The EU used to tax video cameras differently to photo cameras. As it's such a big market these restrictions ended up applying pretty much globally. Anything considered capable of continuously recording a video 30 minutes or longer was considered a video camera. Hence manufacturers imposed either a 29 minute 59 second or 4GB file size limit on recordings. As far as I can tell, video and stills cameras are now treated the same for tax reasons. It seems some models are still hobbled because manufacturing/firmware has not changed, and some are hobbled to differentiate between better models. The 90D launched in 2019, when the old tax regime was still in place. Answer from iamnotaseal on reddit.com
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Recordinglimits
recordinglimits.com › canon-eos-90d
Canon EOS 90D Video Recording Limits
June 14, 2023 - The Canon EOS 90D has a maximum video recording time of 30 minutes, but only for some formats. That limit is also dependent upon multiple factors like camera settings, media storage size, camera power, and internal camera temperature.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/canon › still the 30min video time limit on canon 90d?
r/canon on Reddit: Still the 30min video time limit on Canon 90D?
December 5, 2023 -

I have used Canon for a long time and now I've purchased Canon 90D to be my main DSLR but also to use at other times to make Youtube videos. I was horrified to learn that Canon still does implement this 30min video limit.

It would be easy enough to make a firmware update and let customers record over 30mins of video. It seems though that there is no such firmware update available even today. I tried to contact their customer service about this, but no answer. Actually, latest firmware seems to be few years old on their site. Does someone know why? I get a feeling that Canon doesn't care about it's customers as long as they can sell them new models nowadays. I was used to having good aftermarket support from Canon in the old days.

Is this video restriction still on other newer Canon cameras too?

Discussions

90D 29:59 Min limit?
It is NOT a technical limit that Canon cannot overcome. It is a political thing. You may call this a Canon crippling, due to their wish to keep price down, not making the rest of us with no need for >30 minutes of video recording. ... Does anybody know if 90D eliminates 29:59 minutes recording ... More on dpreview.com
🌐 dpreview.com
6
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September 5, 2019
Does your camera have a 30 min limit if bought outside of the EU?

Despite this tariff being initiated by EU this limit was introduced worldwide and despite this tax regulation not existing anymore most manufacturers didn't change their policy.

ATM Magic Lantern exists for Digic 4 and 5 cams only and not even for all of them. Newer entry level cams with Digic 4+ processor haven't been ported.

For those cams supported by Magic Lantern (ML) there are some things to consider:

H.264 recording (aka: Native Canon movie recording):ML cannot bypass Canon's limits!Digic 4 cams will stop recording if file size = 4 GB is reached *or* after 29:59. Whatever comes first! Digic 5 cams will stop at 29:59. ML can automatically restart recording but a few frames will get lost.

MLV/RAW recording (ML's raw implementations):No size or time limit applies to RAW/MLV recording. No frames will be lost after 29:59. Nightly builds are supporting this. But it doesn't make much sense to use this mode for Digic 4 cams with SD-card slot because file transfer speed is limited to around 20 MByte/s which is severely limiting resolution/frame rate.

HDMI/USB streaming/recording (without recording to card):In most recent nightly builds 29:59 limit still exists. Again: ML can restart this automatically but a few frames will get lost at 29:59. Or look for the "Sticky Half-Shutter" feature. Caveat: It may not work as you want for all situations! If your cam is supported by an "experimental" lua_fix build 29:59 limit will be bypassed without interruption.

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/canon
33
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January 29, 2020
Does camera recording limit apply in OBS ? | OBS Forums
The Canon 90D (2019) did have Clean HDMI out. So, if you are buying a relatively current model camera, then most mfgs, including Canon, will provide Clean HDMI out. The issues I've encountered, and others, are from older cameras [on which you can get great deals]. 4K video is basically 3840x2160 ... More on obsproject.com
🌐 obsproject.com
July 5, 2022
Still the 30min video time limit on Canon 90D?
The EU used to tax video cameras differently to photo cameras. As it's such a big market these restrictions ended up applying pretty much globally. Anything considered capable of continuously recording a video 30 minutes or longer was considered a video camera. Hence manufacturers imposed either a 29 minute 59 second or 4GB file size limit on recordings. As far as I can tell, video and stills cameras are now treated the same for tax reasons. It seems some models are still hobbled because manufacturing/firmware has not changed, and some are hobbled to differentiate between better models. The 90D launched in 2019, when the old tax regime was still in place. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/canon
3
2
December 5, 2023
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Digital Photography Review
dpreview.com › forums › camera companies › canon talk › canon eos 7d / 10d - 90d talk
90D 29:59 Min limit?: Canon EOS 7D / 10D - 90D Talk Forum
September 5, 2019 - It’s just that for whatever political ... (and ultimately, their customers) don’t want to pay that, hence the restriction. ... The 90D still does have a 30min limit....
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Canon
usa.canon.com › home › canon learning center › canon training articles - tips & tricks › video-with-the-eos-90d
Video with the EOS 90D | Canon U.S.A., Inc.
August 28, 2019 - Full HD and HD video are recorded ... approx. 30 Mb/sec Full HD 30p / IPB (Light) — approx. 12 Mb/sec · EOS 90D can record Full HD (1080p) video at 119.88 fps (100.00 fps in PAL), for slow-motion effects....
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Videomaker
videomaker.com › home › reviews › cameras
Canon 90D hands-on review: DSLRs aren’t dead yet - Videomaker
June 9, 2020 - While many cameras these days come with two for continuous uninterrupted recording Canon chose one. Also, you still have a thirty-minute record limit. Hurray. Again this is fine if you are a low-budget vlogger, shooting selfie videos for YouTube ...
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Photographypursuits
photographypursuits.com › canon-eos-90d-recording-time-limit
Does the Canon EOS 90D Have a Recording Time Limit? - Photography Pursuits
July 9, 2023 - The maximum continuous recording time for high frame rates on the Canon EOS 90D is 7 minutes and 29 seconds. When the 7 minutes and 29 seconds time limit is reached, the recording will automatically stop and you will have to start recording again as a new movie file.
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Digital Photography Review
dpreview.com › forums › camera companies › canon talk › canon eos 7d / 10d - 90d talk
90D 29:59 Min limit? | DPReview Forums
September 5, 2019 - It’s just that for whatever political ... (and ultimately, their customers) don’t want to pay that, hence the restriction. ... The 90D still does have a 30min limit....
Find elsewhere
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YouTube
youtube.com › casey on location
Canon 90D DSLR Camera: 30 minute time limit shooting video clip - YouTube
After reaching 29 minutes and 59 seconds on single video clip, the camera will stop filming with message on screen that reads "Movie recording has been stopp...
Published   January 18, 2020
Views   3K
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DVXuser
dvxuser.com › home › forums › the gear room › camera chat › archive › hdslrs › canon aps-c
Canon 90D 4K Recording Time? | DVXuser.com
November 27, 2019 - I am looking to replace my 70D with the new 90D, mostly for the 4K video. I understand the typical DSLR maximum record time is just under 30 minutes... BUT I have seen a few comments saying the 4K recording limit is 4 minutes. Does anyone know if the 4 minute limit is for video or some other mode?
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Canon Europe
canon-europe.com › digital cameras › canon eos 90d camera
Canon EOS 90D - High-quality 4K movie recording - Canon Europe
Shoot amazing video at resolutions up to 4K at 25 or 30p using the full width of the camera’s sensor, for a truly cinematic look.
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Canon Community
community.usa.canon.com › t5 › EOS-DSLR-Mirrorless-Cameras › EOS-90D-shuts-down-every-30-minutes › td-p › 523537
EOS 90D shuts down every 30 minutes - Canon Community
January 12, 2025 - That's odd, because from what I've read, the Canon 250D also has a recording limit of 29 minutes and 59 seconds.. ... The EOS 90D camera will have the sensor turn off after 29 minutes and 59 seconds when using the Live View shooting mode and when the camera is set to the video recording mode.
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Recording Limits
recordinglimits.com
Recording Limits - Camera Database
Find the maximum continuous video recording times for the latest DSLR, mirrorless, point-and-shoot, cinema, action, and compact digital cameras and why those limits exist.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/canon › does your camera have a 30 min limit if bought outside of the eu?
Does your camera have a 30 min limit if bought outside of the EU? : r/canon
January 29, 2020 - Very interesting! I didn't know that was imposed on the cameras - being in Canada. ... There is no 4 GB limit with 90D! It is a Digic 8 cam. Since Digic 5 Canon offers file chunking (splitting recording file into pieces < 4 GB) and recording does *not* stop after 4 GB are reached.
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Canon Forums
canonforums.com › threads › 90d-video-time-limit.9638
90D video time limit | Canon Forums
October 13, 2024 - The 90D has a video time limit of 29:59, and then it stops the video. My 70D had a limit of 4GB at which point it would save the file and instantly...
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OBS Forums
obsproject.com › home › forums › obs studio support › windows support
Does camera recording limit apply in OBS ? | OBS Forums
July 5, 2022 - Does that apply when connecting it to my PC and using OBS to record the camera ? It would be a lot easier AND cheaper to find a camera then :) All the best Carsten ... Like so many things... it depends Some cameras (cough Canon) have silly legacy artificial video record limits (which in latest firmware is starting to go away...).
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Cameras Africa
camerasafrica.com › home › canon eos 90d dslr with 18-135mm lens
CANON EOS 90D DSLR WITH 18-135MM LENS - Cameras, DSLR Cameras, Photography - Buy In Kenya
CANON EOS 90D DSLR WITH 18-135MM LENS - Cameras, DSLR Cameras, Photography - Buy in Kenya
32.5MP APS-C CMOS Sensor DIGIC 8 Image Processor UHD 4K30p & Full HD 120p Video Recording 3" 1.04m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen LCD 45-Point All Cross-Type AF System Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 5481 AF Points Up to 10-fps Shooting, ISO 100-25600 Built-In Wi-Fi and Bluetooth EOS iTR AF, Electronic Shutter Function EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens
Price   $149,160.00
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Canon UK
canon.co.uk › digital cameras › canon eos 90d camera
Canon EOS 90D - High-quality 4K movie recording - Canon UK
Shoot amazing video at resolutions up to 4K at 25 or 30p using the full width of the camera’s sensor, for a truly cinematic look.
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Canon Canada
canoncanada.custhelp.com › app › answers › answer_view › a_id › 1031111 › ~ › specifications-(eos-90d)
Specifications (EOS 90D)
December 16, 2019 - EOS 90D · No · Yes · Email Address Submit Feedback Submitting... Thank you for your feedback! There was an error with your submission. Please try again. Please note that we will not contact you after this feedback has been submitted. If you require assistance, please visit our Contact Us page. Email this page · Book or Track a Repair · Register Your Product · CarePAK Extended Warranty · Canon ...
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Imaging Resource
imaging-resource.com › home › camera reviews › canon 90d review › canon 90d review - conclusion
Canon 90D Review - Conclusion - Imaging Resource
August 28, 2019 - However, the 90D does lack a number of more advanced video features, such as Log recording, multiple bitrate options, higher-quality compression, and unlimited video recording (camera is still capped at 29:59).
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Canon Central and North Africa
en.canon-cna.com › digital cameras › canon eos 90d camera
Canon EOS 90D - High-quality 4K movie recording - Canon Central and North Africa
Shoot amazing video at resolutions up to 4K at 25 or 30p using the full width of the camera’s sensor, for a truly cinematic look.