canon Eos C200 or other Cine camera for action

[Richard Kane]

So I guess the 8k red digital cinema camera would really be overkill ;)

[Richard Kane]

How steep is the learning curve stepping up to Cine? On my XF100 I mostly shoot completely in manual.

I also have a lot of skill in photography as I come from the era of having my own color enlarger. I have experience editing with final cut pro . Not a lot of experience with color correction although would be willing to learn

[Seth Bloombaum]

Canon's Cinema series provides a *really* nice crossover from traditional video cameras into cinema! We're now into the 3rd or 4th gen of them, and Canon has mostly done very well with improvements over these models.

Color correction and grading isn't too mysterious with some guidance from classes, online resources, or online classes, depending on what best suits your learning style.

But, one of the things true Canon fanboys tend to value is that Canon's color science is really good when shooting the native 8-bit codecs (various AVC/h264/MP4 versions), and with good exposure doesn't need much if any CC.

Just dialing up the Wide DR preset will tame a lot of high-latitude scenes in-camera, and learning the built-in waveform monitor will help lots with choosing between a standard and WDR profile, still not needing much post CC.

But, also, room to grow with CLog, which will also almost always require CC.

If you've shot much DSLR raw and color corrected in Photoshop, Lightroom, or Aperture you may already have a good foundation in CC concepts.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Originally Posted by Richard Kane

How steep is the learning curve stepping up to Cine? On my XF100 I mostly shoot completely in manual.
I also have a lot of skill in photography as I come from the era of having my own color enlarger. I have experience editing with final cut pro . Not a lot of experience with color correction although would be willing to learn

Hello Richard,
I too have come from photography background. I feel you can make the transition from XF100 to C200 without too many hiccups. There are a few stuff to be kept in mind. That you can find from manuals and online. Let not other people decide what you are worth or whether a camera is too much for you.

These days we keep on buying and selling cameras. One can always sell a camera if there is buyers remorse. I am sure you won't have that issue. The most important thing is after a year or two you should not have regret that you didn't buy the C200 and given it a try. Life is too short to live with regrets. GEt the C200. Go and explore your potential.

Best,
Sabyasachi

[Richard Kane]

Any recommendations of where to buy from?

I Have bought tons of photo equipment in the past form B&H.
Called them to ask about the C200 and spoke with someone in "pro video"
I asked the usual questions such as; when they thought they me be coming in, return policy etc.
I also asked if the unit comes with a battery charger as i have heard that it may not.
The rep said "all canon video cameras come with a charger. I asked to double check for this camera and he said that there was no need to he knows it will come with a charger.
I than asked if a deposit was needed for the wait list and he hung up on me.

I found the rep was arrogant and completely unknowledgeable about the camera.

So just checking if you guys have any recommendation where to buy this camera where the sales people are not &*$%#

[Rob Cantwell]

is this true?


that they don't include a battery charger??

do they supply a battery?

thats really bad sales!!

[Josh Dahlberg]

Originally Posted by Richard Kane

I was just shooting with xf100 today the biggest short coming is the lack of depth of field.
I really think the key is having interchangeable lenses. It would nice to be able to use primes when I am not shooting action. It seems the c200 is very flexible.It can be used in a studio setting or for run and gun. I also find the xf100 difficult to manual focus

I think once you have a C200, you'll probably find the biggest difference vis-a-vis the XF100 is dynamic range. The XF with it's small sensor is not very forgiving - you really have to nail exposure or your highlights are blown out, and there's not a lot of room to move in post.

You'll really enjoy the dynamic range afforded by the large sensor, especially if you decide to shoot raw. Beyond that, your shots will resolve a lot more detail, you'll have a whole lot of new opportunities to shoot creatively in low light, and you'll be able to push the image around in post.

If you already have L glass (and money doesn't seem to be an issue) I don't think you have much to lose. I certainly have no regrets ditching my Xf300 for a C300mk2, even for the lousy art I do.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Richard Kane

So just checking if you guys have any recommendation where to buy this camera where the sales people are not &*$%#

It was certainly very unprofessional of the salesperson to just hang up on you, especially when there is a potential sale for a c200 but I wouldn't judge the entire company based on the behavior of one person. I would call them back and if they treat you a second time like this then it might be time to shop somewhere else.

[Richard Kane]

Update on B&H

So The department manager called me back today :)
What is great is they have all the conversations recorded!!!!
She told me she had listened to the conversation and apologized profusely on the behalf of B & H.
She also told me that sales rep would have to undergo additional training as they were responding inappropriately. These things happen maybe he was having a bad day.
She personally reached out to Canon and said the unit would come with a charger.
My faith is restored as I have been a customer of B&H since the 80's when I used to buy darkroom equipment from them in the days when people used chemicals , negatives and photographic paper.
I will be placing the order with them although there is a very long waiting list.

[Noa Put]

I told you not to judge a company one one salesperson only :) My wife used to work at a call center and all of their calls where recorded as well but not all checked so you probably got lucky that they randomly picked the right one but I"m sure if you would have send a mail stating your complaint they would have come back to you regardless.

[Nate Haustein]

I think the charger question is a valid one: the "In the Box" section on the B&H website does not list a charger, and at over $500 for the separate accessory, it would be a significant additional cost. Good to know it is indeed included.

If you want it, can afford it, and will enjoy it - get the camera. Go shoot some sheep dogs in 4K Canon RAW and post it here. Sounds like beautiful subject matter, and I for one, would love to see it.

[Jim Andrada]

And there are a lot of folks (some of whom, in addition to me, also shoot digital stills and video and post here!) that still have and use large format film cameras, chemicals, enlargers, all of that.

Go for it!!!!! Tell us how you like it.

(I've been happily shooting film since 1944)

[Richard Kane]

Originally Posted by Jim Andrada

And there are a lot of folks (some of whom, in addition to me, also shoot digital stills and video and post here!) that still have and use large format film cameras, chemicals, enlargers, all of that.

Go for it!!!!! Tell us how you like it.

(I've been happily shooting film since 1944)

I have one on order!! You have me beat, I developed my first roll of film in 1976. Don't miss the chemicals and having to wait if you got "the shot"

[Chris Hurd]

Just a quick note to say thank you to those folks who brought this thread to my attention.

A few posts have been edited or withdrawn from public view as they were not entirely helpful to this discussion.

I'll ask my contacts at B&H to update their C200 product page to reflect the fact that a battery charger is included with the camera.

[Rob Cantwell]

glad all this was cleared up... i did see one of the accessories (battery charger) was really spendy!!

Richard... I hope you get really good use from this cam, it seems like a good camera, i'm looking forward to some films from this!!

:-)

R