C300 Mark II Matrix Skintones

[Barry Goyette]

Someone asked on another forum about the effect of the various C300 Mark II Color Matrices on skintones. I had a model in the studio last week, with some "generic" lighting for another project, and I did a quick run-through of the various color matrices. More notes on my vimeo page.

C300 Mark II Color Matrix Skintones on Vimeo

[Douglas Call]

Very interesting.

[Jacques Mersereau]

Thanks Barry.

How do you like the C300 MkII?

We got a hold of one for a couple of hours, but I was really impressed.

Your thoughts are appreciated as we are discussing what camera to buy.
The FS7 is a lot less money, but I am trying to make a case for spending 2X on the Canon.

[Douglas Call]

It really may have something to do with what kind of Glass you have and how the Camera feels in your hand. There probably is a difference in the color character of one over the other. However Sony FS7 does do 3840 x 2160 @ 60P.
XAVC-I mode 3840 x 2160: 1 to 60 frames (59.94p, 50p, 29.97p, 23.98p, 25p)
But Sony is like $12,599 with lens so difference may not be that big not sure.

[Barry Goyette]

Originally Posted by Jacques Mersereau

Thanks Barry.

How do you like the C300 MkII?

We got a hold of one for a couple of hours, but I was really impressed.

Your thoughts are appreciated as we are discussing what camera to buy.
The FS7 is a lot less money, but I am trying to make a case for spending 2X on the Canon.

There's really a lot to like about this camera...especially coming from the C300. The 10 bit files are great to work with. There seems to be a lot more "range" and cleanness to the color, and overall the camera is simply less noisy. The HD 60p is really great looking. Still not sure about the 120p...It's decent, but starts to show it's stripes on wide shots. I really have no experience with the FS7, so I can only comment that in the side by sides I've seen, the C300 is much stronger in low light (12,800 on this camera is a thing of beauty), and I prefer the color.

The real kicker though is the dual pixel autofocus. We're working on a follow-up to "By the Light of the Moon", which I shot on the C300 several years ago. That film, handheld, at f1.4 with nothing but the moon as the key light during several sections, had hugely challenged focus. When I started running moonlight tests on the new C300II, I started laughing as the DPAF quickly found my girlfriend's face and tracked her as she walked through the cast shadows of a tree, locking on her (albeit tentatively) as she approached the camera. I hadn't expected this. During principal photography, I found that I couldn't always count on it in these ultra low light situations, but that it was certainly more accurate most of the time than I could be at F1.4. There are several complicated moonlit shots that left me scratching my head as it locked on the faces of the actors even as they circled and crossed each other. The dynamic range of this camera at 12,800-20,000 iso is pretty impressive.

Otherwise, under normal to moderate Low light, using CLog, or any of the cinema gammas...the DPAF works like a charm. In CLog2, the contrast doesn't seem to be strong enough for the camera to accurately and regularly track faces. Frankly, I'm mostly shooting in CLog. It has extended DR compared to the original camera's Log, and doesn't go all wonky in the highlights like the C300.

What else?..the build is a lot stronger..this also means it's quite a bit heavier...my c300 feels like a c100 in comparison. Both the EVF and LCD are nice improvement, and the new gamma and matrix controls give you lots of ways to set up the image. Overall, it just feels, inside and out, like a much more professional camera than the original, something I didn't feel about the Fs7 the only time I ever picked one up.




Th

[Scott Stoneback]

Originally Posted by Douglas Call

It really may have something to do with what kind of Glass you have and how the Camera feels in your hand. There probably is a difference in the color character of one over the other. However Sony FS7 does do 3840 x 2160 @ 60P.
XAVC-I mode 3840 x 2160: 1 to 60 frames (59.94p, 50p, 29.97p, 23.98p, 25p)
But Sony is like $12,599 with lens so difference may not be that big not sure.

Ugh, that Sony lens is awful. Used it last week and the focus and zoom on it is atrocious. Motorized, not direct. Truly awful.

[Slavik Boyechko]

Thank you Barry! You've been a huge help in getting my mind wrapped around the C300II as I transition to it (from a few C100s). Thanks again -

Slavik

[Jacques Mersereau]

Thanks Barry! Much appreciated Sir!