Canon C100 Autofocus Upgrade - Vote Now

Firstly, I should mention that Canon has finally replaced my nostalgic love for the Panasonic DVX/HVX series with the Cinema EOS series. I feel like with all the recent and frequent updates to the C100, it's going to be around for a while. Finally, a legacy camera that reviles the Panasonic DVX100-A cult following from 8 years ago. Who wants to buy a new camera every year anyway?

So as you may or may not have heard, Canon recently introduced another update to the C100 - Full blown auto focus. This is something that video cameras have simply never been able to get right in the past but after you watch this review from Philip Bloom, Canon is getting closer and closer.

So the real question is, at $500 a pop, who thinks this is a good investment for us? Vote with your comments.

Canon Cinema EOS Reels

As much as I wish they were my reels, these are two reels from Canon that debuted at NAB and PhotoPlus in 2013 showcasing work created with the Cinema EOS series of cameras (C100, C300, C500, 5D, and 1DX).

There are two things that stood out to me about these reels...

Firstly, the C100, 300, and 500 share the same sensor but different guts so I'm surprised how different the images that they produce can be. Some look very cinematic while other are prone to that "video" look. I'm really interested in getting that film-look with our C100. And secondly, because everyone is posting their reels (be it real or fake - Brent), I like the way they incorporated musical changes and even sound effects into the reel. Things like the carefully placed chimes and echoes make it feel more like a trailer than a reel.

Deliver The Story: The Canon Showreel at PhotoPlus 2013 from Canon Pro on Vimeo.

Canon Professional Cameras – On set and on location from Canon Pro on Vimeo.

P.S. There's a lot of good, educational, and inspirational stuff on Canon Pro's Vimeo account.

Imagine the Possibilities - C100 Edition

This is kind of an extension of a previous post of mine. I'm a recent subscriber to the Cinematic Canon C100 channel on Vimeo; I'm always interested what other people are doing with similar equipment.

I've included a few of my favorite examples below. How can we continue to push our gear and get the most out of it?

Instant from Neighborhood Sandbox on Vimeo.

Carry On Only - Short Film from Chris Loope on Vimeo.

Canon Cinema EOS - Branded Entertainment

There are a bunch of these branded entertainment films on Canon's site but here are the few that were showcased at the content theater at NAB. Each film highlights a specific Cinema EOS camera (C100, C300, C500 and the 1DC). I'm also including the Behind the scenes for each film. I think one idea is that could take a similar approach and talk about our experiences with each camera in addition to filming something...

C100

C300

C500

1DC

The Mark III, C300 and Red Scarlet in a Nightime Bike Race

In lieu of our recent conversations around what's going to be our next camera, I found this video comparing the low light capabilities of the 5D Mark III, the C300 and the Red Scarlet. Keep in mind that this is far from a perfect test. It seems like giant spot lights were scattered across the track and I can't seem to find any information on the aperture or ISO for the different angles; I assume that it was pretty balanced. I think the best pieces of evidence are toward the end where they are interviewing the biker. What does everyone else think?

The Canon 5D Mark III, Canon C300, and Red Scarlet at a Nighttime Bike Race from Hello World Communications on Vimeo.