GEAR CANONEOS C500MARK II TEST
combination of large sensor cameras shooting fast lenses wide open, streamed in 4K to big computers and TV screens means nailing focus is more critical than ever. If you insist onmanual focus then the unique Focus Guide shows whether the camera thinks the image is sharp, and displays small arrows to show you which way to turn the focus ring. In combination with focus peaking, it’s a great tool that’s so easy to use, and still leaves you in complete control. The charge towards useful autofocus for video has been led by Canon, thanks to its Dual Pixel CMOS technology (which of course is used on the new C500). Instead of the old- school contrast-detection AF that often hunts around, the Dual Pixel CMOS uses on-sensor AF sites that cover 80%of the frame and are far better at locking onto a subject, and keeping it sharp. The continuous AF tracks moving subjects well, and you can fine-tune AF tracking speed and response to suit individual subjects. Using the new LCD touchscreen, you can touch the screen and set a focus point, and the camera will track the subject. Or by touching a different point on the screen the camera will rack focus, which is a fantastic feature for one- man camera operators. A brand new feature for the C500 Mark II is that the camera doesn’t suddenly snap into focus on the new subject, rather the focus slows down
well, to help you focus on the main subject manually. 5 It brings IBIS to cinema cameras The EOS C500Mark II is the first Cinema EOS camera to support 5-axis electronic in-body image stabilisation, to take out the shakes andmake the camera useful for handheld and ENG work. But with the C500 being a do-it-all camera, Canon decided not to use the popular system– employed by many mirrorless cameras – of using a sensor in a suspendedmount. Suspended systems work well for handheld use, but when the camera is securely mounted into something like a gimbal, or is fixed to a moving object like a car or camera crane, the flexibly-mounted sensor can actually introduce some movement of its own. Canon uses a fixed sensor and an advanced digital system, so when a lens that supports data transmission is attached, focal length data is received and the IS systemmatched to the lens. This is then cleverly countered automatically for in-post processing (there is a slight crop of the image, however). If you’re using a lens with no communication, you can input the focal length in the menu. The IBIS works very well, and is several leagues away from the stabilisation youmight get from using your editing program’s own stabilisation. Matched up with an image-stabilised EF lens, the image is very smooth. It’s not so good that you’ll be ditching your tripods
when it’s near to full sharpness, to give the shot a more traditional look. It really is a very nice addition, and is far better thanmost filmmakers couldmanage by themselves. There is also Face Priority AF, which works very well, even when using fast lenses wide open. The camera locks onto the face of the subject even when he or she moves. And if the face suddenly becomes obscured, the camera is intelligent enough not to instantly go hunting for something else to focus on – it just seems to wait until the face appears again. You can combine face detection with the focus guide, as
ABOVE Simultaneous recording is possible, thanks to dual CFexpress card slots, with an additional SD card for proxy files
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PRO MOVIEMAKER SPRING 2020
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