The 30 Minute Video Capture Limit May Come to an End for Digicams and HD dSLRs

Ever wonder why digital cameras have a 30 minute recording limit no matter how large of a memory card you have? Many claim it has to do with the 4GB file size limitations of the FAT32 file system used on most memory cards, overheating from recording for so long, etc. As it turns out, this has to do with the World Trade Organization and, as many things do, taxes.

The problem is that any camera that can record for longer than 29 minutes and 59 seconds is officially classified as a video camera by the WTO. This classification means that the cameras would be subject to a 5% duty fee, which would in turn raise prices.

There are high hopes that video cameras will soon be added to the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), which would mean the fee would not apply. If this happens, you can say goodbye to that half-hour limitation.