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Canon XC10 4K camcorder


Andrew Reid
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Exactly! It's like two cameras in one: a really great image in bright light and a really shitty image in low light. The point at which it stops being great and starts being shitty is down to individual taste and requirements.

BTW, I'm getting a significant improvement in colour rendition by using an XRite colour checker and manually adjusting hue and saturation in Resolve, getting the vectorscope spikes on the chart shot to match an overlay I got from here. In general, when a shot is white balanced accurately, the hue and saturation adjustments tame the reds and warm the yellows quite noticeably. It also helps with matching the XC10 with other cameras.

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EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs

I hope the next generation (XC20?) will be free of ghosting, and usable up to ISO3200, I really would like to work with a less bulky camera, after adding everything that I need in the C100 I have finished with what you can see in the attached pic.....not going to be under-radar at all..... 

 

c100.JPG

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I know what you mean - the XC10 feels so right in the hand and it's almost weightless. In fact, even with stabilisation off you can get a very stable shot because it's nicely balanced. It's a pity the lens is slow. That would help a hell of a lot as f2.8 seems to be ok for general interiors.

Does that setup of your C100 work for handheld as well, or does it need to go on a tripod?

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10 hours ago, hyalinejim said:

Exactly! It's like two cameras in one: a really great image in bright light and a really shitty image in low light. The point at which it stops being great and starts being shitty is down to individual taste and requirements.

BTW, I'm getting a significant improvement in colour rendition by using an XRite colour checker and manually adjusting hue and saturation in Resolve, getting the vectorscope spikes on the chart shot to match an overlay I got from here. In general, when a shot is white balanced accurately, the hue and saturation adjustments tame the reds and warm the yellows quite noticeably. It also helps with matching the XC10 with other cameras.

All cameras are really like this, its just whether it happens at iso 800, 3200 or 500000 and how fast the IQ drop-off is.  I guess I am willing to forgive some IQ issues at low light given the sensor size and the other positive features.  You can argue that competitors can get better IQ at high iso from a 1 inch sensor but at the same time those competitors don't do other things as well as the XC10 -so you just have to pick your poison.

It would be nice if you could turn off the NR completely as I like some grain but I suspect the NR is happening at least partially on the CMOS itself -which is another reason why CCD sensors rock. 

 

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5 hours ago, hyalinejim said:

I know what you mean - the XC10 feels so right in the hand and it's almost weightless. In fact, even with stabilisation off you can get a very stable shot because it's nicely balanced. It's a pity the lens is slow. That would help a hell of a lot as f2.8 seems to be ok for general interiors.

Does that setup of your C100 work for handheld as well, or does it need to go on a tripod?

My whole setup was made for handheld, since I needed the camera for run&gun, and I find out a 4-point of contacts solution that didn`t hear or see anywhere, the solution I always hear was the 3-point of contacts using your hands and an eyecup, but I added a small-rig top plate to the camera and I was able to move back the top handle of the camera until it touches my front, so now with these 4-point of contacts (right hand on the grip, left hand in the base of the camera, right eye in the eyecup, and front in the back of the top handle), and keeping my arms very close to my body, I feel the camera much more stable and reliable….probably I will add some high density foam in the top handle later to feel it even more comfortable…..I also got a monopod to rest sometimes during the shooting, and for interviews….anyway, I am sure around the 5-6 day of shooting I will be praying for a wheelchair…..

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  • 4 weeks later...

A few posts in this thread and elsewhere imply the XC15 has improved performance beyond what would be suggested in the (minor) spec changes. Can anyone comment?

I've been looking at what's out there, and keep coming back to the XC series.  I'm just not sure I'll get enough bang for the buck going with the XC10 vs. the XC15.

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40 minutes ago, Ken Ford said:

A few posts in this thread and elsewhere imply the XC15 has improved performance beyond what would be suggested in the (minor) spec changes. Can anyone comment?

I've been looking at what's out there, and keep coming back to the XC series.  I'm just not sure I'll get enough bang for the buck going with the XC10 vs. the XC15.

The main issue is that with XC15 you still have the same ghosting like with the XC10, but there are some XC15 which do not have this issue, if you can go to the store and test several cameras and find out one without ghosting you made it big time!!!!…..but if that is not the case, and you still can live with the ghosting in your shooting stile, I strongly suggest you to pick up a second hand XC10 which now are going very cheap….

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11 hours ago, mercer said:

Do you need a video camera for a specific reason? What kind of camera do you photograph with?

Well... I currently use a variety of still equipment - mostly Nikon film and digital, Leica M film and digital, Fuji digital, Hasselblad and Mamiya MF and a few others.

I'll be using a video camera for several reasons - I still do documentary/features type work for personal enjoyment, shoot railroad action for fun and (this is the main reason I'm doing this now) I'm going on a honeymoon this fall and would like to shoot more than just stills.  I haven't been a pro for years, but I still do sell the (very) occasional bit of spot.  And I'm planning on taking a few filmmaking and video production classes.  I'm not a studio rat if that matters.

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I'm beginning to think I'll need to go with a XC10 instead of an XC15 for budget issues, and am curious about XLR adapters that will work with the XC10.  I see several out there both powered and unpowered.  How much capability am I giving up by going with a aftermarket powered XLR adapter jacked into the XC10's 3.5mm compared to the Canon MA-400 jacked into the XC15s audio port?  If the XC15 has the potential for noticeably better audio, I'll make the extra cost work out - but it's going to need to be a major improvement in audio. 

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16 minutes ago, tugela said:

For the money you will need to spend you will probably be better off getting something like the GH5 or one of the true hybrid systems (of which there are quite a few in both the ILC and fixed lens camps).

Not a fan of the GH4 after playing with a friend's, and while the GH5 has amazing specs it's considerably more expensive than either XC once native glass is taken into account.

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I'm sure you've already read the thread. Bottom line: XC10 is a great camera in good light. You won't regret its purchase for daylight shooting and it feels great in the hand. For low light, try to stick to the wider end to keep ISO down as the image starts to fall apart from 1250 plus, especially if underexposed. 

 

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Thanks!  Yes, the thread was an interesting read over a few day period, and was what I needed to decide that on balance the XC line best fit my needs.  I'm being realistic about the camera's limitations, and I think I'll be ok.  That said, I'll be sure to shoot as much as I can while I'm in B&H's return window just in case!  I was only able to tell so much by playing with the camera tethered to a display in the store.

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4 hours ago, Ken Ford said:

USA, so it wouldn't work for me.  I want to buy new so I have a warranty, too.

I have an XC10 in my B&H cart, just getting up the nerve to hit "buy."

If you are going to buy a new camera for the warranty, then go for the XC15, really is just 400 more bucks and you get a lot more and the probability to get a camera without ghosting, I only recommend to buy an XC10 if it is a second hand so you get it very cheap, for a new one, go for the XC15…..

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34 minutes ago, Ken Ford said:

Actually more like $700 - no free CFast or card reader...

Anyway, the XLR are worth it, you add a good shotgun and you get a camera close to pro level for day shooting…..also XC10 is very depreciated today, close to 1,400-1,500 range in the second hand market….

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