InCinematographer - Issue 3 - 20
20 www.incinematographer.com | Issue 3 C700: Impressive Latitude, Thoroughly Consistent Cinematographer Jimmy Matlosz takes Canon's EOS C700 cinema camera out for a trial run and pauses for dinner by moonlight... E arlier this year Canon released the EOS C700, the most robust, fully functional, cinema camera yet offered by the digital pioneer. The new beefier body design is complimentary to many of the burgeoning digital cinema cameras currently on the market, which Canon has continued to go toe to toe with. Now with the C700, they are poised and ready to take a bigger chunk of the cinematic market head on. The C700 is a serious camera, not that the C300 and C500 were not, mind you, their image quality and resolution offerings are still some of the best on the high end market. But now and as much as this may seem old school, they have housed all of their incredible technology in a proper larger studio style body. For some, who constantly crave smaller and lighter this may not be a game changer, then there are those who crave and understand the need for a stronger, more physically reliable and durable set up, one that can handle large cinematic lenses, matte boxes, proper viewfinders, on board monitors and larger capacity batteries and that is exactly what the C700 does. Proving Ground The C700 was put through some rigorous testing, as I have with plenty of cameras before; between some 'one man' interview style shoots, action footage, tripod mount and hand held, exterior and interior, night and day as well as a fun little bit of time lapse thrown in for good measure. The camera was tossed and turned, strapped into a seat over rough terrain, traipsed down a bike path for half a mile, subject to flares and challenging exposures, and left to capture a moon trajectory while I made dinner. And I am happy to say, it performed flawlessly. Beginning with menu, Canon has always offered one of the most comprehensive and intuitive menus of any digital camera on the market, arguably many of the more user-friendly menus on competitor cameras are influenced by the Canon design, and the C700 continues that tradition. The 'smart side' or operators left side, built-in menu is quick and easy Super 35mm 4.5k sensor to access and understand, with the most important elements key to a cinematographers success and creativity at their fingertips: Just Press, Scroll and Click and you are on your way, it really is that simple. Arguably the most important setting would be 'COLOR' this is where you set your capture settings, your recording format, this menu setting is truly ground zero for any project captured on the C700. The label 'COLOR', might imply, viewing color or 'LOOK', however, I reiterate, this is truly where you set the recording format for your production. Rather than bore you with the multitude of options and details, I am sure you would rather access a video created by Canon on their own YouTube channel and presented by Loren Simons of the Canon support facility, in Burbank, CA on how to configure your capture settings. Spend a few moments learning this and knowing this and you will master the use of your C700. Once 'COLOR' is set move freely amongst any of the following: Frame rates (FPS) variable from 1fps-60fps in what one would assume to be the most common resolution and codec 4k XF-AVC. Then there are a plethora of additional frame rate options with a variety of codecs and internal settings including 4:2:2 10-bit center crop 2k, which allows for frame rates up to 240fps. (NOTE: Canon has teamed up with CODEX for an external dockable recorder to allow for RAW 4k and 4.5k with frame rates including 120fps and 100fps respectively, this option is available however was not used for this camera review.) The C700 allows for shutter angle options just as easily attained as frame rate options, from 1-360 degrees, and ASA (ISO) from 160 to an insane see in the shadows in the dark 102,400ASA, all accessible and easy to change and lock in. In addition to these important features, there is an iris adjustment setting, which was not used, due to the fact that this test was performed using PL mount lenses; as such this is more applicable to an EF lens. White Balance setting (WB) offers standard presets like 3200K, 4300K, 5600K, but allows the user to set up a wide array of personal choices from 2000K all the way up to an extreme 15,000K tickling the edge of ultraviolet and offering a fanciful palette of in Flagship: EOS C700 Cinema Camera camera color options. The C700 also comes with an external control panel exactly like the internal control panel, which may be mounted on an adjustable arm and positioned to your liking, or mounted in the right side of the camera with two small screws. Intuitive Tool More and more, digital cinema cameras seem to be complimenting one another and becoming a common user-friendly tool for all. There were no surprises with the C700. Out of the box, it really is as intuitive as they come. The real proof is what you do with it, how you use it, and how you can integrate it with other Canon cameras, lenses and accessories, or even that of the competitor. The C700 comes with a built in V-mount battery mount on the back, which helps to counterbalance the weight of a Canon Cine Zoom which you are sure to want to use. Upon hitting the power button, you will certainly be impressed with the speed of startup and readiness, just seconds between pressing 'POWER' and rolling, with confidence that you are getting all that you see through the clear, sharp and detail oriented viewfinder. Speaking of the viewfinder, it truly is impressive, comfortable and easily adjustable. I like the heads up displays, and I used the overlay waveform quite a bit; it came in handy in a pinch. Did I mention the built in ND filters? Certainly a plus, for quick operation, increments set in classic Kodak measurements of .06, 1.2, 1.8, 2.4 and 3.0, from 2-10 stops that is. The C700 has very impressive latitude, and seems to see deep into the shadows with little or no noise. I comfortably switched to a lower ASA of 160 for