Canon C300 Sample Footage
Today Canon releases the Canon XF705, their new 1″-sensor camcorder, headlining features like 4k 50p internal capture, HDR-capability and a new file format. The Canon XF705 relieves the as Canon’s new flagship broadcast camcorder, with 4:2:2 internal capture to SD-cards, Canon’s signature Dual Pixel AF as well as a 15x stabilised fixed zoom lens. Time to find out more.The Same but BetterBasically, the Canon XF705 seems to offer most of everything the had to offer and then some more.
It still features 4k 50p/60p capture, the same 25.5mm to 382.5mm equiv. F2.8 – 4.5, 15x optical (probably 30x digital) zoom lens and the DIGIC DV6 processor, handling the output from the 1″ CMOS sensor. Canon’s reliable Dual Pixel AF (active or indicative) is still on board and so are two XLR-inputs in the handle and a touch-capable display, that can be folded away into the handle. The camcorder has an internal ND filter, two SD card slots and uses Canon BP style batteries. So what is new?The biggest improvements are found in the software.
The Canon XF705 now offers internal 10bit 4:2:2 capture to SD cards even in 4k 50p. This is made possible by the new codec included in the camcorder, called XF-HEVC. In simple terms, XF-HEVC uses H.265 compression in tandem with the widely used MXF, as a container format. This format has to be highly efficient to allow the processing necessary for high-res, -bit-rate and -frame-rate shooting, even with the same processor used in the. The Canon XF705 also suits HDR-workflows, allowing shooters and editors to use both Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) and PQ based HDR workflows. On the handling side, the lens now offers three control rings, for zoom, iris and focus, while the ’s lens only had one control ring. Additionally, there is a zoom speed toggle on the handle and a zoom rocker on the right side’s handle. The SDI output connection was upgraded to 12G, sending out an uncompressed signal.The improved codec and software efficiency in tandem with the SDI upgrade, allows for some workflow improvements too.
For combined SDR / HDR workflows, the Canon XF705 is able to simultaneously record HDR internally, as well as output SDR via SDI, or stream it over a network connection for broadcast applications.Here’s an overview of the most important features:. 4k 50p in 10bit 4:2:2 internal capture to SD cards. Dual Pixel AF. 25.5mm to 382.5mm equiv. F2.8 – 4.5, 15x optically stabilised zoom.
XF-HEVC-codec (H.265 and MXF combined). 12G SDI with uncompressed output. IP streaming. HDR (HLG or PQ). Simultaneous SDR and HDR workflows.
3 control rings on the lens. Internal ND filterThe Canon XF705 presents an interesting option, mainly for professionals working in ENG, broadcast or documentary. We’ll gladly tell you more when we get our hands on one.Are you an ENG-style shooter and is the Canon XF705 interesting to you, or would you stick with the smaller? Do you think Canon’s new flagship camcorder is well spec’ed, or are you missing something? And how confident are you in your editing machine’s capability to work with the H.265-based codec?
Let us know in the comments! I know there’s a lot of Canon bashing, as I’m usually one of the disappointed ones, but not this time.I miss the days of run and gun with the Sony EX1. After years of lugging around lenses, the idea of being ableto capture 4K 10-bit 422 (on an SD card!!) is huge.Canon L lens with Iris control, 5-axis stabilization, 4K 60p. I’m in!!!!!And for those not wild about the 1″ sensor yes I would have also liked a Super35 sensor, just remember that the EX1 had a 1/2″ sensor. It was 10 years ago.
But I still look at that footage and think, wow, wasn’t all that bad.Not to mention, with a few strip down moves (remove the hood and eye piece, the XF705 should fit and work on the Ronin-S. Now we’re cooking.
This weekend, I had the opportunity to take the eagerly anticipated out for a test shoot in downtown Memphis. Here are some of my initial impressions. DesignThe original has always been one of my favorite products in our inventory. I do a lot of short documentary work, and the form factor of that camera lends itself beautifully to that style of shooting. With the side handle, top handle, and monitor unit attached, you have a really versatile and mobile setup without having to deal with a bunch of additional accessories. Luckily, Canon kept the design of the Canon C300 Mark II almost the same, save for some welcome improvements. A lot of these changes are things that I wouldn’t even have thought to ask for, but that lead to a more polished, professional-feeling product.The top handle, for example, now connects to the camera with two heavy-duty Allen screws on either side of the body, as opposed to the original, which used a single ¼ 20 thumb screw.
The DC input on the Mark II is also a step up. It’s now a LEMO connection, instead of the standard barrel on the Mark I. LEMO connections, for those of you who are unfamiliar, have locking mechanisms and are generally more durable and reliable than the barrel type connections you see on most other video cameras. The most significant design change, though, is in the cables that run from the monitor unit to the camera body. Rather than being attached to the monitor unit like they were on the Mark I, they’re now completely independent, so if anything goes wrong with the cables you can switch them out for spares rather than sending the whole monitor unit in for repair. I imagine Canon will also have longer cables available in the future, which would be handy for gimbal work. I could go on and on listing these minor but significant enhancements, but my overall point is this: Canon kept everything that was great about the build of the first and made it all just a little better.SpecsThe full specs are available on the, but I’ll hit the highlights here.
Canon C300 Sample Footage Review
First things first: you’ll be able to shoot internal 4K, both DCI (4096×2160) and Ultra HD (3840×2160) to CFast media. Though we’ve had some trouble with CFast in the past, it’s quickly becoming a standard and will only get cheaper and more reliable as time goes on. That internal 4K footage will be 10-bit 4:2:2 with a bit rate of 410Mbps using the XF-XAVC codec.
The C300 will also record 12-bit RGB 4:4:4 footage in 2K/HD at up to 30p, which could come in very handy for green screen work if 4K isn’t necessary. Lastly, you’ll be able to output RAW to an external recorder such as the Odyssey 7Q while simultaneously recording 4K proxies to CFast media or HD proxies to SD cards. Most importantly, though, you’ll get an impressive 15 stops of dynamic range out of the sensor. This, combined with Canon’s new C-log 2 gamma setting, will allow for an exceptional amount of flexibility in post. I won’t go into too much detail here, but if you’re unfamiliar with grading C-log, there are plenty of resources online to get you started.As far as frame rates go, you’re limited to 30p or below in 4K, unfortunately. If you need to go higher than that, the Mark II will shoot up to 60p in 2K with a full sensor scan and up to 120p with a 2X crop. This is going to be a sticking point for a lot of people, especially considering that Sony’s FS7 will do 60p in 4K at a significantly lower price point.
What you don’t get at that price point, though, is Canon’s well-respected color science. Many people actually had similar complaints about the original C300, which had somewhat underwhelming frame rate options when it was released. It’s become an incredibly popular camera though, because the picture it produces is so impressive. I expect a similar reaction to the Canon C300 Mark II, but it would be really nice to have 60p as an option. PerformanceSurprisingly, the thing that impressed me most in my time with the Canon C300 Mark II had nothing to do with resolution, bit rate, or dynamic range.
Digital video technology has improved so much in just the last few years that those specs, while enormously important, aren’t enough on their own to make me choose one camera over the other. There are simply so many great digital cinema cameras on the market right now that it takes a wholly original feature to make a camera stand out. In the case of the, that feature is autofocus.
Sure, if possible, you’re always going to be better off with a dedicated focus puller. That’s not always an option, though, especially for solo operators like me who value mobility and speed over precision. On the documentary side of things, you can’t reset and try again if your focus is off, and that means having reliable continuous autofocus is invaluable. The takes the same dual-pixel autofocus technology from the and adds perks such as face tracking for non-STM lenses, variable speed and sensitivity settings, and autofocus-assisted manual focus, which helps you quickly confirm and adjust focus with manual lenses. I could honestly write a whole second post just about the autofocus performance of this camera, but I’ll leave it at this: it’s really impressive, and I think it makes the Canon C300 Mark II the best documentary camera we carry.Below, is a quick cut I put together of some of the shots I got this weekend.
Everything was recorded internally at 23.98, DCI 4K, 800 ISO, in C-Log 2 unless otherwise noted. Obviously none of these are scientific tests, but I think you can tell that Canon’s claim to 15 stops of dynamic range is pretty accurate. I actually found myself under exposing the first few shots of the day in an attempt to preserve my highlights because I’m used to working with closer to 12 stops. I could easily have opened up a stop without clipping the whites, but the 10-bit 4:2:2 footage grades easily enough that it didn’t end up being a problem. One thing I did notice, though, was a bit more noise in the shadows than I was expecting at native ISO. It’ll take some more testing to figure out what caused that, but here’s hoping it’s a solvable problem.
Canon C300 Used
For comparison, I included a graded cut as well, nothing too fancy, just a simple LUT and some exposure adjustments. Let me know what you think, and feel free to give us a call if you have any questions about the. Except for the annoying lack of 60p 4K, I think Canon really hit the nail on the head with this one, and I look forward to seeing what people do with it.from on.from on.To give some clips a try in your own workflow I invite you to download and edit this.Ryan HillLensRentals.com.
Canon C300 Sample Footage Size
The 15 stops DR is so obviously bogus. It’s actually mathematically impossible for 12 bit to contain 15 stops f DR.Nikon D810 is fullframe with larger pixels and even then it only has 14.8 DR in raw still mode (not movie mode like this Canon claims). Plus even that 14.8 DR is only achieved by downsampling 36 MP to 8 MP (that’s how Dxomark does it).Canon sensors even in still raw are known to have lower DR, but to claim C300 has 15 stops DR in 12 bit video codecs mode is ridiculously idiotic claim. The Cinema5D test is flawed. To test the proper DR of the chip they should have shot 2K 12Bit 4:4:4 in REC2020 C-Log2. They shot 4K 10Bit 4:2:2 in REC709 C-Log2.
They claim it’s “usable” DR is the same as the Sony FS7. I can tell you from personal experience of using both cameras that the Canon digs much deeper into the blacks and holds highlights a bit better as well. The Sony starts to posterize in the blacks at about 3.5 stops under where the Canon stays clean albeit with visible grain like noise.