Designed specifically for the unique demands of the motion picture industry, the EOS-1D C Camera from Canon
is a breakthrough in hybrid HDSLR technology--able to record stills, 4K
and Full HD video, to either two on-board CF cards or uncompressed Full
HD to outboard recorders.
One of the largest benefits of having 4K video technology in a DSLR body
is that it will be able to go places that other larger 4K cameras
cannot, providing new ways of composing and capturing scenes. It is also
compatible with the entire fleet of Canon EOS lenses already available,
and perhaps already in your arsenal. If you're looking for a powerful
yet versatile rig that knows what a cinematographer wants and needs,
then Canon answers the call with this impressive offering.
The EOS-1D C was built to shoot cinematic quality, in a compact and
versatile EOS body. It is able to capture 4K (4096 x 2160), 24p (23.976)
content directly to its on-board CF memory cards. It does this by using
an 8-bit 4:2:2, high bit rate Motion JPEG compression scheme--allowing
4K content to be acquired in virtually any shooting environment, without
an off-board external recorder.
Coupled with the camera's small form factor, the EOS-1D C allows 4K
recording in environments that would normally be impossible or that
would require much larger cameras, crews and permits. It also allows
filmmakers to be discreet in crowded or hostile shooting environments,
on and in vehicles, or even in underwater housings.
In addition to its large pixel size--for outstanding still images and
4096 x 2160 video--the camera provides the serious photographer with a
generous ergonomic design, along with a smart layout of the controls.
Dual CF card slots ensure that every shot can be captured, while the
magnesium alloy body is dust and weather resistant, allowing you to get
the job done without hesitation, or worry.
Producing the selective focus and field of view that made filmmakers
fall in love with the EOS 5D Mark II, the standard Full-Frame HD setting
on the EOS-1D C takes advantage of the camera's 36mm sensor width. This
setting is ideal when filmmakers want to take full advantage of Canon's
EF and EF Cinema prime lenses to capture that unique and distinct
full-frame look--though Canon's EF Cinema zoom lenses require the Super
35mm Cropping setting, fixed focal length EF Cinema lenses will cover
the area of a full-frame sensor.
As a new category of hybrid HDSLR cameras is created, capable of
shooting 4K video--the motion picture industry standard--Canon and the
EOS-1D C enter previously uncharted territory. Now cinematographers can
shoot feature films from inside cars and planes, or documentaries using
underwater housings--allowing a whole new perspective to be captured for
the big screen.
The 1D C can also simultaneously output a time code stamped,
uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2 Full HD signal for off-board recording--Clean
HD video via HDMI. While recording in this high quality, however,
roughly each minute of recorded content occupies 4GB of storage space.
Therefore, a 64GB CF card can record approximately 16 minutes of 4K
content so you will likely come to rely on the dual CF card slots as
they fill up faster than HD video on previous DSLR cameras.
The 1D C's Super 35mm Cropping setting matches the motion picture
industry's standard imaging format and angle of view when in a
commercial or feature film environment. Using this setting will match
the depth of field and angle of view used in virtually all digital
cinema cameras on the market today (including the Canon EOS C500 and
C300).
Note: Canon's EF Cinema zoom lenses require the Super 35mm Cropping
setting, since they do not cover the area of a full-frame D-SLR imaging
sensor. Canon's fixed focal length EF Cinema lenses, however, will cover
the area of a full-frame sensor.
A photodiode structure with an increased photoelectric conversion rate
increases the sensor's sensitivity by approximately 2 stops over
previous models, meaning higher ISOs with the lowest noise of any EOS
digital camera. And a 2-line 16-channel simultaneous signal readout
means speeds of up to 12 fps (RAW + JPEG) and even 14 fps (Super High
Speed Mode) are possible.
The "IPB" compression scheme (Interframe, Predicted Frame, and
Bidirectional Predicted Frame), allows for good image quality and a
significant reduction in overall file size compared to first generation
HDSLR cameras such as the 5D Mark II, 7D and 60D. It is well suited for
recording long, continuous clips where lots of tight editing and cuts
are not as likely to occur in post-production. When using IPB
compression, approximately 15 minutes of Full HD recording produces a
4GB file (though continuous recording file sizes are not limited to 4GB
in the 1D C).
The second "ALL-I" compression scheme (All Intraframe), processes each
individual frame as a complete image, and each frame can be edited with
its quality still intact. This is ideal for situations where editors
expect to make many precise edits to original video files. However the
trade-off with ALL-I is that file sizes will be about 3x larger than
those using the IPB method.
Therefore, a 4GB video file (Full HD 1920 x 1080) will contain roughly
4.5 to 5 minutes of video when recorded using the ALL-I compression
method. That said, it still produces relatively small files and is the
best choice for projects that will be widely distributed in a variety of
formats.
Noteworthy on the EOS-1D C is a built-in headphone jack, simplifying
greatly the task of monitoring audio during recording or playback. This
is especially useful when combined with the silent control feature for
adjusting audio levels during actual recording. However it is still
recommended that when doing documentary, commercial, television or
feature film production that the camera's audio be used only as a
reference to sync with.
The EOS-1D C has a dedicated AF menu tab, so AF can be controlled
without having to go through custom function menus. It also has 6 AF
point selection methods (Spot, Single Point, Single + Adjacent 4 Points,
Single + Adjacent 8 Points, Zone Selection, and Automatic AF Point
Selection), plus a dedicated AF configuration tool for control of AI
Servo AF III tracking parameters (tracking sensitivity,
acceleration/deceleration tracking, and AF point auto switching).
The EOS-1D C uses the 100,000-pixel RGB Metering Sensor to aid the AF
system in Automatic Point Selection. This dramatically increases the
tracking performance for subjects that were previously unpredictable to
follow, such as fast-moving or flying subjects. EOS iTR (Intelligent
Tracking and Recognition) AF recognizes the subject based on face and
color detection from the AE system, and tracks it using AF points. The
EOS iSA (Intelligent Subject Analysis) System incorporates color
recognition and Face Detection for proper exposure. Specific parameters
can be adjusted and refined and saved in the AF menu for later use.
As with previous cameras, the IR/UV absorbing glass in front of the
EOS-1D C's sensor is treated with an anti-dust fluorine coating making
it easier to remove damp or sticky dust particles. As part of Canon's
Integrated Cleaning System dust missed by the camera can be identified
and removed using the Dust Delete Data feature of Canon's Digital
Professional Pro software, bundled with every EOS digital SLR.
The AF status indicator can even be directed to display within or
outside of the viewfinders image area. With the intelligent viewfinder,
unlike with other cameras, the photographer has the choice of seeing
shooting information or looking only at the scene in front of the
camera. The ability to effectively erase all shooting data and turn it
back on with the touch of a button gives the photographer the
opportunity to concentrate simply on looking and composing the
photograph without distraction, a great advantage in numerous shooting
situations.