C500mkII after 3 years, end of year ramble UNCUT

[@EddieWoodsRemnantOutreach]

I am a year later to this party but I think I'm going to be getting this around sept as my A video cam and my R5 C will be my B video cam and main photo cam.

[@bowdymisener]

Still shooting on my c100 mk2 w your profile loaded on it. Just shot a short and got to see it in theaters- image looked amazing on the big screen. I’ll upgrade eventually but I’m still squeezing this body for all it’s worth. Hoping the gear heads dump their “old” c300 mk 3’s for cheap to rush and get the c400 so I can snag one at a good price.

[@MattNormanFilms]

I agree completely. The c500 is my only camera that I truly love. The only thing I would love is 4k 120fps. Other than that I’m completely happy with this awesome machine.

[@mecan5196]

I love my C500MK2. I’ve paired it with 4 Vespid Primes and the look is really nice. Canon just doesn’t market the way RED does. It could get a lot more love. It certainly deserves more. Its spec is more than enough for most work out there, and it’s versatile enough that you can rig it for studio, live broadcast, run and gun doc, narrative. I can even fly it on a RS2. Shot a short commercial the other day as a one man crew. No 1st AC, moving targets etc, so I went with an old EF 35f2 lens and set it up for autofocus. Shooting blue hour, shooting sunset, shooting into the sun. Literally turn up on set and switch the camera on and you’re good to go. I almost never use RAW either. The 10 bit is very flexible. You don’t need to work around the camera, it works the way you want to work. It’s why I bought the camera when it came out and why I continue to use today.

[@justinuriahphoto]

I’m a solo shooter. I currently use a canon c70 and r5c. I have realized I am growing out of both cameras and need something with more professional connection ports like sdi etc. the c500 mk2 is definitely within my price range now after the drop. Would you recommend it over the c300 mk3? I love the dgo sensor in the c70 but the full frame has my interest. Let me know your thought. I have plenty of RF and EF glass and some cinema glass too. Thx!

[@Owlbot]

I'm not sure if I'd recommend it "over" the mk3, only because they're very similar, almost identical cameras and that larger sensor size + 6K RAW are the only difference. Given the same budget, you potentially could want a mk3 and another C70/a great light/better mics. If you're planning on shooting anamorphic the larger sensor is clearly a benefit, but if you're doing more corporate/interview/web stuff it might be worth saving or re-allocating that extra price difference. If money is no object then yeah go for it haha A FF sensor isn't "better" in a vacuum necessarily but does offer some benefits that depend on what type of work you do.

[@MattNormanFilms]

I would add that if you have the c500 keep it and buy good glass. Good glass and this camera is the killer combo.

[@kazlepek6552]

The point of the FX3 is XLR + timecode + Cine-EI menus that match the FX6 and 9. It renders the a7S iii obsolete unless you never record audio or you’re an old man with a predilection for photo style EVF’s

[@randallburgess6393]

Agreed totally. Wish I could afford the c500.

[@randallburgess6393]

Hey Kenny thanks for the video fully agree with what you had to say and the business can be bazaar at times over their camera choices and what they use to base camera choices on but having said that ..due to my financial situation Im still using my canon C100 Mark ii and wondering ….I got your camera profile and use that just wondering if you had any tips for colour grading stuff on the camera As you know it’s only eight bit and so you can only push it so far and just wondering with your experience from using it for quite some time if you had any tips for me in the dues and don’ts in regards to colour grading and colour correcting

[@Owlbot]

I could make a video about that for sure! I'll use this video as example footage. It's kinda just kneading out the image as opposed to "pushing" it anywhere, if that makes any sense. Probably not, I'll post that shortly haha

[@RonaldoMoura]

It'd be fantastic to see you developing this question of differences in between lenses. Not only about rehousing but about the glass inside. There is an objective quality difference in ef glass and sumire glass? this is just one example but you got it. cheers from Brasil.

[@Owlbot]

The issue with that is defining "quality". The "best" lens isn't always the sharpest and cleanest. The best lens is the right one for the job.

[@andychappell5942]

Great vid, thanks Kenny. I’d love to know how you rig your c500, what lenses you use and how you pack the camera into a bag/case. I have a c300iii, r5c and r5. I find I keep grabbing either the r5c or r5 for my primary shooting needs and the c300 for IV’s. Would love to use the c300 more as my primary camera, but just haven’t found a way to make it work for me yet. Lately been wondering about switching to Sony and grabbing an fx6 instead 😂

[@Owlbot]

I have a giant pelican case that literally everything but sound/lights/tripod goes in, layered, so I only need the one case to film anything. That's the C500, 6 lenses, the XT3, timecode boxes, wireless lavs (so a bit of sound haha), batteries, and the C500 in it's cage. Also has all the power cables I need. I also have a smaller pelican that holds the C500 stripped down and whatever I need for that shoot. Often a travel tripod, lavs, shotgun mic, batteries, and some rigging stuff. If necessary I'll bring a backpack with cables and shit too. What would the FX6 allow you to do that the C300 isn't?

[@andychappell5942]

@@Owlbot thanks for the breakdown. I mostly do run’n’gun stuff. I think the FX6 would be (and I could be wrong) lighter and smaller with lens, Sony batt & monitor, sometimes a mic. Which I’d prefer for handheld use and packing/travelling as a solo operator. I think the FX6 is a more nimbler camera - could be wrong, as I haven’t used one myself. I love the IQ straight outta the C300, but Sony IQ is better these days with a bit of work. The options for emount lenses coming out look good too. Smaller, lighter, cheaper modern ‘glass’ with good performance. IMHO, I think with emount lenses you get better bang for ya buck, and it’d be nice not to fuss with having ef and rf lens, adapter choices (when used in combo with my R5c and R5) Also, the FF sensor, auto VND and a high base ISO of 12,800. I think there’s a part of me that just wants to buy gear for the sake of it. And there’s also a part of me that enjoys using the gear I have and making it work. But, atm I’m not comfortable with my options of c300/r5c and r5 plus lenses. Having to make those choices of what to take and pack to a shoot makes me a bit anxious about making those decisions. I would like to simplify my setup.

[@joshuaemerson]

I would love to see more about your post workflow. I’m shooting with the c300iii and I just have been struggling with clog2 and getting it to look like it did on set.

[@Owlbot]

I could probably make a video about that

[@trevr-merchant]

Check out Juan Melara C300 to Alexa Power grade. I use his powergrades for everything.

[@joelkleinium]

How often do you find yourself using RAW versus some of the more compressed formats? When would you feel the need to shoot RAW?

[@Owlbot]

I shoot raw on most paid narrative gigs, commercials, etc. Corporate gigs 10bit compressed is plenty.

[@randallburgess6393]

Any advice on what motorized gimble works for a c100 with the sigma 18-35 lens.

[@Owlbot]

I don't tend to use gimbals so I couldn't tell ya

[@LonzosStudios]

There are a couple KZbinrs that said they have never gotten called for DP work because they have a canon cine cam but they get calls all the time for Sony and others...have you gotten DP work from owning the C500 MKII?

[@Owlbot]

Not from camera ownership no, just the quality of the image. In other words if I'm getting a DP job I'm getting called for me not for my camera. Sometimes I use other cameras, often times they're fine with what I have especially if it's a corporate gig or music video or whatever. Every once in a while there's a gig where they're already shooting Canon and want something to match and I'll get called for that. There's definitely high demand for the FX6, for instance, in the traditional media space. Brands like Bon Appetit or Variety or whatever doing their web content. Canon tends to be used more on documentaries.

[@Owlbot]

Well, hilariously enough since I posted that response I've gotten 3 gigs specifically because I had a C500mkII. All three gigs were offered to me because the main DP had a C500 and they needed a second owner/operator, so there ya go. One of the gigs was for one of the largest gaming companies on the planet, so not like rinky-dink jobs either.

[@LonzosStudios]

@@Owlbot My comments brought you good luck, first 3 for free, next 3 I get a cut..😀 I've since purchase the C70 to pair with my C500 MKII so I'm all in on the canon Cine line not to mention canon drop the C500 by like 5k so there's no switching to anything else so hopefully the calls come flooding in for me as well.

[@Owlbot]

@@LonzosStudios the C70/C500 combo is unmatched for versatility. The P&Co "Paradise Forever" gig I recently shot (check the "collaborations" playlist here) used them and it's just top notch IMO. Writing an article about that for ProVideo Coalition that should be out soon.

[@fabvregregoire8620]

If you hadn't bought the c500 before the c300III and Fx6 camed out, would you have made the same choice ? The schedule of technological innovations (+ buziness strategies ! ) is tricky for consumers... when we spend all our budget on a camera, we never know if a better and cheaper one will be release few months later. Some companies abuse our trust. You should be glad to be happy with your C500.

[@Owlbot]

So that's kinda what I'm saying is it doesn't really matter if a "better" one comes out after if the one you bought was perfectly good before you knew of the other one. Script is more important than camera if your camera can do what it needs to. What you're talking about is simply jealousy or fomo or something akin to that which doesn't have a place in filmmaking. In general, too, you'll never be consistently on the "cutting edge" of technology so it's not worth pursuing. To answer your initial question, I think I could be compelled to say I'd have spent that C500 money on a C300mkIII and a C70 since I do a lotta multi cam stuff, but yeah I think I'd still stay with the C500. The FX6 is a great camera but I don't need it for any reason. I'd like to have one to rent out though, sheesh. That thing is constantly in demand at the moment.

[@ChristianKatja]

What did you shoot this video with?

[@Owlbot]

C100mkII

[@ChristianKatja]

@@Owlbot Oh thats nice. You use it very well.