From the Canon C300 FAQ

The Devil is in the details. Canon has posted a FAQ for the C300, and there are some interesting tidbits to be found therein.

• This is a brand new sensor, “designed from scratch by Canon, entirely for cine and video applications.”
• The native ISO of the camera is 850.
• Canon thinks that with their Canon-Log color space, the camera allows “800% overexposure… which translates to …an Exposure Latitude of 12 f-stops.” Graeme Nattress of Red disagrees.
• Graeme also points out that Canon is not obsessed with proper spelling.
• There’s a built-in waveform monitor overlay.
• And focus-asist peaking (which I learned here).
• No autofocus. Hilariously, Red promises that Scarlet X will autofocus your Canon lenses. File that under Red out-Canoning Canon tonight.
• There’s built-in vignette reduction for Canon lenses. EF-mount version only.
• Maximum ISO is 20,000, or 30dB of gain.
• You can specify shutter by angle.
• “The EOS C300 is equipped with three built-in, durable glass ND filters” Two stops, 4 stops, and 6 stops. Very nice.
• “When the Slow and Fast Motion setting is enabled, frame rate selections can be made in one frame per second increments…” So apparently you can shoot at funky frame rates.
• Everyone has been talking about how 60 fps recording is limited to 720p, but that’s not entirely true. The C300 also has 50i and 60i modes. So you could shoot 60i with a 1/120 shutter, and convert each field to a frame using the method I describe in The DV Rebel’s Guide for slow motion. Although this is likely to result in more flicker artifacts than simply shooting 720p60.
• A 32 GB CF card will hold 80 minutes of footage at 50Mb/s.
• The camera has two CF card slots. You can record across the two cards, or you can record redundantly to the two cards.
• A separate Wi-Fi unit will be offered that will allow any smart phone or tablet with a web browser to control basic camera functions.
• It has a fan.
• “Canon Log and Cinema Lock options allow motion picture users to get a very flat, low-contrast result that’s ready for extensive color grading during the editing process.” Nice.
• “Canon Log is a log gamma setting that retains maximum image information for post-production. It has high dynamic range and records the image with a flat image quality with subdued contrast and sharpness. This is ideal for color correction.”
• “Cinema Locked Mode… enables Canon Log Gamma, and effectively ‘locks out’ any other image adjustments. This is a no-nonsense way for cinematographers to ensure that all settings are optimized for post-production, without having to dig deep into menus to check and re-set parameters back to zero. It simplifies the whole process to ensure that no matter what, you are getting the most out of your camera for post-production.” Very nice.
• There’s a “View Assist feature” designed for those shooting in Canon Log who wish to monitor a more pleasingly contrasty image. “When it’s active, View Assist lets the user toggle back and forth from the flat look of an actual Canon Log file, and a generic, contrasty and saturated look that simulates typical results after color grading in post-production.” Again, very nice. There are some expensive cameras out there that require external hardware to accomplish this.

When you contemplate this camera’s seemingly high price point (reported to be anywhere from $16,000 to $20,000), you have to factor in all these little details. Many of these seem to me to bear the fingerprints of Canon’s Larry Thorpe, formerly of Sony, who was at the event today, knows more about cameras than anyone I’ve ever met, and was the first person I called back in 2008 when I began to sense that Canon might need help understanding the profound effect of the 5D Mark II on the filmmaking community.

There’s some very cool stuff here. And if it breaks, you can have it fixed or replaced at Canon’s new service center smack in the middle of Hollywood.

Red certainly seemed to sweep Canon’s leg today by pitching a Scarlet that out-specs the C300 at half the price, but I’m not content to leap to any conclusions without comparing these cameras—and the ecosystems that accompany them—at the atomic level. Allegiances are convenient. Analysis is difficult.

And Scotch is delicious. Goodnight.

Comments

[Samuel H]

once you add the price of the RED accessories, and if this Canon is sold for $16K instead of $20K, they cost basically the same

I don't need 4K, but the scarlet looks quite mighty: it seems to be an EPIC with a slower ASIC (the equivalent of the digic processor on the canon cameras) and either huge savings due to mass production or much smaller margins

I'd like to have 422 10bit in-camera on the canon, but it may have much better low-light capabilities than the scarlet, and I also fear the RED reliability issues

so for me this looks, right now, like a tie

the big looser today was the EPIC, which became a much less compelling solution for everything except overcranking

not that it matters, anyway, because my budget doesn't allow for anything ofer $5K... but if I'm (very) lucky I may rent one of these some day

[Rob Imbs]

I agree with you Stu, the more you look at the C300 the more you see the all of the little details that make it look like a real killer cinema cam. Specs are only half the story, great post, very insightful.

[Craig Seeman]

@Samuel Hurtado, I suspect the market knows there are many looking at your price point. There's Pannasonic AF100 and Sony FS100 and I can't help but think in short order Cannon will join that as well with a scaled down C300. Each of the other has some deficiencies such as AF100 4/3 and Sony's lack of ND and HDMI out only. Also will JVC ignore this market (although unlike the others, aren't in the DSLR field)?

[Matt Moses]

The last year , I finally started to shoot real stuff with my 2 GH13's. It's a total hack, but I have always been a "hack". I am more or less satisfied with what I can make, but WAY more satisfied that I'm actually going out and SHOOTING - It's where I belong, nothing makes me happier (when it comes to tech/work). I have found that I NEED 2 of almost everything, however... and when 2 of everything exceeds $15k, it just does not make sense to OWN it right now..... maybe after SHOOTING more and more .. I can guarantee $30k + on a project that pays for all that stuff.... For now, I kind of like being a "hack".

Matt Moses
VFX Lighter/Filmmaker

[Matt Moses]

NOTE: By shooting "real stuff", I mean I made 2 docs and a web spot that paid for the gear.

[Jim Feeley]

"Red certainly seemed to sweep Canon’s leg today by pitching a Scarlet that out-specs the C300 at half the price..."

Seems like street prices for the two cameras will be similar. The Scarlet AL Canon Mount Package is $14,015. Looks like Canon is following the old still-camera practice of having a list price much higher than street. A couple resellers say they expect the Canon C300 to sell for about the same price as a Sony F3, about $14,000.

Sure, the base packages aren't quite the same. But all three cameras seem to be in the same ballpark. Dang: I have at least eight fudge words in one short comment. Will be nice to get our hands on shipping units and find out what's really up.

[Matt Moses]

Just wanted to make a point to any aspiring filmmakers out there - It is VERY difficult to shoot a scene/interview, or anything with people in it with ONE CAMERA. You really, practically, need two cameras... and it makes it easier if they are the same camera. That means possibly owning 2 sets of identical lenses as well... or at least 2 of you goto favorites.... NOW look at the price? What independent artist has $40 or $50k lying around to invest in gear? You are renting your gear for the project. Or , you are shooting on the little consumer cams hacked into being usable as a filmmakers tool.

[Paul D]

I think that you like me are wise to reserve judgement until the known unknowns are known knowns. In the meantime, here are my initial thoughts:

http://paul-d.tv/blog/2011/11/04/the-night-of-the-long-camera-announcements/

[Justin Benn]

I, too, am impressed with both RED's and Canon's offerings last week. Avid 6 looks like it might be fun too. And though I understand the arguments for wanting more than 2K, I remind myself that one of my favourite movies of late - Monsters (which my wife really liked too) - was shot on an EX3 with a Letus DOF adapter.

Hopefully the price of the C300 will come down a bit. Perhaps there is a way to record uncompressed off-camera. The 4K to 1080 oversampling may turn out to be an outrageously good thing. Time will tell. And those new, low-T C lenses look very interesting.

[Roberto Miller]

I like the direction Larry Thorpe is driving with this initial offering from Canon. I've given him my two-bits, too. My reading of the announcement is excitement at where things may be at in a year. Meanwhile, I am very happy to have 2 GH2s w/PL mounts ready for the Driftwood hack. Interesting times. Now, and later...

[Rodrigo Jácome]

Hu, Stu.
I know you may get that a lot, but can you tell us why the T3i is your favorite?

[Robin Heemstra]

Scotch IS delicious. Good point there.

[Tom Vincze]

+1 for a T3i review