C500: Canon C700 Announced.

Guys, what do you think just looking at the spec sheet? As usual Canon slightly behind competition (vide hfr) but with it's dual pixel AF this could work. Price not so high either when you compare it to for example Amira.
 
Hmm... so basically (from the specs and layout of the camera) Canon have just released an F55...

It's great they've finally caught up with everyone else, but it strikes me that Canon colour science is really the only notable thing that the C700 is bringing to an already mature market. So those colours are going to have to REALLY shine if they want to capture greater market share.
 
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Hmm, I don't feel this is the Arri killer they were hoping for. Sure, there are some impressive features, but I was expecting more if they were wanting to sway users away from the Amira/Alexa.

A while ago, there were rumours circulating that the C700 would potentially use a larger format 6K sensor, then when that 8K prototype camera showed up this year, it had me thinking Canon were going to finally take things to the next level. Looks like the elevator got stuck between floors. Grug's right, they've kind of just released an F55 with Canon colour. Cheapest comparison I could make would be the Varicam LT, coming in at like half the price, in a longer, weirder looking body. Not sure how many people would spring for double the cost for Dual Pixel AF, Canon colour and the 100fps 4.5K raw via the codex which turns your rig into a bazooka while also blowing up your wallet.

The Global Shutter model - PL mount only? What if I own an EF 17-120, or a whole set of CN-E primes (EF only), I guess I'll have to buy GS PL version and the Locking EF mount also. Nope. Seems Canon will actually swap the SENSOR in your EF body instead of the mount. This makes zero sense considering the fact that interchangeable mounts were boasted at launch on the C300II. Why they wouldn't just stick with the same system is beyond me.

The EVF seems nice and it's cool that it can be used with the C300II also. Not very cool that those are the only two cameras it will work with. At 5500 British pounds, that seems a bit of an ask considering there's EVF's like the Zacuto Eye at a third of the price. I'm assuming they'll bundle this thing with the camera and the handgrip/baseplate for the original asking price in 12-18 months time.

Not sure why they didn't spring for internal Canon Raw to the Cfast2 card, at least to 30p or 48p. If the Alexa Mini is writing ArriRaw to a single Cfast 2 card at 30p, you'd think 2xCfast2 slots could handle the 10bit canon raw at some manageable frame rate. Hopefully CD support at least some of the raw framerates on this camera.

Hope this post doesn't read too bitchy, the footage looks lovely from this camera - just can't understand a few of the choices Canon made with this flagship camera. 45 top mounting points being the most cryptic haha.
 
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At this price point, why buy the C700 when you can have a Arri Amira for basically the same price?
I for one, would like to justify the purchase of Arri Amira. And if I could, what does the C700 gives that the Amira don't (except the Dual auto focus)?
 
It's not going to attract, F55 owners, Arri owners or Red owners. Who is this camera aimed at? Most owner operators who've had their cameras a while will be well into profit and in no mood to 'invest' in a sidegrade. I suspect Sony will announce new models in the coming 12 months which will feature a greater step forward than the C700.

This is a late to market 'me too' product that that doesn't look like it has any real or compelling competitive advantage for the buyer and some strange design choices to boot.

Destined to be discounted heavily like the C300 MkII.
 
NMSK said:
The EVF seems nice and it's cool that it can be used with the C300II also. Not very cool that those are the only two cameras it will work with. At 5500 British pounds, that seems a bit of an ask considering there's EVF's like the Zacuto Eye at a third of the price.
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It looks like an awesome EVF for the C300 MKII, being fully integrated with control buttons etc.

I would have considered one if it didn't cost 50% of the price of the camera. :p
 
Matt Turner said:
It looks like an awesome EVF for the C300 MKII, being fully integrated with control buttons etc.

I would have considered one if it didn't cost 50% of the price of the camera. :p
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Pretty much! Bit rich for my blood unfortunately.


On a side note - it seems the global shutter model is a completely different sensor, pixel count is lower like 4.3K and raw is only available at DCI 4K. Obviously no Dual Pixel Autofocus mode either.
 
I don't think this is the same price as an amira... The body is $28k vs $45k for an amira.

Hard to justify this camera as it's basically a Varicam LT with 1-2stops less DR for almost twice the price. 4k prores recording doesn't really make up for that.
 
NMSK said:
Bit rich for my blood unfortunately.
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For us mere mortals it signals what a C300 MK IV might one day achieve.

This has a few awesome firsts for Canon too.

If they update the C100 and C500 then they will have an impressive (but generally overpriced and late) lineup.
 
nyvz said:
I don't think this is the same price as an amira... The body is $28k vs $45k for an amira.

Hard to justify this camera as it's basically a Varicam LT with 1-2stops less DR for almost twice the price. 4k prores recording doesn't really make up for that.
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Isn't the base model of the Amira around 35 000$ ? And correct me if I'm wrong, but it comes with the EVF. Canon's EVF is 6000$ alone. 28 000$ + 6000$= 34 000$
 
Misses the mark by a wide margin. C700 should have been released at IBC 2012. Expect large discounts in 6 months.
 
Yeah, I'd rather get an Amira. Price is similar. Not sure what the selling point of this camera is. Dual Pixel auto-focus isn't a big deal in a camera that is mostly going to be used with cine lenses. Maybe if you do ENG work with the 17-120 (which auto-focus is said to work with) then it'd be quite useful.

I was hoping for better image quality, to compete with Arri. So far what I've been reading the image is quite the same as the C300 Mark II. High frame rate options, but that's not that important to me.
 
I was kinda hanging out for Canon to jump in with a 135/Vistavision-sized sensor, and suddenly up the game for large-format options. If they'd only offered that one point of difference over the competition, they'd really have something attractive on their hands. But yeah, it's sadly a bit too 'me too' overall.

That said, it's the first Cinema EOS camera I'd genuinely consider for a narrative or commercial project, and those Canon colours are lovely, so perhaps as another rental option (alongside the rest of the field) it could provide another nice option.
 
you guys are missing one important aspect, the C700 can do anamorphic and interface with the cooke/i technology, the amira can't do any anamorphic shooting whatsoever. let's not forget the low-light on the canon will be better than arri too. the dumb thing that canon forgot to change in the C700 is the interchangeable lens mount, looks like you still gotta send your camera in to swap mounts... sigh! the pro-res and global shutter is a welcome addition that's for sure! can somebody confirm that canon has decided to abandon the C500 line and just focus on the C700 going forward?
 
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