Bringing Canon's expertise and decades of experience designing sensors, lenses, image processing and design to the world of motion picture capture, the EOS C300 camera has been designed to meet the demanding needs of cinema industry professionals, providing a modular, portable and eminently adaptable system of cameras, lenses and accessories built for moviemaking in the 21st century.
Featuring a unique Super 35mm Canon CMOS sensor, revolutionary Canon DIGIC DV III Image Processor and 50 Mbps 4:2:2 codec, the EOS C300 provides outstanding cinema quality movie capture. Compact, modular and compatible with Canon's existing line-up of EF and new EF Cinema lenses as well as accessories from third parties, the stunningly simple to operate EOS C300 is designed to please cinematographers for any production large and small, on location or in the studio, from shoestring to Hollywood budgets.
The EOS C300 has a Canon EF lens mount and is compatible with all of Canon's new EF Cinema lenses and current EF lenses, including compact primes, super telephotos, specialty tilt-shift, macro and fisheye - over 60 in all. Designed with SMPTE HD production standards, its MPEG-2 codec is an internationally recognized standard compatible with major NLE applications while additional features such as Canon Log ensure seamless integration with existing production workflows, making post-production easy. And with an entire support infrastructure designed to help you get the most from your equipment before, during and after production, the EOS C300 is ready to go to work.
Modeled on the Super 35mm 3-perf motion picture film standard, the Canon CMOS sensor has an active image size of 24.4 x 13.5mm. It uses 3840 (H) x 2160 (V) photosites to perform the crucial optoelectronic transformation of digital imaging. Each photosite is a generous 6.4 x 6.4 micrometers in area and each has a microlens that ensures the highest efficiency in light transfer to the individual photodiode. Proprietary technologies within the photosite simultaneously lower the image sensor noise floor while enhancing the photon capacity of the photodiode - a combination that assures superb dynamic range. The image sensor employs an innovative readout technique that delivers full bandwidth individual RGB video components without the need for any debayering algorithms. Each of these components has a 1920 (H) x 1080 (V) sampling structure at up to 60 frames. From these original video components, a 1080-line 60i format or a 1280 (H) x 720 (V) at 60P HD format are selectively derived.
The EOS C300 incorporates the first Canon CMOS sensor designed specifically for high frame rate motion pictures, offering not only high resolution and shallow depth-of-field but also high sensitivity with low noise. Working together, Canon's Super 35mm sensor and DIGIC DV III Image Processor achieve a remarkably high signal-to-noise ratio that enables recordings with great detail and dynamic range even in minimal light.
Shooting in Canon Log mode, cinematographers can set the camera exposure value using their customary light meter practices. Canon Log is a special nonlinear transfer function embodied within the DIGIC DV III RGB video processing system. This transfer function is specifically designed to facilitate the post-production of digital images originating in Cinema EOS in a manner similar to the post-production of images digitally transferred from motion picture film (the contemporary DI process). By managing the disposition of quantization bits, Canon Log ensures excellent tonal reproduction within both highlight and low-light regions of a given digital image - maintaining a total dynamic range of 800%. These sophisticated video grading processes restructure a new digital representation achieving a sought-after creative look on a quality reference display.
A dark and stormy night? With the EOS C300, it's no problem. The combination of sensor and image processor render an extraordinary signal-to-noise ratio and as such make shooting at high ISO (up to ISO 16000) a breeze.
The EOS C300 uses enhanced signal processing to minimize rolling shutter skews and to reduce moire artifacts. A high-speed readout significantly reduces the subjective visibility of the vertical skewing on fast-moving horizontal subjects, a typical pitfall of the CMOS image sensor neutralized by Canon technology.
Designed and built by Canon for the highest HD RGB processing, the DIGIC DV III Image Processor uses proprietary circuits and architecture to deliver the highest image quality at the highest speeds, with low power consumption and minimal heat output. It processes the RGB representations originated in the single CMOS sensor of the camera into three channels (Red, Blue and Green) to maintain the rich resolution and clean color fidelity formerly possible only in three-chip sensor designs.