C500: Canon C500 Upgrade

[IronFilm]

I rarely use it but recently directed and edited a two camera corporate shoot with two C300 MKIs for a healthcare company and I have to say, as an editor, it was nice having duplicate time code. It's not hard to sync stuff these days but it's one less thing you have to worry about when deadlines in post are tight. Definitely not a deal breaker for me, I don't do too many multi-camera shoots and when I do, it is often with a big fancy A camera and then two or three Go Pros or mirrorless on gimbal or other B or C camera that can't sync timecode so not that big of a deal. I recently did a shoot with my C200 as A camera and my iPhone as a B camera angle to get a really wide shot and it worked out fine just syncing the two by ear but it was literally for just one shot. I hate shooting events and live presentiations or concerts seems to be where TC i/o is a big factor.

You can sync even GoPros as well:

https://www.timecodesystems.com/syncbac-pro/

C200 conversation heard on set yesterday
Old guy: "It doesn't have time code"
Millenial: "What's time code?"

That is really sad :-(

Especially as time code has never been cheaper and easier to implement than it is today!

 

[ollywood88]

I agree the setup is a pain sometimes and the odyssey is quite slow.

eva 1 I haven't seen too much nice footage from this camera. I would not go for the c200 as the 4k raw lite would be overkill for the corporates and the lower end codecs are not great. I always shoot 2k on the C500.

Yeah I might hold on and pick up one cheaper ( mk2 if I can)

Thank you for your input.

Oliver,

I'm in the same boat as you. I have a C500/Odyssey, but it's too big and cumbersome for travelling, as I learned the hard way in a long road trip up the West Coast last summer (with the intention of shooting stock footage and some doc material).

At this point, I'm leaning more towards the EVA1 for an upgrade, especially if it implements 12 bit RAW (which Odyssey can record in ProRes) and has the internal 10 bit All-I codec. I like the EVA1 image more than the C200, except for the noise in low light.

Ultimately, I don't see the C200/C300II as an upgrade on the C500. It's more like a "sidegrade."

Whatever you do, don't buy anything yet. The $10-20K market is ripe for both Canon and Sony, where the old F5 currently sits. I'm sure both Canon and Sony will want to fill that space, rather than leaving it to Varicam LT and RED Scarlet-W.

The C300II will surely be replaced in the next year or two, since it has already been discounted significantly and lacks 4K60P.

 

[ollywood88]

I owned a C500 for about 3 years and sold it for a C200. It’s 100% an upgrade. Doing everything internal and not having the large setup was one of the best upgrades you could get. Internal raw 4K 60p, C-log 2/3 and DPAF, huge upgrades.

Just me personally but I’d rather two C200s vs a £15-£20k C300 mark iii

Thank you for your reply, I like the c200 but the 4k workflow would be overkill for my corporate work and fast turn around, the 2k codec isn't great.

 

[aygie]

Thank you for your reply, I like the c200 but the 4k workflow would be overkill for my corporate work and fast turn around, the 2k codec isn't great.

Olly rent a C200 and just use the MP4 codec, honestly you’ll be blown away with what you get. It shouldn’t be as good as it is.

 

[Jim Martin]

I second that....none of our clients are reporting any issues with the MP4 codec (4K lite).....and that codec is in other cameras with no reports of issues (DVX200, JVC LS300, etc.

Jim Martin
CinemaWorks