Lots of C100's at the NBA finals

[Shield3]

I noticed in the "champagne" celebration room folks with c100's.  Then I noticed out on the court the same thing...Makes you think about how important pros value reliability over high Sony specs...:)

Keep in mind I am biased as I have a c100 mk2 due here today and have been burned twice in the last 3 months with 2 Sony a7r2 failures that required the same camera to be sent in for repair.

 

 

[BrooklynDan]

I own a C100 MK I. It just works. No frills. Pro XLR connections and audio controls at your finger-tips. Just simple reliability in an easy-to-throw-around form factor. Perfect for roving around an arena and getting up close and personal with the players.

[Inazuma]

C100 and 300 are used a lot by the UFC and BBC, as well as internet shows like Vice news. Excellent cameras, though not for everyone.  

[Nick Hughes]

27 minutes ago, Inazuma said:

C100 and 300 are used a lot by the UFC and BBC, as well as internet shows like Vice news. Excellent cameras, though not for everyone.  

Many VICE productions are switching to the FS7, including a lot of their shows on their new channel VICELAND. 

[Cassius McGowan]

24 minutes ago, Nick Hughes said:

Many VICE productions are switching to the FS7, including a lot of their shows on their new channel VICELAND. 

Prove it.!!!!! I want to see the receipts... ??

[Django]

There is no doubt FS7 is a superior camera and this is coming from a new C100 owner.. aside for 3 things: color science, ergonomics & autofocus. i suspect the later is why it's being used in above situation. I just shot a run&gun event this week-end with a busy crowd and had to hold the camera above eye level similarly to the screen capture above, well dual pixel AF made the shooting effortless where i suspect i'd be struggling with just about any other cam/DSLR..

[MountneerMan]

This is a funny post because I noticed the same tthing last night lol.... I even said "holy C100!" lol

[HelsinkiZim]

I find it so funny to find everyone talk about camcorders like its the new a-ha moment. I left the panasonic hvx-200 to jump into dslr (before was z1 - never had complaints), now everyone is pining for camcorders functionality and I have only just figured out how to rig all these bits and bobs. Life is funny sometimes.

I will put this on record:

The next best selling 'disruptive' camera will be the fs7, for below 5 000€.

I don't know who will combine the multiple push-button, reliable, ND filter, run n gun form factor of the Sony camcorders with the data capture capabilities of a blackmagic or kinefinety. But we are getting closer and closer.

Whoever does this wins the race and then we can all go back to talking about other things than DR and crop factor, and sooper slo mo.

... i know the smaller sony camera was supposed to be the FS7 in a tiny package, but it is not.

To be honest if Kinefity pull through with the Terra, then it is game set match. They may actually become a legitimate worldwide company.

[jax_rox]

It doesn't make any sense for an A7rII to be used in this sort of capacity. In addition, the C100 has been out for longer than both the FS7 and FS5. The FS7 is gaining more and more traction every day.

Keep in mind that the NFL were shooting film up until only a few years ago. If you like what you have, and it's reliable and works for you, what incentive is there to change? Plenty of prodcos and owner/operators who bought C100/300s when they came out that see no reason to switch. That doesn't mean something like an FS5 or FS7 isn't just as good a camera. In addition, it's an effort to change from one ecosystem to another, which means unless it's vital to you staying competitive, why would you go to all the trouble to change ecosystems?

C100/300 is a great little camera. So is the FS7 and FS5. Both have their places, and serve their purposes. I hired F55s and F5s for a project I was shooting recently. I didn't want to hire C300s or C500s. Different projects, different people, different needs. Use what works for you and your project. Nothing is gained from camera or brand-bashing. Except you preclude yourself from using a potentially superior product based purely on some zealous brand loyalty.

[BenEricson]

The C100 also does REALLY well in mixed lighting/indoor lighting. You don't need a super high DR, so I would imagine it is perfect for this sort of thing. 

The c100ii is really underrated in my opinion. It just looks so nice.

[Django]

6 hours ago, jax_rox said:

Different projects, different people, different needs. Use what works for you and your project. Nothing is gained from camera or brand-bashing. Except you preclude yourself from using a potentially superior product based purely on some zealous brand loyalty.

Amen to that although i don't think anyone in this thread has been bashing Sony. I think it's just interesting/pleasing for C100 owners to see such an under-rated camera which is often claimed obsolete (Andrew even called it rubbish in his recent blog about C500) used at such high-profile event. Sony's are definitely selling like hot cakes and for good reason, especially in the mirrorless vs DSLR segment. Yet in certain pro segments, Canon still dominates.. like the 5D3 in wedding/event photography despite the 2012 body being largely surpassed in color depth, DR & megapixels by both Sony/Nikon. It's true though it's mostly has to do with longevity due to Canon's slow upgrade strategy. My local vid equipment rental store (the largest in the region) obviously has way more C100/300 cams in stock then FS5/7s probably due to them being available for so much longer then the Sonys. What's interesting is they are harder to get a hold of and rent for same if not more then FS5/7 despite being cheaper retail (rental prices being set on offer/demand ratio). Sony's fast upgrade cycle, which is what allows them to be so competitive tech wise is also it's achilles foot, sometimes releasing unfinished products with issues which can give potential buyers (especially pros) cold feet. 

[The Chris]

I've never seen a FS7 or FS5 in the wild, lots of TV productions here in Florida from sports to reality TV to porn, and I've seen lots of C100/300's and Red's, a few Blackmagic cams and lots of DSLR's. Dual pixel AF, a great codec and painless audio makes them great run-and-gun/doc/ENG cameras.

[Django]

^ doubt it's a regional thing.. for example the Full Sail University (FL) tech package consists of an FS5. if you're producing 4K (which most TV productions aren't) then FS5/FS7 really is the only place to go within the under $8K run&gun/doc/ENG cameras. they're definitely out in the wild, NYC homie shot this on a FS7 couple weeks ago:

 

[Nick Hughes]

47 minutes ago, The Chris said:

I've never seen a FS7 or FS5 in the wild, lots of TV productions here in Florida from sports to reality TV to porn, and I've seen lots of C100/300's and Red's, a few Blackmagic cams and lots of DSLR's. Dual pixel AF, a great codec and painless audio makes them great run-and-gun/doc/ENG cameras.

The FS cameras really seem to be proving popular in doc-style shooting, which is where I've been seeing and using them. Also in concerts.

I'm always happy to get handed a C camera to shoot with, but boy do I love being able to flip on S&Q mode for some really nice 180fps. It really helps that cinematic-documentary format. They also seem to pair better with their DSLR-style counterparts than the canons. 

Exhibit A:

 

[The Chris]

2 hours ago, Django said:

^ doubt it's a regional thing.. for example the Full Sail University (FL) tech package consists of an FS5. if you're producing 4K (which most TV productions aren't) then FS5/FS7 really is the only place to go within the under $8K run&gun/doc/ENG cameras. they're definitely out in the wild, NYC homie shot this on a FS7 couple weeks ago:

 

Not saying they're not out there, because they are. Just commenting on the topic, the C100/300's are very popular where I live/work and in TV land, they're heavily used in scripted productions, unscripted productions and commercials.

1 hour ago, Nick Hughes said:

The FS cameras really seem to be proving popular in doc-style shooting, which is where I've been seeing and using them. Also in concerts.

I'm always happy to get handed a C camera to shoot with, but boy do I love being able to flip on S&Q mode for some really nice 180fps. It really helps that cinematic-documentary format. They also seem to pair better with their DSLR-style counterparts than the canons. 

Just watched Cartel Land, at times its nuts. Basically all handheld run and gun (and sometimes getting shot at) with the C300 and a 17-55 lens for most of the shots.

 

[Ed_David]

I am curious to see a shootout between the fs7 and c300 ii.  are there any?  I'm going to do some tests myself as well.

 

 

[Inazuma]

The c300 was also used on Blue Is The Warmest Colour, which I thought was a beautiful movie

[Ed_David]

here's a side by side grade I did of the c300 and f55 (no fs7 was available)

I think blue is the warmest color looks good - but the motion cadence of the c300 is choppy - not as smooth as an alexa.  I think it's good in the doc world, but not so much for narrative work.

FS7 also has that choppy motion cadence feel.  But, hey, these are cheaper cameras compared to an alexa or red

The first image is the C300 ii, the second is the F55.  They don't look that much different.

[Inazuma]

@Ed_David Are you just talking about the sensor readout time or something else that affects how you feel about the motion cadence? 

[BenEricson]

I have been using the C300 Mkii a ton the past few weeks. 

First two are FS700/7Q footage, the second is C300ii. The Canon just produces punchy colors that look cinematic. I really want to like the Sony stuff, but have struggled a lot with the FS700/7Q. That FS7 footage seems to look reasonably close to what I get out of the Canon though.

I know VICE grades everything, so I wonder about that as well. I could do a direct side by side of the FS700/7Q and the C300ii, but probably not exactly what people are looking for.