Canon EOS-1D C Reviews and Video Round-Up

Let's go for a Canon EOS-1D C reviews round-up. Foremost, the EOS-1D C will soon get a firmware update that will enable 25p at 4k video recording. The firmware update is expected for April 2013. The EOS-1D C is an amazing yet pricey photographic tool. One of the features that are thrilling photographers is the possibility to get stills from video footage. A possible game changer in the industry. Still, the price is high ($11,999, check it out at the following shops: B&H and Adorama)

The video above is a 35min video review by Philip Bloom, the video below a mini documentary he shot to get accustomed with the EOS-1D C.

Shooting was a breeze. It’s a DSLR, it may have been shot in 4k but it operates the same way! Miller DS20 tripod. Lenses were Canon 16-35. 24-105, 70-20 F4, 100mm Macro (used for the interview for some utterly bizarre reason!) Audio was a Rode NTG2 into a Roland R26 and B-roll audio was the Rode Video Mic Pro.

I had a lot of issues in post though. This was shot in 4K, downscaled in to full HD for editing (I do plan to remaster as a 4k version soon.) In the edit I noticed a lot of problems, banding, magenta tinges on parts of the frame. Basically we worked it out and it was down to a number of things. The compression of the 4K, combined with the Canon log mode shooting below the native ISO of 400 which is a bad combination.

More sample works shot with the EOS-1D C. The next video (source: planet5d), Killing Me Softly by Andrew Wonder, gives more insights about the EOS-1D C as a doc camera, i.e. it gives a good idea of what image quality the EOS-1D C produces out of the box:

This film captures the life and journey of a lobster. The more time I spent with her the more human she became. I was completely unprepared for what I would see.

The film was shot entirely on the Canon 1DC with a Zeiss ZE 28mm and 100mm Makro. With the 1DC I was able to retain the flexibility of shooting with a DSLR while getting detail and clarity beyond what has been previously possible. In this case I believe 4K was essential for bringing this story to life.

The film is not color corrected to give viewers an idea of how this camera handles doc situations without manipulation. All the sound was recorded with the onboard camera mic. I directed and shot the film without any support rig. Justin Sharp edited it together.

Finally, a video by Austrian filmmaker Nino Leitner. The movie, called hyber nation, can be watched in 4k on YouTube here.you can also download the ungraded 13GB 4K ProRes Master file from Nino's server. There could be problems with the available bandwidth.

Canon EOS-1D C price check for your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Canon EOS-1D C core specs:

  • 18.1Mp CMOS Sensor
  • 4K Cinematic Quality Video
  • 1920 x 1080 Full HD Video
  • Dual DIGIC 5+ Image Processors
  • 3.2″ LCD Screen
  • Eye-Level Pentaprism Viewfinder
  • Dual CF Card Recording Media
  • Canon EF Lens Mount
  • Magnesium Alloy Body
  • 61-Point High Density Auto Focus

EOS-1D C Review

 

A Little Bit Of Everything

Discounts Available: Bower 24mm f/1.4 $200 Less, And Refurbished Canon EOS 5D Mark II For $1590

Discounts Available

For your attention. B&H has some instant rebates going on. First is the manually operated Bower 24mm f/1.4 Wide-Angle lens, sold for $499 (click here) instead of $699, 30% less. The lens’ core specs:

  • Extremely Fast f/1.4 Wide-Angle Lens
  • Manual Exposure, Manual Focus Lens
  • Multi-Coating Reduces Flare/Distortion
  • Focuses to 9.8″
  • Superb for Low-Light Shooting Situations
  • Canon EF Mount
  • For Full-Frame and APS-C Size Sensors

Click here to see the full product description.

Discounts Available

They also have refurbished Canon EOS 5D Mark II in stock, for $1589 (click here). And other refurbished Canon gear too, click here to see it all (15 items), for instance the Canon EOS 5D Mark III for $2840 (click here).

Discounts Available

 

Rumor: New Canon EOS-M Firmware Set For Possible Imminent Release (and some thoughts about the EOS M)

Canon EOS-M Firmware 

The little, so much blamed, so much criticized Canon EOS M! It took Canon a long time to enter the mirrorless market. Indeed, Canon was the last big camera gear maker that released a MILC (Mirrorless Interchangable Lens Camera). You may think that being the last one has given Canon the opportunity to beat all the competitors, to build an amazing MILC. Nope. Canon made a halfhearted effort when designing and building the EOS M. Don’t get me wrong, the Canon EOS M (price & specs) has a lot of good points, its performance is solid, the high ISO/low light performance is among the best in its category, image quality is amazing, the small body is rugged and solid, and there is more (see below for my impressions). But it has one big shortcoming: The Auto-Focus. You can live with it (if you have to), even more if you have some experience with photography. But most of the competitor’s AF system easily outperforms the EOS M’s AF.

But there may be hope for a better AF raising on the horizon. Here comes the rumor, just posted on Canon Rumors. There may be an imminent release of a Canon EOS-M firmware update. And, yes!, it should improve auto-focus, the main failure in the EOS M design. CR writes:

We’re told new firmware for the EOS M will be coming “soon”. Possibly in the next two weeks. The firmware will address various things in the camera, the biggest being improving AF performance.

How much improvement can be expected regarding the much criticized AF? It depends by what is really responsible for the sluggish performance. If it is a hardware design failure, then there will be little improvement. If, on the other hand, it was just poor software engineering (for the firmware), then there could be a dramatic improvement, something that puts the EOS M back in the same league o its competitors. The most plausible improvements the new Canon EOS-M firmware will deliver are: better hunting in low light, better tracking, and generically faster AF.

As I said before, you can live with the EOS M’s AF. I do. It won’t make you happy, but it isn’t as terrible as some reviews suggest. In may very own experience the EOS M didn’t “taking the fun out of photography“, as Ron Martinsen writes in his review. Sure it needs some tweaking, experimenting, and the right lens. AF is fastest with the EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM (sometimes almost acceptable), particularly in Flexizone Single mode, then comes the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM, a lens with very good optical perfomance. When using EF and EF-S lenses with the adapter the AF becomes almost unusable (surprisingly I had some fast focusing with the EF 50mm f/1.8). To get the point: AF sucks when the subject is even slowly moving or when there is low light, the worst case being both conditions given.

A comprehensive review by ephotozine gets the point about the EOS M. It’s the review I agree most so far:

The Canon EOS M has a small well designed body with an easy to use 3 inch touch screen, however the limited number of lenses, as well as the extremely slow focus and short battery life are rather frustrating limitations holding the camera system back. It would be nice to see some of these issues resolved either with a firmware update or a following model and releases, however, until then, other mirrorless cameras offer a much better range of lenses, focus speeds, as well as generally better battery life. However, if you can bear with some of these weaknesses, then the camera has good noise performance, and is cable of taking excellent photos.

Canon EOS M Pros

  • Excellent noise performance up to ISO3200+
  • Excellent image quality
  • Excellent colour reproduction
  • Excellent touch screen
  • Solid body with good handling, despite size
  • Mic socket

Canon EOS M Cons

  • Little warning that the battery is going flat
  • Struggles to focus in low light
  • Extremely Slow focus
  • No built in Panoramic mode
  • Limited number of lenses
  • Short battery life
At least now we know that there will be more EF-M lenses, as stated by a Canon Executive.

As some of you probably know, the EOS M was with me when I travelled Myanmar last year. It was a good travel companion and allowed me to shot some pictures I am happy with (still hosted by a friend on Flickr due to Internet issues while there). I was happy to have a light-weighted camera that delivers APS-C sensor image quality and the creative possibilities of a DSLR. And beside the poor AF, the rest of the experience was positive. I particularly liked the combined use of the control wheel and the touchscreen. Canon made it right here: settings can be changed easy and fast, most settings are just a few touches away. Unfortunately the battery lasts for around 230-250 shots only, and the indicator doesn’t give you a real idea about how close you are to a drained battery. Better to have one or two spare batteries. One last thing: the EOS M made it through extreme hot temperatures with humidity often around 95%, sandy and dusty places, roads, and street parties. It saw rain, I didn’t have a real camera bag, it was simply in my day-pack. I didn’t handle it with to much care, it was the tool I needed while there (a camera is here to be used), and everything always worked, nothing broke, the sensor is still ok (no dust spots). A solidly built camera. The EOS M always worked and did what I wanted. Well, except for some AF issues :-)

Canon EOS M price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA