<p>In my experience, that's a indicator of the line between consumer, pro-sumer and professional cameras. At a previous workplace, it was problematic enough to justify investing in a better camera for the situation that could handle longer video lengths. </p>

<p>Additionally, standard FPS for video are 24 or 30 fps. </p>

<p>You might be able to save some time on the card by recording at 24 fps, but not enough to record for an hour by my calculations. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-25T19:02:52.823Z
2019-11-01T16:30:33.290Z
2019-11-01T16:30:33.290Z
Joshjurg
<p>You might want to keep in mind the regulations concerning camera manufacturers. When recording over a certain limit in time (which I believe is 30 minutes), the sellers of the camera pay an extra tax-amount - so longer recordings are usually reserved for more professional, expensive cameras.</p>

<p>What might be worth a try is recording with an external recorder from a dslr or something better. Other than that, buying an expensive professional-grade camera might be your only option.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-10T21:38:35.203Z
Can you provide references for the extra tax when over 30 minutes (or confirm if they are the same as mentioned in the other answers) and for the setup with an external recorder attached to a DSLR?
emonigma
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-10T21:40:57.960Z
I found [this article](https://www.nikonimgsupport.com/eu/BV_article?articleNo=000006349&configured=1&lang=en_GB) for Nikon about recording uncompressed footage. By my calculations, 1 hour of raw footage is 1 TB, does that sound feasible and more feasible than a professional-grade camera?
emonigma
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-04T13:34:56.120Z
2019-11-04T13:34:56.120Z
Florian Claaßen
<p>The filesystem limit and the 30 minutes EU tax limit are unrelated.</p>
<p>The 30 minutes limit is on most cameras, like Nikon P1000. It is typically not on camcorders.</p>
<p>The file size limit on FAT is 4GB. Some cameras can record to &quot;extfs&quot; from Linux, some on exFAT: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExFAT" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExFAT</a></p>
<p>But I did not find a low-end camcorder (&lt; $1000) that can handle these. The exception is smart phones, which nowadays use Ext4 from Linux, or F2FS (Flash Friendly File System).</p>
<p>The continuous recording split into 4G files is relatively well done by Panasonic HC-VX9xx models at FHD. The fraction of a second pause is because the camcorder needs to &quot;wrap up&quot; the file (add a header and a footer) and begin a new file, which it could do in the background, but then they couldn't be so cheap :)</p>
<p>Panasonix X1000 does this without the drop.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-03T22:33:18.790Z
2022-09-03T22:33:18.790Z
Ondra Žižka
<p>I would like to record footage at high resolution for one hour without interruption. I have a DSLR camera that, with 1080 pixels of vertical resolution and 50 frames per second, stops recording at 10 minutes and I have to press the record button again. Another hand-held camera can record for an hour but breaks it into chunks that, when concatenated, skip a fraction of a second.
I understand that this time limitation is <a href="https://www.tested.com/tech/photography/44445-why-digital-cameras-have-a-30-minute-video-recording-limit/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">because DSLR cameras use the <code>FAT32</code>
standard</a>
for reading and writing files from disks, and <code>FAT32</code> has a limitation of 4 GB:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The maximum possible size for a file on a FAT32 volume is 4 GiB minus 1 byte
  or 4,294,967,295 (2^32 − 1) bytes. This limit is a consequence of the file length entry in the directory table</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Does another filesystem allow recordings without interruption for longer than 4 GiB or 10 minutes? And did cameras adopt such a filesystem?</p>

<p><strong>Update</strong>: @Michael Liebman's suggested this <a href="https://www.quora.com/Is-there-any-compact-cameras-with-no-video-length-limit" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Quora link</a> that mentions "file chaining". I could solve the problem if the split files from a camera could be seamlessly joined and produce the same output as if I had been recording continuously. Does a format or camera standard allow this seamless juxtaposition?</p>

<p><strong>Second update</strong>: I understand from the comments and questions that the file size limitation serves for DSLR's to avoid the EU's 5.6% import duty on cam-corders. One Sony camcorder can record continuously in AVCHD format but chops the clip into multiple files with around half a second missed in between files. Can another filesystem or video format record for camcorders footage for one hour without interruption?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-26T04:20:13.770Z
If you read further down in the article you linked and [here](https://www.quora.com/Is-there-any-compact-cameras-with-no-video-length-limit), it really isn't the filesystem or any other technical limit that is restricting the file length. It is a pure business decision to get around (possibly outdated) tariff classifications.
Michael Liebman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-28T06:17:59.620Z
Unless you're planning on replacing your camera's firmware (that's a thing—check out magic lantern if you want to take the red pill) you're stuck with the disk format the manufacturers specified. Formatting your card to another file system will just mean that the camera won't recognise it.
stib
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-01T16:30:24.317Z
@MichaelLiebman Great point, which I had missed and explains it. Could you write an answer? I think that quoting that Quora page that has the only two cameras commercially available that don't have the limit would be good, but I'm not sure if it goes against the site's policies on staying away from product recommendations.
emonigma
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-01T16:48:50.473Z
@stib I read about magic lantern and I'll do it! Could you write an answer with some details? And do Nikon cameras have a similar hack (I found Nikonhacker.com but it seems stale)?
emonigma
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-01T17:09:11.063Z
@stib [The FAQ on the time limit](https://wiki.magiclantern.fm/faq#how_do_i_record_for_more_than_12_minutes) suggests that with H264 the limit is 30 minutes or 4 GB, whichever comes first; and RAW has no limit, but the file sizes are huge. So H264 would not record continuously for one hour. [This calculator](https://toolstud.io/video/filesize.php?dimensions_w=1920&dimensions_h=1080&framerate=29.97&timeduration=3600&timeduration_unit=seconds) suggests the filesize for one hour of footage at 1080p and 30 fps is 1 TB, is that right?
emonigma
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-01T17:19:54.730Z
@stib Why would magic lantern have a 4 GB limitation on a card with an exFAT format?
emonigma
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-04T11:36:01.100Z
See [a similar thread on photo.stackexchange.com](https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/14563/why-is-there-a-limit-restriction-to-the-1080p-film-video-recording-time-duration).
emonigma
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-04T22:51:21.280Z
"One Sony camcorder can record continuously in AVCHD format but chops the clip into multiple files with around half a second missed in between files" — most likely there are no missing frames, it is your NLE that cannot stitch them correctly.
Rusty Core
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-04T22:52:17.767Z
@miguelmorin "H264 the limit is 30 minutes or 4 GB" — there is no relation between codec type and file size. "This calculator suggests the filesize for one hour of footage at 1080p and 30 fps is 1 TB, is that right?" — you can calculate file size yourself using your camera's bitrate and duration.
Rusty Core
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-11T09:54:19.867Z
@RustyCore Re: NLE, I am using iMovie, the individual files have zero sound for 0.6 seconds at the end of each clip, and the video skips maybe 0.05 seconds; do you still think it's the NLE's problem? Re: H264, that limitation for H264 comes from the [magic lantern website](https://wiki.magiclantern.fm/faq#how_do_i_record_for_more_than_12_minutes), I'm not sure why it has a limit on H264 but not on RAW. Re: filesize, the user's manual for Nikon D3300 does not mention a bitrate (only frame rates), but I could gauge the size by recording for 1 minute when I next have access to the camera.
emonigma
<camera><dslr><camcorder><footage>
Filesystem that records longer than 4 GiB, or one hour without interruption
emonigma
# Filesystem that records longer than 4 GiB, or one hour without interruption

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-10-25)

I would like to record footage at high resolution for one hour without interruption. I have a DSLR camera that, with 1080 pixels of vertical resolution and 50 frames per second, stops recording at 10 minutes and I have to press the record button again. Another hand-held camera can record for an hour but breaks it into chunks that, when concatenated, skip a fraction of a second.
I understand that this time limitation is [because DSLR cameras use the `FAT32`
standard](https://www.tested.com/tech/photography/44445-why-digital-cameras-have-a-30-minute-video-recording-limit/)
for reading and writing files from disks, and `FAT32` has a limitation of 4 GB:

> The maximum possible size for a file on a FAT32 volume is 4 GiB minus 1 byte
> or 4,294,967,295 (2^32 − 1) bytes. This limit is a consequence of the file length entry in the directory table

Does another filesystem allow recordings without interruption for longer than 4 GiB or 10 minutes? And did cameras adopt such a filesystem?

**Update**: @username_1's suggested this [Quora link](https://www.quora.com/Is-there-any-compact-cameras-with-no-video-length-limit) that mentions "file chaining". I could solve the problem if the split files from a camera could be seamlessly joined and produce the same output as if I had been recording continuously. Does a format or camera standard allow this seamless juxtaposition?

**Second update**: I understand from the comments and questions that the file size limitation serves for DSLR's to avoid the EU's 5.6% import duty on cam-corders. One Sony camcorder can record continuously in AVCHD format but chops the clip into multiple files with around half a second missed in between files. Can another filesystem or video format record for camcorders footage for one hour without interruption?

**Tags:** camera, dslr, camcorder, footage

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: If you read further down in the article you linked and [here](https://www.quora.com/Is-there-any-compact-cameras-with-no-video-length-limit), it really isn't the filesystem or any other technical limit that is restricting the file length. It is a pure business decision to get around (possibly outdated) tariff classifications.  
> **username_2**: Unless you're planning on replacing your camera's firmware (that's a thing—check out magic lantern if you want to take the red pill) you're stuck with the disk format the manufacturers specified. Formatting your card to another file system will just mean that the camera won't recognise it.  
> **username_0**: @MichaelLiebman Great point, which I had missed and explains it. Could you write an answer? I think that quoting that Quora page that has the only two cameras commercially available that don't have the limit would be good, but I'm not sure if it goes against the site's policies on staying away from product recommendations.  
> **username_0**: @username_2 I read about magic lantern and I'll do it! Could you write an answer with some details? And do Nikon cameras have a similar hack (I found Nikonhacker.com but it seems stale)?  
> **username_0**: @username_2 [The FAQ on the time limit](https://wiki.magiclantern.fm/faq#how_do_i_record_for_more_than_12_minutes) suggests that with H264 the limit is 30 minutes or 4 GB, whichever comes first; and RAW has no limit, but the file sizes are huge. So H264 would not record continuously for one hour. [This calculator](https://toolstud.io/video/filesize.php?dimensions_w=1920&dimensions_h=1080&framerate=29.97&timeduration=3600&timeduration_unit=seconds) suggests the filesize for one hour of footage at 1080p and 30 fps is 1 TB, is that right?  
> **username_0**: @username_2 Why would magic lantern have a 4 GB limitation on a card with an exFAT format?  
> **username_0**: See [a similar thread on photo.stackexchange.com](https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/14563/why-is-there-a-limit-restriction-to-the-1080p-film-video-recording-time-duration).  
> **username_3**: "One Sony camcorder can record continuously in AVCHD format but chops the clip into multiple files with around half a second missed in between files" — most likely there are no missing frames, it is your NLE that cannot stitch them correctly.  
> **username_3**: @miguelmorin "H264 the limit is 30 minutes or 4 GB" — there is no relation between codec type and file size. "This calculator suggests the filesize for one hour of footage at 1080p and 30 fps is 1 TB, is that right?" — you can calculate file size yourself using your camera's bitrate and duration.  
> **username_0**: @RustyCore Re: NLE, I am using iMovie, the individual files have zero sound for 0.6 seconds at the end of each clip, and the video skips maybe 0.05 seconds; do you still think it's the NLE's problem? Re: H264, that limitation for H264 comes from the [magic lantern website](https://wiki.magiclantern.fm/faq#how_do_i_record_for_more_than_12_minutes), I'm not sure why it has a limit on H264 but not on RAW. Re: filesize, the user's manual for Nikon D3300 does not mention a bitrate (only frame rates), but I could gauge the size by recording for 1 minute when I next have access to the camera.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2019-10-25. Score: 1

In my experience, that's a indicator of the line between consumer, pro-sumer and professional cameras. At a previous workplace, it was problematic enough to justify investing in a better camera for the situation that could handle longer video lengths.

Additionally, standard FPS for video are 24 or 30 fps.

You might be able to save some time on the card by recording at 24 fps, but not enough to record for an hour by my calculations.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2019-11-04. Score: 1

You might want to keep in mind the regulations concerning camera manufacturers. When recording over a certain limit in time (which I believe is 30 minutes), the sellers of the camera pay an extra tax-amount - so longer recordings are usually reserved for more professional, expensive cameras.

What might be worth a try is recording with an external recorder from a dslr or something better. Other than that, buying an expensive professional-grade camera might be your only option.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Can you provide references for the extra tax when over 30 minutes (or confirm if they are the same as mentioned in the other answers) and for the setup with an external recorder attached to a DSLR?  
> **username_0**: I found [this article](https://www.nikonimgsupport.com/eu/BV_article?articleNo=000006349&configured=1&lang=en_GB) for Nikon about recording uncompressed footage. By my calculations, 1 hour of raw footage is 1 TB, does that sound feasible and more feasible than a professional-grade camera?  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2022-09-03. Score: 1

The filesystem limit and the 30 minutes EU tax limit are unrelated.

The 30 minutes limit is on most cameras, like Nikon P1000. It is typically not on camcorders.

The file size limit on FAT is 4GB. Some cameras can record to "extfs" from Linux, some on exFAT: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExFAT>

But I did not find a low-end camcorder (< $1000) that can handle these. The exception is smart phones, which nowadays use Ext4 from Linux, or F2FS (Flash Friendly File System).

The continuous recording split into 4G files is relatively well done by Panasonic HC-VX9xx models at FHD. The fraction of a second pause is because the camcorder needs to "wrap up" the file (add a header and a footer) and begin a new file, which it could do in the background, but then they couldn't be so cheap :)

Panasonix X1000 does this without the drop.


---

