Production leaders often live in the tension of now versus later—some problems have simple “now” solutions that you can get shipped to your doorstep in a few hours, but sometimes future-proofing is of particular importance, especially regarding video. It seems like video resolution is doubling every other year or so, and that’s a major concern for churches that create online experiences for church shoppers and even fully online campuses. Since the end of pandemic lockdowns, even churches without online campuses need cameras that can both meet and evolve with video technology.
"The Canon cameras looked great…very natural." - Kirk Meyers, Director of Video Production at Watermark Community Church
“People don't like to just come visit a church ‘cold call,’” noted Kirk Meyers, the Director of Video Production at Watermark Community Church in Dallas. “They like to watch online first and see, ‘Hey, is that a place I think I'd like to check out?’ And then if they like what they see, then they'll come visit.”
Church Production teamed up with Canon and sent Watermark two “future-proof” PTZ cameras, the CR-N500 and CR-N700, as well as two controllers, the RC-IP100 and RC-IP1000, to see how the camera would work for church production teams.
The Clear Scan function on both models also helped to eliminate any flicker or banding issues from the LED wall.
Kirk had a lot to say about just how good the Canon PTZs looked. “The Canon cameras looked great…very natural. The CR-N700 supports some neat color science [like] BT 709 with a wide dynamic range. The wide dynamic range of the CR-N700 was actually pretty helpful for being able to handle the brightness that we had with light fixtures on stage, or the brightness of the LED wall and the darkness as well. That was actually pretty neat. I liked that feature of the CR-N700; the CR-N500 didn't have that, and I definitely missed it when I was going back and forth between the two.” The Clear Scan function on both models also helped to eliminate any flicker or banding issues from the LED wall.
But that isn’t to speak poorly of the CR-N500, Kirk noted “I think if you don't have a camera or you only have one camera and you're looking to improve that quality, then an CR-N500 would be a great option for that. I would say the color of it and everything looked really natural, really true to the room feeling. And from that perspective, I think it would be an easy-to-set-up tool that would be really functional to use in that sort of environment. If it's a small church trying to get a web stream going, it'd be a fantastic option for that.”
And where the CR-N500 more than met expectations, the CR-N700 excelled, “"While we're not currently using HDR, it's definitely on our radar for the future. If you're looking for a camera that can capture stunning HDR images, the N700 is a great option." Kirk pointed out.
Each camera features just about every hardware connection you could ever want (XLR audio inputs included!) and the CR-N700 can do all of that with a PoE connection for maximum convenience.
Outside of the color space, these Canon PTZs are image-quality heavyweights. Both units send out crisp 4k, and the CR-N700 takes everything a notch with 4:2:2 10-bit imagery up to 60 frames over 12G SDI and 4:2:2 10-bit over HDMI. Each camera features just about every hardware connection you could ever want (XLR audio inputs included!) and the CR-N700 can do all of that with a PoE connection for maximum convenience.
Of course, Canon can’t help themselves, so they made powerful controllers too, both with hardware and the internet. Kirk noted, “The PTZ camera operation with the Canon controllers was smooth and intuitive. Both joystick control and adjustments like zoom and focus responded precisely and fluidly, making for a delightful user experience. The web interface offered a robust and user-friendly online option for control, putting comprehensive camera control right at your fingertips. This web interface is a major selling point, especially for churches and other organizations that appreciate user-friendly technology. Furthermore, the integration with Stream Deck and the Companion software was flawless. This seamless combination opens a world of possibilities for customized workflows and enhanced production value.”
There you have it, a smooth and seamless operation from your fingertips to the end of the lens.
Our thanks to Canon for working with us and Watermark Community Church for letting us show how to future-proof church broadcasts from start to finish.
