The Canon C500 II - The Cinema Camera That’s Making a Comeback?

[@davidmorefield]

$6500 for a fully functioning camera package is great! Nice find!!

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Thanks! I'm pleased with how it's worked out so far. I think I'm done with buying cameras for awhile...

[@davidmorefield]

@@dustinschmidtphotoit’s a nice hurdle to finally get over.

[@evanthecameraman]

Looking forward to the side by side testing between the C500 II and Komodo.

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

So am I! I've already had some really interesting observations. The cameras are both really great of course.

[@avdpost]

For monitor brightness, have you tried setting luminance to +2? i find on my c300 it makes a huge difference in brightness.

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Yep, I always have my Canon monitors with the luminance on +2. That is definitely a good tip. But even with the luminance turned up it doesn’t compare to 2000 nits from a smallhd. I still like the Canon monitor though from a functional standpoint. And with a monitor hood it’s just fine to use.

[@avdpost]

@@dustinschmidtphoto completely agree, but I think a 2000 brightness option might hit the battery too hard lol.

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

@@avdpostha, yeah there is the power draw issue. I think manufacturers have a tough problem, since people always complain about their monitors being too dim, but if they did make them brighter then people would complain about the battery life. It’s a tough design and engineering problem for sure.

[@avdpost]

@@dustinschmidtphoto agreed, canon did add a lower power draw mode To the c300 and c70 a while back, that limits the monitor to I think level zero or +1 and disables all the networking functions, and gives you I think 15-20% more battery life. So it is a significant power draw. It then again so is all the IO too. The C70 draws half the watt/hours as the c300 just existing. And it costs extra battery to run SDI ports and larger fans too.

[@pchuck1439]

It's a shame that Sony fx9 and fx6 are dominating the corporate/broadcast/doc markets. C300/500 are great cameras but are't in demand in Chicago. I'm probably have to go with a fx6. I still do lots of narrative work, it sucks because the fx6 doesn't have internal raw like the C500 2 or c300 3.

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Sony makes great cameras too. But yeah it’s unfortunate that Canon isn’t quite as in demand with your clients. Honestly you should be able to swap Canon for Sony on jobs but some producers aren’t going to go for it.

[@eddietor_cine]

11:45 would you be willing to do a video showing how you balance the C500 on the RS3 Pro? I’ve never accomplished this successfully

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

This is on my list. It's definitely lens dependent...you won't be balancing everything with that gimbal, but it will do some for sure.

[@MattNormanFilms]

we need more c500mk2 videos. Great stuff

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Thanks! I'm hoping to make many more videos on the C500 II. Stay tuned.

[@jaron_hayden]

That comparison video would be awesome!

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Hope to get more testing done when work slows down.

[@SNKFA]

C500 MII is not weather sealed in the way the C300 MIII. It was intended to be more of a studio camera than the C300 MIII

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

I don't mean to be contrarian, but the C500 II and the C300 III are identical in terms of their body style and weather sealing. The exteriors are identical.

[@LuisCruz-yg6rs]

I honestly think it would be so much better to use a second/ compact mirrorless camera for gimbal work and put the c500 on a good quality lite tripod or mono pod.

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Yep, I prefer my R5c for pretty much all the gimbal work I do.

[@TrustyDigitalMedia]

Highly suggest putting chapter markers in these type of videos

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Yep! Love to when I find the time to. Hopefully I can come back to this and update soon.

[@queefreak666]

I've never been one to follow the herd, which is why I'm STILL in love with my C500mkll. I don't ever want to be forced to be a part of a popularity party. Everyone I know who has owned both the FX9 and the C500mkll say that the Canon is by far the better camera, even though they get more work on multi-cam shoots with the Sony. I guess it depends on how you make your money.

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

That's a very astute comment. If you're someone who is getting specific requests for a certain brand or camera, then by all means go where the money is and make sure that's the camera you have. But if you can make your own choice, shoot with what you like.

[@sonofthesea]

I'd love to own and operate this camera. I have the Canon C70 and love the image.

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

The C70 has a fantastic image. I thought long and hard about just picking up a used C70, but ultimately I wanted the bigger body style of the C500 II. And the slightly different image.

[@sonofthesea]

@@dustinschmidtphoto Full frame too and arguably better ergonomics and easier to handle

[@kevinbatts2804]

Been waiting on this review. The. 500 mkii is so under reviewed online. I shot a C70 and an R5C as a freelancer in OKC as well.

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

I think this is just the first of several videos on this topic. I'm about to get deep into the C500 II....just about 4 years late. Ha.

[@kevinbatts2804]

@@dustinschmidtphoto can't wait

[@marklholloway]

Wow you got a great deal! I’d love it if Canon released a full frame RF camera in a C70 or C500 body

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Fingers crossed!

[@tietata9245]

Hey, canon c400 is out now!!

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

@@tietata9245I know! Exciting stuff!

[@LuisCruz-yg6rs]

I agreed, the canon menu is very nice, and user friendly for non Blackmagic/red camera, and yes the Sony cine cameras have some of the worst menu that I had seen although once you set everything up, the way you like it it is not too bad.

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

I’ve always liked Canon’s menus but I’ve also had a long history using them.

[@memostothefuture]

I own the C300-3 and rent the C500-2 all the time and I also own the Fullframe Camera Co V-mount plate. My recommendation is to add the level they offer, it fits onto the rear top just about the V-Mount plate without any issue and is a great addition. Did you find a good solution for rods? Anyway, I am still happy with the image coming out of it, although I would like to have 6k from this so I can have some extra meat in my 4k delivery. The other part that bothers me is that third-party monitors don't get touchscreen abilities. Other than that I am absolutely happy with the camera and have used it from temps as low as -40C to +45C, in deserts, on mountains, in factories and cities. It works and I never have to worry about it. That's also true for the audio - the preamps are dependable and great. An RF mount for these cameras would be nice but isn't totally necessary either. I live and work in China and when I go to remote areas the absolute dependability is crucial to me. I don't use the audio limiter, can you explain how it works and what to watch out for?

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

I love the Fullframe Camera Co v-mount plate. First to market, then everyone else kind of copied them. I use the Bright Tangerine baseplate for the C500 Mk II for my rod solution. I always loved the image out of the C300-3. I agree the extra resolution of the 6k was appealing, and that did drive my decision to get the C500-2. I wouldn't call it future-proofing necessarily, but I did want slightly more pixels, just in case. The touch features of the built in canon monitor are pretty great. It's one of the things that keeps me using that monitor instead of just using a SmallHD 5 inch. I tend to put the audio limiter on just in case. I always check my levels and set them correctly, but in the event something crazy happens, it can help with keeping those crazy peaks from blowing your levels out.

[@memostothefuture]

@@dustinschmidtphoto I was really close back in the day to getting the C500-2. My only two reasons for not getting it were that the 5.9k is only in RAW and not in the XFAVC that I mostly shoot and that the latter was noisier than on the C300-3. These days I rent the C500-2 more and more as a wide B cam for interviews and I am thinking of picking one up. They're even cheaper here in China, where just now I saw one online for $4,300. I'm debating on whether getting it or the C70, which I have seen used for as low as $2,200 - which is a tough to pass-up deal. And yes, BrightTangerine rocks. Unfortunately I have not found their rails used yet, just too rare, and new they are rather pricey given that I use them only sporadically. I might just go with a Tilta rail system.

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Tough calls for sure. The C70 paired with the C300-3 is a pretty unbeatable combo. With the C70 you get a small body for gimbal use or just when you need something tiny and it has an RF mount for adaptability. For how cheap it is used, it's an incredible deal. I'm still happier I went the C500 II route though. But I was in the market for a full size body, since my R5C kind of plays the C70 role for me. I know the C300 III is cleaner for sure, but I'm not positive it makes that big of a difference in the end result for the viewer. Neither the C300-3 or the C500-II are terribly noisy as long as they're exposed halfway decently. And the difference does take a bit of pixel peeping. Biggest thing I'm looking forward to testing are the new RAW options in the C500-II. It's finally a reality to actually be able to shoot the RAW and not have gargantuan file sizes.

[@memostothefuture]

@@dustinschmidtphoto Yes on the RAW file size. I am astonished they are pretty much the same size as the XFAVC (at least in 4k DCI). They really did an incredible job there.

[@WildHorseProductions]

Wait, you got a bargain off the borrowlenses merger? Are they still selling stuff?

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

No, unfortunately they're not still running the same sale. They had a run of a couple of weeks where they sold a TON of stuff right when Lensrentals acquired them. But that sale has concluded.

[@matthewqnelson]

C500 MII has the best colors on the market. I bought one last year and I've got a bunch of sample footage on my channel. $5k for this camera is an insane deal and I'm incredibly jealous considering I paid 11K for mine 😂

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

I've been loving it coming from the C200 and also the C300 III. There's something about the C500 II that I think is just a bit different, but I agree the colors are fantastic. I got basically a once in a lifetime deal finding it used during the Lensrentals/Borrowlenses acquisition. Well, technically probably a 3 in a lifetime deal since I think there were 3 or 4 up for sale during that and the others got snatched up pretty quickly as well by some other people. I still think it's a great buy at $11k honestly, so I wouldn't feel too bad if I were you.

[@Owlbot]

I still love my C500mkII. I got serial number 008!

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Hey Kenny! Yep, I wish I had been able to get one for myself years ago and been able to shoot on it for longer. Either way, I’m glad I have one now. I always enjoy your C500 II content!

[@frankfeng2701]

Now here comes C400 at full power...

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

For sure. But interesting that the C500 II is still top of their product lineup. For now…

[@WalterTheBalter]

Damn what a play

[@TheClassicMotorcycleChannel]

Nice chat :)

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Yes it was. :)

[@BrodiBarringer]

People, you kill me!!.. buying a camera because it's 8k? WHY for gods sake..6k not enough? 4k not enough? 2k not enough?..when will videographers stop with the insanity..K hunting, more Ks the better...humans can only see so much..film in 6k then put a pro mist filter on to soften the shot!, ha..camera companies and computer companies (cause youll need a new computer to handle more storage) are laughing their collective assessment off watching you chase around the Latest camera!..making bank off you..4k is enough for Anyone on any level, if that..my next camera will be a Varicam, an old used camera with Great color..maybe I'll wait for a 50k camera, it's coming, or a 75k haha..stop the insanity

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

I agree, it's crazy to try and keep up with an endless cycle of small improvements to digital tech. As long as you can make money buying a product (a client is willing to pay for said advancement in tech for example) then I'm all for it though.