It probably isn’t what people were expecting when Canon recently announced they were focusing on mirrorless. And it almost certainly isn’t the camera recently rumoured to be out testing with pro photographers. But Canon has announced their first full frame mirrorless camera. The C700 FF cinema camera, that is.
Yeah, ok, so all cinema cameras are mirrorless, really, but this one contains a 5.9K, relatively huge (compared to Super 35mm) full frame 35mm sensor. It works with EF, PL and anamorphic lenses, and if you’re using Canon EF lenses, you even get Dual Pixel autofocus. Canon announced the new camera along with a 10 minute video going over its features.
One of the big differences between the sensor in this camera and the “full frame” sensor those found in Canon’s DSLRs is that this one is optimised for video. And that goes to its shape and dimensions, too. Having an aspect ratio slightly more cinematic than a 3:2 DSLR sensor, being a little wider side-to-side and shorter top-to-bottom.
It’s a 5.9K, 18.69 MP (5952 x 3140 pixel) effective resolution full frame CMOS sensor offering a 17:9 ratio, confirming to the 35mm widescreen film format. But, it also contains crop modes. Want to simulate a Super 35mm or Super 16mm camera? Then just pick it from the menu options. It’s funny how smaller sensors are looked down upon with disdain by many in the world of photography, yet in cinema,the option to shoot those formats is being highlighted as a feature.
Still, overall it looks very impressive. 5.9K sensor, 15 stops of dynamic range, Dual Pixel CMOS AF when you’re using EF mount lenses, and it shoots Canon Cinema RAW, ProRes and XF-AVC footage. It’s also compatible with existing EOS C700 accessories including the EVF-V70 viewfinder, the MO-4E/MO-4P B4 mount adapters and the OU-700 remote operation unit.
The ISO ranges from 160-25,600 native or 100-1102,400 expanded. There’s 15 stops of dynamic range with built in 2, 4 and 6 stop ND filters for when it’s just a little bit brighht out. It houses a pair of CFast 2.0 card slots and a lone SD card slot (presumably UHS-II, although it doesn’t specify).
As for connectivity, there are 2 BNC monitor outputs, 4 BNC (SDI) outputs, 1 HDMI output, a 3.5mm stereo mic level input and a pair of 3 pin XLR inputs. There’s also an RJ45 LAN socket, 4 pin XLR (12v DC) power input and a D-Tap output.
The Canon C700 FF is available to pre-order now, but at $33,000 you might want to wait to see what other full frame mirrorless offerings Canon are still planning.
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