CANON EOS C80 AND C400 GEAR TEST
PLANT LIFE The C400’s screen (below left) is separate, connecting via USB-C; while image quality is of a high standard (left)
Many RF lenses have image stabilisation, which is certainly needed on the C80 and C400 since there is no built-in five-axis image stabilisation on the sensor. Instead, the cameras have Combination IS, which uses both the Optical IS in RF lenses and the digital IS in the camera body, giving a slight crop. The system works perfectly fine, but it’s not as good as on-sensor IBIS systems. On such compact camera bodies, there just isn’t room to have a moving IBIS-style sensor and built-in ND filters. SCREEN TEST Both cameras have fully articulated screens packed with useful info. There’s 13 assignable buttons on the C80 and 18 on the C400, while each model has a multi- function handgrip and a fan ventilation system to prevent overheating. This can be turned off when needed. The cameras come bundled with a top handle that bolts on securely, as well as XLR shotgun mic holders, but sadly there is no pass-through for the multi- interface shoe or even a second REC start button. The C80 has a screen that folds out to uncover the audio controls. These are plentiful and command the inputs, which come via mini XLR jacks. It’s bright, though if you’re outside on a sunny day it can still be a bit hard to read. Said screen has waveforms, vectorscope, false colour warnings, adjustable zebras and focus peaking. You can swap out shutter speed for shutter angle and ISO for gain, and there is also anamorphic de-squeeze support, although the range is limited. Canon doesn’t make RF-fit anamorphic lenses and doesn’t allow third-party manufacturers to make full- frame RF lenses, so nothing will fit natively. But the C400 can be fit with a PL mount to accept a whole variety of cinema lenses, including many anamorphics. Just don’t expect a massive range of de-squeeze options when monitoring. The C400 monitor is a separate screen that connects via a USB-C cable
Where the C80 only has two flavours of Raw, the C400 has an HQ version and you can tell the difference – but that’s when pixel-peeping. Even using 4K/60p in 4:2:2 10-bit Long GOP, image quality is fantastic, and files are robust thanks to the large, modern sensor. Rolling shutter is well controlled, but obviously can be seen in fast whip pans. To eliminate it entirely, the only solution is a global shutter full-frame camera, which is currently the domain of high-end RED and Sony cameras that cost significantly more. COOL AF The C70 was the first Canon Cinema EOS camera to use the EOS iTR AF X Intelligent Tracking and Recognition autofocus system, which uses deep- learning technology for head tracking in conjunction with face detection. But the AF only covers 80% of the screen – it isn’t the version II Dual Pixel AF technology as found in the EOS R5, which covered the whole screen.
Now, the C80 and C400 have the latest Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with EOS iTR AF X that covers the whole screen, and it is very impressive. The touchscreen has a touch-to-focus feature which allows you to do amazing focus pulls with ease, and touch-to-track locks on to a subject and follows them around the screen. This is stated to work for humans and animals, but the latter only covers cats and dogs. The AF system is customisable in terms of speed and response, so you can dial it in to your needs. When light fades, it struggles a bit on low-contrast subjects, but is still one of the best around. Also included here is Focus Guide when manually focusing. This gives a clear indication of which way to turn the focus ring, as well as when the subject is sharp. RF lenses have fly-by-wire manual focusing, so they can never feel quite as good as genuine cinema lenses, although the settings can be tweaked in-camera to change the direction and speed of focusing. This is all thanks to the advanced electronics featured in these newer RF optics.
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