Pro Moviemaker November/December 2024 - Web

CANON EOS C80 AND C400 GEAR

controls like those on the EOS-1D X pro DSLR or EOS R series, complete with a rear joystick, but there’s no viewfinder. It’s also cheaper than the EOS R1 mirrorless and a better model for shooting video. It’s a great camera for solo shooters and small crews creating cinematic films and documentaries, streaming or even experimenting with Canon’s VR technology. And it records to a pair of SD memory cards – which are plentiful and cheap. In comparison, the C400 is a bigger and heavier machine. It offers higher frame rates and bit rates for even more quality than the C80, and adds functions that make it not only great for cinematic shooting or ENG, but also virtual production and live broadcast thanks to genlock and the addition of a 12-pin port to power broadcast lenses. This is a camera that really can do it all, with no compromises whatsoever. Bit-rate bonanza Where the C80 tops out at 576Mbps when shooting in Cinema Raw Light files, the C400 is capable of up to a 2.1Gbps bit rate thanks to its additional high-quality (HQ) setting that squeezes every bit of data from the sensor. While the C80 maxes out at 30fps when shooting in 6K Raw, the C400 goes up to 60p, for example. In 4K, the C400 reaches 120p – although it uses a Super 35 crop if shooting Raw – while the C80 struggles to go above 60p. You can shoot 4K/120p on the C80, but only in a more compressed codec. Both come with a massive spreadsheet of codecs and all the available crops, frame rates and bit rates. Add in full-time AF not working in all high frame rates and it gets complicated. Some of the best results are a compromise using 4K oversampled from the 6K sensor, which opens up more versatile frame rate choices. We quickly found a codec that did work for us, but it’s good to know there is 6K Raw, for example, when ultimate image quality is necessary – or 4K/120p full-frame for super slow-motion on the C400. In a strategy that started with the C70, Canon has not crippled

some noise does creep in it’s easy to sort in post. These are two great cameras for low-light use. However, shooting in Raw means the files have no noise reduction in camera. This gives highly detailed shots, but you’ll definitely need to apply noise reduction in post. In a compressed codec like XF-AFC or XF-HEVC S, there is NR added in camera, but this can be adjusted to suit individual shoots. You can also alter settings such as saturation to customise your look. Although the triple-base ISO sensor leads to some impressive results, it doesn’t quite offer the dynamic range of the Dual Gain Output sensor found in the C300 Mark III. This system works at all ISO levels when each pixel is read out with two different gain levels – one high for controlling noise in shadow areas and one low for better saturation and detail in brighter areas. These signals are electronically combined to make a single image. Maybe this will feature in a higher-end C500 in future?

the spec of the cheaper camera to protect the sales of more expensive, profitable cameras. The C70’s Super 35 Dual Gain Output sensor that would normally handle Raw files has been upgraded to a new stacked sensor on both the C80 and C400, which can now shoot Cinema Raw Light internally. There are three base ISO settings – 800, 3200 and 12,800 – when shooting Raw or in Log. Shoot in Canon 709, WDR, PQ or HLG and the base settings are 400/1600/6400, while in standard BT.709 they’re 160/640/2500. Select which of the base settings to use, or choose Auto and let the camera work it out for you. This lets you achieve optimal signal-to-noise performance even in very low light and it works well. Noise is controlled and even when ISO ramps up, but if

MATCHING SET Colours from the

C80 (top) and C400 (above) are easy to grade even if shot in very different lighting conditions

“Some of the best results use 4K oversampled from the 6K sensor, which opens up more frame rate choices”

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