Recently, Hidden Woods Media decided to purchase a Canon C300 Mark II to take the place of our C500. While the C500 did make phenomenal images for us, we discovered it wasn’t without a lot of workflow issues. Paired with the AJA Ki Pro Quad we could record 2k & 4k ProRes 444 images, that were—quite frankly—amazing. However it seemed we were always having trouble getting the camera and the recorder to talk to each other properly. On top of that, it tore through batteries, reducing our flexibility on site.
It was after a couple shoots where the C500 added a lot of unnecessary stress that we decided the C300 Mark II would be a worthwhile investment. Dave spent weeks comparing and contrasting the C300 Mark II with other cameras on the market, notably the Panasonic Varicam LT and the Sony FS7. Ultimately, it came down to a combination of familiarity with the cameras, compatibility with our glass, overall image performance, and which camera offered the best picture for the price.
So far, we absolutely love our C300 Mark II (despite the costly CFAST media). The autofocus, while extremely impressive, doesn’t work with our cinema lens, so it doesn’t see much use. We’re huge fans of the new CLOG2 profile, which is Canon’s answer to Sony’s SLOG3 and the very popular Arri LOG-C profile. These upgrades really suit our style of video production, helping us to capture the best images possible.
