Probably like everyone else I would love this camera but not at that price!

What a camera. I did not even bother to look at the new lenses, though I should, I am a fan of Canon DSLR products, though I don't currently own any.

I can always dream...

I don't know if I'd want to use this camera for weddings, though for other projects it would be amazing. It seems to be targeted much more towards narratives than the AF100 is. I wonder if they've got somthing coming that is more orientated towards live event shooters (af would be a good start!)

I think for anybody who is already using Canon DSLR's at events that this would be a huge upgrade to their quality they are producing but a bigger benefit would be that even if your rate stayed the same it would pay for itself in time that you do not need to transcoded footage since your media comes right off the camera in an editable format. It looks good to me and its tempting to buy it but its hard to put that kind of money out when its in a similar price range to Scarlet, and doesn't offer that much more than the F3 and at that price the F3 comes with 3 cinema lenses.

The higher sensitivity over the Scarlet may be a factor for some people deciding between the two cameras.

The C300 is currently being offered at one UK dealer for less than their price for the basic F3 without lenses.

I will definitely rent it for a weekend as soon as it'll be available, and looking at the RED delivery rates I will most likely put my hands on C300 before my scarlet will arrive, but I doubt it'll outperform scarlet, not because of "4K", but because of scarlet's ability to shoot raw,
but we'll see

I got my hands on one the other day at camera showcase at the BBC here in Scotland.

It IS a very nice camera, solid build quality (Sony fs100 and panny af101 felt very 'plasticy' in comparison.

Both the EVF and the LCD were very nice. The canon rep said they were they exact same as what's in the XF305.

Now that this is Canons first large sensor proper video camera, I'd put my money on other models coming out. With the same sensor but more OR less features/extras

Whether these other models will be more or less expensive is anyone's guess, and if they come out in 2012 or beyond, again, anyone's guess.

For example, the same body with less outputs (no genlock, timecode, SDI etc...) no lcd screen (which is completely removable on the C300 anyway) and a few less bells and whistles, for a few grand less? That would be nice, they could call it the c100 and charge £6k for it:)

At £10k plus VAT, it's outta my price range, but I'm sure I'll rent it for a weekend when that becomes available (as long as the rental houses don't take the pi$$)

Got to play with one at a Canon event here in Portland, Oregon.

I was hoping not to like it as much as I do.

It just feels so good in your hands... and it's beautifully designed. I't probably going to be a rental for me but I want one so bad. Come on Canon, not too late to street this at $4999!

At £20k plus VAT, it's outta my price range, but I'm sure I'll rent it for a weekend when that becomes available (as long as the rental houses don't take the pi$$)

The C300 is for sale at £10k plus VAT at Visual Impact.

The C300 is for sale at £10k plus VAT at Visual Impact.

Typo, meant £10k + VAT :)

I have been holding out for the 5D mkiii, but from what I can tell from all of the rumor sites as well as the announced 1DX, I think that the 5Dmiii will probably be marginally better at video than the current 5D. That is just pure guess from here, but it looks like Canon is wanting to split the lines. What I'm looking for is Canon's answer to the Sony FS100. The FS100 is the one I would buy right now if I needed to. I'm just wanting the Canon equivalent so that I can use all of my lenses.
The C300 is an amazing camera for the price and two years ago would have cost you a fortune. I just can't justify the cost for what we do. The majority of our work is only HD on the web (so sad) and DVD to the client.
Hopefully between CES/NAB, we will see something that will make us excited. I actually just purchased another 5D from B&H on sale for 2K. As long as our clients are happy (and the checks don't bounce), we are happy.

I shoot a lot of weddings and I am strongly considering this camera as my new workhorse. I've been waiting 2 years for a proper replacement to my DSLRs. It will be a great day when videographers no longer need photographer's cameras.

But there is one thing about this camera that is really disappointing when it comes to run & gun operation. The placement of the audio level dials! I need to be able to quickly adjust levels while recording. How can we do that when the freakin' dial is on top of the camera? And if you have the handle on, it's even higher!

With the EX1, the dials were right by my ear. With my 5D rig, my JuicedLink is right in front of my left eye. Having it on top is really disappointing. The manual says there is a way to change the level in the menu but that doesn't seem like a good solution.

Anyone else concerned about this?

Agree, I am not too crazy about the detachable LCD/Audio module either. A detachable, repositionable LCD is a good concept but the audio module should have been built into the C300 body and the controls properly located in full view of the operator.

Right. So I'm hoping there is some way to mount the monitor and XLRs off camera. If it could be mounted on rails to the left of the camera then it could work well. But it looks like the monitor communicates with the camera through the shoe so I'm guessing this isn't going to work. And even if it did, we'd need Canon to sell longer audio cables (those proprietary ones).

Spectacular camera indeed. However when price is factored into the equation, this camera doesn't make sense for anything but feature films/hollywood.

DSLRs are really tough to beat at their price range. Granted the C300 trounces them however it's not even as much of a difference as, say, a VX2100 to a Sony EX-1. For this reason I think the standard VDSLRs will be going for quite a while.

Gotta disagree with you there Glen. If I was doing a feature, I would probably be looking at Epic or Alexa. I understand the C300 may not be right for you, but I can tell you it is right for a lot of smaller guys making a living with their camera, including myself. The EF mount makes it a clear winner (for me) over the F3. Canon knows exactly what they're doing.

Absolutely! On board codec is far enough for most people! Also many people want to use their existing ef lenses, as myself...add these features to FS100 for example..You need couple of grands more..and the price is getting more acceptable !
R

Right. So I'm hoping there is some way to mount the monitor and XLRs off camera. If it could be mounted on rails to the left of the camera then it could work well. But it looks like the monitor communicates with the camera through the shoe so I'm guessing this isn't going to work. And even if it did, we'd need Canon to sell longer audio cables (those proprietary ones).

WHOA check out this video at 1:56!!!

They mounted the LCD off camera! It must communicate through the audio interface! Wow I just got way more excited! Mine should be shipping Monday or Tuesday.

Whatever There Was with Vincent Laforet on Vimeo

Hi Graham, I was at that event too. Yes the LCD module has some cables that are connected to the body. The thing is the XLR ports are on that unit. Without that LCD module the body is mute! The comforting thing is the handle can be removed with the LCD module mounted directly above the cam. Makes the profile lower. I gotta say i really dig this camera. There are some weird placements but it is much better than FS100 (with the price difference it has to be!)

I tried to simulate doing a low dolly shot and it worked well, very balanced with the handle. The built in ND filter is awesome, and the aperature is very easy to change for canon lens. It will work very well for weddings. YEs it is heavier than a 5D2 with the same lens but with that proper audio n useable codec i do not mind. Would love to own one now but the price is really out of reach currently. I'm planning to wait till NAB (I have news that something sexy is on the way) to see how it pans out. Hopefully Canon would react with a price shift by then (like the XF300 series).

3 mths to go!

Yea, it's going to be a little funny with the XRLs coming into the LCD unit. But it'll just require some rig experimentation. I wish they would have included a cheap little internal mic for reference sound when you don't have another source. But no big deal, just means I'll always carry a shotgun with the camera.