For this past wedding season I paired my C100 with a Canon 70D and I was not very pleased with the 70D's low light performance (even with fast prime lenses). Most reception venues around here have very dim lighting and I found that if I raised the ISO above 1000 then the noise in the shadows was very difficult to remove even with Denoiser II. Because of this, for the our wedding highlight videos we generally didn't use any of the 70D's reception footage because it was too noisy and did not match the very clean C100 footage.

During outdoor ceremonies (and indoor ceremonies with lots of light) the cameras matched each other fairly well. I found that the 70D looked much softer when viewed full screen on my broadcast monitor, but when compressed and uploaded to Vimeo I don't think the average person wouldn't notice a big difference between the two shots.

I've decided that I want to sell the 70D and replace it with another camera. While I've considered buying a C100 mk II, the cost would be $5500 and I would really prefer not to pay that much for a B camera that is only used during weddings. While I know Canon is likely to release some new cameras next spring, I have no idea what to expect and don't want to assume that they will come out with a camera that meets my needs.

So my question is, what currently available Canon DSLR will do the best job of matching the C100 in well lit and very low light conditions? The three cameras I'm considering are the 5D mk III, 6D, and 7D mk II.

My C100 has the upgraded Dual Pixel AF which made the push autofocus very snappy and I use it quite a bit during weddings (I usually switch between the continuous AF and the push AF depending on the situation). I've heard that the 6D has slow AF but is good in low light. My guess is that the 7D mk II will have the fastest AF (as well as continuous AF). However, if the 7D mk II is not good in low light then I will be back where I started. The 5D is a little more than I'd like to spend, and honestly I feel like if I spent the $3200 on it then I may as well buy a C100 mk I for $4500 because it would match perfectly.

Also, I really want to stick with Canon so I'm not really interested in either Sony of Panasonic.

Please let me know if you have any experience matching a C100 with a Canon DSLR as I would appreciate any advice from someone who's already used these cameras.

I just shot a narrative deal in which I used a Metabones Speedbooster with the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 on a GH4 (with settings (http://eriknaso.com/2014/08/05/matching-the-gh4-to-the-c100-c300-c-log-can-it-be-done) kindly provided by Erika Naso) to match with a C100 with the Sigma 18-35 and I am very pleased with the results.

Also, I really want to stick with Canon so I'm not really interested in either Sony of Panasonic.

Please let me know if you have any experience matching a C100 with a Canon DSLR as I would appreciate any advice from someone who's already used these cameras.

The only two cameras from Canon I found that match the C100 perfectly were.... the C100 and C300!

The DSLRs are just blurry and totally different and the colour rendition is different.

I've had good luck mixing my GH4 though ;)

I have heard that the GH4 can match quite well. Unfortunately, I sometimes have to raise my C100's ISO up to 6400 for receptions and I think that's where the GH4 would have trouble matching the C100. I've heard that the sharpness is just as good if not better than the C100 but I would need the really good low light sensitivity too.

The only two cameras from Canon I found that match the C100 perfectly were.... the C100 and C300!

The DSLRs are just blurry and totally different and the colour rendition is different.
This was exactly the reason why I sold my C300 as the quality was so much better than the 5D2/5D3 both resolution & dynamic range that the DSLR footage looked poor in comparison. When 5D2/5D3 are used together the footage matches perfectly & the quality is good enough & the colours & FF aesthetic looks fabulous.

I have heard that the GH4 can match quite well. Unfortunately, I sometimes have to raise my C100's ISO up to 6400 for receptions and I think that's where the GH4 would have trouble matching the C100.

Well, here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/nvdi7nqymt7vmpv/GH4_6400ISO_Sample.MOV?dl=0) you go. GH4 at 6400 ISO, Noise Reduction at -5, exposure meter at 0 and downrezed from 4K. Download the link to view it at full quality and compare with your similar C100 footage to see what you think.

You forgot to post a link?

You forgot to post a link?

No, click the word "here".

ah ok, that was well hidden :)

Gary, thanks so much for posting this sample video. I'll run it through Denoiser II later today and compare the footage with my C100.

I found the A7s on PP5 to be very easy to match to the C100's WideDR profile with some very slight adjustments. The only difference I've noticed is when using Auto WB so setting kelvin temperature manually when mixing the two makes life much easier in post.

Malcom, do you have any video links that you could post where you have used both cameras and are matching them together?

We use a 6D as our backup to a C100. Same great low light performance but way sharper than the 5DMK3.

Danny,

That's interesting that the 6D looks sharper to you than the 5D mk III. I assumed that the 5D would be sharper since it costs much more. With the C100 I can raise the ISO to 6400 and then remove the noise with Denoiser II and it looks great. I've noticed that the noise from my 70D is "different" in that it's much harder to remove and it's much more evident in the shadows. And this is just at 1250 ISO. Have you tried raising the ISO really high on both the C100 and 6D and then removing the noise with a filter? If so, what were the results?

Malcom, do you have any video links that you could post where you have used both cameras and are matching them together?

Check here:
Wedding Trailer: Anna & Michael on Vimeo

01:52 was shot with the A7s and the next shot (01:56) was shot with the C100.

We use a 6D as our backup to a C100. Same great low light performance but way sharper than the 5DMK3.

Way sharper...... really?

Way sharper...... really?

That's not my experience. The 6D is about the level of the 5D Mark II overall, so the same softness but the moire and aliasing the Mark III lacks.

Sounds like a Picture Style mixup to me.

Malcom,

I like how the footage looks when cut together with the C100. I think my decision will depend quite a bit on what the 5D Mk IV has to offer. I just saw a post today that "claims" to have the specs and release date for it:

Canon 5D Mark IV (http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/5d-mk-iv.htm)

According to this site it will only be 1080p, but the site doesn't say how they know that these specs are accurate. If I find out for certain that it doesn't shoot 4K but costs close to $4K then I probably won't go for it. If the Mk IV does shoot in 4K then I would be more likely to spend the money on it because the image will likely have enough detail to match the C100 and I will have the ability to crop and reframe.

Somehow the A7S seems to have the most detail at 1080p of any DSLR that I've seen (and of course you can record 4K externally). I think they used some magic when designing that sensor because it can see in the dark and the detail in 1080p is a amazing.

If the Mk IV does shoot in 4K then I would be more likely to spend the money on it because the image will likely have enough detail to match the C100 and I will have the ability to crop and reframe.

I don't think they will add 4K to the 5dIV, at least not before the c100 gets it, if that ever will be the case. I also believe the video quality of the 5d will never be the same as the c100, there is a reason why canon has crippled the 5d so it doesn't step into c100 territory. If you just see how much more the camera is capable off with the ML hack you know canon doesn't want this to be a too good videocamera.
They way it looks now Canon is implementing 4K on the higher end, and much more expensive camera's, such as the c300. It almost looks they have locked themselves into their cine camera line that prevents them to follow the competition with the latest innovations. I also don't see them coming out with a sub 1000 dollar camera that does 4K as long as their 5K c100 can only do 1080p.

Malcom,

I like how the footage looks when cut together with the C100. I think my decision will depend quite a bit on what the 5D Mk IV has to offer. I just saw a post today that "claims" to have the specs and release date for it:

Canon 5D Mark IV (http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/5d-mk-iv.htm)

According to this site it will only be 1080p, but the site doesn't say how they know that these specs are accurate. If I find out for certain that it doesn't shoot 4K but costs close to $4K then I probably won't go for it. If the Mk IV does shoot in 4K then I would be more likely to spend the money on it because the image will likely have enough detail to match the C100 and I will have the ability to crop and reframe.

Somehow the A7S seems to have the most detail at 1080p of any DSLR that I've seen (and of course you can record 4K externally). I think they used some magic when designing that sensor because it can see in the dark and the detail in 1080p is a amazing.

A word of advice: don't hold your breath for 4k on the 5D4. Considering Canon didn't even release it on the C100mII (which is considerably more expensive), I find it highly unlikely for them to release it on any other camera within that price range.

I would however wait to see what Sony has up its sleeves with the upcoming A9. Whatever happens with that, I'm sure it will bring the price of the A7s down slightly.

There are rumours of a C300 replacement being announced next year that will have 4K. If there's any camera in Canon range to implement it, it would be that one. If the 5d Mark IV follows a year or too later it may also have it, but at a much lower codec. Canon seem to approach their lower end cameras with the strategy of what can't they include to get their camera on the market, whilst other manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic seem to follow the opposite approach of what can be included. That said Sony & Panasonic are still acting in their own interest given their line of 4K Tv's. Of the 2 I find Sony more progressive with video; and I say that with 4 Panasonic cameras and an investment in 4/3 lenses.