XF300 OK for Event?

Maurice Covington · January 22nd, 2015, 09:45 PM

I tell you guys, I shoot corporate events indoors all the time with the XHA1, XHA1s, XLH1, C100, 5D Mark III and the XF300 and I can honestly say that they are all , yes all, more than capable of capturing great video. sure if the lighting is challenging in the particular room that you are in , you can try changing cameras, moving closer or finding the dimmer switch. The XF300 is slightly better in low light than the XLH1 but not by much. The C100 and the 5D Mark III are really good but if you have subjects that are constantly moving, these cameras can be a problem..

This post is old and I'm thinking that the original poster has already rented his choice of camera. What concerns me is that he may have rented a camera for a gig that he knows absolutely nothing about. This is a NO NO in my world. Rather than take the read all of those biased post, go out and see exactly what kind of lighting you have and then based on what you have, a better camera selection can be made. Another alternative is to go out and get a Sony. I personally am not married to Canon as I know that they are not always the only option.

Also, I think that someone asked about a replacement for the XF300. That camera has not been manufactured by Canon yet. If I could have my wish, it would look similar to the XF300/305 and have interchangeability like the XLH1 and be capable of using a lens system maximized for video. I haven't used the duel pixel technology and really don't know if that would give me what I would want.

Maurice Covington · January 22nd, 2015, 09:48 PM

I agree with Don. Why buy what you don't need. 4K is really not a necessity unless your client is requesting it and if so, that means that they are paying an adjusted price to have it which in tern would justify the cost of upgrading.

Doug Bailey · April 7th, 2015, 02:28 PM

This is an old post I know. I shot our Christmas Boat Parade in the dark with the XF300. To my uneducated eye the low light capabilities are amazing. I shot another sequence at night at an art show and showed the customer that footage to get the job. Client was thrilled with the outcome.

Tim Polster · April 8th, 2015, 07:27 AM

The XF300 is a very nice camera but light gathering is not its strongest point. Even though the parade footage is at night, it is not really "low light" shooting as the lights on the boats are bright enough to get decent exposure. If you look around the boats it is pretty much black. The high contrast actually helps show off the lights..

A better low-light camera would be able to bring up the exposure in the dark areas to where you could see details without noise.

January 22nd, 2015, 09:45 PM	#16
Maurice Covington Major Player Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Plainfield, Illinois Posts: 236	Re: XF300 OK for Event? I tell you guys, I shoot corporate events indoors all the time with the XHA1, XHA1s, XLH1, C100, 5D Mark III and the XF300 and I can honestly say that they are all , yes all, more than capable of capturing great video. sure if the lighting is challenging in the particular room that you are in , you can try changing cameras, moving closer or finding the dimmer switch. The XF300 is slightly better in low light than the XLH1 but not by much. The C100 and the 5D Mark III are really good but if you have subjects that are constantly moving, these cameras can be a problem.. This post is old and I'm thinking that the original poster has already rented his choice of camera. What concerns me is that he may have rented a camera for a gig that he knows absolutely nothing about. This is a NO NO in my world. Rather than take the read all of those biased post, go out and see exactly what kind of lighting you have and then based on what you have, a better camera selection can be made. Another alternative is to go out and get a Sony. I personally am not married to Canon as I know that they are not always the only option. Also, I think that someone asked about a replacement for the XF300. That camera has not been manufactured by Canon yet. If I could have my wish, it would look similar to the XF300/305 and have interchangeability like the XLH1 and be capable of using a lens system maximized for video. I haven't used the duel pixel technology and really don't know if that would give me what I would want.

January 22nd, 2015, 09:48 PM	#17
Maurice Covington Major Player Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Plainfield, Illinois Posts: 236	Re: XF300 OK for Event? I agree with Don. Why buy what you don't need. 4K is really not a necessity unless your client is requesting it and if so, that means that they are paying an adjusted price to have it which in tern would justify the cost of upgrading.

April 7th, 2015, 02:28 PM	#18
Doug Bailey Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Jupiter, FL Posts: 164	Re: XF300 OK for Event? This is an old post I know. I shot our Christmas Boat Parade in the dark with the XF300. To my uneducated eye the low light capabilities are amazing. I shot another sequence at night at an art show and showed the customer that footage to get the job. Client was thrilled with the outcome. Palm Beach Boat Parade 2014 - YouTube

April 8th, 2015, 07:27 AM	#19
Tim Polster Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 2,231	Re: XF300 OK for Event? The XF300 is a very nice camera but light gathering is not its strongest point. Even though the parade footage is at night, it is not really "low light" shooting as the lights on the boats are bright enough to get decent exposure. If you look around the boats it is pretty much black. The high contrast actually helps show off the lights.. A better low-light camera would be able to bring up the exposure in the dark areas to where you could see details without noise.