C200: C200 vs. C100mk2 at 1080p

[chris f]

If I end up getting the C200 I'll likely be getting it to upgrade from my C100mk2 as my B-Cam (C500 is my A-Cam).

Other than the ability to have 2 cameras that would allow me to master at 4K if I wanted, I'm wondering if when exported out at 1080 (which 98% of my clients still prefer) if you can tell a quality difference since the C100mk2 is essentially working from a 4K sensor and downres'ing in-camera.

When I first got my C500 I was shocked at how much sharper it was than the C100mk2 even when just recording internal 1080p. It made the C100mk2 look like it was out of focus. So far alot of the test footage I'm seeing on the web looks like it has the C100mk2 softness.

 

[mrtreve]

I wonder if the C200 would remain your b-cam if you got one.

I've used both C500 (internal codec) and C100 alongside my C300 II and the C300 II destroys both in HD mode. The colour, definition and DR of the images is really superior. On one job I could barely bring myself to use any of the C100 material as the difference in quality was so noticeable. I expect the C200 would be similar and show up your C500 to be honest...

I agree that some of the early footage doesn't look great. I see plenty of detail in this footage however: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h-ylKyjhmY

 

[pmcdonald]

I see no noticeable difference between the C200 and C100 Mk2 at HD when using the internal compressed codecs. Both exhibit similar levels of softness, dynamic range and grading malleability from use thus far.

 

[chris f]

Do you mean when recording the C200 at 1080p in camera? or recording in 4K internally & then resizing on an HD timeline?

 

[puredrifting]

I just did a shoot using the C200 and the C100 MKI. Shot 1080 on the C200 for their editor's convenience on a tight turnaround. When I compare the unedited footage, the C200 looks a bit sharper to me but not drastically so. I have not seen the edit yet though, cross cutting between the two cameras. But producer is saying it all looks great so I am happy. I suspect, if you shot them side by side, and shot 4K and downresolutioned it to 1080, the C200 footage would look sharper than the C100. It would definitely have more dynamic range.

 

[Eric Coughlin]

I haven't noticed much difference in sharpness between the C300 Mark II and C100 Mark II. Sometimes I think the C100 Mark II is sharper. Crazy.

I find the C300 Mark II to have richer colors.

 

[Pave1]

...When I first got my C500 I was shocked at how much sharper it was than the C100mk2 even when just recording internal 1080p. It made the C100mk2 look like it was out of focus. So far alot of the test footage I'm seeing on the web looks like it has the C100mk2 softness.

I had similar feeling when I saw differencs between internal 420 long GOP low-bitrate 8bit codec (AVCHD) and external intra-frame high-bitrate ProRes 422 codec with C100 & NinjaStar.