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CANON EOS C80 AND C400
The first full-frame Cinema EOS cameras with RF lens mounts boast next-generation tech and are competitively priced W hen Canon launched the Super 35 EOS C70 hybrid camera three years ago as the new entry-level cameras to the RF standard – now in everything from its new pro flagship EOS R1 mirrorless sports camera to TAKE YOUR PICK The Canon C80 (above) and C400 (right) use the same sensor but have different price points and strengths
the C80 costs close to what the C70 was at launch. The C400, coming in at £7799/$7999, is about the same as the C300 Mark III and significantly less than the C500 Mark II, which has already been slashed in price down from its original £16,999/$15,999. Canon has obviously smarted at the sales success of Sony’s FX6 and FX9 and aims to blow the competition out of the water with its latest range. Sensor siblings The EOS cameras may look quite different to each other, but they do share a brand-new 19.05-megapixel full-frame BSI stacked sensor with triple-base ISO ratings. Stacked sensor technology, first used by Sony in its A9 mirrorless sports camera, has proven to be a revelation due to its lightning- quick speed. This made viewfinder
crop-sensor consumer models. The only thing missing was its higher-end cinema camera range, which remained the last bastions of EF. The current full-frame C500 Mark II, as well as the Super 35 C300 Mark III and C200, still use that 37-year-old mount. Frankly, the launch of the new RF-fit EOS C80 and C400 makes those cameras look decidedly old- fashioned in terms of specs. Both the hybrid-style EOS C80 and the more traditional EOS C400 move the goalposts a significant way. They are both fast and versatile, packed with all of Canon’s know- how gleaned from its full-frame mirrorless and high-end cinema ranges – and they’re competitively priced. At £5339/$5499 body only,
model into the Cinema EOS range, it was the first movie model to use the RF lens mount as debuted on the EOS R mirrorless line. Back then, we predicted it could lead to a whole new range of full- frame Canon EOS cinema cameras, as the RF mount allows for faster apertures and better communication from lens to camera, for improved features such as image stabilisation. A short flange distance also means it’s easy to adapt other optics to fit, like the plentiful, popular Canon EF range or even PL glass. The writing was on the wall for EF mount lenses. It’s taken until now for Canon to officially abandon EF lens development, fit RF mounts to its cinema primes and move all its new
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