Canon has yet to reveal the C300's price tag, which we expect to far undercut the $120,000 Arri Alexa kit, but its sheer portability makes it a more appealing option for filmmakers -- especially those with limited time and other resources. Laforet was able to shoot his film with a very small crew, since the C300 can be operated by just one photographer. The director used the camera mounted on a tripod, tethered to a variety of helicopters, sitting on the road and even hand-held, like a camcorder or DSLR. Laforet shot with Canon's new FK30-300 telephoto cine zoom PL-mount lens, along with a variety of EOS mount lenses, and notes that the camera's form factor makes it even easier to shoot with than a DSLR like the 5D Mark II. Its cost -- somewhere in the range of $20,000 -- should also put it within reach of not only Hollywood cinematographers, but also television directors and even documentary filmmakers and news photojournalists. We won't see the C300 hit the market until late January 2012, so jump past the break for a sneak peak at Mobius to see Canon's new cinema flagship, along with a rather comprehensive behind-the-scenes video.
Continue reading Canon C300 makes an appearance in Vincent Laforet's Mobius, find the short and behind the scenes right here (video)
Man, is this thing ugly. But when it comes to cinema cameras, looks are the last thing on a cinematographer's mind -- performance is where it counts, and with the Canon C300, its compact size is an asset as well. We haven't had a chance to shoot with Canon's new flagship cinema cam, but we've heard from plenty of folks who have, including director Vincent Laforet. The C300's incredibly compact size allows cinematographers to work in environments that aren't typically accessible to big rigs -- you can shoot with this camera just as easily as you can with a DSLR, hand-holding it for quick shots, with a waist-mounted Steadicam system for walk-around shoots or even mounting it on a small remote-controlled helicopter, as Laforet did during his three-day Mobius shoot.
The C300 will be more familiar to cinematographers -- photojournalists may have access to the cam, thanks to its $20,000 price tag (that's a relative bargain, believe it or not), but you can't pick this up and fire away without taking some time to learn the interface. It has quite the solid feel, as you'd expect from a camera in this price range, though it's not as heavy as it looks -- you won't want to hold it in your hand for a full day of filming, but quick shots probably won't be an issue. The system is modular, so you can add and remove components as you wish -- industry standard connectors let you hook up cinema gear, which is something you could never do with the 5D Mark II. The small form factor and price tag to match should help Canon gain some ground in Hollywood, but we'll wait for a chance to shoot some footage before drawing any firm conclusions. In the meantime, we'll have to take Laforet at his word -- which you'll find just past the break.
Canon Goes All In On EOS With C300 Digital Cinema System, New DSLR
from TechCrunch by Devin Coldewey
In this evening of dueling announcements (RED announced their compact high-res camera system tonight as well), Canon has shown that it’s serious in the area of digital cinema with its new Cinema EOS system. The first camera in the line is the C300, a compact camera that, contrary to expectations, doesn’t produce a 4K image. They’ve instead focused on maximizing the performance of a Super 35-sized sensor producing 1080p footage.
To many this resolution will be a disappointment, but Canon has something for that crowd as well (though now quite in complete form): a DSLR “concept” which they stopped short of calling the 5D Mk III, but which seems to fill that role, complete with 4K recording:
It’s a new focus on pro but not super-pro cinema (i.e. not $100k cameras) using the EOS branding and EF mount, and it builds on Canon’s existing reputation in that area. I noted the issues with DSLR sensors years ago, and it looks like Canon is aiming at keeping the strengths while mitigating the weaknesses.
While the DSLR is less than real at this point (though it likely just lacks final design and manufacturing), the C300 is as real as it gets.
It records 1920×1080 images of the red and blue channels, and 1920×2160 for the greens, in semi-traditional RGBG style, for a 1080p stream at up to 24fps and 50mbps. As far as the numbers go, it’s a far cry from RED’s scarlet, which at half the price offers four times the resolution and eight times the datarate. But specs aren’t everything and what matters is how well these perform in real life situations.
The C300, in PL and EF mount versions, will be available in January and March of 2012 respectively for around $20,000.
More Info And First Impressions: Canon’s New C300 Pro Cinema Camera
Cinema tech isn’t a big focus on TechCrunch, but with Canon it makes sense, especially when that cinema tech represents a major overlap with consumer gear. The Cinema EOS line introduced last night is just that, and I’ve just had the chance to get my hands on the new C300digital cinema camera (and a little quality time with the new 1D-X as well). I also got to put a few questions to Chuck Westfall, from Canon’s R&D department.
The most obvious thing about the new camera is how compact and handling-friendly it is. I sought out the most minimal setup, which is pictured above and (except for the lens) the default package for purchasing the C300. It was quite light and well-balanced, and the controls felt convenient for thumb or off-hand operation.
While I doubt any AAA features are going to be filmed on this micro setup, it does demonstrate how minimal the minimum viable camera unit is. I’m actually surprised that it comes with a built-in EVF, which isn’t particularly high-resolution (1.5 million dots, somewhere around 840×600 pixels or so) and is redundant for many filmmakers. And it does increase the options available.
I talked with Chuck Westfall about the camera, and he said that they had interviewed a lot of crews and cinematographers, who liked the small size and easy operation of DSLRs, but disliked the lack of ports and image quality issues. The C300 is a direct response to these concerns.
The lenses, too, are designed with motion photography in mind. The 360-degree focus ring and stepless iris (which feels smooth as butter and would be really nice to have in certain situations) are cinema-oriented, and they even gave the elements a different coating to reduce contrast and leave more up to the filmmaker. How the iris, which doesn’t use traditional stop numbers, will record or communicate that data to the camera is unclear, and Canon reps couldn’t answer my questions, citing the fact that most of the gear was pre-production. But they did confirm that aperture control is totally manual.
I asked about the choice to go with 1080p; RED’s announcement last night puts 4K recording at a very reasonable price and I was wondering whether Canon felt threatened. Westfall explained that “for an initial product” in the C series, they wanted it to fit into as many existing workflows as possible. Although 4K is clearly in Canon’s future (as demonstrated by the announcement of the 4K DSLR concept, they wanted to put something out that would plug right into the many productions that are shooting in 1080p. Which is a lot — you’d probably be surprised to hear how many are still shooting to tape or film.
As for RED’s product and how it related or competed with the C series, Westfall said diplomatically “the market is going to tell us which approach they prefer.” And while it’s true that RED’s Scarlet represents a serious value, the totally new workflow is only just beginning to make inroads on the industry at large, and the familiar Canon systems will still be preferred by many. Westfall convinced me of the company’s dedication to getting as much accuracy and quality from the sensor as possible, but comparisons will have to wait until the C300 hits studios.
In this evening of dueling announcements (RED announced their compact high-res camera system tonight as well), Canon has shown that it’s serious in the area of digital cinema with its new Cinema EOS system. The first camera in the line is the C300, a compact camera that, contrary to expectations, doesn’t produce a 4K image. They’ve instead focused on maximizing the performance of a Super 35-sized sensor producing 1080p footage.To many this resolution will be a disappointment, but Canon has something for that crowd as well (though now quite in complete form): a DSLR “concept” which they stopped short of calling the 5D Mk III, but which seems to fill that role, complete with 4K recording:
It’s a new focus on pro but not super-pro cinema (i.e. not $100k cameras) using the EOS branding and EF mount, and it builds on Canon’s existing reputation in that area. I noted the issues with DSLR sensors years ago, and it looks like Canon is aiming at keeping the strengths while mitigating the weaknesses.
While the DSLR is less than real at this point (though it likely just lacks final design and manufacturing), the C300 is as real as it gets.
It records 1920×1080 images of the red and blue channels, and 1920×2160 for the greens, in semi-traditional RGBG style, for a 1080p stream at up to 24fps and 50mbps. As far as the numbers go, it’s a far cry from RED’s scarlet, which at half the price offers four times the resolution and eight times the datarate. But specs aren’t everything and what matters is how well these perform in real life situations.
The C300, in PL and EF mount versions, will be available in January and March of 2012 respectively for around $20,000.
More Info And First Impressions: Canon’s New C300 Pro Cinema Camera
Cinema tech isn’t a big focus on TechCrunch, but with Canon it makes sense, especially when that cinema tech represents a major overlap with consumer gear. The Cinema EOS line introduced last night is just that, and I’ve just had the chance to get my hands on the new C300digital cinema camera (and a little quality time with the new 1D-X as well). I also got to put a few questions to Chuck Westfall, from Canon’s R&D department.
The most obvious thing about the new camera is how compact and handling-friendly it is. I sought out the most minimal setup, which is pictured above and (except for the lens) the default package for purchasing the C300. It was quite light and well-balanced, and the controls felt convenient for thumb or off-hand operation.
While I doubt any AAA features are going to be filmed on this micro setup, it does demonstrate how minimal the minimum viable camera unit is. I’m actually surprised that it comes with a built-in EVF, which isn’t particularly high-resolution (1.5 million dots, somewhere around 840×600 pixels or so) and is redundant for many filmmakers. And it does increase the options available.
I talked with Chuck Westfall about the camera, and he said that they had interviewed a lot of crews and cinematographers, who liked the small size and easy operation of DSLRs, but disliked the lack of ports and image quality issues. The C300 is a direct response to these concerns.
The lenses, too, are designed with motion photography in mind. The 360-degree focus ring and stepless iris (which feels smooth as butter and would be really nice to have in certain situations) are cinema-oriented, and they even gave the elements a different coating to reduce contrast and leave more up to the filmmaker. How the iris, which doesn’t use traditional stop numbers, will record or communicate that data to the camera is unclear, and Canon reps couldn’t answer my questions, citing the fact that most of the gear was pre-production. But they did confirm that aperture control is totally manual.
I asked about the choice to go with 1080p; RED’s announcement last night puts 4K recording at a very reasonable price and I was wondering whether Canon felt threatened. Westfall explained that “for an initial product” in the C series, they wanted it to fit into as many existing workflows as possible. Although 4K is clearly in Canon’s future (as demonstrated by the announcement of the 4K DSLR concept, they wanted to put something out that would plug right into the many productions that are shooting in 1080p. Which is a lot — you’d probably be surprised to hear how many are still shooting to tape or film.
As for RED’s product and how it related or competed with the C series, Westfall said diplomatically “the market is going to tell us which approach they prefer.” And while it’s true that RED’s Scarlet represents a serious value, the totally new workflow is only just beginning to make inroads on the industry at large, and the familiar Canon systems will still be preferred by many. Westfall convinced me of the company’s dedication to getting as much accuracy and quality from the sensor as possible, but comparisons will have to wait until the C300 hits studios.
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