This is what your movie can look like if its shot on a C300.
Canon just declared war on the RED line. Its new refreshed line up of Cinema cameras is looking better and better with each announcement. The new C300 Mk II brings a killer package to the table for a paultry $15,999, including:
- 10-bit 4:2:2 in 4K recording (UHD 3840 x 2160 & DCI cinematic (4096 x 2160 pixels)
- up to 410Mbps (in 4K)
- 10/12-bit 4:4:4 in 2K & Full HD
- up to 30p in 4K, 120p in 2K/Full HD
- 4K RAW files to external recorder
- dual DIGIC DV5 processors
- dual CFast 2.0 slots
- 15 stops of dynamic range with new Canon Log2
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF
- New XF-AVC Intra, Long GOP and Proxy H.265 codecs in 4K, UHD, 2K and 1080p
- 4-channel audio in 16 or 24 bit and 48 kHz
- sensor-read out 2x faster than C300, less rolling shutter
This camera will be sold out and on backorder.
Thanks to Linus Tech Tips for the video.
From shashbugu, RED forums... and I believe every word:
ReplyDeleteI'm a diehard Red fanboy, but I can assure you that even an AC just setting up a Red Epic for a shoot can take a good 45 minutes, where as an Alexa could take you 10 minutes ( i'm exaggerating it just feels that way).
All eyes are on the Weapon [ed: The new 8k camera from RED].
I feel the weapon is really where Red has finally decided to sit at the table with us. They are great innovators and feel misunderstood half the time. For 10 years its been a lecturing conversation where we we get to be told what is best for us. We got that and we have faith in Red, but.... but.... but.... Red never gave us the chance to speak. Example Red says "Raw is the best thing for us", we say, "oh yes we know that, but we are lazy" give us a debayered oversampled 4k alternative to 5k raw" and Red says "NO, NO, NO we are saving you from mediocre, raw is what you should use, that would be a waste of Dr and resolution". Red goes ahead and creates SDKs for all NLEs, free Debayering software, accelerator GPU cards, GPU debarring playback enhancements< etc etc etc all to make our lives and workflows as easy as a debayered log file. When they finally re-sit at the table and realize that we really are lazy, they scratch their heads and build awesome camera with ProRes for lazy people.
Yay! the Weapon is coming.
Now Red, its important for you to know that just like raw, 85% of us don't really care about Log images either. At 16 stops just give us a LCC image like the Alexa or Amira. LCC is low contrast curve. And yes I will let you know I personally complained the loudest to Arri over and over again till they got it. Give us 6k prores 4444xQ with Redgamma and redlogfilm plus light NR already applied in a low contrast curve. You will see how cameras will fly out the door. We are lazy Wyswyg filmmakers. 99.999% of us don't belong to the ASC, our clients don't even know what those credentials mean. We live in the world of Apple watches Nissan Leafs and Teslas. The accuracy in the internal watch instruments or the size of the fuel injectors and cylinders of cars bore us. We just want to turn the camera on and not worry about a histogram. I want my images to rival Janusch Kaminsky without flashing the film stock. Most of us stopped caring about the film look right when the Red One was released. Frankly most of us can't even remember what the film look is.
We watch all our movies on 2K digital screens and Netflix. When we even shoot film, we buy kodak stocks that look digital and shout the grain out. The world is changing so are the filmmakers. The cameras are all now very good, the lighting is better today than ever, sound is impeccable, 3D and VFX are playing out.
We basically want to make telling stories the real fun in filmmaking not the tools.
More reading: http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?130384-Canon-C300-mk-ii/page8
From Scott Brown, same page:
DeleteA complex camera (RED) costs more to shoot than a simple one (C300) - our main client is the BBC and they supply us with a list of approved cameras along with a minimum tech spec we must work to. If we choose to shoot RED over a C300, then we take the financial hit, the BBC doesn't care!
Before, my number one priority was quality when choosing a camera, now I look at many factors and make a business case for each. At the end of the day cameras are tools to make us money, lose sight of that fact and you won't make money. Profit comes before pixels :o)
Now we no longer have our Epic, we rent a lot of cameras, selecting the best option for each project. We are now looking at a camera suited for run and gun ob doc filming which is our main work and at this point in time, the Sony FS7 looks like the best bet. It's not without it's faults, but for the money, nothing currently comes close.....perhaps tomorrow will reveal other better options :o)
Interesting and exciting times!