C100: c100 still worth it for mostly narrative?

[belleandlilsebastian]

Hi,

I'm contemplating "downgrading" from 4K to a c100-- been shooting mostly with an NX1 for the past year-- i love it, but its a hassle to work with sometimes.

Anyways-- have someone interested in my whole nx1 kit (4 extra lenses (3 fast NX primes + a kit zoom+ a gimbal) for 1750 + a 24-70 f/4 IS they'd trade me-- more than enough to pick up a used C100, and a few hundred away from a used C100 with DPAF.

However, i've shifted from live event + concert stuff to narrative and music videos-- will the c100 really be useful for me then? My camera usage mindset is still that of a videojournalist + concert videographer where the c100 is king. It's not entirely irrelevant either-- most of my narrative work is shot guerilla style, on the fly. The handheld gimbal was useful for that with the NX1, but with the c100 it's a much bigger profile and much more likely to attract NYPD attention when i try to film in subways.

So, the real purpose of my post:

1: How well does the c100 + external 10 bit (have a ninja 2) hold up for projection? looking to start submitting to festivals within a year or two
2: Whats the highest SOOC usable ISO on the c100? i've gotten people claim everything from 3200 to 12,800 (was also considering leaping to an a7s + shogun, i just dont like sony's image for my personal style).
3: Is the DPAF worth it?
4: How stable is the c100 with a stabilized zoom + shoulder rig with counterweight? I wouldnt be able to afford a ronin M or whatever to replace my DS1 beholder i'd be parting with.

 

[puredrifting]

You are asking a bunch of strangers whose work is quite different than yours their opinions on how a camera will work for you and your specific shooting situations. The smart thing to do would be to go to www.lensrentals.com and rent one for a weekend. Costs almost nothing and you get to go shoot with it and can then make an informed decision.

 

[jthabel]

The C100 is solid for short-form narrative work. Easy to use, the image is 4k downgraded to 1k within the cam, and you get all the bells and whistles you need for ease of use, including built-in neutral density filters and XLR connections for your audio (if you choose to use in-cam audio), among other things. To answer some of your questions from above:
1) The images produced by the C100 hold up well under projection. I've seen both short and feature length films shot on the C100 projected onto the big screen. Here's the trailer for a film that one my old instructors made a couple years back on the C100. I saw it on the big screen (up-rezzed to 2k for projection) and it looked great. https://vimeo.com/85407979
2) I would personally never go over 3200 or even 2600 ISO on the C100. Lots of noise, and the image suffers, IMO. If you're lit properly and using a fast enough lens, it's not an issue in my experience.
3) Go with DPAF.
4) I've never use a stabilized zoom rig on the C100, but I know quite a few folks on here who do. Hopefully they can help.

 

[belleandlilsebastian]

@jthabel-- thank you so much! its good that the projection holds up well. However, the ISO falling apart after 3200 means i think im gonna stick with my NX1 and just keep rigging it out-- it still holds well to 16, and with post work is good through 3200. Thank you so much for these great answers!

 

[Pascal Parvex]

[...] the image is 4k downgraded to 1k within the cam

This is a bit misleading. The Sensor is UHD (3840 x 2160) and gets output as Full HD (1920 x 1080 Pixels), so it is almost 2K. 1K usually means 1024 x 540 pixels.

I am also not convinced that the C100 is not better in ISO as the NX1. Their sensors have roughly the same size, but the NX1 packs twenty million pixels more on it. This combined with the usually better high ISO performance of Canon sensors leads me to believe that the Canon cam would be an improvement.

 

[Alpha Beta Omega]

Having used a C100 a lot this last year I think it's a good camera but it's also dated as of today. As I see it the codec is the weakest part. As long as everything is nailed in camera footage looks nice, but it will break in post if pushed. To me owning a FS7 I see the C100 as to old with to many missing features.

 

[belleandlilsebastian]

oh c100 is definitely better, it just seems like not leaps and bounds better (i know some people claim the c100 to be in the same low-light league as an a7s)-- something where I could live with shooting wider open pushing in post a bit.