Excellent 1'st Impression review of C100

[Mark Dobson]

Just thought I'd pass on the link for an excellent, well balance first impressions review of the C100 from Paul Joy who regularly contributes to this forum.

Canon C100 Review – First impressions | Paul Joy – Freelance Filmmaker

Whilst this camera will no doubt produce superb images it also seems to reflect a very strange tendency that Canon has of witholding proven technology, or basic features from their products. Specifically I am talking about the viewfinder that Canon has added to this camera. From Paul's observations it would seem that this is almost unusable both optically and ergonomically.

I had thought that this camera could be a useful addition to my kit bag for certain situations but I just think it would irritate me, an inflexible LCD screen ( it does not swivel sideways ), substandard viewfinder, awkward and sub broadcast codec and surprisingly this camera cannot be used without it's hand grip.

This camera, whilst costing a lot less than a C300 still commands a hefty price for what it offers. Might people be better off with the 5dMK111 or the EOS-1DX at this price point? Or advised to save up a bit more for the C300?

[Philip Lipetz]

Shot with 5d mkiii, and the C100 image from our team's camera blows it far far out of the water. That is what you are getting.

[Brett Sherman]

Shooting with a loupe attached the LCD screen seems a viable option to me. Heck it might even be preferable to the C300 viewfinder, which is quite good, but I find not quite large enough for complete focus confidence. I think if I end up getting a C100 as a second cam it will have a loupe "permanently" attached to the LCD. As far as the handle, I don't know why you'd want to shoot without it. The hand grip has never left my C300 since I bought it.

I have a C300 and there are things I envy about the C100 at any price point - weight, ergonomics, integrated LCD, lighter audio interface, one-touch autofocus. To me the C300 is not a slam dunk in comparison.

[Mark Dobson]

You are right Brett there are a lot of good features on the C100 and manyI'd like to see on the C300.

But I just can't help feeling that Canon are making it up as they go along with very little consistency in what they are offering their customers.

I normally have the handle on my C300 but just last week really benefited from being able to take it off when using the camera on a suction grip on the inside of the front windscreen of our car.

Having read the C100 manual in greater detail I think it is possible to use the C100 without the handle but with very limited control.

[Tim Polster]

Originally Posted by Philip Lipetz

Shot with 5d mkiii, and the C100 image from our team's camera blows it far far out of the water. That is what you are getting.

Philip,

Do you have an opinion on the quality of the two cameras image after post processing? I have recently started using a 5DMKIII and am happy with the color accuracy compared to the MKII. I find the camera is completely different once I add unsharp mask along with using a custom profile I created.

Just wondering if the 5DMKIII can "catch up" after it is handled in post?

Thanks

[Peter Chaney]

I've always been a fan of Paul Joy's write ups very thorough and straight to the point. Me personally coming from mainly shooting DSLR's I have to say that the C100 is an amazing camera for what it is and I mainly bought it for its convenience of not having to have extra stuff when Im running around. Built in ND's, swivel monitor, peaking, push auto focus, auto iris, wide DR and XLR's were a huge selling point to me and I obviously paid the money for those upgrades.

[Philip Lipetz]

Originally Posted by Tim Polster

Philip,

Do you have an opinion on the quality of the two cameras image after post processing? I have recently started using a 5DMKIII and am happy with the color accuracy compared to the MKII. I find the camera is completely different once I add unsharp mask along with using a custom profile I created.

Just wondering if the 5DMKIII can "catch up" after it is handled in post?

Thanks

Not in my opinion, the resolution and color gradients are much superior on the C100 due it's sensor that is much closer to a 3 chip color array on a single large sensor. Also, at the highest ISOs the C100 is superior in my unscientific tests based on editing footage,

[Paul Joy]

Originally Posted by Mark Dobson

Having read the C100 manual in greater detail I think it is possible to use the C100 without the handle but with very limited control.

Thanks for your nice comments about the post Mark. I'm intrigued by what you picked up from the manual, I couldn't find any way to navigate the menu without the side grip... did I miss something?

I leave the side grip on my C300 all the time and would use the C100 in the same way if it were my main camera. I was interested in removing it because as a B cam that's normally locked down on a second tripod or used on a slider it's not really required (other than the noted menu navigation) and helps to make the camera a lot more compact.

Many thanks

Paul.

[Tim Polster]

Thanks for your input Philip.

[Philip Lipetz]

Originally Posted by Paul Joy

Thanks for your nice comments about the post Mark. I'm intrigued by what you picked up from the manual, I couldn't find any way to navigate the menu without the side grip... did I miss something?

I leave the side grip on my C300 all the time and would use the C100 in the same way if it were my main camera. I was interested in removing it because as a B cam that's normally locked down on a second tripod or used on a slider it's not really required (other than the noted menu navigation) and helps to make the camera a lot more compact.

Many thanks

Paul.

Paul correctly points out the absolute biggest fail in the C100, imagine what it would have Been like in stripped mde. Perhaps someone will make a small plug in joy stick without a grip.

[Mark Dobson]

Originally Posted by Paul Joy

Thanks for your nice comments about the post Mark. I'm intrigued by what you picked up from the manual, I couldn't find any way to navigate the menu without the side grip... did I miss something?

I leave the side grip on my C300 all the time and would use the C100 in the same way if it were my main camera. I was interested in removing it because as a B cam that's normally locked down on a second tripod or used on a slider it's not really required (other than the noted menu navigation) and helps to make the camera a lot more compact.

Many thanks

Paul.

Hi Paul,

I downloaded an on-line version on the C100 manual from a link on this forum and on page 34 in the section about 'Removing and Attaching' the Grip Unit' it says that ;

The grip unit comes originally attached to the camcorder. You can remove it and replace it with the thumb rest should the minimal configuration be necessary.

However, the joystick, control dial and MAGN button/Assignable button are not available to operate the camcorder.

So presumably one would set up the camera first before removing the Grip Unit and start the camera from the button situated at the front.

The C300 has three Joysticks so I'm surprised the C100 has only been given one, I guess they ran out of space.

Whilst it would not be possible to adjust the ISO I'm sure that the auto iris / auto focus buttons would still work. So, with a small mic for audio, and the ND filters, one could operate a very stripped down setup for those situations where that could be useful.

I notice that the exposure bar has been added to the C100 which is great. This is one of the features that has been requested as part of a mythical C300 firmware update.

[Darren Levine]

perhaps they just figured you would be rigging it for ultra lightweight and will surely use the wireless dongle to control it via an ipad

made the mental commitment to get a c100 this week. very eager to get my hands on it