 and 30 min without the pad.