puredrifting
Major Contributor
Hi all:
Nice that Canon just issued the latest firmware update to allow functionality with the CN-e 70-200 T4.4 lens, but...simple game here, just list the operational issues/flaws/opportunities you have found with your Canon C200 that Canon could/should and hopefully will fix via firmware. Canon C200 owners only please. Post below and I will keep updating this list so the first post in the thread contains the whole list. Please no pie in the sky, "enable 10-bit 400Mbps XF-AVC" type issues, interested in real world things that the engineering team overlooked that make the C200 more difficult to use efficiently than it should be. The C200 is my first Canon cinema camera where I feel it really was released prematurely, it feels as if the software/firmware needed one or two more rounds of revisions and refinements to be as bullet proof as my C100 and C300 MKI were upon release.
1. Camera Frame Rate Fix
Fix the camera's default state after switching media formats. If you are shooting 23.98 fps to the SD cards in the C200 and switch to CFast, the camera defaults to shooting 60p. After changing it to shoot 23.98 fps Cinema RAW Light, then switching back to shooting .MP4, the camera will again default to recording 60p. The camera should keep the existing frame rate and raster size constant when switching media.
2. Camera Default State/Factory Setting sends magnify function through HDMI output
Not sure about the SDI output but the camera, from the box, factory settings, sends the Magnify function out through the HDMI. This completely hosed me on one of my early shoots, as I was recording 1080p to an Atomos Ninja Blade and was paying much more attention to the camera's touch screen than the Blade screen and ended up recording the Magnify output to the Blade. The factory default should be to NOT send Magnify out through HDMI.
3. Allow the user to assign a LUT to the HDMI output.
There may be a hardware limitation here but there shouldn't be. How come the C200 can assign a LUT to the SDI output but not the HDMI? I have a Ninja Blade, and a Zacuto EVF Pro, both HDMI devices. So if I want to shoot RAW and or .MP4 using C-Log 3 for instance, I cannot assign a REC-709 LUT to the output to help judge exposure. If I had a Zacuto Gratical or a Shogun Blade, I could use BNC and get that REC-709 LUT. Enable LUTs to the C200's HDMI output.
4. Enable HDMI and SDI output simultaneously
Is the fact that the C200 cannot output video signal to HDMI and SDI at the same time a hardware limitation, or an artificial marketing limitation to differentiate from the C300 MKII?
It can be incredibly frustrating to be recording 1080p to the Ninja Blade via HDMI and to NOT be able to hook up an SDI client monitor. With two new processors that are MORE powerful than the previous generation used in the C300 MKII, logically, there should be NO reason the camera cannot output signal from both. The C300 MKII is almost extinct, the C200 will not be stealing it's market share too much longer before the C300 MKIII or C400 is out so realistically, there is no reason for Canon to not enable this function.
5. Enable UHD recording to Cinema RAW Light and 1080p dual proxy recording to SD cards
4K DCI is cool but for many users, being able to choose to shoot the same format in 16:9 UHD versus 17:9 DCI would be incredibly useful. Most people deliver UHD or 1080 to clients so having to blow up/crop or live with black bars in their deliverables means also another rendering/output pass to deliver final product. Same with the 2K proxies, many would prefer 1080 proxies.
6. Align file naming scheme with Cinema RAW Light and Proxies
Not even sure this is possible but it would be nice if the file naming structure of either the Cinema RAW Light or the proxies could be set up to emulate each other, other than the ".MP4" and ".CRM" suffixes
7. Allow the same 35Mbps 2K proxy recording as a stand alone format
This one seems like an easy fix. Many, many users would like the ability to record 2K .MP4s without having to roll Cinema RAW Light. This function, in no way would impinge on the C300 MKIIs 2K 12-bit XF-AVC recording. Come on Canon, just give us this.
8. Better slow motion capability and control
No, not more fps, just better implementation. I did a shoot last week where the client wanted to shoot a pile of records falling past the camera in slow motion. I set up the camera at 120 fps and shot, we played back and client was relatively happy, even with the softer quality. But then they asked if we could shoot it at 60 fps instead of 120 fps. When I had to tell them, yes, we can shoot it at 60p but I can't play it back for you at 23.98 because the camera doesn't allow it, that was disappointing. Also, why only one speed of slow motion?!? Why not implement VFR that allows from 1 fps to 120 fps? That can't be that difficult to implement, heck even my ancient HPX-170 can do it from 1-60 fps.
9. Make interval/time lapse recording possible in Cinema RAW Light
Right now, this is only possible with .MP4, which is prone to artifacting due to it's relatively low bit and data rate. Why not give users the ability to record time lapse and or interval recording at the highest quality 12-bit DCI and or UHD?
10. Make the joystick select function on the C200 the same as the C100
Many of us own or owned a C100 before we bought the C200. With the C100, you can use the grip joystick to both activate and select quick menu function shortcuts like WB, ISO, etc. with one touch of the joystick pushed in to activate the menu and then using the joystick to select the function you want to change, it's MUCH better when operating shoulder mounted. On the C200, you must activate the quick select menu using the "+" button on the left-hand side of the body, then you can select function to change with any of the three joysticks. Please allow any of the three joysticks to activate this quick select function merely by pressing in on the joystick as you did for the C100.
11. The viewfinder display when aperture values are set to increment in 1/3 stop, they display in 1/2 stops.
It can be seen in 1/3 adjustments are indeed being made as I turn the dial, but it would be nice to see the 1/3 stops indicated in the viewfinder.
12. HDMI monitoring output is inconsistent
Many have tired outputting signal from the C200 to various outboard monitors and there seems to be no way to display anything other than 50p and 59.94p on many many, but not all monitors. Canon needs to evaluate the C200's HDMI output with at least the most populat outboard monitors on the market and ensure that 23.98, 25p and 29.97p will display over HDMI.
13. Ability to turn off LCD Touchscreen
It would be nice to have the ability to turn off the LCD to save power when shooting with critically low power. You can just unplug it but it would be nice to be able to have a digital option to turn it off (like an energy saving standby mode or something).
14. Ability to use one XLR input while assigning the other input to internal microphone
You cannot input an XLR microphone to Ch1 and still have internal mono mic assigned to Ch2. Assuming that is fixable in firmware, that would be hugely convenient.
15. Users are seeing streaks of light in ISO 640 shadow areas but not in ISO 800
On page two of this thread, two users confirm they are seeing light streaks in the imager at ISO 640 in shadow areas but not in ISO 800. If possible, a firmware fix for this light streak problem would be good.
16. When C200 is in dual recording mode, file name and numbers are not identical
When dual recording, the footage from slot A is off by ten file numbers from slot B. They should be identical as that is the whole idea behind dual recording, you can have two editors working on the same footage or could have one backup to replace footage if the card or media becomes corrupted. n dual recording i would expect that i get a duplicate in slot B of what is recorded on slot A. The naming of the folders are different in slot A and B for example 106-1212 and 107-1212 , 106/107 are the folder/reel numbers and 1212 the date recorded this makes slot B a different reel not a duplicate! The file numbering inside the folders is off by 1 as well. Ie; if the first of 5 clips in 106-1212 (slot A) is named MVI_0001 followed by 0002,0003,0004,0005, the clips in folder 107_1212 (slot B) are named MVI_0002 followed by 0003,0004,0005,0006. so the clip in A that is named MVI_0001 is named MVI_0002 in slot B, the clips are the same just named differently.
Please add your firmware requests below and I will update this master list with them.
Nice that Canon just issued the latest firmware update to allow functionality with the CN-e 70-200 T4.4 lens, but...simple game here, just list the operational issues/flaws/opportunities you have found with your Canon C200 that Canon could/should and hopefully will fix via firmware. Canon C200 owners only please. Post below and I will keep updating this list so the first post in the thread contains the whole list. Please no pie in the sky, "enable 10-bit 400Mbps XF-AVC" type issues, interested in real world things that the engineering team overlooked that make the C200 more difficult to use efficiently than it should be. The C200 is my first Canon cinema camera where I feel it really was released prematurely, it feels as if the software/firmware needed one or two more rounds of revisions and refinements to be as bullet proof as my C100 and C300 MKI were upon release.
1. Camera Frame Rate Fix
Fix the camera's default state after switching media formats. If you are shooting 23.98 fps to the SD cards in the C200 and switch to CFast, the camera defaults to shooting 60p. After changing it to shoot 23.98 fps Cinema RAW Light, then switching back to shooting .MP4, the camera will again default to recording 60p. The camera should keep the existing frame rate and raster size constant when switching media.
2. Camera Default State/Factory Setting sends magnify function through HDMI output
Not sure about the SDI output but the camera, from the box, factory settings, sends the Magnify function out through the HDMI. This completely hosed me on one of my early shoots, as I was recording 1080p to an Atomos Ninja Blade and was paying much more attention to the camera's touch screen than the Blade screen and ended up recording the Magnify output to the Blade. The factory default should be to NOT send Magnify out through HDMI.
3. Allow the user to assign a LUT to the HDMI output.
There may be a hardware limitation here but there shouldn't be. How come the C200 can assign a LUT to the SDI output but not the HDMI? I have a Ninja Blade, and a Zacuto EVF Pro, both HDMI devices. So if I want to shoot RAW and or .MP4 using C-Log 3 for instance, I cannot assign a REC-709 LUT to the output to help judge exposure. If I had a Zacuto Gratical or a Shogun Blade, I could use BNC and get that REC-709 LUT. Enable LUTs to the C200's HDMI output.
4. Enable HDMI and SDI output simultaneously
Is the fact that the C200 cannot output video signal to HDMI and SDI at the same time a hardware limitation, or an artificial marketing limitation to differentiate from the C300 MKII?
It can be incredibly frustrating to be recording 1080p to the Ninja Blade via HDMI and to NOT be able to hook up an SDI client monitor. With two new processors that are MORE powerful than the previous generation used in the C300 MKII, logically, there should be NO reason the camera cannot output signal from both. The C300 MKII is almost extinct, the C200 will not be stealing it's market share too much longer before the C300 MKIII or C400 is out so realistically, there is no reason for Canon to not enable this function.
5. Enable UHD recording to Cinema RAW Light and 1080p dual proxy recording to SD cards
4K DCI is cool but for many users, being able to choose to shoot the same format in 16:9 UHD versus 17:9 DCI would be incredibly useful. Most people deliver UHD or 1080 to clients so having to blow up/crop or live with black bars in their deliverables means also another rendering/output pass to deliver final product. Same with the 2K proxies, many would prefer 1080 proxies.
6. Align file naming scheme with Cinema RAW Light and Proxies
Not even sure this is possible but it would be nice if the file naming structure of either the Cinema RAW Light or the proxies could be set up to emulate each other, other than the ".MP4" and ".CRM" suffixes
7. Allow the same 35Mbps 2K proxy recording as a stand alone format
This one seems like an easy fix. Many, many users would like the ability to record 2K .MP4s without having to roll Cinema RAW Light. This function, in no way would impinge on the C300 MKIIs 2K 12-bit XF-AVC recording. Come on Canon, just give us this.
8. Better slow motion capability and control
No, not more fps, just better implementation. I did a shoot last week where the client wanted to shoot a pile of records falling past the camera in slow motion. I set up the camera at 120 fps and shot, we played back and client was relatively happy, even with the softer quality. But then they asked if we could shoot it at 60 fps instead of 120 fps. When I had to tell them, yes, we can shoot it at 60p but I can't play it back for you at 23.98 because the camera doesn't allow it, that was disappointing. Also, why only one speed of slow motion?!? Why not implement VFR that allows from 1 fps to 120 fps? That can't be that difficult to implement, heck even my ancient HPX-170 can do it from 1-60 fps.
9. Make interval/time lapse recording possible in Cinema RAW Light
Right now, this is only possible with .MP4, which is prone to artifacting due to it's relatively low bit and data rate. Why not give users the ability to record time lapse and or interval recording at the highest quality 12-bit DCI and or UHD?
10. Make the joystick select function on the C200 the same as the C100
Many of us own or owned a C100 before we bought the C200. With the C100, you can use the grip joystick to both activate and select quick menu function shortcuts like WB, ISO, etc. with one touch of the joystick pushed in to activate the menu and then using the joystick to select the function you want to change, it's MUCH better when operating shoulder mounted. On the C200, you must activate the quick select menu using the "+" button on the left-hand side of the body, then you can select function to change with any of the three joysticks. Please allow any of the three joysticks to activate this quick select function merely by pressing in on the joystick as you did for the C100.
11. The viewfinder display when aperture values are set to increment in 1/3 stop, they display in 1/2 stops.
It can be seen in 1/3 adjustments are indeed being made as I turn the dial, but it would be nice to see the 1/3 stops indicated in the viewfinder.
12. HDMI monitoring output is inconsistent
Many have tired outputting signal from the C200 to various outboard monitors and there seems to be no way to display anything other than 50p and 59.94p on many many, but not all monitors. Canon needs to evaluate the C200's HDMI output with at least the most populat outboard monitors on the market and ensure that 23.98, 25p and 29.97p will display over HDMI.
13. Ability to turn off LCD Touchscreen
It would be nice to have the ability to turn off the LCD to save power when shooting with critically low power. You can just unplug it but it would be nice to be able to have a digital option to turn it off (like an energy saving standby mode or something).
14. Ability to use one XLR input while assigning the other input to internal microphone
You cannot input an XLR microphone to Ch1 and still have internal mono mic assigned to Ch2. Assuming that is fixable in firmware, that would be hugely convenient.
15. Users are seeing streaks of light in ISO 640 shadow areas but not in ISO 800
On page two of this thread, two users confirm they are seeing light streaks in the imager at ISO 640 in shadow areas but not in ISO 800. If possible, a firmware fix for this light streak problem would be good.
16. When C200 is in dual recording mode, file name and numbers are not identical
When dual recording, the footage from slot A is off by ten file numbers from slot B. They should be identical as that is the whole idea behind dual recording, you can have two editors working on the same footage or could have one backup to replace footage if the card or media becomes corrupted. n dual recording i would expect that i get a duplicate in slot B of what is recorded on slot A. The naming of the folders are different in slot A and B for example 106-1212 and 107-1212 , 106/107 are the folder/reel numbers and 1212 the date recorded this makes slot B a different reel not a duplicate! The file numbering inside the folders is off by 1 as well. Ie; if the first of 5 clips in 106-1212 (slot A) is named MVI_0001 followed by 0002,0003,0004,0005, the clips in folder 107_1212 (slot B) are named MVI_0002 followed by 0003,0004,0005,0006. so the clip in A that is named MVI_0001 is named MVI_0002 in slot B, the clips are the same just named differently.
Please add your firmware requests below and I will update this master list with them.
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