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.