C300: C300 Mark II Joystick Function?

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implicted

Active member
correct me if i'm wrong, but didnt the original c300 allow the joystick on the handgrip to be pushed in, which would toggle the function menu?

the C300MKII doesn't seem to allow the function abilities to be accessed by pushing in the joystick, yet pushing it in takes you out of the function abilities?!?! ... the workaround i found is to assign the focus guide button next to the joystick as FUNCTION.

Hopefully there is an assign option i'm missing to enable it... Thoughts?
 
implicted said:
correct me if i'm wrong, but didnt the original c300 allow the joystick on the handgrip to be pushed in, which would toggle the function menu?

the C300MKII doesn't seem to allow the function abilities to be accessed by pushing in the joystick, yet pushing it in takes you out of the function abilities?!?! ... the workaround i found is to assign the focus guide button next to the joystick as FUNCTION.

Hopefully there is an assign option i'm missing to enable it... Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Drives me nuts. I have become so used to this function on the C100 that I keep trying to do it on the C300MKII. No cigar. Stupid oversight.
 
No I don't believe it does do that on the C300, at least not the last time I used one unless it's a setting that can be turned on (I'm a C100 shooter, rarely C300).
Bloody annoying for C100 users, and totally stupid since you'd think the hardware and firmware would work identically.
 
implicted said:
correct me if i'm wrong, but didnt the original c300 allow the joystick on the handgrip to be pushed in, which would toggle the function menu?
Click to expand...

I have no such function on my C300. I wish I had it though.

The joystick is "dead" as long as you don't press any other button first, which is a shame really. They could easily turn it into a customizeable 5 function key instead of it sitting there useless. A bit surprised to hear they didn't add it to the mark II.

*Edit: Seems the C100 has it: http://www.manualslib.com/manual/703143/Canon-Eos-C100.html?page=53
 
Use the joystick to move around the AF point in Mark II. In the C300 Mark I, the joystick doesn't help in changing the menu. Never needed it frankly. I always use the left side wheels and have got used to those. Ofcourse in C300 Mark I, during manual focusing, I use the joystick to check focus.

The menus in the C300 Mark II is extensive and I realised that you can't keep on fiddling around and miss shots especially in documentary and wildlife scenarios. So experimenting and knowing before hand which settings will work best is very important.
 
Canon C300 MK II - Please Fix the Joystick

Canon C300 MK II - Please Fix the Joystick

I know this is an old thread, but the problem still remains the same.

I love my C300 MK II and even purchased a new grip as a backup, but Canon really dropped the ball on this one.

My Canon D5 MK IV has a great joystick that is really functional, unlike the C300 MK II... And I can't see why Canon can't give us a firmware update to fix the lackluster functionality :(

With the Mark IV, if I push the joystick in, the focus box alternates between where it was to the center position, and back again... Push, or depress the joystick on the MK II and nothing happens at all (unless you are in a menu).

Also, the movement of the focus box is a bad joke. It either moves too fast and passes up your desired location (if you hold it in a position off-center), or if you try and move it one click (position) at a time, it is Painfully slow (the subject is gone before the focus box get's there).

Hey Canon, you made the D5 MK IV work great, why not the C300 MK II?

OK, besides giving me better movement control over the joystick, what I really need is to have that joystick's button assignable!

When I'm using a shoulder rig, I have my hands quite full, and I can Not reach around to the camera's main buttons to make changes without ruining the shot. I have the button on the grip assigned to trigger one shot AF, so that if I'm lucky enough to actually get the focus box where I want it, I can pop a quick AF. OK cool, but when filming wildlife at a distance, I can't use AF to focus on a bird hidden in the twigs of a tree, so I must MF. But the bird is tiny and I can't see it well enough to get a reliable focus, so I need to use the magnification feature. But I only have One assignable button on the grip, where I need at least two.

Has Canon abandoned C300 & C300 MK II users completely. Haven't we supported them through our loyalty and continued purchases??

Obviously I'm only venting here, and I doubt anyone from Canon is going to read this, but how can we MK II users get Canon's attention?

My voice alone will have little affect, so I'm here seeing if anyone else would like to join forces to at least let Canon know that we would like a little respect in return for our loyalty.

Any suggestions... Thanks in advance for your support!

Anthony
 
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Unfortunately, that's just how it is and that camera is likely going to be discontinued sooner rather than later.

I wouldn't know, but IMO they are undoubtedly finished with any further developments.

But I absolutely hear you; it's maddening. And mirrorless' become so much better in their overall functionality and usability every single year. The R5/R6 are vast improvements over the 5D Mark IV including more AF coverage.

When the C300 Mark II was being made (2014, maybe 2013), the camera world was simply a different place than it is today. Using any joystick for video AF was considered state-of-the-art.
 
Yeah, it's maddening. For me it's less about auto-focus and more about being able to quickly select my White Balance, ISO, and shutter, as on the C100 pushing in the joystick serves as a Function button to be able to toggle between those settings. I ended up switching to a PlayStation after the C300 Mark II because at least it does something when you punch in on the joystick. Granted, video games don't make me any money, but Mom doesn't mind. She's just happy to have me back in the basement.


Why not just get the C200 monitor and use that with the C300 Mark II? That thing greatly improves the ergonomic functionality of the camera. It's touch screen and makes positioning the auto-focus box pretty easy. When shoulder mounting, I typically use the LCD as my screen (rather than a viewfinder (in part because I don't own a third party viewfinder, but also because it's one less thing to worry about)). This leaves the LCD up in front of me for shoulder mounting where I can still touch it. When using magnify with the touch screen monitor, you can also use the touch screen to move around what part of the image is magnified.

There's also that dial on the side of the camera that you can spin to quickly move the auto-focus box to the four different corners of the screen.
 
NorBro said:
Unfortunately, that's just how it is and that camera is likely going to be discontinued sooner rather than later.

I wouldn't know, but IMO they are undoubtedly finished with any further developments.
Click to expand...

I would be surprised if that were not the case.


But I absolutely hear you; it's maddening. And mirrorless' become so much better in their overall functionality and usability every single year. The R5/R6 are vast improvements over the 5D Mark IV including more AF coverage.

When the C300 Mark II was being made (2014, maybe 2013), the camera world was simply a different place than it is today. Using any joystick for video AF was considered state-of-the-art.
Click to expand...

I know, this is an old camera, but I still enjoy it.

I use to own a software development business, ans I just can't see why they didn't (and now, won't) fix this issue. I believe in part it is because of what you said, it was fantastic way back when :)

It's just a shame :(
 
Supposedly companies like Canon only make changes based on overwhelming consumer feedback or if there is a major performance bug.

Truth is...as much as many of us today obsess over AF, there was probably a small percentage of people who used it extensively back then and on that camera, which is why they would never bother doing anything about it, especially now.

When it's something more important like the major upset about the 5D Mark IV not having C-Log, they did something about it which included sending the camera in for the update or buying the model that had it installed which they ended up releasing months later.
 
Eric Coughlin said:
Yeah, it's maddening. For me it's less about auto-focus and more about being able to quickly select my White Balance, ISO, and shutter, as on the C100 pushing in the joystick serves as a Function button to be able to toggle between those settings. I ended up switching to a PlayStation after the C300 Mark II because at least it does something when you punch in on the joystick. Granted, video games don't make me any money, but Mom doesn't mind. She's just happy to have me back in the basement.
Click to expand...

That's funny :)


Why not just get the C200 monitor and use that with the C300 Mark II? That thing greatly improves the ergonomic functionality of the camera. It's touch screen and makes positioning the auto-focus box pretty easy. When shoulder mounting, I typically use the LCD as my screen (rather than a viewfinder (in part because I don't own a third party viewfinder, but also because it's one less thing to worry about)). This leaves the LCD up in front of me for shoulder mounting where I can still touch it. When using magnify with the touch screen monitor, you can also use the touch screen to move around what part of the image is magnified.
Click to expand...

I do wildlife for fun & discipline, but I also owned a production company, and with the camera on sticks, shooting large objects (actors, vehicles, and the such) it was easy to the buttons and wheels, and I never used AF, But wildlife is the most demanding type of photography I've ever done. If I'm going for awesome footage, I wouldn't use a shoulder rig. I mean 200mm or 400mm on the shoulder is not desirable. I do it for mental and physical conditioning. Under those conditions, it really points out the weakness of your gear.

Also, AF is completely useless trying to shoot a tiny bird at 50+ feet in the brush, or in a tree with a lot of branches. My only way to focus is to magnify, or guess (with the help of peaking (useless in brush) or other focusing aids).

As far as using a monitor; I have several, but the birds are really too small in the monitor, and too fast to track. Even on a rock steady tripod and a great fluid head, I find using a monitor for wildlife more challenging than useful. That could just be me, I'm sure some people have great results, but I would bet most wildlife photographers look through a viewfinder unless they are in setups that they can control.


There's also that dial on the side of the camera that you can spin to quickly move the auto-focus box to the four different corners of the screen.
Click to expand...

Yes, but on the shoulder, at least with my rig, my head is ahead of the camera next to the lens (balanced that way without having to use rear weights) I can't reach back there to control anything without destroying the shot.


Thank you (all) for the feedback and entertaining discussion :)
 
NorBro said:
Supposedly companies like Canon only make changes based on overwhelming consumer feedback or if there is a major performance bug.

Truth is...as much as many of us today obsess over AF, there was probably a small percentage of people who used it extensively back then and on that camera, which is why they would never bother doing anything about it, especially now.

When it's something more important like the major upset about the 5D Mark IV not having C-Log, they did something about it which included sending the camera in for the update or buying the model that had it installed which they ended up releasing months later.
Click to expand...

Yes, someone pointed out earlier that this camera is getting long in the tooth and that when it came out it was on the leading edge, but now it's on the trailing edge.

It's challenging for wildlife work, but any other type of filming is easy after trying to use outdated tech in very demanding environments like wildlife.

Thanks for the input!
 
If the original C300 didn't have the success it did (which was real big time) and Canon didn't have such nice colors, Sony's FS7 would have retired the C300 Mark II in the same year it was made.

But the product cycle was much different back then and our brains weren't as educated because we simply didn't know any better and what the future would hold.

In 2015, there were only like 5 main cinema cameras normal people used. (~10 if you included the richer ones.)
 
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