A letter to Canon

[Barry Goyette]

Originally Posted by Dylan Couper

Dear Canon

However I don't know if I can get away with going from a 5D2 to a C300, but if I hide it in a big enough cage rig, I might be able to pull it off.

Dylan, I don't think you need be concerned about the body...it's that 14.5-60 kit lens you should be worrying about.

Barry

[Dom Stevenson]

Not sure why it's such a huge concern to you that Canon are making a "grave marketing mistake" with this camera. Do you have shares in the company? If the camera doesn't sell it will be reduced in price or upgraded, but even now it's a phenomenal piece of kit that will be cheaper than many of the camera systems currently available that it may compete with. The size factor is also massive for many people.

"IMO the FS100 is the price/performance leader at the moment."

So there you go. Your decision is made. Enjoy the Sony and let those who see the benefits of the C300 enjoy theirs.

This camera seems to be oddly divisive, but i have no doubt whatsoever we're seeing a major new player in the industry that will benefit us all.

[Jim Martin]

well said....

Jim Martin
Filmtools.com

[Alister Chapman]

Absolutely Dom. The C300 is a great addition to the current s35 crop. While it has some weaknesses it also has it's own strengths, in particular a good internal codec and this will make it the camera of choice for some people.

All the current s35 cameras have a place. The problem is selecting the one that best matches your own needs and budget.

[Jon Fairhurst]

Originally Posted by Dom Stevenson

This camera seems to be oddly divisive...

Oddly divisive. I agree.

I think it's because:
* The price is higher than people expected (especially if they expected a 5D3.)
* It has an 8-bit output (due to using the DV 3 chip for fast time to market.)
* Scarlet X was announced on the same day (making for a competitive atmosphere.)
* The announcement set high expectations.

In the end, it looks like a competent, professional camera. It might not meet a given project's particular needs, but hey, more choice is good. And yet more choices will clearly follow...

[Pete Constable]

Dylan, good to see someone keeps a sense of humour.
What has happened to the XL shoulder mount camera.
I've been out working in the mines for 6 years.
Have I missed something ?
How can you shoot run & gun with a DSLR.
No one seems ruffled that the XL series has been removed from catalogues & there's nothing to replace it.
Please bring bak the XL series. I don't care what it costs.
Pete C

[Brett Sherman]

"How can you shoot run & gun with a DSLR."

I can do it pretty easily. T3i's 3X digital zoom with my 16-55 Canon 2.8 lens gives me the zoom range I need with one lens. Viewfinder lets me see clearly and stabilizes the camera by letting me jam it against my head. Liberal use of IS. I love shooting with it, perhaps more than my EX1.

Audio is the only weak spot for run & gun IMHO.

[Chris Hurd]

Brett, I think you mean the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS -- that's a great lens and I have one of my own. It's awesome.

[Bill Pryor]

As far as the price...back in 1989 I bought a Sony BVW300 for about $30,000, plus another $10,000 for the lens. And about 10 years ago a DSR500 DVCAM, naked body alone, cost right at $15K--and both of those cameras only had 2/3" chips, and of course they were only SD. The fact that both Canon and Red now have a big chip camera for under $20K is amazing to me.

What makes people think those cameras are expensive, in my opinion, is the fact that you can buy a 5DII for $2500, or even a T3i for under $1K and get an image better than what was available for ten times that money ten years ago. Before the DSLR revolution, which only started in late 2008, the Canon XL H1 listed for mover than $8,000, and the XH A1 was $4K. Both of those only had 1/3" chips.

And about the 8-bit and all that number stuff...I look at those films Canon commissioned for the big release and I don't really give a damn about the specs. The films looked great. You can take the C300 out of the box, pop on a lens, and be ready to shoot--with a camera whose image can be intercut with the Alexa. For under $20K.

If $20K is too much for a cameraman to buy--everything he has already bought for his 5DII or other EOS setup will be useable on the C300 if he chooses to rent it. I think it fits a pretty good market niche. Everybody seems to think the Scarlet is half the price, but if you add what you need to add to make it workable, it's going to be around $17K, which is probably about what the C300 will shake out as a price in the near future.

[Alister Chapman]

380,000 pixels for $30,000 USD, I remember buying my first BVP5 with a BVV5 back end for similar. In todays money that would be about $55k. Plus the batteries were around $250 each and only lasted 45mins. But back then you could buy a three chip Hi8 or S-VHS camcorder that was a less than a quarter of that price. The difference today is that the gap in terms of image quality between the very best cameras and the mid and entry level camcorders really is incredibly small.

[Bill Pryor]

Exactly. In those days professional video production meant a $40K package, and there was no lower tier camera that could do the job. Today you can get cinema style footage for 1/10 that, and there are many cameras that are good enough to shoot for the big screen. Assuming you know how to light, compose, move, etc. Point is, the cost of a camera has become almost negligible in filmmaking. The flip side is that no matter what camera you might buy, there will be another one better/cheaper/higher res, etc., that comes out a few months later. But that doesn't matter because what you have is good enough for making movies if you know how to use it.

[Jon Fairhurst]

Don't forget when top end HD production cameras first started shipping. You were looking at the price of a house for the camera and a vacation home for the lens. It's amazing how much quality we can get for so little money these days.

[David A. Fisher]

Three things in this letter raise my red flag:

1. Anyone requesting a pro camera with AF.
2. Anyone requesting a pro camera with AE.
3. Anyone complaining about a pro camera being "too" expensive while still under $20k and working straight out of the box as-is.

[Robert Sanders]

HAHAHAHA! I couldn't agree with you more.

[Graham King]

And that's why I love my C300. But I do wish it had auto white balance. I shoot weddings (among other things) and am constantly moving between all kinds of lighting and it's a pain to keep switching it manually. I also wish there were WB presets for cloudy, shade, and fluorescent.