GEAR
CANON R6 III VS C50
CULTURE CLASH
How the mirrorless EOS R6 Mark III and cine-style EOS C50 compare when the sensor is the same CANON’S SPLIT Shooting in the new 3:2 full-frame sensor mode uses the entire imaging area, making it easier to reframe in post or to produce multiple outputs, from horizontal cinematic footage to vertical formats for social media. When paired with anamorphic
lenses, open gate can also provide a Cinemascope super-wide image. The R6 III is packed with video spec as well, as it too supports 7K Raw Light recording at up to 60fps, in a full-sensor open gate format with oversampled 4K/ 60p, 4K/120p or Full HD in 180fps slow motion. On the R6 III, Canon includes waveform monitoring, metadata tagging and HDMI output like on the C50, but there are some codec differences. Another difference is that on the C50, Simultaneous Crop Recording facilitates the capture of a full-frame master image at the same time as a “Since both offer 7K recording, open gate modes and Canon Log 2, the question is how different they are” cropped vertical or square version for fast social media delivery to the second media card. The R6 III does not seem to offer this. While the R6 III has more photo spec, with a built-in viewfinder that is vital for stills, the C50 only has the rear screen and a body designed for video. That includes a built-in fan and lots of mounting points to add accessories. Then there’s the price: the C50 is £3299/$3899 body only while the all-rounder R6 III is £2799/ $2799. But the C50 does come with an excellent pro audio-style top handle other manufacturers charge significantly for, and that more than makes up for the price difference. To make sense of both cameras, we tested them side by side, shooting the same scenes using the same trio of lenses and matching exposure and colour as closely as possible. This
WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH
I t’s no secret that Canon’s EOS R6 Mark III and EOS C50 share the same, new full-frame sensor and 7K imaging pipeline, yet are aimed at very different users. One is a pure mirrorless camera designed to quickly move between stills and video; while the other is a purpose-built cinema EOS body shaped by professional filmmaking workflows. But since both offer 7K recording, open gate modes and Canon Log 2, the obvious question is how different they really are and where each fits into the market – especially in the growing world of content creators. Canon recently kicked off the new family of EOS wondercams with the C50, which boasts a brand new 34.2- megapixel CMOS with 7144x4790 pixels, powered by the Digic DV7 processor. Although the R6 III uses the same sensor officially, it’s listed as 32.5 megapixels – that’s 6960x 4640 pixels – and uses the newer Digic X processor. And the C50 offers dual base ISO while the R6 III doesn’t. The C50 sensor is fixed in the camera, something hardcore cinema users appreciate when bolting it to other stabilisation devices. Canon went out of its way to claim that the C50’s electronic stabilisation is better for video. However, when the R6 III was unveiled shortly afterwards, this included on-sensor image stabilisation, offering up to 8.5 stops improvement with compatible lenses. So one sensor, but two different ways of using it and processing the signal. When it was launched, the C50 wowed hybrid shooters with its spec, as filmmakers can capture Raw video at up to 7K/60p, 4K/120p or 2K/180p, while photographers benefit from 32-megapixel stills. In a first for Canon’s cinema range, the C50 supports open gate recording.
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