LIST PRICE: $28,000 (body only)
With the recent release of its new flagship camera, the EOS C700, Canon is making a statement. More than a mere upgrade, this camera is designed to compete directly with the best digital cinema imagers on the market today. After spending a week putting the C700 through its paces we're thrilled to announce that Canon has stepped up and absolutely knocked one out of the park with this camera.
With the release of the C700 we wanted to see just how well it would stand up to the demands of cinematic, documentary, and broadcast applications. Moreover, with this review we set out to explore whether the C700 would represent the same kind of milestone performance gains we've come to expect from the EOS line.
The Big Picture
Right away it's clear that the C700 represents a major step up from its predecessors, in both specifications and image quality. The version of the camera we reviewed featured an EF mount and captured to a new Super35 4.5K sensor, filming 4K footage at up to 60 frames per second internal, a first for a Canon EOS camera. The C700 also records 2K and HD footage at up to 120fps. 240fps can be achieved by capturing a cropped image from the center of the sensor. 4K/120fps capture in RAW is also possible when utilizing an optional Codex add-on recorder.
One of the most impressive features of the C700 is its ability to capture footage in an impressive 15 stops of dynamic range when filming in Canon LOG 2. In addition, the camera also captures in Canon's LOG 1, LOG 3 and Rec. 2020 for optimal HDR post-production workflows. It records in both XF-AVC and ProRes codecs to dual CFast 2.0 cards, which can be arrayed to record simultaneously or in relay mode. It also includes an additional SD card slot for recording lower resolution proxies.
When using compatible EF glass the C700 features Canon's Dual Pixel Autofocus, as well as a new face detection autofocus mode. The camera features PL and B4 lens support via adapters, as well as a 12-pin lens connection that allows for remote control of focus, zoom and iris settings. It also features built-in ND at 2, 4, and 6 stops, which can be stacking to achieve 8 and 10 stops when used in combination.
One of the most striking features of the C700 is the new menu interface, which incorporates an approach that will feel similar to users of Hollywood-style cameras like the Arri Alexa, Sony F5 and Panasonic Varicam. The C700 also features an array of professional and broadcast connections, including four SDI outs, two additional SDI out for monitors, HDMI out, timecode/genlock input/outputs, and four channels of XLR input. It also features realtime IP streaming up to 1080p, as well as remote operation via the optional OU-700 control panel.
Power can be supplied to the device via DC 12V over XLR 4-pin, or through V-mount batteries. For this review we were able to use Anton Bauer Gold Mount batteries on the C700's v-mount thanks to an adapter plate generously provided by Bexel.
Rubber Meets the Road
Beyond all of the specs and features, what really matters is how the camera holds up in real-world settings. In a strong show of confidence, Canon loaned us the C700 for seven days, allowing us to put it through the entire array of potential ministry scenarios. We threw the camera into the most difficult and demanding settings church filmmakers and tech directors come up against, including controlled studio setups, low light environments, run-and-gun documentary work in mixed light settings, and weekend IMAG broadcast from the very back of an auditorium. Far more than charts and graphs, we wanted to get the measure of this camera in action.
Right off the top, the footage quality coming off the C700 is amazing, easily the best of any EOS camera released to date. The 4K footage, both 24p and 60p, as well as the 2K footage at 120p, looked rich, sharp and detailed. The images were clean with very little to no noise apparent, capturing amazing nuances and subtleties while still retaining that classic Canon look.
In a studio setting the footage looked very cinematic, with fantastic highlight rolloffs across the skin tones, lots of detail in the shadows and very little noise, even at higher ISO settings. We were especially impressed when filming low light tests where the subject was illuminated with only two small candles. While we loved the footage shot at 6,400 ISO, we found the imagery filmed at 12,800 and even 25,600 to be entirely usable.
Advanced Settings
In the past few years, Canon has taken a lot of flack for the fact that their cinema cameras have lagged behind their competition in the area of slow motion, or higher frame rate capture. After carefully examining the 4K/60p footage and 2K/120p we had a difficult time discerning little, if any, drop in quality when filming at these higher frame rates compared to the standard 24fps. This is not always the case with other digital cinema cameras, and it gives filmmakers a little bit of a window into Canon's philosophy in this area.
While filming in both Canon LOG 2 and LOG 3 we did notice a slight trend toward green tinting in the footage. While this is easily remedied in post, it would probably be worth one's time to delve a little deeper into the menu in order to boost the magentas slightly to achieve more consistent results. This green tint disappeared immediately when capturing in the Rec. 2020 profile.
One other quick note on the post-production workflow: the Canon C700 is meant to be a no-holds-barred A-camera for cinematic production. The best results will be achieved shooting at very high bit rates, which means the resulting files will be massive.
A Camera from Three Perspectives
One of the most unique challenges about working in video for ministry is the growing demand for quality in three distinct areas of production: cinematic/narrative work, documentary/ENG applications, and live broadcast/streaming. In order to create a review that would best serve our readership, we evaluated the Canon C700 from all three perspectives.
As a digital cinema camera, there's little doubt that the C700 is taking aim directly at the best camera on the market today. It's clear that this camera is the culmination of everything Canon has learned by producing all of the EOS C cameras that preceded it. It holds up extremely well when compared to cameras at much higher price points, and offers some great features many of those cameras don't yet include.
Another crucial but distinct ministry video application is in the area of ENG/documentary filmmaking. Church producers are required to do a lot of run-and-gun work in the course of a given week or month, and it's important to know that any camera purchased by a church can handle the rigors of this type of shooting. After extensive testing, the results we came away with were by and large very positive. Canon's inclusion of the standout Dual Pixel autofocus is a lifesaving feature for ENG-style shooting, and we were blown away by the cameras new ability to find and focus track a face from almost 50 feet away.
And finally, broadcast applications such as IMAG and live streaming have become a fundamental aspect of how churches share their message with a larger world. After spending time with the C700 in a live worship environment we were deeply impressed with the camera's potential as a broadcast solution. In the course of this review we brought in a number of tech and video directors with decades of experience to evaluate the camera in an IMAG configuration, and they were unanimously blown away by the image coming off the C700. The combination of image fidelity (when set to a Rec. 2020 profile) and the large-sensor aesthetic of the camera made for an IMAG image that was utterly compelling.
In Conclusion
With most camera and filmmaking gear, making a final purchasing selection is usually a series of trade offs. Give up one thing in order to gain something you want or need even more. With the Canon EOS C700 it's clear that the compromises aren't going to come on the imagery side of the equation. The footage is some of the very best 4K imagery we've ever seen out of a camera. The C700 also includes innovative features and abilities that set it apart from almost all other options in this range.
Which brings us to the most impressive aspect of the Canon C700. For years I've resisted the notion of a single camera that could cover all types of video work needed by a thriving, robust ministry. After spending significant time using the C700 in all three of those environments I can confidently assert that it's the first camera I would fully recommend switch-hitting between filmmaking, ENG and broadcast. It's that good.
