C300: FREE Pre-Order List for Canon EOS C300 mkII

M

mitch@provideo

DVXuser Sponsor
For the launch of the C300 mkII, I am offering free pre-orders for all of those interested. At Professional Video, we are compiling a list of names and numbers and when we get shipments of C300 mkII's a sales representative will give you a call and let you know it is in stock and ready to ship. This is a zero money down pre-order list with no obligation to purchase when notified. The C300 mkII is expected to ship in September so click here to get your name down with Professional Video for a free, no hastle pre-order. We are also offering this same pre-order on the new Canon XC10 which is expected to ship in June and financing options are coming soon.


Eric Petrie
Professional Video
epetrie@provideoandtape.com
503-598-9142
Finance the Canon C100mkII for $158 a month, $0 down
Finance the Sony FS7 for $248 a month, $0 down
 
Called a few rental houses and inquired about the total # of pre-order's they had. From the 6 places I called, none of them had more than 2-3 confirmed pre-orders. Either a lot of folks are waiting until launch to purchase, or Canon is going to have to sweeten the deal to start moving units.
 
LeoGrey said:
Either a lot of folks are waiting until launch to purchase, or Canon is going to have to sweeten the deal to start moving units.
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I am hoping it's the latter. I like this camera a lot more at $11-12k. Most of the people I've talked to who were waiting for the C300 Mk2 are now leaning towards URSA Mini.
 
At this stage a low number of pre-orders might not be a good indicator ?? It's still a ways off from launch.People would want to be pre-ordering now only if they were 100% sold already, which will be a very small % of the market.Most will wait until we at least have some decent straight-out-of-the-camera footage to compare with the "competition".
 
Matt Turner said:
People would want to be pre-ordering now only if they were 100% sold already, which will be a very small % of the market.Most will wait until we at least have some decent straight-out-of-the-camera footage to compare with the "competition".
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Its nice to see things go back to where it should be if people are actually weighing options instead of just brand loyalty. I have no doubt the C300II will be a fantastic camera. Its a matter for most small business & owner operators to see if it a) makes financial sense b) Its the cam people are asking you to shoot with saving rental $$. Both those scenarios take market time to answer.
 
Graham King said:
These people have obviously never owned a C300.
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That's not so obvious as far as I'm concerned. I still own C300, but will never buy C300 M2 at the price offered. And yes, I'm looking at URSA Mini especially after watching that video made in Canon Mark II and footage from URSA Mini (both appeared at approx same time.
 
I think it all depends on who your clients are. I bought the C300 mk1 the first year and it's treated me well

- My broadcast clients expect a camera that I can solo operate, with enough media and batteries for a full 10-12 hour shoot. They expect hassle free time code syncing and that you don't need an AC swapping your ND filters for you when you go in and out of buildings. They don't care about raw or compressed raw they want a ready to go look with a relatively filmic image. They're absolutely in love with WIDE DR color/gamma profile.

- Narrative/commercial/music video clients are a little different. From my experience they're always open to experimenting in codec/compression/post workflow. Or where deadlines aren't stringent. Which is one small reason Red's are successful in the market.

- If you're a hobbyist or just shoot for yourself, there's no reason to purchase a C300mk2. In fact, please don't!

I just put down a deposit for a mark2 and while I don't think it'll catch on with my broadcast clients too quickly I see it perking the ears of my narrative/commercial clients. And when my broadcast guys are ready for 4k it'll be an easy sell. I'm sure a lot of hesitation is from the lack of facts and footage out there about the camera. I didn't make my decision until I spent 2 hours with it. It certainly has it's caveats, but I think like the mk1 it'll be a great all around camera and a work horse. I already know of a handful of productions who are planning on upgrading. Especially because the FS7 wasn't quite what they were hoping for.
 
I doubt very seriously that the overpriced c300 mark II will do as well as the original mark 1, due to so many other options available now at this point in the game. I do like the canon line, but will wait for canon to test the waters at the imo overpricing, and get it when they decide that they are not the major player in the game anymore and adjust the pricing accordingly. I will more than likely pick one up then. I'm thinking canon will adjust pricing sooner than later, so no need for me to be hasty.
 
jm.gardiner said:
... I just put down a deposit for a mark2 and while I don't think it'll catch on with my broadcast clients too quickly I see it perking the ears of my narrative/commercial clients. And when my broadcast guys are ready for 4k it'll be an easy sell. I'm sure a lot of hesitation is from the lack of facts and footage out there about the camera. I didn't make my decision until I spent 2 hours with it. It certainly has it's caveats, but I think like the mk1 it'll be a great all around camera and a work horse. I already know of a handful of productions who are planning on upgrading. Especially because the FS7 wasn't quite what they were hoping for.
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A new camera needs to have footage and verified specs out. MK II will also get a benefit of the doubt from those who have had good experience with Canon and got burned on other products, be they delivery dates, quality of workmanship, deviation from the promised performance, etc.

BTW, the broadcasters - if, by the term, we mean OTA - are not going toward 4K for a while but ... with the 4K Blu-Ray coming out soon, anyone should want to archive in 4K and now has an easy solution. My hunch is that, once a few top pros begin to shot it with and make the footage indistinguishable from the Alexa and the Varicam, then a bunch of folks will begin screaming, "I told you so" and this piece will be flying off the shelves.

PS. As I'd mentioned before, it could face serious competition from the higher end models IF Sony and/or Panasonic come out with $25,000-$30,000 cameras that do 6K and so on. Now, F5/55/65 series is about 3 years old, so chances are that something is in the works on that front.
 
@DLD Agreed. When you get your hands on the mk2 the image quality is quickly apparent. You can't fault canon too much on pricing. The mk1 8bit camera is the most popular camera in the world and they're still selling now. If you had that track record would you sell for less? And for people like myself there are fewer options we consider. I will not consider a Blackmagic camera for my pro work. It's just not an option. I'm based in LA and for the work that I do, primarily 2k rarely 4k, swinging from broadcast/doc/music video/narrative my options were really between an Amira/alexa mini/Varicam/Epic/C300mk2/F5/55. Once you consider that you're not likely to use a Red camera for a documentary and the price of the other cameras that leaves Canon and Sony and I have plenty of Canon gripes, but I consider Sony a 4 letter word.

My broadcast clients range NBC/ESPN/NFL/Lifetime who only need 1080, but there are a handful of savvy producers out there who are willing to shoot select shots in 4k for post cropping and zooms to spice up an edit. I forsee shooting interviews in 4k in the next year or so and that becoming common place, not for the qaulity mind you, but the ability to push in. I do have some doc clients who are going to be pushing for 4k aquisition to satisfy distributors like netflix/amazon.

I know NFL's online dept bought some F55's, but I use my C300mk1 for broadcast pieces for them. But from what I've seen they're shooting rec709, not really utilizing the camera's benefits for anything other than high fps. A big part of the C300's longevity was the adoption of the bigger companies like NBC and HBO. That has a trickle down effect and since the price drop I've seen more small production companies pick them up.

From what I know of the industry, I don't see Sony or Panny pushing a 6k resolution camera under $30k, the broadcast camera companies are going to be conservative on that front. And I honestly don't know what attention grabbing improvements can be made to the F5/55. Panny is a wild card, they've only got one 35mm camera and it's $65k. It'll be interesting to see if they create a professional path for their 4/3 cameras or in fact debut a budget 35mm camera, sub $20k. Given the landscape and the brand recognition of Canon in that market I'm not sure how that would pan out.
 
You nailed it on the head, my clients ask for the c300, no one has ever asked the Ursa.

I guess it all boils down to who you shoot for. If your clients are trusting you to pick the camera, then it's up to you,
But in my world I give them what they want.

I will have made back the difference in price while others are still wondering if they should or not. I learned that lesson the hard way
 
With the c300 mark 1 know hovering around the $6000.00 range, Im sure this is probably why canon is not seeing a major jump on these pre orders. the original c300 mk1 looks more organic and personally pleasing to the eye then the newer mk2, at least from what has come out from the sample footage. Not everyone is needing, nor looking to jump into 4k, and with the offerings of the discounted c300s and the c100 mark II, Im sure the The new c300 will not be jumping off the shelves at its current pricing.
 
jm.gardiner said:
@DLD Agreed. When you get your hands on the mk2 the image quality is quickly apparent. You can't fault canon too much on pricing. The mk1 8bit camera is the most popular camera in the world and they're still selling now. If you had that track record would you sell for less? And for people like myself there are fewer options we consider. I will not consider a Blackmagic camera for my pro work. It's just not an option. I'm based in LA and for the work that I do, primarily 2k rarely 4k, swinging from broadcast/doc/music video/narrative my options were really between an Amira/alexa mini/Varicam/Epic/C300mk2/F5/55. Once you consider that you're not likely to use a Red camera for a documentary and the price of the other cameras that leaves Canon and Sony and I have plenty of Canon gripes, but I consider Sony a 4 letter word...
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Some people look at it as an overpriced FS7 ... but, provided the specs ain't lying, others will look at it as a bargain Alexa (and, btw, it clearly bests Alexa in resolution with its 4K sensor and may even edge it on the dynamic range). And, if this happens, it won't be the FS7 clients asking for it.


I know NFL's online dept bought some F55's, but I use my C300mk1 for broadcast pieces for them. But from what I've seen they're shooting rec709, not really utilizing the camera's benefits for anything other than high fps. A big part of the C300's longevity was the adoption of the bigger companies like NBC and HBO. That has a trickle down effect and since the price drop I've seen more small production companies pick them up.
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NFL Films junked their ancient 16mm cams and bought a bunch of Amiras. I hear Roger Goodell can afford it. But the NFL can shoot in Faux 4K and not give a darn. The image is gorgeous and the investment is a drop in a bucket.

The various Euro channels like RAI (Italy) have tested F55 for 4K soccer (football) broadcasts. Sony apparently shot several games of the last World Cup on about 30 F55's and promised to release a DVD/Blu-Ray of the event but I've not heard anything about it since. of course, the 4K Blu-Ray isn't going to be out for a few more months anyway.

From what I know of the industry, I don't see Sony or Panny pushing a 6k resolution camera under $30k, the broadcast camera companies are going to be conservative on that front. And I honestly don't know what attention grabbing improvements can be made to the F5/55.
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They're going for 8K in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 8K cams have been tested for several years now. Red Weapon is going to be 8K on arrival this summer, so the big boys will have to catch up quickly. Mind you, Sony already manufactures the Full Frame (which is what Weapon is) 50 MPX sensor for Canon 5Ds/r line. A few tweaks and it should easily fit the F65 replacement. then you migrate the F65 sensor into an F55 body and voila!

Panny is a wild card, they've only got one 35mm camera and it's $65k. It'll be interesting to see if they create a professional path for their 4/3 cameras or in fact debut a budget 35mm camera, sub $20k. Given the landscape and the brand recognition of Canon in that market I'm not sure how that would pan out
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I think Panasonic is moving toward an s35 size sensor on all of their non-broadcast cameras. Where it's going to fit is anyone's guess.

reem12 said:
With the c300 mark 1 know hovering around the $6000.00 range, Im sure this is probably why canon is not seeing a major jump on these pre orders. the original c300 mk1 looks more organic and personally pleasing to the eye then the newer mk2, at least from what has come out from the sample footage. Not everyone is needing, nor looking to jump into 4k, and with the offerings of the discounted c300s and the c100 mark II, Im sure the The new c300 will not be jumping off the shelves at its current pricing.
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My opinion is that the main customer base for MK II will be major entertainment companies, who will have dozens of them sitting under a lock and key but instantly available. In other words, it won't be the C100 customers but F55/Amira/Alexa customers because, if they believe that they can save a lot of money by selecting a cheaper product with a similar performance, most of them will go that way if the choice is between three MK II's or one Amira. To quote Sun Tzu, "Quantity has a quality of its own".
 
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jm.gardiner said:
...I'm based in LA and for the work that I do, primarily 2k rarely 4k, swinging from broadcast/doc/music video/narrative my options were really between an Amira/alexa mini/Varicam/Epic/C300mk2/F5/55...
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There is one problem with your list of cameras - we know what they are (even Alexa Mini) with one exception - C300MK2. Yes, we have specs but what we don't have is any more or less good understanding of the image that comes out of it. If you have an access to the camera, good for you. Because people I know have little idea of what this camera is capable of. Specs are mostly a food to chew and speculate. Then comes real life.

It's not accidental that C300 M1 became so popular. But I think to assume automatically that C300 M2 will repeat the success of its predecessor is not wise. So far all we know about M2 image is that lousy video (sorry for my terminology - but in my universe it is) which is supposed to illustrate how good C300 M2 is (and allegedly sponsored by Canon). It does illustrates certain things; I cannot deny that. But the overall image (not describable in terms of specs) is significantly worse in that video than what comes from C300 M1.

BTW, I wish Canon all the success, and if it really delivers in terms of IQ, I'll be happy to revise my price tag of $12K and buy it at the price offered. But until then, all I can say to these talks about C300 M2s flying off the shelves is that what goes up can go down.
 
For those saying there is a lack of orders for the new MK II, not the case here. We've almost filled our first PO with orders and will put in a second PO very soon. That is on par for what I experienced in November and December of 2011 with the first C300.. In terms of what the camera can do picture wise, the current C300 has an amazing picture, the best in low light, and 12+ stops of DR. You can guaranty yourself the new MK II's chip is even better in all departments. It's not like they are starting from scratch....and Canon is a very conservative company so if they are putting on paper 15 stops of DR, you can count on it being true, if not an understatement.
As for the video "Trick Shot", they were using hand built proto-prototypes, not even first run prototypes that are typically used for these promo films.....let alone the finished product we'll see come September. I have zero concern about how good the picture, the color science, the "DNA" that this new camera will have. Canon doesn't "beta test" their cameras on customers....


Jim Martin
EVSonline.com
 
@DLD
- For the client who thinks the FS7 is overpriced, my C300 mk1 will work for those jobs.
- I was speaking of NFL Network not NFL films. Their online department out of LA has two F55 and their TV features department hires freelancers with cameras that they approve.
- 8k, sure aqquiring isn't the problem. Broadcasting is. In Japan they'll be fine, but in the USA we'll be getting HD or 4k broadcast if it's ready by then.
- Sony does not make the sensor for the Canon 5D. They do make sensors for Nikon though.
- Panny, looking forward too whatever they produce in the 35mm range, I'm a fan of their cameras.


@Silyn
- Living in LA has it's advantages, sorry. I'm also 5 minutes from Canon Hollywood so the mount changes aren't as worrisome for me as it might be for others. I have to echo what Jim mentioned as well. Canon though stingy with their specs are usually quite honest about performance. I can't say the same for many other camera manufacturers.
- Transitions always take time, By the end of the year there will be a few early adopters. I know HBO's VICE is going with the mk2 and they're certainly a trendsetter for docu/news style shows. In the arena I work in for TV clients you have production companies who prefer the sony look, (mainly F55's only seen one F5 in the wild) and others who prefer the canon look. The canon guys have been awaiting an update and they'll jump on this.
- The short film "Trick Shot", nothing alleged about it. It was the launch film. Untastefully colored in many people's opinion, including my own. I was at the launch of the F5/55 and those films weren't much better.
 
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