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Scarlet/C300. No way

Alvise Tedesco

Alvise Tedesco

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I wanted to see how the Canon C300 compares to my Scarlet, for an upcoming doc where I'd like my camera to be a little lighter and less power hungry.. Admittedly I never shot before with a C300. I'm sure it can be tweaked better. Since I never used that camera before I've shot with the settings suggested by BBC Alan Roberts (http://tech.ebu.ch/docs/other/WHP034-ADD70_Canon_EOS_C300.pdf).
For both 800 iso, 5600k preset and 1.2 ND. Full quality debayer to prores in RCX for the Scarlet. Encoded C300 files to prores in FCP7 (log and transfer).
Added a second debayer batch for the Scarlet with pretty high unsharp value (190) to better match what I perceived as electronically enhanced detail on the C300.
I've shot quite a lot, but this file (uploaded the original 1.4GB prores. Should be there for a time consuming download if you're interested) summarizes pretty well what is going on.
I imagined the C300 to give much better results. Resolution is fine, although pretty harsh. Where it lacks really is in the highlights roll off. Particularly when clipping occurs. Same videoish response and bad clipping on overexposed parts of skin tones. Scarlet is silk and butter! The only real plus for the Canon would be if you're shooting in stupidly poor and low light. But then, who likes stupidly poor light?
5 min after seeing for myself the footage I invested (again) some money and ordered a shoulder mount. No way I'd use this camera for a project where I want the photography to shine

https://vimeo.com/49553212 (download prores if you're interested and patient)
 
Interesting test, thanks.

I had the 2 cameras side by side the other day entirely different feel....somehow cheaper for the same $$$$$$, less substantial.
 
images from both cams look like crap . . . must be a Vimeo thing ; - )
 
Scarlet looks less 'crappy' though, even after vimeo compression.
 
Yeah, also, because it's baked in, you really have to expose for your highlights and bring up your lows in post. And I'm not taking ETTR without clipping like some suggest for Scarlet; I mean, make sure nothing is clipping, nail exposure on your mids as best you can, and fill your shadows if they are so dark they'll be unrecoverable (they probably won't be though.)

Honestly, from a dynamic range perspective both the shots look pretty much the same, the only difference is Scarlet's looks flatter (it looks like the highs are lowered to 90IRE and the lows are raised to 10IRE, which can easily be done in post)... Both cams look hard clipped up to f11 or so, and the dynamic range of the scene is more than 13 stops (so no amount of raw will let you capture everything... HDRx will though). I bet if you shot C300 at f11/f16 with CanonLOG and expanded the shadows in post as needed, it'd look more or less the same from an exposure/dynamic range aspect. Before you go poo-pooing having to tweak in post (expand shadows), realize that it'd be just as fast (or faster) than having to set RAW settings.

As for video-esque resolution/sharpening... yeah, there is a pretty massive difference and the Scarlet looks much fuller/thicker/nicer. That said, we're talking about a documentary, right? With interviews and wild sound and having to shoot for extended periods of time on the fly? If I were renting, I'd probably go C300. It weighs next to nothing in a shootable config and the single redvolt sized battery lasts hours...

...just sayin'.
 
The biggest thing about the c300 is that when those high contrast elements fall on faces, you are fucked. A girl with a shiny forehead clips in the same obnoxious way that the tree leaves do. It's the difference between negative and reversal (In case you are confused, the canon is the reversal-like 3% of the people reading this have any idea what that means. Ugg.)
 
Purpose of my post was to let downloadable the Prores for the ones who need it. Although downloading 1.4GB from Vimeo must be pretty annoying, you should do that if you feel the C300 could near your Scarlet image quality.
Many people considers the C300 the best documentary camera. It is, probably, if you have to walk ALONE for days in the jungle. But the image really is surprisingly far from Red, paradoxically exactly in a possible documentary situation where you simply can't preserve the highlights.
Also, C300 is known for seeing in the dark. True, but after my direct testing I'm very happy to say I would much prefer to use my Scarlet just moving appropriately the tiniest home bulb or a subject closer to a street lamp also if I were shooting in dark environments
 
to be franc ,a test like this without just a matte box ,the daylight burn all details.
canon like red is not at the advantage really low detail in the video ,vimeo is not only in fault.
after i'm out of the fight between ,but in the canon is like for sony we see the same matrix video push over they limits to digital for me, why i mixe old lens 35mm 70' and i refund a bloody grain like before with all the advantage of the digital.
but great job anyway ,when we share we dont fight .
 
I saw the video review of the BMC camera on blooms website and that video was shot on a C300. It's been the only footage so far that was like "hmm I wonder what they shot this on" not a DSLR and not Red.

C300 is a decent camera, web-content and reality TV I feel like thats it's playing field. C500 4K footage looks great too I was really impressed with their zooms if only they had PL!

But at the end of the day 1080p is So Soft and 8-bit 422 also weak. there's a diference between 8-bit 422 and 10-bit 422 and an even bigger difference when you jump up to 444.

6 years from now you'll be re-finishing all you older work to 4K to upload on the Web while everyone else is stuck with 1080p. The footage you shoot today yesterday if shot properly is future proof.

You have allot to consider. If your gonna shoot a night scene and literally dont have a jenny then probably opt for the C300. Battery length and ND is also something to think about if you have limited power/resources.

Cine-X workflow is simply the best, its what I always come back to when I play with other cameras. Yeah I get it I see their market but I'm an owner operator =)
 
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