Review of C100

Mikon Haaksman · January 20th, 2014, 11:31 PM

So I purchased a C100 not long ago and decided to write ups review about it. Less about the specs, and more about why I decided to go with one. I don't know if this writeup will help in anyone's decision making process, but you can find it here: Mikon Haaksman: A Review of the Canon C100

In an nutshell, I've gone from working with Betacam all the way around to the C300/C100. A lot of reviews I've read discuss only the specs and usage, and less on the 'why should I buy one' factor.

Mervin Langley · January 20th, 2014, 11:54 PM

Great review, thanks! Can you tell me exactly which eyepiece you are using as I'd like to try it.

Nicholas de Kock · January 21st, 2014, 07:13 AM

Brilliant write-up, thanks. Going on six months with my two C100's & it's the best cameras I've personally ever owned coming from EX1's & DSLRs. I couldn't imagine going back to DSLR. Even the crappy AVCHD codec has a positive side for me as an event shooter I don't need so much storage any more. I'm getting a lot of mileage out of my C100's.

Mikon Haaksman · January 21st, 2014, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mervin Langley

Great review, thanks! Can you tell me exactly which eyepiece you are using as I'd like to try it.

Hello Mervin,

I used a Zacuto eyepiece with a chamois. Here is a link to their website: Z-Finder Eyecup Replacement | Z-Finder | Zacuto USA

Works well.

Drew Curran · January 21st, 2014, 03:05 PM

Nice review. :)

Chris Malley · January 21st, 2014, 04:40 PM

Nice little summary of your time with the camera, I found it intriguing to read!

I took delivery of my C100 yesterday and can't wait to use it on a small shoot tomorrow.

One disappointment I have found is that the Sennheiser ME66 Mic is narrower than what the Mic Mount on camera can hold which is a huge shame, might have to wrap some electrical tape around it to thicken it up a little!

Jeffrey Fuchs · January 21st, 2014, 06:07 PM

"One disappointment I have found is that the Sennheiser ME66 Mic is narrower than what the Mic Mount on camera can hold which is a huge shame, might have to wrap some electrical tape around it to thicken it up a little! "

Chris, do not use tape. For me it works to just run your XLR cable under the mic. It is just enough to make it snug.

Dave Partington · January 21st, 2014, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Fuchs

Chris, do not use tape. For me it works to just run your XLR cable under the mic. It is just enough to make it snug.

Err... that really never occurred to me! Thanks!

I'll give that one a try tomorrow and if it works I have a couple of mics I can removed the tape from on my XF cameras too!

Tim Polster · January 21st, 2014, 07:07 PM

Thanks for sharing Mikon! The footage of the lantern festival is very nice. Great DR and no noise for such a low light environment. I have read a lot that the viewfinder & LCD are subpar on the C100. Shame on Canon for skimping on such important tools just to protect the C300. I hope they introduce a C100a with better tools, codec options and framerates in the future.

Robert Turchick · January 21st, 2014, 09:14 PM

Got mine Friday…wicked impressed with the IQ! And as for the viewfinder/LCD issues…yeah…they are there but since I have the Ninja 2 and a Small HD DP4 with loupe…shouldn't be a problem and still a heckuva lot cheaper than a C300! First official shoot is tomorrow…she'll be wearing a Zeiss 21mm.

Mikon Haaksman · January 21st, 2014, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Polster

Thanks for sharing Mikon! The footage of the lantern festival is very nice. Great DR and no noise for such a low light environment. I have read a lot that the viewfinder & LCD are subpar on the C100. Shame on Canon for skimping on such important tools just to protect the C300. I hope they introduce a C100a with better tools, codec options and framerates in the future.

Thank you, Tim for the nice words about the Lantern Festival video. My jaw dropped when I watched the footage back home on my monitor. Just incredible. As for the viewfinder, I think part of my review was really about all the crap we've put up with to get good footage out of DSLR's and DOF adapters that the slight headache of a small viewfinder is minuscule compared to what we've all been dealing with in the past. And yes, I do hope they fix it in a future version.

Mikon Haaksman · January 21st, 2014, 10:52 PM

Thank you, Chris. Glad you liked the review. And Jeffrey, great idea about the mic size issue. I'll need to try that too.

Michael Bishop · January 22nd, 2014, 09:32 AM

A very good review Mikon. The kind I like to read from a guy that has used one.

Darren Levine · January 22nd, 2014, 09:49 AM

very nice casual writeup. no disagreements anywhere :)

Mikon Haaksman · January 23rd, 2014, 12:30 AM

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I hope to add more insights about the camera soon as well as other "practical" reviews of gear I'm using.

January 20th, 2014, 11:31 PM	#1
Mikon Haaksman Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 42	Review of C100 - after having it a while So I purchased a C100 not long ago and decided to write ups review about it. Less about the specs, and more about why I decided to go with one. I don't know if this writeup will help in anyone's decision making process, but you can find it here: Mikon Haaksman: A Review of the Canon C100 In an nutshell, I've gone from working with Betacam all the way around to the C300/C100. A lot of reviews I've read discuss only the specs and usage, and less on the 'why should I buy one' factor.

January 20th, 2014, 11:54 PM	#2
Mervin Langley Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Burlington, Wisconsin Posts: 137	Re: Review of C100 - after having it a while Great review, thanks! Can you tell me exactly which eyepiece you are using as I'd like to try it.

January 21st, 2014, 07:13 AM	#3
Nicholas de Kock Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: KLD, South Africa Posts: 983	Re: Review of C100 - after having it a while Brilliant write-up, thanks. Going on six months with my two C100's & it's the best cameras I've personally ever owned coming from EX1's & DSLRs. I couldn't imagine going back to DSLR. Even the crappy AVCHD codec has a positive side for me as an event shooter I don't need so much storage any more. I'm getting a lot of mileage out of my C100's.

January 21st, 2014, 03:05 PM	#5
Drew Curran Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: N. Ireland Posts: 370	Re: Review of C100 - after having it a while Nice review. :) __________________ Pixol www.pixol.co www.facebook.com/pixolmedia www.twitter.com/pixolmedia

January 21st, 2014, 04:40 PM	#6
Chris Malley New Boot Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 22	Re: Review of C100 - after having it a while Nice little summary of your time with the camera, I found it intriguing to read! I took delivery of my C100 yesterday and can't wait to use it on a small shoot tomorrow. One disappointment I have found is that the Sennheiser ME66 Mic is narrower than what the Mic Mount on camera can hold which is a huge shame, might have to wrap some electrical tape around it to thicken it up a little! __________________ Cinematographer, Director, Editor.

January 21st, 2014, 06:07 PM	#7
Jeffrey Fuchs Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Zimmerman, Minnesota Posts: 89	Re: Review of C100 - after having it a while "One disappointment I have found is that the Sennheiser ME66 Mic is narrower than what the Mic Mount on camera can hold which is a huge shame, might have to wrap some electrical tape around it to thicken it up a little! " Chris, do not use tape. For me it works to just run your XLR cable under the mic. It is just enough to make it snug.

January 21st, 2014, 07:07 PM	#9
Tim Polster Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 2,231	Re: Review of C100 - after having it a while Thanks for sharing Mikon! The footage of the lantern festival is very nice. Great DR and no noise for such a low light environment. I have read a lot that the viewfinder & LCD are subpar on the C100. Shame on Canon for skimping on such important tools just to protect the C300. I hope they introduce a C100a with better tools, codec options and framerates in the future.

January 21st, 2014, 09:14 PM	#10
Robert Turchick Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 1,389	Re: Review of C100 - after having it a while Got mine Friday…wicked impressed with the IQ! And as for the viewfinder/LCD issues…yeah…they are there but since I have the Ninja 2 and a Small HD DP4 with loupe…shouldn't be a problem and still a heckuva lot cheaper than a C300! First official shoot is tomorrow…she'll be wearing a Zeiss 21mm. __________________ The older I get, the better I was!

January 21st, 2014, 10:52 PM	#12
Mikon Haaksman Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 42	Re: Review of C100 - after having it a while Thank you, Chris. Glad you liked the review. And Jeffrey, great idea about the mic size issue. I'll need to try that too.

January 22nd, 2014, 09:32 AM	#13
Michael Bishop Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Indianapolis Indiana U.S.A. Posts: 63	Re: Review of C100 - after having it a while A very good review Mikon. The kind I like to read from a guy that has used one.

January 22nd, 2014, 09:49 AM	#14
Darren Levine Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: NJ/NYC Posts: 563	Re: Review of C100 - after having it a while very nice casual writeup. no disagreements anywhere :) __________________ C100 - GH4 - NYC Shooter www.DarrenLevine.com

January 23rd, 2014, 12:30 AM	#15
Mikon Haaksman Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 42	Re: Review of C100 - after having it a while Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I hope to add more insights about the camera soon as well as other "practical" reviews of gear I'm using.