Canon U.S.A. Inc. has announced the EOS C700 FF, the company’s first full-frame cinema camera. The beauty and majesty of full-frame digital cinema is now becoming a new creative reality. Since the introduction of the EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera in 2008, Canon has been a part of the full-frame video movement, and the introduction of the C700 FF has reinforced Canon’s commitment to this market. At the heart of the camera is a novel Canon-developed CMOS image sensor having a total of 5952 (H) x 3140 (V) photosites with a digital cinema 17:9 aspect ratio, which gives it the same image circle size as the full frame EOS 5D camera series. This supports a wide range of shooting options.
Available in both PL and EF Mount, the EOS C700 FF provides users with the same outstanding performance, operation and modular design as the EOS C700 (released in December 2016). The camera is being shown publicly for the first time at the Canon booth (C4325) at the NAB Show 2018 in Las Vegas from April 9-12.
“Since the launch of Canon’s Cinema EOS line of products in November 2011, the goal was to one day develop a cinema camera worthy of being the ‘A’ camera on major Hollywood productions, and Canon met that goal with the introduction of the EOS C700,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “After listening to our customers and closely monitoring market trends, Canon set forth a new goal: to launch a full-frame cinema camera. With this introduction, we are very excited to see the C700 FF in the hands of industry professionals as they shoot their latest projects.”
Existing owners of Canon’s original EOS C700 cinema camera will be pleased to know they can have their Super 35mm sensor upgraded to the new Full-Frame sensor for a fee*. Authorized Canon facilities such as Canon Burbank are ready to process C700 upgrades as well as lens mount swaps, and offer equipment drop off, on-site repairs and upgrades, as well as equipment testing and demonstration.
The Sensor
The newly developed sensor featured in the EOS C700 FF has an active image area of 38.1 x 20.1mm and supports readout at full size, as well as Super 35mm, Super 16mm and anamorphic modes. In addition to full-frame lenses, it can be used with conventional Super 35mm lenses to originate 4K / UHD standardized production formats and Super 16mm lenses (with an adapter) to originate 2K / HD production formats in crop modes. The sensor captures wide tonality exceeding 15 stops of dynamic range and a wide color gamut meeting ITU-R BT.2020 standards. This offers broad latitude when grading, providing outstanding effectiveness in HDR video production.
Recording
The EOS C700 FF embodies a choice of two high-performance codecs for on-board recording –Canon XF-AVC or Apple ProRes. Like other cameras in the 4K Cinema EOS family, the EOS C700 FF uses CFast cards to capture 4K / UHD or 2K / HD. A striking feature of the C700 FF is the Oversampling 4K Processing that processes a 5.9K image capture to produce 4K (DCI or UHD) having enhanced image sharpness, curtailed moire, and a lowered visibility of noise at the higher ISO settings. This is especially advantageous for on-board anamorphic image capture. Low-rate 2K/HD proxy data including metadata, can be recorded to SD cards, ideal for offline editing. The camera also allows high-frame-rate recording of up to 168fps in 2K crop and relay or simultaneous recording onto both CFast cards. In addition, the C700 FF can shoot at a Full HD high-frame-rate recording at a maximum of 168 fps. Additional formats are planned with future firmware updates.
To further complement the features of the EOS C700 FF, Canon has turned to its trusted partner Codex to provide a fully integrated (no cables) recording and workflow option. The combination of the optional Codex CDX-36150 recorder docked onto the back of the EOS C700 FF enables 5.9K 60 fps RAW recording, 4K RAW up to 72 fps (in 24p mode), 4K ProRes up to 60 fps and 2K ProRes up to 168 fps (in Super 16mm mode).
The C700 FF also supports the latest version (1.0) of the ACESproxy, the ACES (Academy Color Encoding System) color management transmission standard.
HDR
For users looking to create High Dynamic Range (HDR) imagery, the EOS C700 FF is an excellent solution, providing 15 stops of latitude (with Canon Log2 only), along with Canon’s proprietary Log Gammas (Canon Log3, Canon Log2 and Canon Log) and renowned color science. Canon Log2 is recommended when originating HDR imagery containing both highlight details and deep shadowed details. In comparison with Canon Log, Canon Log3 offers a wider dynamic range while retaining performance in darker regions.
Additionally, these cameras seamlessly integrate with Canon’s latest professional 4K UHD Reference Displays for on-set review and color management that conforms to SMPTE ST 2084 standards of HDR display.
The look of a cinematic production begins with the lens, and the EOS C700 FF offers both PL and EF lens mount options which are interchangeable at a Canon authorized service center. For full frame imaging, the EF lens mount version of the new EOS C700 FF is compatible with Canon’s family of seven Cinema Prime lenses, including the newly announced CN-E20mm T1.5 L F lens, as well as the diverse lineup of over 70 interchangeable EF lenses. The EF mount supports Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology and Dual Pixel Focus Guide. The Focus Guide assists operators with a precision visual indicator in the viewfinder when pulling focus. Alternatively, for certain demanding shooting situations the reliable capabilities of Dual Pixel CMOS AF can be deployed. The EOS C700 FF PL mount version is also compatible with Cooke’s /i metadata communication technology.
The EOS C700 FF EF and EOS C700 FF PL are scheduled to be available in July 2018 for an estimated retail price of $33,000.
