With new and significant camera announcements by Canon throughout many of their camera lines, there is one that certainly stands out — it’s the new “flagship”. In case you missed Nino’s announcement post on September 1st, the C700 is the new leading camera in Canon’s cinema line. Read on for my initial impressions of where the camera sits in the crowded cinema field. I’ll be the first to say I love Canon. I am a Canon fanboy. The Canon 1DC, C100 and C500 are all sitting on my shelf right now, and that’s the majority of the Canon “cinema” lineup. There is just something about that otherwise intangible, slightly warmer Canon image that keeps me coming back again and again to their cameras. Like many Cinema5D readers, I fell in love with the Canon 5D Mark II and haven’t looked back since. Until now. It’s clear that Canon listens to some feedback: the Canon C700 is unbelievable looking on the surface. With its 4.5K Raw sensor, better shoulder ergonomics, modular design, global shutter option, 4K 120fps capability (with an added attachment) and the same sensor as the Canon C300 Mark II, it all seems poised to produce a great image, and yet I find myself underwhelmed. Why? I’m underwhelmed because this feels like the camera I wanted two years ago. I love the Canon C500. They could have added a 6K sensor, better EVF, and better slow motion options and the camera would fly out the door as a true competitor to RED Cinema. Today, I am duty bound to compare the Canon C700 spec list with other cameras around its price range such as the Sony F55, Arri Amira and several RED Cinema cameras, not to mention the folks over at Blackmagic Design. The Canon C700 falls behind in categories such as resolution, frame rate options, dynamic range (though only slightly) and usability. Having to add an external module to record anything higher than 4K 60fps is a major pain point. I want everything done internally without adding weight and another device that can break in the field. What’s in the box The price, currently sitting at $28,000, is for the camera body alone and doesn’t include the OLED monitor, CFast 2.0 media, shoulder mount or the Codex external recording module. It’s expensive. It’s so expensive, in fact, that if you are seriously considering buying this camera you are either a rental house used to making this type of purchase, or you are an operator who already owns a RED, Arri, or Sony F55, and are thinking of switching. I just don’t see the C700 being the camera that convinces cinematographers to switch to Canon, which is a personal disappointment for me because I’ve been raving to skeptics about the C500 for years. If you review lists of the 2016 Oscar nominated films, you’ll note that the Best Picture nominees field is almost entirely dominated by Arri and RED. Sony is even struggling to make the cut. This tells us that Canon has a long way to go to break in to a very insulated group of filmmakers that stand by Arri. The Canon C700 doesn’t give filmmakers who require a cinema camera a reason to switch, and that’s a problem. Canon needed to knock this one out of the park and establish itself as the innovator in the higher end cinema camera environment. So much money goes into developing new cameras, and we anticipate the release of those cameras for years, so Canon needs to use the resources at their disposal that matter most: the filmmakers outside of the Canon community. To become a kit staple for the top DPs, you need to find out what they find crucially beneficial in the camera bodies they’re already using, and what luxuries you can innovate to bring them over to your side. Until I have this camera in my hands and I’m out in the field shooting, I’ll reserve my full judgement. But for now, take advantage of the price drop of the Canon C500 and grab an Odyssey 7Q+ for 4K and you’ll save yourself $20,0000+. What do you think? Is the Canon C700 going to dominate the next round of films being produced? Or, is this camera too little too late. 

The Canon EOS C700 has just been announced, a new flagship camera model for their Cinema line that will likely replace the C500, which dropped in price by $3000 earlier today. With the C700, Canon has moved on to a different form factor for the first time in quite a while. The Canon EOS C700 is reminiscent of competitor cameras such as the Panasonic Varicam, Arri Amira or the Sony F55/F5, and its features and pricing clearly target it at the higher end of filmmaking. Like with the C300 Mark II, Canon claims 15 stops of usable dynamic range in the standard rolling-shutter CMOS version of the C700. There is a Global Shutter version of the C700 available, which comes at a loss of 1 stop of dynamic range, for a total at a claimed 14 stops of usable DR. Like with their C300 and C500 line, there will be separate EF and PL versions of the camera. The Canon EOS C700 camera offers internal 4K recording to CFast 2.0 cards at up to 59.94p in XF-AVC (10-bit 4K, which we already know from the C300 Mark II) and also in ProRes (even in 4K 10-bit 422HQ, or 2K in ProRes 4444 at 12 bit). Sampling from a 4.5K sensor and using the optional, specifically-developed Codex CDX-36150 recorder for which there is no pricing or availability yet, the Canon EOS C700 provides 120fps 4K RAW recording, which is probably its most mind-blowing feature. 4.5K RAW recording at up to 100fps is said to be coming at a later point via a Firmware upgrade. When it comes to higher internal frame rates, the Canon EOS C700 can record the following: 4K internally to the CFast 2.0 cards at up to 60fps in XF-AVC format. Apple 4K ProRes up to 30fps. Up to 180 fps using the 10-bit 4:2:2 combined with the 2K centre crop. Ability to record a 4:2:0 proxy onto an SD card in XF-AVC in 2K in 1080p, which is very useful for rushes Other highlights of this new camera: Dual Pixel CMOS AF (with compatible EF lenses), which is quite brilliant and easily the most innovative feature in Canon cameras these days, as seen already in many other cameras from Canon lately (5D Mark IV, C300 Mark II, 1DX Mark II …) Dual Pixel Focus Guide (for manual focus confirmation). Canon Log 2 and Canon Log 3 including all the color science that sets Canon cameras still apart from Sony and others for many users B4 Lens Support (for traditional 2/3″ ENG lenses). Built-in ND Filters. Anamorphic De-Squeeze (when outputting to EVF or monitor outputs, the image is stretched to 2.39:1 after de-squeezing. The magnification factor can be set to OFF/2x/1.33x to match the anamorphic optics in use). Detachable remote panel, a’ la Panasonic Varicam (it mirrors the camera controls, so an assistant can adjust settings easily). 12V and 24V power outputs that enable users to power all kinds of professional accessories through the camera High resolution EVF with proprietary Canon connection like on the C300 mkII. Optional servo control grip for most lens functions, allowing ENG-like functionality. What’s in the box Optional accessories: 1080p viewfinder EVF-V70, a new dedicated viewfinder clearly priced as high as other high-end viewfinders from Arri and Sony, and like them only works with the dedicated cameras (C700 and C300 Mark II) Baseplate with Sony VCT Quick Release and what seem to be 15mm rods Control grip is now optional too, looks similar to other control grips on large Canon ENG lenses and makes it an ENG-style camera B4 Mount optical adapter to use 2/3 inch broadcast lenses on the camera Above, footage by Canon marketing Japan. It is yet to be seen how this new line of camera and accessories will be received by rental houses and high end professional users, but for now, one thing is sure: Canon just made a clear declaration of wanting to be a part of a handful of camera manufacturers who are aiming to the top.