Canon EOS C400

[newfoundmass]

16 hours ago, BenEricson said:

Anecdotal. Depends on your market. They are huge here in Seattle. It's either Arri or Canon. Corporate work is generally Canon.

In my travels Sony has been by far more common than Canon. That wasn't the case 10 years ago. From Chicago to Vermont, FX cameras are king and it's not even close. 

People i know that used to have C100s either got R bodies or switched to Sony because Canon took too long to bring out a successor. 

[mercer]

3 hours ago, newfoundmass said:

In my travels Sony has been by far more common than Canon. That wasn't the case 10 years ago. From Chicago to Vermont, FX cameras are king and it's not even close. 

People i know that used to have C100s either got R bodies or switched to Sony because Canon took too long to bring out a successor. 

At private events and trade shows, I still see C100s. Don't think I've ever seen an FX camera. I've seen a couple C70s. I saw an Ursa once for a greenscreen/Photo Booth kinda thing, which seemed odd. I've seen Sony mirrorless and R bodies as well, but I'd say 25-40% are still using a C100.

That I've seen.

But just because I haven't seen any FX bodies, doesn't really mean much. I'm sure a lot of private events, conferences and trade shows are shot with FX cameras.

I'm a member of a Discord server where there are a lot of pros... they only cared about the C400 launch with barely a mention of the GH7. To us, the GH7 may be more exciting, to them, Canon cine and FX are their workhorses.

[zlfan]

c100 mk ii is very good in terms of ergonomics. probably the best for hand held shooting. 

it is a 4k sensor so its resolution is ok even by today's standard. 

it is 60p 28 mbps so if doing 60p, quick actions are fine. the files are tiny, good for my hard drives. 

it has in built nd, and back up sd recording, and xlr top handle if needed. 

dpaf is fine for stm is lenses for basic modes. 

I like it very much. 

 

[IronFilm]

9 hours ago, zlfan said:

it is a 4k sensor so its resolution is ok even by today's standard. 

Still doesn't record actual proper 4K though. 

I guess the C200's 4K 8bit, or getting a C70, is the closest thing to a "C100mk3" that there will ever be. 

[zlfan]

2 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Still doesn't record actual proper 4K though. 

I guess the C200's 4K 8bit, or getting a C70, is the closest thing to a "C100mk3" that there will ever be. 

actually on Vimeo I watched a thorough test comparing c200 and c100 mk2. they have the same image quality. c200's major strength is 4k raw. it took me some time to tune the c100 mk2. once optimized, it is as sharp as GoPro 12's 5k, or r1mx, epic-x, etc. I cannot tell difference from a 4k monitor at less than one meter of viewing distance. this is more demanding than in a commercial theatre. 

[D Verco]

On 6/6/2024 at 8:00 AM, BenEricson said:

Agreed. You basically need a Cine Saddle and a large Gold Mount + Cine Lens to shoot proper looking handheld. 

I love my C70 but it is IS lenses or gimbal and tripod only. An EVF would fix this.

 

How does evf fix this? Do you have examples of video explaining?

[eatstoomuchjam]

1 hour ago, D Verco said:

How does evf fix this? Do you have examples of video explaining?

EVF doesn't "fix" it.  However, it's broadly believed that having more points of contact between the camera and the shooter increases overall stability.

The comment above includes one of the other common methods of increasing stability - adding more/balanced weight to the camera system.

Combining one of these things is how run and gun news shooters managed to get their footage to look pretty good 40 years ago - big heavy shoulder-mounted cameras with an EVF.


There are other tricks you can try too, even with a smaller camera or no EVF - including getting a pretty thick string and attaching one side to a 1/4x20 screw.  Screw it into the camera's tripod mount and let the other end dangle to the ground.  Step on it and pull the string taut.  Congrats, your footage is now a bit more stable.  Though you may want to avoid this strategy on a professional shoot.  Many clients might not be thrilled to have spent hundreds or thousands of dollars for somebody to show up with some string and about 60 cents in hardware store fasteners.

(It's saved me in a pinch before, but I'm also not a working professional)

[kye]

1 hour ago, eatstoomuchjam said:

EVF doesn't "fix" it.  However, it's broadly believed that having more points of contact between the camera and the shooter increases overall stability.

The comment above includes one of the other common methods of increasing stability - adding more/balanced weight to the camera system.

Combining one of these things is how run and gun news shooters managed to get their footage to look pretty good 40 years ago - big heavy shoulder-mounted cameras with an EVF.


There are other tricks you can try too, even with a smaller camera or no EVF - including getting a pretty thick string and attaching one side to a 1/4x20 screw.  Screw it into the camera's tripod mount and let the other end dangle to the ground.  Step on it and pull the string taut.  Congrats, your footage is now a bit more stable.  Though you may want to avoid this strategy on a professional shoot.  Many clients might not be thrilled to have spent hundreds or thousands of dollars for somebody to show up with some string and about 60 cents in hardware store fasteners.

(It's saved me in a pinch before, but I'm also not a working professional)

I also like the approach that @mercer told me of putting camera on a monopod and putting the 'foot' of the monopod into a tapemeasure holder (like a little cup basically) mounted to your belt.  All the benefits of a monopod, but completely portable and much less visible to by-standers etc.

[IronFilm]

3 hours ago, D Verco said:

How does evf fix this? Do you have examples of video explaining?

Three points of contact vs two points of contact. 

43 minutes ago, kye said:

I also like the approach that @mercer told me of putting camera on a monopod and putting the 'foot' of the monopod into a tapemeasure holder (like a little cup basically) mounted to your belt.  All the benefits of a monopod, but completely portable and much less visible to by-standers etc.

Yup, lots of accessories on offer to do this, such as:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554102-REG/Manfrotto_080_080_Monopod_Belt_Pouch.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1439591-REG/oben_msh_05_monopod_belt_holster_support.html 

I remember the first time I ever came across this approach, the shooter was using a Canon C300mk1 with the monopod in a pouch on the hip, was quite impressed with that approach. 

[kye]

34 minutes ago, IronFilm said:

Three points of contact vs two points of contact. 

Yup, lots of accessories on offer to do this, such as:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554102-REG/Manfrotto_080_080_Monopod_Belt_Pouch.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1439591-REG/oben_msh_05_monopod_belt_holster_support.html 

I remember the first time I ever came across this approach, the shooter was using a Canon C300mk1 with the monopod in a pouch on the hip, was quite impressed with that approach. 

Nice.  It also takes the weight of the rig, which is awesome too, especially if you're rocking a C300!

[eatstoomuchjam]

11 hours ago, kye said:

I also like the approach that @mercer told me of putting camera on a monopod and putting the 'foot' of the monopod into a tapemeasure holder (like a little cup basically) mounted to your belt.  All the benefits of a monopod, but completely portable and much less visible to by-standers etc.

Interesting idea!  I hadn't thought of it, but I'll have to give it a try someday.  I'll have to dig up one of my older/smaller monopods, I suspect.  The one I use now is a Cobra and they're like 2 feet long at their shortest.  

[zlfan]

canon cinema line is designed for handheld shooting. I tried many different configurations. once you mount a big zoom lense, and a zacuto top handle and a zacuto base plate, the rig is too heavy to hand hold. it is only for tripod. in that case, other cameras are better, like f3. 

now I set one of my c300 ogs with an efs 10-18 stm is, I don't use the top handle and the xlr lcd unit at all. I put on a small battery based mike with 3.5 mm plug in. I put on a rail based v mount mini battery to power the nano flash. I use the evf as one contacting point, the v mount battery against my chest as another contact point. my left hand hold the buttom of the c300 og, use the left thumb to touch the hard buttons at the left side, and use the right hand to hold the grip,  the right index finger to touch the start button, and the right thumb to touch the nipple and the button 7 which I set as the af lock. I use continuous af as this c300 og unit has the dpaf upgrade. the footage looks very stable.   

 

[mercer]

8 hours ago, eatstoomuchjam said:

Interesting idea!  I hadn't thought of it, but I'll have to give it a try someday.  I'll have to dig up one of my older/smaller monopods, I suspect.  The one I use now is a Cobra and they're like 2 feet long at their shortest.  

I also use a strap on the camera and pull it taut, so the monopod in the tape measure pouch and the strap taut adds a fairly decent amount of stabilization... for static shots.

They make belts specifically for this... I think it's called a MogoCrane...

https://kamerar.com/products/mogocrane-weight-support-belt

I don't know if it's any better than a monopod by itself, with a strap, but it's quicker to move around for run and gun.

[mercer]

5 hours ago, zlfan said:

canon cinema line is designed for handheld shooting. I tried many different configurations. once you mount a big zoom lense, and a zacuto top handle and a zacuto base plate, the rig is too heavy to hand hold. it is only for tripod. in that case, other cameras are better, like f3. 

now I set one of my c300 ogs with an efs 10-18 stm is, I don't use the top handle and the xlr lcd unit at all. I put on a small battery based mike with 3.5 mm plug in. I put on a rail based v mount mini battery to power the nano flash. I use the evf as one contacting point, the v mount battery against my chest as another contact point. my left hand hold the buttom of the c300 og, use the left thumb to touch the hard buttons at the left side, and use the right hand to hold the grip,  the right index finger to touch the start button, and the right thumb to touch the nipple and the button 7 which I set as the af lock. I use continuous af as this c300 og unit has the dpaf upgrade. the footage looks very stable.   

 

You have a lot of cameras. What type of stuff do you shoot?

[zlfan]

3 hours ago, mercer said:

You have a lot of cameras. What type of stuff do you shoot?

news and events. I shoot for my YouTube channel. I waste too much. I think go pro 12 is enough for my needs. but I always say to me that if I have of a hobby of collecting luxury cars or sailing boats, I will be totally broke. then I am happy. lol. 

[zlfan]

news and events can be at this level. you still can break the bank account too. lol

 

[IronFilm]

On 6/10/2024 at 5:33 AM, zlfan said:

news and events can be at this level. you still can break the bank account too. lol

You need to also be living in the USA! That pays rates far higher than many other parts of the world. 

[zlfan]

1 hour ago, IronFilm said:

You need to also be living in the USA! That pays rates far higher than many other parts of the world. 

in the comment, he mentioned that the whole project was 10 million bucks, there were 25 camera rigs for realtime streaming. that means about 30 grands for each cam for this single project. 

[kye]

2 hours ago, zlfan said:

in the comment, he mentioned that the whole project was 10 million bucks, there were 25 camera rigs for realtime streaming. that means about 30 grands for each cam for this single project. 

That's the US...  so a budget of 30K per cam minus 25K for insurance coverage leaves 5K...