C100: Grab bag of C100 questions

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pmcdonald

Active member
Hey everyone,

I'm a new C100 (Mk2) user, coming from the Sony FS700/100 and 5D. I have a few questions about the Canon I was hoping to trouble the forum with. (I'm working through as much testing as I can before shooting paid jobs but there's a limit to how much practical experience I can jam into a few days!)

My questions are:
  1. How good is the hand grip mounted mic? Do we need an external shotgun? We lapel or boom all our critical audio, so this is just for backup and atmos if that helps judge what I mean by 'good'.
  2. Following on from that, I also hear the auto gain is reasonable as well. Obviously there's no substitute for setting and monitoring levels properly but at a pinch is it usable?
  3. There's no way to punch the magnify mode in tighter is there? I prefer the 10x of the 5D to really check eye focus.
  4. Can anyone recommend a 1/4" to cold shoe adaptor for the back hand grip mount? We regularly shoot with two radio mics attached to the bare bones camera with the FS700, so it's a shame to see this second position go to waste on the C100. Was looking at something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-Hot-Col...824?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a9b7db460
  5. Is it true you should turn the camera off before changing lenses? I can't find any reference to it in the manual, and it does seem an odd practise compared to every other HDSLR I've used.
  6. Any general tips or tricks of the C100 people would like to share? The big difference coming from an FS700 seems to be the beautiful ergonomics - they really encourage me to have a lot more fun shooting - and the amount the ISO can be pushed. And I thought the Sony had good low light...
Cheers!
 
I am thinking of adding a C100 Mark 2 to the arsenal later in the year and would also love to know the answers to the above =)

Great to hear you are enjoying its ergonomics, that's one of the main draws for me with everything reportedly at your fingertips.

A few questions for you, if you don't mind me jumping on your thread:
1) How do you find the size compared to your 5D? I film weddings with GH3/GH4s and the size is very beneficial for keeping unobtrusive
2) What do you think will be your main workhorse lens? I'm most tempted by the 17-55mm 2.8 as I need/want 24mm equivalent, but not sure of the cons of it not being an L lens
3) How do you find the EVF? If I were to got for it I'd be doing so for the "all-in-one"-ness. I'd be gutted if the EVF wasn't really usable
 
James Fisher said:
I am thinking of adding a C100 Mark 2 to the arsenal later in the year and would also love to know the answers to the above =)

Great to hear you are enjoying its ergonomics, that's one of the main draws for me with everything reportedly at your fingertips.

A few questions for you, if you don't mind me jumping on your thread:
1) How do you find the size compared to your 5D? I film weddings with GH3/GH4s and the size is very beneficial for keeping unobtrusive
2) What do you think will be your main workhorse lens? I'm most tempted by the 17-55mm 2.8 as I need/want 24mm equivalent, but not sure of the cons of it not being an L lens
3) How do you find the EVF? If I were to got for it I'd be doing so for the "all-in-one"-ness. I'd be gutted if the EVF wasn't really usable
Click to expand...

Very happy to throw my 2 cents in after one entire week of use - take everything that follows with a grain of salt...

1) Size is brilliant. It's smaller than I was expecting, about the bulk of two 5D's strapped together. You'll get more attention with a C100 over a GH3/4 or 5D due to its unusual form factor and big top handle. Forsake your XLR's and remove that and it almost fits in the palm.

2) We shoot mainly doco and corporate, so I've opted for two kits.

For fast and dirty outdoor doco work I opted for the 18-135 STM over the 24-105 due to the greater range and autofocus benefits. It's a seriously underrated lens. The aperture compensation in the C100 neutralises the variable aperture range. The 24-105 is sharper at the centre but looks similar or worse at the mid and edges. At least that has been my experience. I pair it with the Canon 10-22. The 10-22 is a good workhorse - it doesn't have the sparkle sparkle baby of the Tokina 11-16 but is a little more flexible in the field. Similar IQ to the Tokina if you get a good copy (I've had 10-22's soft on alternating sides).

When time and concept permit we have the above plus Canon 50 f1.4, 85 f1.8, Sigma 18-35 f1.8 and Sigma 70-200 f2.8. The two Canon primes are our stock for interviews. The Sigma 70-200 is pending a splurge on a Canon 70-200 II IS. And the Sigma 18-35 is still on back order but I have lofty expectations for it. Assuming we get a working copy. 3 primes in 1! The EF lenses get shared with our 5D for 2nd camera coverage.

I see the 18-135 and 18-35 being the lenses we use 80% of the time, backed up by the 5D with the 70-200.

Where possible I've opted for sub-f2.8 lenses, hence the primes and the 18-35. I personally don't think 2.8 gives enough depth to get things really lovely and buttery for an image under about 70mm. We had a holy trinity Nikon kit for our FS700 of the 14-24 f.28, 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8. It was expensive glass that didn't quite deliver on a crop sensor camera. So that's why I'm giving the expensive L lenses a miss for the time being. After a few jobs we'll evaluate how the lens kit is working.

3) I need to spend more time with it but the EVF looks good to me. I have no trouble finding focus or judging exposure. The size is fine for my eyes. Coming from the FS700 with its ridiculous snorkel 'viewfinder' it seems like the height of luxury. I'm not a fan of external viewfinders for the work we do. We shoot fast, break down quick and often work in cramped conditions, so between the OLED and EVF I think the C100 will have us covered.

We have an intensive week of filming in the field next week so everything up to this point has been practise but I've got to say, this camera has got me seriously excited. Straight out of the box it felt so much easier to use than our current gear. I'm impressed with the shots, I like the Canon look and how it treats skintones. Convincing our company to buy another C100 Mk2 is now at the top of my to do list!
 
Brilliant, seriously helpful information for my decision making process. Thank you!

You sound excited, which is fantastic. It's nice when a piece of gear facilities your work. I adore my Panasonic gear, but for some reason I keep researching the Mark II. It just seems to tick all the boxes, and if I can grow the commercial side of things as planned this year it will become a no-brainer.
 
1. I would put a shotgun on if the audio is anything but reference.
2. Not actually sure.
3. Nah, the punch-in is rubbish (at least on my mk1). Well, usable, but it's still only giving you the 1080p feed. The DSLRs do 1:1 sampling on the sensor or similar, I believe - much better.
4. The one you linked (SmallRig) is good. Solid milled aluminium. Make sure you use a washer.
5. I've never done this and it's been fine.
6. This probably goes without saying, but make sure you fill that waveform. One fact that is good to know is that the internal pre-amps are very very good. Don't trust the top handle; if you camera is rigged up, keep one hand on the bottom.
 
I was told that the turning it off when swapping lenses was due to the sensor picking up dust and not going through the little sensor cleaning vibration process if it's not turned off and on. I didn't think too much about it and haven't bothered with turning it off for a lens swap until I got bit with a good chunk of dust on an outdoor shoot. I guess there's something about the sensor that attracts dust a little more when it's powered too. Attraction from an electrical charge? I don't really know.
I don't think you'll do any damage by not turning it off, just that you run a little higher risk of catching dust if you don't. I'm not a Canon engineer or anything of course, but it does seem reasonable to me.
 
I do not own c100 yet , but I think you can just use nd filter to prevent to get dust on the sensor , every-time when you change lens . I do not know what is easier to clean nd filter or sensor ,Canon is not enough clear in this case . I wish to hear from canon why we should turn of camera , every time , why canon ? Any way I do not do this in my fs100.
 
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