In this guest post, Stewart Addison explains what shooting RAW really means, the different kinds of RAW, and when and how to implement a RAW workflow. In case you missed it, Canon recently announced the C200, it’s first sub-$10,000 cinema camera to shoot RAW. As with every announcement for a RAW camera, folks on the Internet have been quick to point out how simply untenable RAW file sizes and workflows are for a large swathe of filmmakers. While it is true that shooting RAW is tricky, time consuming, and hard drive-filling, the benefits absolutely outweigh the costs. Even for quick-turnaround shooters, the precision, image-richness, and future-proofing RAW shooting options provide make it a must-have feature for anyone buying a cinema camera today. What is “RAW”, really? DaVinci Resolve – a free software from Blackmagic Design that can handle RAW. Put simply, RAW footage is the plain, unprocessed, data from your camera sensor. To edit RAW footage as a moving image, it has to be processed in post with programs like Blackmagic Resolve, RED Cine-X Pro, ARRIRAW and in a limited capacity Adobe Premiere Pro. When shooting in other formats, the camera (or external recorder) will process what the sensor ingests into said format, losing sensor data in the process. With RAW, all of the data collected in the sensor is available to use in post. Shooting in H.264 on a Canon 5D MKIII, for instance, compresses the file size to 1/18th of its uncompressed stream by only fully recording one full frame per half second, and taking in only visible changes to cover the other 13 frames (in 24fps) that aren’t being fully captured. Pair this with the baked-in picture profiles you recorded with and you’re left with very little data to play with in post. Any exposure fixes or color changes you need could prove difficult and might result in your image breaking down. Even with a larger codec, those risks persist, though to a lesser degree. Uncompressed video, which processes the footage into video but doesn’t apply any block, wavelet, or temporal-based compression is a great way to get a lot of information, but you still lose bit-depth (color information). Uncompressed video usually comes in at 10-bit, giving you 1024 possible tonal values, whereas 12-bit RAW has 4,096 possible values. Moreover, RAW data doesn’t bake in ISO and Kelvin (white balance) data, allowing you to change it in post. To sum up the RAW experience, I will call on a fantastic quote from Kurt Lancaster. “To shoot RAW means to thicken the color of your images, making them more dense—a lot more data provides more headroom to push and pull footage in post, to correct errors made during shooting, as well as to shape the look and feel of your film.” The advantages are plenty and aren’t nearly as costly as they seem. Storage varies RAW footage can take up a lot of storage… But there are solutions. Yes, storage space fills up quickly when you shoot RAW. An hour of 16:9 ARRI Alexa ARRIRAW footage will eat up about 605 gigabytes, the URSA Mini Pro takes up about 648 gigabytes in 4.6k RAW (CinemaDNG RAW), and the C200 comes in at around 512 gigabytes per hour. It’s a lot, especially if you want to keep a backup or your RAW video. If storage is a problem, however, you have solutions. When you shoot RAW, you make your major color/exposure changes before you process the footage, meaning that you can vastly condense your file sizes to fit your needs before anything is added to your hard drive. Your camera still needs hefty storage options, but backing up your footage to your computer becomes as friendly as you need it to be. The new Canon C200 features smaller files thanks to its Cinema RAW light format. Moreover, you still have resolution and camera choices at your disposal. The C200 offers a Cinema RAW Light format that’s considered 3 to 5 times smaller than traditional RAW formats, and that’s for a 4k image. If you’re shooting for a non-theatrical setting, 2k and 1080p RAW offerings provide the same rich, cinematic, look for less file size. But wait, there’s more! Not all RAW cameras shoot truly uncompressed RAW, giving you additional options. If 12-bit color depth covers what the human eye is able to see, and truly RAW sensor data comes in the form of uncompressed RAW files, then the standard for pure RAW output would be 12-bit uncompressed RAW files. The ARRI Alexa XT can internally record RAW data this way at the price of nearly one terabyte per hour of footage. If that sounds like a lot to you (yes, it’s a lot), there are other options. RED cameras offer a variety of compression options. RED approaches RAW differently. REDCODE RAW (.R3D files) uses a variable bitrate wavelet technique that can compress RAW files at various levels for smaller storage space, and has improved from 12-bit to 16-bit over the years. RED .R3D files have also been optimized for different workflows, allowing filmmakers to preview and work with footage at lower resolutions while retaining the information of the full resolution image. According to RED, wavelet compression at 3:1 is mathematically lossless, while 5:1 and 8:1 are visually lossless. This compression can allow you to shoot RAW with smaller file sizes than shooting ProRes, which is some achievement. This isn’t a purist’s RAW recording, but for many the differences are negligible and they are overwhelmed by the benefits. As technology advances, more cameras will likely take the RED .R3D model, and many already have. Sony’s CineAlta cinema cameras offer varying degrees of compressed RAW using external recorders, with the benefit being the ability to record at high frame rates and with high resolution. As noted above, the C200 takes a similar approach to compressed RAW with Cinema RAW Light. However, the first iteration of RAW for Canon’s cinema cameras, the one in the C500 and C700, is very different though. Canon’s top of the line C700. With the Canon C500 and C700 cameras, Canon joins ARRI as having the closest to a purely RAW output, albeit with 10-bit depth instead of ARRI’s 12-bit (or Sony and RED’s 16-bit). Canon Cinema RAW (.RMF) files pridefully contain no processes applied to the data coming out of the image sensor. These are huge 4k files, bigger than 4:3 ARRIRAW at 2.8k. Cinema RAW Light (compressed RAW) looks like a different direction for Canon it remains to be seen whether the company maintains its RAW purity with its flagship line. Finally, RAW recording isn’t all internal, shifting the gear up, external RAW recording adds cost to your bottom line. The C200 offers truly economical RAW options because it offers lower file sizes and records internally (as opposed to the C500, which requires an external recorder). The same goes for RED and post-Alexa classic ARRI cameras (internal RAW recording). Sony, on the other hand, only offers RAW via external recorder on its cameras. While that adds money and hassle to your bottom line, external recorders often provide the extra horsepower to add features otherwise unavailable internally, so they make sense for certain filmmakers. The point is, RAW is not a singular, unfriendly, codec. Its benefits are available to filmmakers with varying needs and workflow priorities, you just have to do your homework first. Speaking of workflow priorities… Not as much time as you think It seems impossible to come across a review for a RAW camera that doesn’t mention how RAW isn’t an option for quick turnaround shooters. First of all, what is quick turnaround? Two days? One day? Six hours? Yes, I’ll concede that time-sensitive news coverage has little benefit for RAW video, but a lot of filmmakers who work in quick turnaround environments aren’t on such a short leash. RAW workflows are possible if you know what you’re doing, especially when shooting RED .R3D RAW which has native support in Adobe Premiere Pro, you can drag the .R3D files straight to the timeline. First of all, each batch of RAW footage is not some new, unexplored, color playground. You can monitor through different LUTs and color spaces while shooting, and have them ready in your project settings for processing. With a little pre-production organization, you can know the look you’re going to get before you step on set and get the footage processing the minute your card has been filled up. Working with a LUT on a Blackmagic Design Video Assist 4K. No time for specialized settings for each new project? Find a color outcome you like and make it your default for every project. You not only get the rich images RAW provides, but you’ve also tuned the colors to your taste. Finally, processing time doesn’t have to be lost time. I’ve found that, for most projects, a day of shooting would yield 2-3 hours of total processing time. That’s time that can be cut into chunks on-set if you have a DIT, or it’s time that can be spent while you’re busy with other obligations. If you’re organized, processing doesn’t have to drastically alter your completion time. You don’t HAVE to shoot RAW Unless you’re shooting on a Digital Bolex (R.I.P) or RED DSMC1 camera, your RAW-shooting camera has other recording options. When you get a project where RAW isn’t right for that project, don’t shoot with it! When you get a project where RAW is beneficial, you’ll be very glad to have all of that flexibility in post-production. It’s worth it With RAW, you not only get rich, beautiful colors and the ability to correct mistakes and adjust ISO and Kelvin (white balance) after the fact, you get creative freedom you aren’t afforded with any other codec. You can find the exact look you want without compromise and, if you change your mind, you can go back and reprocess that footage for an entirely different look later. RAW footage is the digital version of a film negative. Once you have that at your disposal, you definitely won’t want to go back. How prevalent is RAW footage in your day-to-day work? What particular challenges do you find in working with it? Let us know in the comments below!

The recently-announced Samsung T5 SSD is a little V-NAND storage beast, capable of throughput speeds up to 540MB/s. The Samsung T3 has been a popular external SSD for content creators since its introduction in 2016 thanks to its fast transfer speeds, rugged build and small size. Samsung has just updated the T3 with the new T5 version, which features a jump to the USB 3.1 Gen 2 protocol, doubling the potential data transfer rate from 5 to 10Gbps. The 64-layer V-NAND architecture of the Samsung T5 offers potential transfer speeds of up to 540MB/s, making it one of the fastest external SSDs in the market and in theory fast enough to edit 4K raw footage off of. This is great as it would mean editing off of a single drive rather than from a RAID – the kind of storage system that can offer the required data transfer speed. Bear in mind, though, that the T5 needs to squeeze every bit of those new 10Gbps it possible can, meaning that in order for the drive to reach its full transfer-speed potential, your computer needs to have a USB 3.1 Gen 2-compatible port. If you are not totally clear on the ins and outs of external drives, ports and transfer protocols, let me point you to this excellent recent article by Tim: Looking For a Fast Portable Drive? It May Not Be As Fast As You Think. The Samsung T5 features an aluminium unibody for maximum ruggedness, weighs only 51g and is smaller than a business card, keeping with the dimensions of the earlier T3. In terms of software, the T5 is capable of keeping your files safe behind a password thanks to 256-bit encryption, and is compatible with a variety of devices right out of the box, as it ships with both a USB-C to USB-C and a USB-C to USB-A cable. The Samsung T5 will be available in 250 and 500GB in Alluring Blue, and in 1 and 2TB in Deep Black. The smallest version will sell for $130, while the largest version will be going for around $800 which, although expensive when compared to spinning disk drives, is still rather competitive in the SSD world. You can check out the official press release HERE. In the market for a new external, portable SSD? Could the new Samsung T5 be it? Let us know in the comments below!

Convergent Design has released a free firmware update for their Odyssey and Apollo products, unlocking the Titan HD Extract module, AVID DNxHD, and VariCam LT RAW 240fps recording. During NAB, we covered the release of the Atomos Sumo, a product that must have caused Convergent Design to feel the heat from their rivals. While Atomos and Convergent Design have been battling in the price range of their products, Atomos seems to always have been a step ahead with great features at a better price point. With the new firmware update, Convergent Design is showing off the power that Odyssey and Apollo are still capable of. Here are the features of the new firmware update. Titan HD Extract The Titan HD Extract is now available as a free upgrade for both Odyssey & Apollo users. It allows one 4K camera to create three HD video signals. One frame is a Supersample of the full image area and two are windows selected from within the original input. These windows can be panned smoothly through the 4K field, and all three angles can be live-switched. All HD signals can be recorded simultaneously in Apple ProRes with matching timecode and filenames. You can receive your free Titan HD Extract activation key under each device on your Account Page on the Convergent Design website. VariCam LT RAW up to 240fps in 2K Convergent Design seems to have worked closely with Panasonic to enable RAW recording at 240fps in 2K, as well as 60fps in 4K. This update, however, requires the Odyssey RAW Bundle. If you own the bundle, you are in luck and can update your device to firmware v2017.06 to receive this free upgrade. If you don’t have the Odyssey RAW Bundle yet, then you have to purchase it for either $995 for the full licence or $99 as a daily rental option in order to enjoy this “free” update. Panasonic Varicam LT AVID DNxHD up to 1080/50 or 60fps The new firmware update also adds Avid DNxHD support at both 145 and 220Mbps data rates for common HD formats (1080i50/60, 720p50/60, and 1080p25/30) as well as 1080p50/60. The compressed video files are recorded in a QuickTime wrapper with a .mov extension. The Odyssey7Q and 7Q+ can record a single stream of DNxHD, while the Apollo (or Odyssey w/ Apollo Option) can record up to 4 independent streams simultaneously. The addition of DNxHD in particular makes the Apollo a very attractive solution for multi-cam ENG and news magazine shoots. New Features for Odyssey and Apollo From the release notes for the update: NEW FEATURES: APOLLO & ODYSSEY7Q+/7Q WITH APOLLO OPTION Quad-HD: Avid DNxHD .Mov Support Simultaneously record up to four streams of Avid DNxHD 220 or 145Mb. 1080p 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, 60 1080i 50, 59.94; 720p 50, 59.94, 60 Quad-HD Quad-Split: Timecode Option Option to “deselect” or select a Timecode window which is baked into the Quad-Split recorded image in Quad-HD Apple ProRes, or Avid DNxHD Recordings. NEW FEATURES: ODYSSEY RAW BUNDLE (ODYSSEY7Q+/7Q) Panasonic Varicam LT 2k/ HD 240p Support Panasonic Varicam LT 2k/ HD 240p Support Record RAW in CinemaDNG from the Panasonic Varicam LT Variframe Supported from 2->240 fps HD LT RAW -> HD CinemaDNG 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94, 100, 120, 200, 240 2K LT RAW -> 2K CinemaDNG 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94, 100, 120, 200, 240 NEW FEATURES: ODYSSEY ( ODYSSEY7Q+/7Q/) HD DNxHD .Mov Support Single Channel Recording to Avid DNxHD 4:2:2 at 220 or 145 Mb. 1080p 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, 60 1080i 50, 59.94; 720p 50, 59.94, 60 720p 50, 59.94 NEW FEATURES: ALL MODELS (APOLLO, ODYSSEY7Q+/7Q/7) 8-Channel Audio / 2-Channel Audio Selection Selection is now available for Embedded Audio to be either 8-Channel or 2-Channel in various record modes including: HD/2K Apple ProRes HD Avid DNxHD 4K/UHD Apple ProRes Quad HD Apple ProRes Quad HD Avid DNxHD The new free firmware upgrade can be found HERE. In order to receive the free Titan HD Extract Module, you will have to register your device HERE. What do you think of the new firmware upgrade? Is the 240fps in VariCam LT RAW worth it for you to buy the RAW Bundle? Please let us know in the comments below!

In this second episode about the Panasonic EVA1 camera, we talk to Nela Pertl and Luc Bara about the differences between the Varicam line and the Panasonic EVA1, slow motion functionality, the Raw module, the EF mount and the removable IR filter. We take a drive through Hollywood with Panasonic’s Nela and Luc to talk abut the Eva1 My first question: Why is it not called a Varicam while it shares so many of the features with its bigger siblings? Is it positioned in between the GH and the Varicam line? We touch on the slow motion functionality of the camera, which is going to be 240fps, but apparently only in a windowed cropped mode in 2K and 1080p. Panasonic is also planning to release a Raw module to go with the camera in order to be able to output Raw video. Sounds similar to Sony with the FS7. Also – and that is a pretty cool feature – there will be a removable IR filter that is supposed to work just like a built-in ND filter – mechanically/electronically (re)movable. The Panasonic EVA1 doesn’t come with a viewfinder, but only a touch-screen monitor (same as on the GH5), and I asked them why this is the case. Last but not least, we touch on the fact that the camera records on (fast!) SDXC cards, which are comparatively cheap to buy – and how that can work with the relatively high data rate that we will expect from this camera. Please visit our sponsors’ websites to keep new episodes of ON THE GO coming! Blackmagic Design Kessler Panasonic Schneider-Kreuznach Watch previous episodes of ON THE GO (& On the Couch) by clicking here. Visit our Vimeo and YouTube playlists, and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

In terms of specs, the C200 is certainly Canon’s most interesting camera since their entry into the cinema market. A week after the announcement of this affordable 4K RAW camera, we had a chance to put it to the test, shoot a lot of RAW and MP4 footage and create this Canon C200 Review for you. If you’re interested in cinema cameras, or have questions about the performance of the C200, what we found will probably be for you. Please note: I did not notice any firmware related flaws, but the camera tested was still on a beta firmware. Canon C200 Review – A Day With Canon’s New Baby Canon kindly invited me to attend a press event surrounding their new Canon C200 cinema camera. Fortunately for you, I was also given the chance to record a lot of footage with it and draw my own conclusions for this C200 review. At this point I must admit that after having spent time with the camera and seeing the footage, there are a lot of good arguments that speak in favour of it! Nevertheless, I’ll run you through all the pros and cons I found. Disclaimer: At cinema5D we have tested almost every cinema camera on the market. This gives us a pretty good idea about a camera’s strengths and weaknesses in order to recommend the best tool for the job. Still, keep in mind that this C200 review reflects my subjective opinion, derived from my own experience and shooting style. I hope it will help you make an informed decision for your own work. The Features at a Glance Here’s what the Canon C200 promises on paper: RAW Internal 12-bit 4K RAW Smaller file size with “Cinema RAW Light” Records RAW to CFast 2.0 Up to 59.94 fps in 4K 10-bit MP4 Internal UHD MP4 recording – 150 Mbps Records MP4 to SD card (>U3) Up to 59.94 fps in UHD 8-bit (4:2:0) Up to 120fps in HD with full sensor readout Additional Features of Interest Super35 CMOS sensor & active EF mount Advanced Dual Pixel CMOS Auto Focus with touch screen and face detect 5 Internal ND filters (up to ND 10!) Good low-light performance and low noise HDMI and SDI outputs XLR inputs on the body Proxy Recording onto SD card “So what does this mean?” some might ask. Well, 4K RAW in a camera that costs $6,000 sounds great, and the fact that it can shoot up 60p RAW and up to 120fps in HD is very useful. A package offering the features, ergonomics, service and quality that Canon is known for are all very convincing arguments that make this camera a no-brainer for many filmmakers. On the other hand, not everyone needs to shoot RAW – in fact I talked to a lot of people who actually really prefer not to. It offers the highest quality and can give you the most organic, cinematic and expensive-looking footage, but it also involves a process of transcoding and requires a lot of storage space. As such, if RAW is not used to its full potential, it may not be beneficial to many users like documentary and event shooters, for whom RAW alone may not be a good selling point. The Canon C200 also offers MP4 with a compression of 150 Mbps, a standard h.264 compression that most entry level prosumer cameras get these days. But for many professionals, this doesn’t provide high-enough quality and, as a result, this camera seems to offer something that suits high-end shoots as well as the low end, but there remains a gap in the middle. At the moment, one would have to use the higher-priced C300 mark II to fill this gap. BUT before we draw our final conclusions just based on spec sheets (suggestion: don’t do that), let’s put the camera through its paces and see how RAW and MP4 actually work in the field. Canon C200 RAW Footage The first thing most people will be interested to see is the RAW footage out of the Canon C200. For this C200 review I spent a couple of hours putting the new camera through the elements, ranging from harsh sunlight, to strong wind and eventually pouring rain. I love to be in the weather when it comes to shooting cinematic images, so the shoot was very enjoyable too. Check out my footage below: I strongly urge you to either download the source file from Vimeo and watch this on a good 4K screen. It’s worth it. Workflow To see how the RAW footage performs, I created a very strong grading look that would heavily play with colors and contrast. First, I converted the Canon C200 CRM files (which are single files by the way, not photo sequences) into Apple ProRes 4444, so I had a format I could easily work with. The reason is that CRM is currently only compatible with a limited number of software applications, so I converted inside DaVinci Resolve 14 Beta and then went on to edit my footage in Adobe Premiere Pro. Canon recommends to use their own conversion tool, which allows you to select one of their log gamma profiles. I was told that Adobe apps will support CRM natively in the near future too. The conversion in both DaVinci Resolve 14 Beta and the Canon Cinema RAW Development tool took a little under 30 minutes for 16 minutes of footage on an 8-core Mac Pro. RAW? At first I did not expect full-fledged RAW quality. The camera just seemed too easy to use and recording RAW is usually less convenient. Either the camera is bulky, too expensive or too difficult to use, or lacks built-in ND filters, etc… But I was surprised. The Canon C200 delivers excellent 12-bit RAW files that hold up impressively. The quality is organic, the rolloff is soft and most importantly, there is a lot of shadow information. Canon C200 Review – Dynamic Range Observation For the shot above I was standing underneath a large tree. As you can see, it had lots of thick leaves, while in the open, the midday sun was burning down. If you know this kind situation, then you know that the leaves under the tree should be very dark and the spots where the sun hit the wet leaves should be very overexposed. I had no trouble pulling the overexposed parts back and pushing the shadowy leaves into light. Actually, with any shot I took I had no trouble getting everything exposed correctly. I took some shots with and without ND just to see heavy overexposure and underexposure, and in the grade I was able to match both shots without noticing any noise whatsoever. This is what impressed me the most. I could literally shoot any way I wanted, I didn’t even have to expose correctly. The footage (all shot at native ISO 800) is so clean, that I can push the material without risking a noisy image. The grading experience was very pleasing and of course I could easily control colours, while getting an overall organic look. As we know, the sensor is mostly similar to the previous Canon C camera sensors so not much has changed there, and people who are familiar with C cameras will appreciate the low-noise organic look. While the dynamic range may not be quite up there with the Arri ALEXA, the overall RAW from the Canon C200 screams quality and is certainly a professional high-end cinema tool that you should try before dismissing it. Canon C200 with 50mm Cine Prime Lens How Much Data Does the C200 RAW Produce? This is an important question. While the new Cinema RAW Light format has been called 3 times and 5 times smaller than traditional RAW formats, the camera still produces a lot of data. The benefit of the Canon C200 though, is that the media (CFast 2.0) is not proprietary and is becoming cheaper and cheaper, so it is easy to get several CFast cards. Canon C200 writing RAW data I shot with a Transcend 128GB CFast 2.0 card in 4K 24p – This gave me 16 minutes of recording time. Those 16 minutes turned into another 134GB of data after transcoding to Apple ProRes 4444, but when CRM becomes compatible with Adobe Premiere I won’t have to transcode anymore. If you use one of the supported apps for editing you can also save that extra disk space. In comparison, the Sony a7S II records UHD at 100 Mbps, so it requires 12GB of storage for the same 16 minutes of recording time. In comparison, the new Panasonic EVA1 records 4K at up to 400 Mbps, so it requires up to 48GB of storage for the same 16 minutes of recording time. So to put things in perspective, in order to get RAW quality from the Canon C200 you need about 10 times as much storage space as when recording 8 bit on a Sony a7S II and about 2-3 times as much space as when recording 10 bit on the Panasonic EVA1. For many this will not be viable, because they simply need to record too much footage or they don’t have the extra processing power and time required to work with RAW. For me personally, I’m a convinced RAW shooter – I love to get the best out of my footage and I love to edit, and the extra space and additional rendering is worth it for me. Canon C200 CFast 2.0 Slot What About 150 Mbit MP4 – Worthless? Oh, about that one. I must admit, like many others, at first I was disappointed by the low-spec 8-bit codec alternative the C200 had to offer on paper. 150 Mbps sounds underwhelming and we can get the same from most mirrorless cameras nowadays, can’t we? In theory yes, but the mp4 from the C200 is really not bad, and I would argue that it can hold up pretty well against most other 8-bit cameras. Here are two jpeg screen grabs. Note that this is not a scientific test. Canon C200 Review – 8 bit UHD MP4 – graded Canon C200 Review – 12 bit 4K RAW – graded Canon uses two green channels as on all other C cameras in order to get more accurate color information out of the 8-bit space. I was surprised by how well mp4 worked. It is certainly a usable alternative that makes sense in broadcast and documentary, but don’t expect to get 12-bit RAW quality from an 8-bit mp4. The video is certainly softer and a bit more mushy. ungraded, 100% crop Slow motion in 120fps works very well too. Even though the resolution is only HD, those HD images are quite good. They are down-sampled from a full sensor readout and they look very nice at first glance. Unfortunately, I noticed a bit of aliasing and moire in the slow motion footage, where it often became visible in contrasty areas with fine lines. HD slow motion recording at 120fps | visible moiré pattern in the water. For those who still need more than the MP4 the C200 currently has to offer, Canon announced that their XF-AVC video format will be available via a free Canon C200 firmware upgrade coming in Q1 2018. Please note: The camera tested was still on a beta firmware. I think it is unlikely that the aliasing is firmware related, but it should be mentioned none the less. Canon C200 Review – The Shooting Experience RAW was what most people were interested in regarding the Canon C200. But for many shooters, ergonomics and reliability is another key aspect when it comes to evaluating a camera. Canon has certainly put a lot of their camera-making experience into the Canon C200. The result is a well-rounded and powerful cinema camera package that mostly works in tandem with the operator. Auto Focus! The auto focus on the Canon C200 convinced me. Canon’s Dual Pixel Auto Focus is simply better than what other cinema cameras have to offer. It works. I had it enabled for most of the shots with the Canon 100mm F/2.8 L Macro Lens that I used for this C200 review. With a tap of the touchscreen you can direct your focus to the right part of the picture. Canon C200 with Canon 100mm F/2.8 L Macro Lens Focus Assist! This is a great feature that Canon introduced with the Canon C300 mark II. The focus assistant tells you when your subject is in focus. If it is not, three arrows indicate if your focus is in front of or behind the subject. This is very convenient, and allowed me to rarely need the magnify button for focusing, because I could just rely on the focus assist. Overall Build Quality The Canon C200 is a solid and ergonomic tool that feels rugged yet compact and light. The new Canon EOS C200 weighs 1.4kg, while in comparison, the C300 mark II weighs about 1.8kg and the C100 mark II weighs 1.1kg. Considering that this camera shoots RAW, I think a weight of 1.4kg is really good. The new top handle has improved over previous C cameras and feels very solid with several added mounting options. Fast, Easy Menu Canon has always had a good menu structure. It is also true for the C200. It was easy and intuitive to use. 10-stop ND The Canon C200 has 2 separate rotating filter stages. This gives you a lot of flexibility and a range of up to 10 stops of ND filtration. This is extremely handy and lets you work with shallow depth of field even in very bright sunlight without the need for an external filter. Also, with the perfectly balanced internal NDs there is no color shift. Built-in Connections Unlike previous C cameras, the Canon C200 has the XLRs built into the body, which is a great improvement. The connectors and buttons sit in the right places for me. There is HDMI and SDI out and, contrary to some rumours out there, I can confirm that both of them output your Canon Log signal. You can also apply LUTs to individual outputs. There is no Canon Log 2 on the C200. Proxy Recording For some people who want an efficient workflow with RAW, the 35 Mbps proxy recordings in 2K will be a welcome feature. Proxys are recorded to SD cards. The camera has 2 SD slots, by the way. Battery Life One battery lasted for more than 2 hours. I never switched off the camera.   Canon C200 Review – What I Didn’t Like Overall, I had a great experience shooting with the Canon C200. For me it opens up a lot of possibilities, mostly because of its low price and excellent all-round performance that delivers 12-bit RAW. But there are still some things that caught my attention in a negative way. The Touchscreen Yes, the whole screen attachment was definitely improved over previous C cameras. When you’ve worked with one of the older models, then you know it can be a bit flimsy, bulky and limiting. The C200’s new screen attachment, on the other hand, is stiff and it is easy to reposition the screen to where you need it and even detaching, which was not possible before. However, after a while the screen started to tilt sideways, because the screw at the front got loose. This has been the same on previous C cameras, something I guess users will have to continue to live with. Another thing was that during my shoot the screen was not very bright. In direct sunlight I couldn’t see and I was forced to use the small EVF at the back. Later, a Canon representative showed me that the brightness can be dialled up in the menu. I am not sure how much this increases the screen backlight, so this is a point that would require another round of testing. However, I am pretty sure the C200 screen will not be able to hold up against the latest high-bright screens that are so convenient to work with, like the new smallHD FOCUS. If you use a third-party screen though, you will lose the touchscreen functionality on the C200, which is especially useful when using auto focus. The Canon EVF-V70 would probably be a great solution, but is a bit pricey. No ProRes? Now I’m being demanding, but just imagine this camera with Apple ProRes codec integration. This is exactly what the C700 offers, but it is a camera in a different price class. With Apple ProRes HQ 10-bit, the Canon C200 would be a perfect fit for everyone and for most of my projects. Unfortunately, the large divide between 12-bit RAW and 8-bit MP4 is just what the Canon C200 is, and for the price, I must say I’ll accept it gladly. Aliasing in Slow Motion As I mentioned earlier, there is some aliasing and moiré in 120p slow motion recordings. While the resolution and look is nice, the aliasing aspect makes it a little less exciting for me. Most people probably won’t notice. Conclusion As I said at the beginning, it is really hard for me not to like the Canon C200. For $6,000 this camera does almost everything a cinema camera shooter could wish for. The 12-bit 4K RAW quality lives up to the expectations of the word “RAW”. At the same time, the C200 makes the RAW process easy and relatively affordable as you just need a third of the storage space of uncompressed RAW and you can record to CFast 2.0 cards. In a few months Premiere will support the new Cinema RAW Light format natively, as will other major apps, so if your machine is powerful enough, you won’t even need to transcode. Add to that the fact that this camera offers the best auto focus any cinema camera currently has to offer, face detection, the convenient focus assist feature, great low-light qualities and a rugged, reliable, ergonomic body with up to 10 stops of built-in ND. Honestly, I find the price of this camera surprisingly low. The Sony a7S II costs almost $3,000 and is simply a small (yet impressive) mirrorless camera with 8-bit at 100 Mbps, and certainly in a different league than the C200. Even the URSA Mini Pro is currently $6,000, and people will have to think long and hard if the ProRes formats it offers are worth it in comparison to the new Canon C200. So far, it has seemed like Canon have mostly done “their own thing”, always pricing their cameras at twice the cost of the rest of the pack. But the Canon C200 is a game changer in that regard, and a clear sign that will challenge the competition. How will Sony, Panasonic and Blackmagic respond? The Canon C200 is available for pre-order now and will start shipping at the beginning of August 2017. I hope you liked my Canon C200 Review – if it was helpful to you we’d appreciate if you used the buy links below to one of our unbiased sponsors. If you have any questions or thoughts, please let me know in the comments. Canon C200 vs C200B The body-only version (Canon C200B) is only available in the US and costs $6,000. If you want the LCD, top handle with mic attachment, side handle and EVF, you’ll have to put down another $2,500 for the “full version”. In terms of media, Canon told me they recommend to use SanDisk 128GB Cfast 2.0 or SanDisk 256GB Cfast 2.0 cards for RAW recording and SanDisk 64GB U3 SD cards for MP4 recording.

Hot on the heels of the Canon C200 announcement, Panasonic has finally disclosed more details about their modestly-priced new camera, the Panasonic AU-EVA1. The “mystery camera” we reported on during NAB 2017 has become something very realistic and interesting indeed! It’s Cine Gear Expo time here at the Paramount studios in Los Angeles and Panasonic’s Mitch Gross has seized the opportunity to disclose many more details about their new EVA1 camera. Let us share with you what we currently know: Sensor Super 35 5.7K Dual Native ISO – Panasonic’s method to extract more information from the sensor without degrading the image Advanced Colorimetry Lens/Image Path Native EF Mount Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) IR Cut In/Out (Panasonic claims that “Unique photographic effects and night vision imagery are possible with this control over infrared” Integrated ND Filter Wheel (2/4/6 stops) Processing 4K60p / 2K up to 240p 4:2:2 10-bit The camera can record in several formats and compression rates. A complete breakdown of recording formats will be available at the time of the EVA1’s release. Video Codec up to 400 Mbps V-log & V-gamut 4K outputs in both HDMI and SDI simultaneously SD Card Recording 5.7K Raw Output to third-party recorders via a future update. Dual native ISO Other XLR Audio Inputs HDMI & SDI 4K Video Outputs Removable handgrip (for easy mounting on drones, gimbal rigs or jib arms) Timecode in/out LCD sun shade included Compact form factor and lightweight –  1.2kg/42.3 oz. (body only) 6.69“ x 5.31“ x 5.23“ / 17cm x 13.5cm x 13.3cm (LxHxW) The camera will cost under $8000 (body only) and will be available during Fall later this year. Summary As we can see, within the Panasonic video product line, the new EVA1 sits comfortably between the new GH5 and Varicam LT. Price-wise, will be competing head to head with the new Canon C200 and the first-generation Sony FS7. Specifications and features like size, light weight, 5.7K sensor, 4K60p (2K up to 240p), dual native ISO and a robust video codec up to 400 Mbps will surely appeal to many independent filmmakers. As a side note, in regards to the Dual Native ISO feature, Nela Pertl – Panasonic’s Europe/Middle East/Africa Marketing Manager – has said that the camera is currently being tested to determine final ISO specifications. For additional information about the new camera please head to Panasonic’s web site by clicking here If you are from Europe, you can now Pre-Order the Panasonic AU-EVA1 by clicking here What do you think about that new Panasonic AU- EVA1 camera. Are you happy to see those specifications and will you be considering it as your primary filming tool?

Canon just announced the launch of the Canon EOS C200, which marks not only a new addition to the famous Cinema EOS line of cameras, but also a bold step by Canon, introducing internal 4K raw at a relatively affordable price. Check out all the details of the new camera below. Canon EOS C200 – Internal Raw Recording & More The Canon EOS C200 is here and it shoots raw! In fact, this is a camera for documentary style shooters that is laid out to record raw as a main codec. To make shooting raw feasible, the camera supports a new recording format called “Cinema RAW Light” which, according to Canon, provides the same flexibility in colour grading as Cinema RAW but at a smaller file size, making it possible to record internally to CFast 2.0 media. This is big news for many cinema camera enthusiasts, especially considering the comparatively low price point (see at the bottom). Raw and higher bit-rate recordings have always been a format filmmakers of all niches craved in order to achieve high-quality results, but for many it has been out of reach, so having a sub-$10k Canon EOS camera with internal 4K RAW recording is very big news. Recording Formats But that’s not all. The newly-developed Dual DIGIC DV6 processor of the C200 enables internal recordings in 4K UHD/50P MP4, 4K DCI raw 50P (!) and continuous 120fps High Frame Rate (HFR) in Full HD without cropping the sensor. As an alternative to the Cinema RAW Light format, the C200 can also record 4K UHD at 150Mbps and 2K or Full HD at 35Mbps to an SD card in the MP4 format. This highlights another interesting fact about this camera: at this time there is no “410Mbps All-I codec” as on other EOS cameras like the C300 Mark II. While it offers 4K raw recordings at 50P, which is great, we see that the only alternative is 150Mbps MP4 – a rather low bit-rate codec that is not ideal for professional productions. This could be a deal breaker for some documentary and TV productions aiming for good-quality recordings, but who don’t necessarily want the extensive and hard disk space-consuming workflow that come with shooting raw. The good news, however, is that according to the press release, Canon’s XF-AVC video format will be available via a future firmware upgrade. The upgrade will be free of charge and is planned to be available from Q1 2018. Advanced Auto Focus The Canon EOS C200 has Dual Pixel CMOS Auto Focus (AF) technology as well as a new touch-screen LCD monitor that allows users to select their subject and provide smooth AF operation and tracking. There is Face Detection with Face Priority and Face-Only options to assist users with focus control. Canon’s cameras with Dual Pixel technology has been delivering some of the best large-sensor AF. It’s great to have even better and more intelligent auto focus options on a camera like the C200. Low Light & ND Canon EOS cameras are famous for very good low-light performance. This is surely one reason for their popularity. The C200 will be no exception, and will sport a similar ISO range as its predecessors up to 102,400. Canon claims the camera delivers “excellent performance, even in difficult lighting conditions”. According to Canon, the C200 supports up to 15-stops of dynamic range with Cinema RAW Light, similar to the claimed dynamic range of other EOS cameras, and up to 13-stops in MP4 with Canon Log / Log 3. There are built-in ND filters with up to 10 stops of density. Ergonomics The new Canon EOS C200 weighs 1.4kg. In comparison, the C300 mark II weighs about 1.8kg and the C100 mark II weighs 1.1kg. Considering that this camera shoots raw, a weight of 1.4kg is a good start, especially as applications like handheld gimbals or drones become more and more popular. There is also built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity that allows users to remote control the camera and there is even an option to transfer files via FTP. Canon will also be introducing a way to attach and connect the Canon EVF-V70 EVF that was originally designed for the C700. Canon EOS C200 with V70 EVF Cinema RAW Light Workflow Canon has worked with several partners to ensure Cinema RAW Light is integrated with various software programs. As a result, editing and grading of the Cinema RAW Light video format will be supported in DaVinci Resolve of Blackmagic Design. Editing will be possible in Media Composer from Avid Technology, using Canon RAW Plugin for Avid Media Access. This format can also be processed using a Canon application, Cinema RAW Development. Support for Cinema RAW Light is also scheduled for EDIUS Pro, Grass Valley’s editing software, Cinema RAW Light, using Canon RAW Plugin for Final Cut Pro X. It seems like Adobe Premiere is not on the list of apps supporting the new camera format at this time. EOS C200 Key Features Internal 4K recording with Cinema RAW Light or MP4 format Continuous 120fps (maximum) High Frame Rate with no cropping at Full HD Up to 15-stops dynamic range (Cinema RAW Light) Professional high-quality image and audio Dual Pixel CMOS AF with touch control and extensive shooting functions Easy operation and flexible configuration Price and Availability The Canon EOS C200 is available for pre-order now in Europe and will start shipping in July 2017. The fully equipped camera body is $7,499 (€7,348 exc. tax). If you go for the body-only version (without LCD, handle and grip), the camera only costs $5,999. You can find links to recommended retailers below. As I’ve pointed out before, this is a very interesting product that could likely be seen as a come back by a company that has been “playing it safe” for the past few years, losing a lot of customers to other brands in the process. There are many things to like about this camera and we’re looking forward to reviewing it in the course of the next month. We will get our first hands-on at Cine Gear in LA in a couple of days, so stay tuned.

Atomos has announced a firmware update to their flagship 7″ monitor/recorder. Atom OS v8.3 finally bringsthe Dual and Quad-link SDI support promised upon the initial release of the Shogun Inferno, in addition to a new Secure Erase feature and 120p 4K raw burst recording for selected Sony cameras.  The Atomos Shogun Inferno was announced around NAB last year, a new flagship model that brought in 4K 60p and quad/dual link support over its predecessor. Now, a year later we finally see the latter USP fulfilled in this latest firmware update. This means you will finally be able to put all those BNC ports on the back of the Shogun Inferno to good use. And not only this, but if you’re a Sony FS5/FS700 owner you’ll also benefit from a new Sony FS Raw to ProRes 4Kp100/120 burst recording feature. The new Secure Erase is self-explanatory: If you shoot sensitive data that really needs to be wiped then you have an extra level of security with the new feature. Not that formatting a drive previously was deemed unsafe, but data recovery software could in theory be used in these cases. This new feature will work with Sandisk Extreme Pro drives as well as Atomos-branded G-Tech and Angelbird media. More on that new quad & dual link feature: the Shogun Inferno will now offer some support to the following cameras via 2 or 4 SDI streams in ProRes/DNx: Quad-Link (Squared & 2SI): AJA CION Canon C700 Panasonic Varicam 35 RED DCSM1 with REDCast Module – Epic & Scarlet Dragon (Mysterium X not supported) Sony PMW-F55 Sony PMW-F5 + CBKZ-55FX 4K expand option Sony F65RS + CA-4000 + SKC-4065 + BPU-4000 (for studio camera configuration) Sony HDC-4800 (4K studio camera and CCU) Sony HDC-4300(4K studio camera and CCU) Toshiba IK-4K Dual-Link: Canon C500 2Kp60 Panasonic Varicam LT – 10bit Dual Link RAW I was disappointed when purchasing a Shogun Inferno last year for the Canon C500 (which has now been officially discontinued) to find that dual-link SDI was not enabled, so it’s nice to see that this feature is finally available. It will be interesting to see just how much support it has for the Canon old boy, as 4K dual-link is not listed and there is no 12-bit support. Whilst my own interest in the C500 support is quite niche these days, what a wider audience can take away is acute consideration of camera/recorder pairing. Read past the glossy specification lists; research whether a system really can do what you want it to. It seems like more and more camera manufacturers are diverting attention to what a new camera can offer in terms of output rather than internal capture, but it’s taking time for third-party recorders to catch up; there really is a lack of accessible, competitive support in that side of the market. Here’s the full release notes. Download Atom OS 8.3 for the Atomos Shogun Inferno here.