Canon makes a difference with its new C500mkii and C300mkiii cameras

In the year that Canon now has launched these two interesting models with interesting novelties in terms of their capture and file characteristics that make a difference with respect to other models of its range.

In the last year, the Cinema Division of Canon has brought a couple of camera models to the market, C500MkII and C300MkIII, with interesting novelties in terms of their capture and file characteristics that make a difference with respect to other models of their range and that make them more than recommended options for all types of audiovisual productions.

Both cameras share in their design the same Ergonomics, disposition and use of aid and interface tools with which Canon is accustomed. In addition, they have the internal recording option RAW LIGHT 10/12 bits that Canon already incorporated into the C200 model. Beyond this, each of the models has specific characteristics such as full frame sensor size for C500mkii and the new DLO sensor that allows an expanded dynamic range for C300mkiii that will allow, choosing one or the other, get the best image results for each project.

C500MKII, Full Frame

For a while to this part, manufacturers of digital movie cameras bet on their catalogs with models that have sensor sizes of Full Frame The Full Photogram (36x24mm). This size allows you to be much more precise with the depth of field than with the classic Super35 size.

It should be remembered that for equivalent vision angles, the Full Frame chambers have to Use lenses with higher focal distances. As a consequence of this, the depth of the field is reduced because as we know, it depends on the opening of the diaphragm, the distance to the object and the focal distance.

The new C500mkii incorporates a full frame sensor (38.1 × 20.1mm) that allows, using the same opening and naturally, pointing to the viewer that relevant in the plane, falling out to the funds more easily than with cameras that work with super35 size sensors.

The camera also has a maximum spatial resolution of 5.9K that allows, for mastery in 4K or lower, have room for re -scalls or image stabilizations. It is appreciated that Canon, to obtain a greater resolution, it has not sacrificed the size of Pixel (6.4micras) because, from my point of view, the efficiency in the capture of light by the sensor, it depends in part the size of the pixel: the higher it is, the more efficient it will be and less noise will present the image in low luminosity conditions.

Canon C300MkIII

This past spring, Canon announced that the new C300mkiii would come out with news. At first glance, the most striking thing is that the exterior design is equal to its older sister C500MKII although the really important thing is the new sensor that incorporates new technology called Dgo (Dual Gain Output) which supposes in practice an extension of the dynamic range of the camera by providing it with 16stops.

The C300MKIII is thus located in the small number of digital film cameras that reach that number. This system has two parallel gain circuits in the sensor, one dedicated to the upper part of the signal and the other to the lower part, thus, not only expand the dynamic range but also making it more efficiently.

RAW Light 12 bits

Both cameras have the possibility of Internal recording at Raw Light 10/12 bits (.CRM) which is a true revolution in the chances of recording for cameras of its range.

Working in this RAW file, still compressed, means having sampled RGB files at 12 or 10 bits in color depth without posterior color submourers that allow a large margin of intervention in the plane during the Etalonage process. Today, any director of photography is interested in working with files that keep the maximum potential Possible to be able, in the final phase of the project, do a much more precise and interesting job in the final process with the rolled material. It is about being able to get much further in aesthetics or ‘look’ that has worked on filming set.

To lighten the size, the file uses a compression that makes it more reasonable in terms of material management (hard drives ...). This compression makes them between a third and fifth smaller than the RAW Uncompedsed files used by the major model of the Cinema range, the C700FF.

Both cameras have, of course, the possibility of working in lighter and more efficient files in relation to their weight such as the XF-AVC to adapt to productions in which the intervention in the plane is not so decisive and that it is the efficiency in the management of large amounts of files.

Workflow

Currently, any professional editing system is able to open the archivos RAW Light They generate, both the C500MKII and the C300MKIII, although it is true that it is not necessary.

A good solution for an efficient workflow would be: to record in parallel and at the same time in camera a main file in RAW and another of lower image quality (the so -called proxi). This low file allows any editing system and almost any computer, regardless of their capabilities, to edit work without problems.

Once the assembly was closed, a .xml (or similar) file that contains all the information of the Timeline cuts would be exported. The color finish system would open this file and the RAW Light files for ethalonage would be revinced taking advantage of all the intervention capabilities that said file contains.