C300: Accessorizing your new Canon C200

[puredrifting]

This is sort of not about the introduction and specs of the new C200, which would make more sense in the other huge thread. I'd like to discuss how you are going to accessorize your new C200 when it arrives.

1. Battery system? For you using the C300 MKII, how many of you only use the stock BP-A30 or the BP-A60? What about AB Gold Mount or V-Mounts? From a battery power standpoint, the C200 is the same as the C300 MKII. The BP-A30 only offers 45Wh for $269.00, while the BP-A60 doubles that to 90Wh for $500.00. I just scored an Amazon Prime Lightning buy of a Max Oak 170Wh V-Mount with an included rapid charger yesterday for $180.00. This battery is giving me the run time equivalent of almost two of the BP-A60s for almost 20% of the money, seems like a superior value, doesn't it? Sure I will have to buy a Wooden Camera or Shape battery plate with the Canon power cable output but that is a one time deal. I know a brick adds considerable weight but since I can locate it at the rear of the camera off of some 6" rods at the rear of my Zacuto VCT Pro Baseplate, seems I would be able to inch my camera balance forward a bit, which is a win when operating from the shoulder? Also, the additional weight does tend to give the camera more inertia on the shoulder. The C200 is pretty light so this might not be such a bad thing. I will still have the stock BP-A30 for when I want to stay smaller and lighter weight, plus I think with the V-Mount, I could pretty much shoot all day on a single battery. Not needing to swap any batteries for a full shoot day is appealing. Any other gotchas or caveats I need to worry about if I do decide to go for V-Mount over the stock batteries, other than the obvious size and weight gain?

2. Has anyone heard anything from Zacuto, Wooden Camera or anyone else about how the new C200 handgrip setup will function with grip relocators? The Wooden and Zacuto ones on the market now plainly will not function with the C200 as the cable attachment point is outside of the grip. Hoping we don't have to wait long past when the cameras deliver to be able to shoot shoulder mounted with the grip relocated. I have a feeling they are in development on the pieces now, hopefully. Once you shoot with the Canon grip relocator, you realize how essential it is to good shoulder mounted shooting.

3. Any word, tease or preview about when Sandisk will begin shipping 512 GB or even 1TB CFast 2.0 cards? Anyone ask about any other lower cost CFast 2.0 cards being compatible with the C200 at Cine Gear? As soon as the C200s begin arriving, demand is going to immediately climb for CFast 2.0 cards as people will want to test and experiment with Cinema RAW Light.

4. I have heard a rumor that Fujinon is considering or may start shipping their amazing new MK Zoom Cine Lenses in EF Mount? Anyone else hear any rumbles of this at Cine Gear? It would be a tough choice to pick between these or the Canon CNe Servo Cine zooms. I like the Fujinons a lot but for my work, having a servo zoom would be so incredibly handy.

5. If you ordered or are planning on ordering a C200, are you also considering upgrading your computer and RAID to handle massive amounts of Cinema RAW Light? I have a 2012 27" loaded iMac with a 4TB Thunderbolt G-Raid. I am going to try it out and see how it handles the footage but I have a feeling a new, more powerful iMac and much bigger 20 or 24TB Thunderbolt 3 RAID is in my future. What about you?

 

[klk]

1. I use AB batts. Took an old AB plate off of a ViewFactor 5DMk2 cage, relatively affordable Lanparte D-tap to Canon C300Mk2 Lemo cable, cut, resoldered and made an affordable 15mm rod mount batt option. I keep a BP-A30 in the cam as a hot swap, backup battery solution. It works that way thankfully. I was told the C200 has the same power port.
2. If it's popular enough they will build it.
3. ibid
4. as you know I'm currently enamored with the possibility of autofocus for video with Canon. No idea if Fujinon can build cine zooms as affordably in EF.
5. can't have enough speed nor enough storage. Been assembling my own PC edit stations for years. They get downgraded to desktop use when I do a new build. Seems can never have enough speed and storage.

 

[puredrifting]

Thanks for your feedback Karl. I may try to go with my new cheap bricks, doing the same as you, keeping the BP-A30 in place as backup. As far as the Fuji zooms, no, they cost a lot more than an EF lens, more in the neighborhood of Canon's CNe Servo Zooms.

 

[indiawilds]

I have V Mount battery but I use that for my lights. For my kind of shooting I prefer the lightweight Canon batteries. Carrying heavy V Mount battery in the treks and outdoors for doc use is tough for me. When in bigger shoots or corporate stuff, I can use the V Mounts. However, I am sure to buy a couple of extra Canon batteries with the C200.

Some of you who may be working in high-end productions with very good focus pullers may not agree, however, Autofocus is the future. So no way I am going to buy the manual focus Cinema zooms. I plan to pick up the CN-E servo zooms as soon as my budget permits. In a few years, you will get many good CN-E servo zooms with AF from Canon. In between, if there is need for high end cinema zooms, then I will rent.

Sandisk should launch the 512 GB card this year. Hopefully it is timed with the C200 availability. That will be a big help for continuing to roll the camera. I would prefer the high capacity cards.

The new iMacPro is very exciting. However, I feel that may be a bit too much for C200. Else, proxy workflow would be fine I guess.

 

[klk]

Thanks for your feedback Karl. I may try to go with my new cheap bricks, doing the same as you, keeping the BP-A30 in place as backup. As far as the Fuji zooms, no, they cost a lot more than an EF lens, more in the neighborhood of Canon's CNe Servo Zooms.

Yes, I have the 18-80/4.4. T4.4 isn't as awful as it sounds on paper- the still lenses at f2.8 are what- around T3.5? I haven't done a direct comparison yet- on shoots we never have the time and I do hope to make an in depth review of the Canon servo zoom sometime in the future.

Thought I read somewhere Fujinon saying the extremely short flange focal distance on the E-mount permits significantly lower cost designs. Think they were comparing to PL mount FFD- no sure about EF.

And yes Sabyasachi- autofocus is the future on all but large crew productions.

 

[puredrifting]

I tested and reviewed the 18-80 T4.4 CNe Servo Zoom when it first was available in January for HD Video Pro, it's a really nice lens, I liked it. I may pick one up later this year for use on the C200. It's a shame, I am shooting a project right now that it would be perfect for but no budget to rent or buy it so I am making due with my 18-135 STM IS 3.5-5.6 and my 70-200 2.8 IS II. Servo zoom is a very powerful tool in documentary, you can subtly feather and change framing so that the viewer isn't even aware of a zoom, it just feels natural like your POV shifting as you walk around.

For me, it would have to be the Canon pair of servo zooms, even of the Fuji MKs were available in EF. The servo, IS and DPAF are too valuable to not have.

They're still not using DPAF on the shows I shoot on ;-)

 

[puredrifting]

I have V Mount battery but I use that for my lights. For my kind of shooting I prefer the lightweight Canon batteries. Carrying heavy V Mount battery in the treks and outdoors for doc use is tough for me. When in bigger shoots or corporate stuff, I can use the V Mounts. However, I am sure to buy a couple of extra Canon batteries with the C200.

Some of you who may be working in high-end productions with very good focus pullers may not agree, however, Autofocus is the future. So no way I am going to buy the manual focus Cinema zooms. I plan to pick up the CN-E servo zooms as soon as my budget permits. In a few years, you will get many good CN-E servo zooms with AF from Canon. In between, if there is need for high end cinema zooms, then I will rent.

Sandisk should launch the 512 GB card this year. Hopefully it is timed with the C200 availability. That will be a big help for continuing to roll the camera. I would prefer the high capacity cards.

The new iMacPro is very exciting. However, I feel that may be a bit too much for C200. Else, proxy workflow would be fine I guess.

I too will have both types of batteries available for different situations. The camera comes with a BP-A30 and I will buy one more, that should take care of about four hours of recording time. The brick will take care of really recording with the C200 all day, I will have a few of those laying around since I will also use them to power LED panels for certain situations. I have been shooting a doc with a ton of quick interviews in bars and restaurants, often there is no power nearby so powering the LEDs off of bricks has become the workflow for those shoots. For what you do, I would skip the brick too. Weight means a lot when you are carrying everything yourself, all day.

I am, in a way, hoping the XF-AVC is 305Mbps like the XC-15. This will allow for 220 minutes of recording time per 512GB card so a pair of them would suffice for most scenarios.

 

[brettsherman]

I am, in a way, hoping the XF-AVC is 305Mbps like the XC-15. This will allow for 220 minutes of recording time per 512GB card so a pair of them would suffice for most scenarios.

Do we know for sure XF-AVC won't be able to record on the SD card? As Panasonic proves, it's easily possible. I'm hoping Canon works it out.

 

[Arturo Sánchez Becerra]

Do you guys think that the standard C200 model will fit in a Ronin M(not the B model)?

 

[Tcap]

Do we know for sure XF-AVC won't be able to record on the SD card? As Panasonic proves, it's easily possible. I'm hoping Canon works it out.

The Panny can read the new V60 and V90 class sd cards with the extra pins on the cards. Hopefully Canon's internal slots can read these new cards using the extra bandwidth, although I'm not sure due to the implementation of 8bit internal catering codecs.