puredrifting
Major Contributor
Hey all:
I haven't been around here much lately because I'm shooting a fun gig for a reality series this week on stage and we are using the C300 MKIII per request of the editorial department on the show. I havent shot reality in years so it is fun to jump back
into this pool because it's not insanity reality shooting, it's pretty easy and fun compared to a lot of 14 hours per day handheld reality I have shot in the past. This show is a contest show, similar to Shark Tank and Dragons Den.
Observations abut the C300 MKIII :
1. As a C200 and C300 MKII owner, if you are thinking about the C300 MKIII, I say go for it. It's so very familiar and easy/simple to use.
2. The images look wonderful. We are the B unit on a new reality show. A unit is the big stage, shooting on an amazing "Theater in the Round" set that is flanked by a HUGE 36' long 12' high video wall. A unit is shooting 8
Sony HDC-4300s on pedestals, fed into a Mobile Truck. Of course, they look beautiful, they are great cameras. It's a 4K show, everyone is shooting UHD, 29.97 https://pro.sony/en_FI/products/4k-and-hd-camera-systems/hdc-4300
3. We received a request from editorial, interestingly, to NOT shoot Sony (was thinking FX9) and to shoot C300 MKIII. Interesting, huh? Unlike A unit, our B unit is shooting all green screen. We're where the celebs and stars come
to shoot their after the big event to shoot their debriefs, confessionals, hero shots. We also have to periodically grab the camera and run outdoors to shoot quick b-roll of the contestants doing "b-roll and office"
kinds of things, so go from a big, comfortable studio to running around the studio lot with just the camera and sticks. I am grabbing a spare light and softbox for the occasional interiors in an ugly office. The C300 MKIII is very easy
to make the camera look good. We are shooting XF-AVC UHD 29.97 DF using CLog 3. I'm not a big fan of slow motion but on a whim, we shot one of the contestants, who is known for being on all of those Poker shows, shuffling and dealing cards,
and even had them throw cards at the lens and we shot it all at 120fps UHD and it looked really good. I'm impressed with the DGO sensor, it is better than my cameras, noticeably.
4. I'm using my CN E 18-80mm t/4.4 and man does it look good and work well in a reality TV situation. Producers on this show are constantly asking for both servo and crash zooms and we can deliver.
Lest you get all snobby and think, "Who the hell is shooting on camera zooms in 2021, I only use cine primes", yes, I still get asked a lot for servo zoom moves. Interesting, huh? The C300 MKIII and the CN E 18-80 are a match made in heaven.
5. I'm keying with a Matthews 8x8 Full Grid with two Aputure 300D MKIIs and opposite, fill is a 6x6 Scrim Jim with a full stop with just a tickle of output from another 300D MKII for fill. Using the new Aputure 60D up on a boompole with my 27" Nice Foto Parabolic
and an egg crate and man, even with out bald talent, it is really nice as a hair rim for the green screen to keep the compositors happy. As you know, using a "hair light" on bald is usually a no go because of the specular reflections but by making my hair light a
larger source and moving it closer, I am mitigating all of the bald issues pretty well. It is so refreshing to be on a stage with big instruments and lots of room. 12x12 green screen so we can shoot full body hero shots, 8x8 key and 6x6 fill is a nice luxury I rarely get these
days because of lack of room on real locations. But on this nice littel insert stage, I have the room and it's glorious. That new little Aputure 60D is a great little light, the whatever to Bowens adapter works a treat. You just can't beat big sources for making talent look good. 12x12 green screen lit up with two Kino Four Banks. Kinos still rule for lighting green screens and hey are still
really cheap to pickup now since the world has gone LED. You can get Four Banks and Divas for a song right now.
5. I wish I could post some screen caps but of course, under NDA, and I can't really release anything but a few gear shots. It's interesting, we were told this show is aimed at an "International Audience", I don't even know if it will ever air in the U.S.. We have a Russian Oligarch,
South American Businesswoman, and a diverse menu of American actors, musicians and other notable celebs from the world of computing too (you guys would dig who I am working with, he's an icon in computing and he has been on other reality shows, I can neeither deny or confirm who it is).
6. Shoutout to our sound mixer, great guy to work with, total pro. I hired him for a small project last year and he was good so now I have hired him for a week long reality show shoot at good (not great but good enough for 2021) rates when all of us are just happy to be shooting for a week.
Schoeps CMC641 into a SD 664. Yay, we have a Denecke Smart Slate too. COS-11s on talent, of course.
Anyway, enough of my rambling. In the real world, the C300 MKIII is a monster, I am VERY impressed with how far we can push and pull the XF-AVC with CLog 3, we just popped it into FCP X and applied the stock keyer and wow, is the C300 MKIII footage forgiving! Amazing.
While I fully appreciate all of the posted tests, shootouts and comparisons Chris and all of the usual suspects have posted, the more I shoot, the less I care about tests, I pretty much only care about what the camera can do for me on the job and the C300 MKIII delivers a
huge value, it is a great piece of gear. I would 100% buy it over the C500 MKII, not that the C500 MKII isn't also a great camera but I am just a S35 fan, I am not a FF fan.
If you're on the fence about is it worth spending double the money over a C70 for the same sensor, my vote is yes. The ergonomics on the C70 suck in comparison although the images are great, of course. But SDI, RAW, ergos, etc. are so worth it, at least on a reality TV gig.
I haven't been around here much lately because I'm shooting a fun gig for a reality series this week on stage and we are using the C300 MKIII per request of the editorial department on the show. I havent shot reality in years so it is fun to jump back
into this pool because it's not insanity reality shooting, it's pretty easy and fun compared to a lot of 14 hours per day handheld reality I have shot in the past. This show is a contest show, similar to Shark Tank and Dragons Den.
Observations abut the C300 MKIII :
1. As a C200 and C300 MKII owner, if you are thinking about the C300 MKIII, I say go for it. It's so very familiar and easy/simple to use.
2. The images look wonderful. We are the B unit on a new reality show. A unit is the big stage, shooting on an amazing "Theater in the Round" set that is flanked by a HUGE 36' long 12' high video wall. A unit is shooting 8
Sony HDC-4300s on pedestals, fed into a Mobile Truck. Of course, they look beautiful, they are great cameras. It's a 4K show, everyone is shooting UHD, 29.97 https://pro.sony/en_FI/products/4k-and-hd-camera-systems/hdc-4300
3. We received a request from editorial, interestingly, to NOT shoot Sony (was thinking FX9) and to shoot C300 MKIII. Interesting, huh? Unlike A unit, our B unit is shooting all green screen. We're where the celebs and stars come
to shoot their after the big event to shoot their debriefs, confessionals, hero shots. We also have to periodically grab the camera and run outdoors to shoot quick b-roll of the contestants doing "b-roll and office"
kinds of things, so go from a big, comfortable studio to running around the studio lot with just the camera and sticks. I am grabbing a spare light and softbox for the occasional interiors in an ugly office. The C300 MKIII is very easy
to make the camera look good. We are shooting XF-AVC UHD 29.97 DF using CLog 3. I'm not a big fan of slow motion but on a whim, we shot one of the contestants, who is known for being on all of those Poker shows, shuffling and dealing cards,
and even had them throw cards at the lens and we shot it all at 120fps UHD and it looked really good. I'm impressed with the DGO sensor, it is better than my cameras, noticeably.
4. I'm using my CN E 18-80mm t/4.4 and man does it look good and work well in a reality TV situation. Producers on this show are constantly asking for both servo and crash zooms and we can deliver.
Lest you get all snobby and think, "Who the hell is shooting on camera zooms in 2021, I only use cine primes", yes, I still get asked a lot for servo zoom moves. Interesting, huh? The C300 MKIII and the CN E 18-80 are a match made in heaven.
5. I'm keying with a Matthews 8x8 Full Grid with two Aputure 300D MKIIs and opposite, fill is a 6x6 Scrim Jim with a full stop with just a tickle of output from another 300D MKII for fill. Using the new Aputure 60D up on a boompole with my 27" Nice Foto Parabolic
and an egg crate and man, even with out bald talent, it is really nice as a hair rim for the green screen to keep the compositors happy. As you know, using a "hair light" on bald is usually a no go because of the specular reflections but by making my hair light a
larger source and moving it closer, I am mitigating all of the bald issues pretty well. It is so refreshing to be on a stage with big instruments and lots of room. 12x12 green screen so we can shoot full body hero shots, 8x8 key and 6x6 fill is a nice luxury I rarely get these
days because of lack of room on real locations. But on this nice littel insert stage, I have the room and it's glorious. That new little Aputure 60D is a great little light, the whatever to Bowens adapter works a treat. You just can't beat big sources for making talent look good. 12x12 green screen lit up with two Kino Four Banks. Kinos still rule for lighting green screens and hey are still
really cheap to pickup now since the world has gone LED. You can get Four Banks and Divas for a song right now.
5. I wish I could post some screen caps but of course, under NDA, and I can't really release anything but a few gear shots. It's interesting, we were told this show is aimed at an "International Audience", I don't even know if it will ever air in the U.S.. We have a Russian Oligarch,
South American Businesswoman, and a diverse menu of American actors, musicians and other notable celebs from the world of computing too (you guys would dig who I am working with, he's an icon in computing and he has been on other reality shows, I can neeither deny or confirm who it is).
6. Shoutout to our sound mixer, great guy to work with, total pro. I hired him for a small project last year and he was good so now I have hired him for a week long reality show shoot at good (not great but good enough for 2021) rates when all of us are just happy to be shooting for a week.
Schoeps CMC641 into a SD 664. Yay, we have a Denecke Smart Slate too. COS-11s on talent, of course.
Anyway, enough of my rambling. In the real world, the C300 MKIII is a monster, I am VERY impressed with how far we can push and pull the XF-AVC with CLog 3, we just popped it into FCP X and applied the stock keyer and wow, is the C300 MKIII footage forgiving! Amazing.
While I fully appreciate all of the posted tests, shootouts and comparisons Chris and all of the usual suspects have posted, the more I shoot, the less I care about tests, I pretty much only care about what the camera can do for me on the job and the C300 MKIII delivers a
huge value, it is a great piece of gear. I would 100% buy it over the C500 MKII, not that the C500 MKII isn't also a great camera but I am just a S35 fan, I am not a FF fan.
If you're on the fence about is it worth spending double the money over a C70 for the same sensor, my vote is yes. The ergonomics on the C70 suck in comparison although the images are great, of course. But SDI, RAW, ergos, etc. are so worth it, at least on a reality TV gig.
