Along With Optional Cinema EOS C300 Dual-Pixel AF Upgrade; Announcements Include a New Canon RC-V100 Remote Control and Firmware Updates for Peripheral Illumination Correction Support and Continuous Recording for EOS C100 Video Camera
MELVILLE, N.Y., February 24, 2014 –- Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, has announced a variety of performance updates for cameras in its Cinema EOS and XF professional camcorder line. Announced today is a new optional feature upgrade for the EOS C300 Cinema camera which will support Canon’s innovative Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus (AF) technology and enable continuous autofocusing with the entire line of Canon EF lenses and optimized for Canon’s stepping motor (STM) line of lenses when used with the EOS C300 camera. This optional feature upgrade is expected to be available in May 2014 for a cost of $500.00 and will require the EOS C300 camera body to be shipped to an authorized Canon service center for installation.
In addition to the optional feature upgrade for the EOS C300 camera, Canon has also announced the new RC-V100 remote control for Cinema EOS cameras and the XF Series professional HD camcorders; a firmware update that allows for Peripheral Illumination Correction when using the Canon CN-E35mm T1.5 L F Cinema prime lens or the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM telephoto zoom lens with the EOS C500, EOS C300, or EOS C100 cameras and a Continuous Recording function for the EOS C100 Digital Video Camera to help ensure capture of crucial shots in unpredictable situations, such as wedding/event videography, documentary, news, or wildlife production.
“We continue to strive to demonstrate our support of filmmaking and television production professionals through innovative new updates and equipment upgrades that allow our products to better serve these visual storytellers,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. “By listening to our customers and responding to the various ways our equipment is used in the marketplace, we look to continually advance the capabilities and features inherent in our cameras, lenses, and accessories.”
EOS C300 Dual Pixel CMOS AF Feature Upgrade
Originally introduced in the Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR camera, Canon Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology is designed to provide continuous autofocus when shooting in single operator, or run-and-gun set-ups like documentaries, weddings, events, or electronic news gathering (ENG). When used in combination with an STM lens, this technology allows for the capture of high quality video without the interruption of noise by the focusing motor.
Dual Pixel CMOS AF is an innovative image-plane phase-detection AF technology that employs a CMOS sensor on which all of the effective pixels are able to perform both imaging and phase-detection AF simultaneously. Although camera operators can still focus manually, this new optional feature upgrade can enable smooth continuous AF with phase detection, a particularly useful feature when shooting with a small crew or single-operator run-and-gun filming and cinéma vérité style shoots.
The optional Dual Pixel CMOS AF feature upgrade for the EOS C300 Cinema camera supports continuous AF with all compatible Canon EF series lenses when shooting subjects positioned in the center of the imaging area. The technology involves complementary use of a contrast signal to achieve advanced autofocus stability that helps reduce the occurrence of loss of focus on a subject. Also included is an AF Lock which allows users to lock a focus point once AF is achieved and recompose the shot. Canon Dual Pixel CMOS AF also nearly doubles the speed of the EOS C300 Cinema camera’s One-Shot AF function, which enables a DP to focus on a subject located at the center of the screen with the push of a button, a feature that is currently supported on 104 Canon EF lens models[i].
The Dual Pixel CMOS AF feature upgrade for the EOS C300 Cinema camera will be made available to users through an authorized Canon service center. For more information please visit the Canon U.S.A. website at http://pro.usa.canon.com/EOSC300FeatureUpgrade.
Canon RC-V100 Remote Control
The Canon RC-V100 Remote Control is designed to respond to a diverse array of production needs requiring remote camera operation. The RC-V100 Remote Control enables users to remotely control main camera functions and is compatible with the XF Series professional HD camcorders and Canon’s Cinema EOS C500, Cinema EOS C300 and Cinema EOS C100 cameras. It allows users to remotely control a wide variety of functions built into the cameras, as well as adjust and set various controls, such as exposure and white balance.
The RC-V100 Remote Control is expected to be available in June 2014 at a suggested retail price of $2,999.
Peripheral Illumination Correction
This firmware performance update adds two additional Canon lenses to the list of lens models that maintain even illumination across an image plane, and virtually eliminates vignetting when used in combination with the EOS C500 and EOS C300 Cinema cameras, and the EOS C100 Digital Video Camera. This latest update adds the CN-E35mm T1.5 L F Cinema prime lens and the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM telephoto zoom lens to the seven other Canon CN-E Series Cinema Lenses that share this performance advantage, including the CN-E15.5-47mm and CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L S compact Cinema zooms, and the 14mm, 24mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 135mm Canon CN-E Cinema prime lenses. Fourteen other Canon EF-Series photographic lenses also deliver Peripheral Illumination Correction in combination with these cameras.
The EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM telephoto zoom lens offers high magnification in a compact and lightweight telephoto zoom lens with an Optical Image Stabilizer for up to 3.5* equivalent stops for shake correction. The lens’ ultra-quiet stepping motor and focus mechanism support the Canon Dual Pixel CMOS AF autofocus optional upgrade for the Cinema EOS C300 and EOS C100 cameras, providing smooth, continuous autofocusing during video shooting on upgraded models.
EOS C100 Camera Continuous Recording Function Firmware Update
Designed for the capture of crucial, unpredictable scenes during wedding/event, documentary, news, or wildlife filming, the Continuous Recording Function firmware update for the EOS C100 Digital Video Camera enables videographers to insert metadata markers identifying crucial scenes and moments in their footage while continuously recording to the memory capacity. These markers – for both “in” and “out” points – can be set with the press of a button without interrupting the recording process. These markers are identified in metadata as separate “shots,” and are simultaneously recorded to both SD card slots of the EOS C100 camera.
A recap and availability timeline of the feature upgrades and firmware updates detailed in this release can be found in the grid below. For more information, please visit the Canon U.S.A. website at http://usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/standard_display/cinema-firmware.
| EOS C500 | EOS C300 | EOS C100 | XF305 | XF300 | |
| Dual Pixel CMOS AF | May 2014 | Feb 2014 | |||
| Support for RC-V100 | June 2014 | June 2014 | June 2014 | June 2014 | June 2014 |
| PIC Lens Additions | June 2014 | June 2014 | June 2014 | ||
| Continuous Recording | Feb 2014 |
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $36 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents registered in 2013† and is one of Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies in 2013. In 2013, Canon U.S.A. has received the PCMag.com Readers’ Choice Award for Service and Reliability in the digital camera and printer categories for the tenth consecutive year, and for camcorders for the past three years. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility.
†Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.
* Based on CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association) standards. Testing performed using EOS 7D at focal length of 250mm (400mm in 35mm equivalence).
[i]As of November 7, 2013.
