C300: What DSLR B-Camera for the Canon C300

brettsherman

brettsherman

Well-known member
I need to get a small DSLR B-cam for the times I shoot 1 person, 2 cameras. Now that Canon announced the 7D Mark II and confirmed my suspicions but dashed my hopes, I think I can probably move on.

The two in contention for me are the GH4 and A7S. Since I can now put Canon glass on either, they are both viable options. My concerns on the GH4 boil down to it's lack of low-light capabilities. My concern on the A7S is rolling shutter for handheld work, which is how I usually use the B-camera. Are there any other cameras I should be considering in the same price range? And does anyone have experience in matching with the C300?
 
GH4 ($1700) + EF Speedbooster ($600) + Large memory cards for 4k ($200) + batteries ($120) = $2620
A7S ($2500) + Metabones Canon EF Adapter ($370) + batteries ($300) = $3170
Used C100 without autofocus ($3800 + batteries ($180) = $3980 - Not having to color match in post ($$$$)
 
Yeah I get it. But I can't get a C300 and a C100 in a carry-on bag. We already have a C100 here when we need it. But this would be a camera that just lives in my case.
 
Last time I flew with gear I fit two C100's in my backpack which went under the airplane seat along with three lenses, a GH2, large laptop, microphones, Tascam recorder, and headphones. Backpack weighed 30 lbs, and lighting kit went in my primary carry-on at 60 lbs. Checked bag for tripods, slider, more lighting gear at 50 lb.

1DC is probably the best option if money isn't an issue. Otherwise it comes down to what is more important, internal 4k or better low light. Might also want to consider the new Samsung NX1; with a 1.5 crop sensor it could easily be better than the GH4 in low light.
 
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Try renting a Sony RX10 and see if that works for you. That's what I've been using with my C100. It can sometimes be tricky to match color but it's very sharp. Far sharper than my 5KmkII and 60D. And now the RX10 has the XAVC-S 50mb/s codec. I chose to the RX10 because I wanted something compact that would easily fit into a single shoulder bag with my C100 and lenses. The RX10 has a great 24-200mm Zeiss lens with fixed f2.8 aperture so no need to share lenses. Makes a good slider cam, too.
 
DNN said:
Try renting a Sony RX10 and see if that works for you.
Click to expand...

How do you find it does in low light? What ISO would you top out at for useable footage (or at least whose noise profile wouldn't be radically different than the C300)
 
It's a one inch sensor so obviously not as good as the C100/C300. Better than 1/3" sensor cameras that I've used. For me it works well enough since I'm mostly using it in the day or with lights. I haven't used it much in low light since upgrading to the XAVC-S codec last month. If you want, I can shoot something and send it to you. PM me your email address.
 
Not necessary. I have an RX100 Mark III which I'd imagine is similar in it's capabilities since it's likely the same sensor. I guess I need to scrutinize some footage from that camera to see how it compares. Somehow I think the quality is not going to be on par with what a GH4 can accomplish, at any ISO.
 
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