I am using a Canon XF300. It doesn't have the dual pixel tracking of the C100 Mk II, and it only has (3) 1/3" sensors, but uses the Canon XF codec (which I think is used in the C300) which edits wonderfully in Vegas. I use the 50Mb/s 4:2:2 setting exclusively.

They are available for around US$4k new, and lots of used ones.

I have a Canon C100 MKII and I love it. I also have a Canon XF305 and the C100 is a big jump up in quality. I often have to shoot in less-than-ideal lighting and the C100 footage holds up very well even when pushed to 10,000 ISO. (I was always frustrated with how grainy the footage from the XF305 looked in low light and always had to use Neat Video in post to clean it up.)

I shoot in AVCHD but rarely edit with that. I bought a Atomos Ninja external recorder and the quality from using that (it's Apple ProRes) is better than the AVCHD recorded internally. Editing with either AVCHD or ProRes is much smoother than dealing with the MXF format that the Xf305 output. I shoot almost exclusively in CLog and do grading in Vegas using Magic Bullet.

Thanks for the comparison of the C100 to the XF30x. The XF300 is grainy in low light, although I can reduce that by turning the gain to zero.

VMP: The URSA Mini is definately an interesting alternative with its >4K and 444 capabilities. It does however seem to be designed for more controlled environments than what I usually have and has only one XLR input.

Indeed Martin,

From the looks of it it's quite an high-end scratchable thing not designed for rough ENG use.
Which most Sony's and Canon's are. I probably would only use this for high-end feature stuff.

Are you sure about the XLR input being one? According to these sites it has two inputs:

'Use the built in stereo microphone to record natural location sound or connect professional microphones using the two XLR wide dynamic range mic inputs.
'Stereo XLR with Phantom Power'

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicursamini

http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/nab-2015-announcement-the-blackmagic-ursa-mini/


VMP

smhontz and dsdy: Good you brought up the XF30X which I also have looked at. Shame it doesn't hold up better in low light.
I have used my XHA1 for years and love its features for run and gun filmning as well as ENG use. In broad daylight it is still very nice after all these years. It suffers from serious grain issues though in anything but good light.
I have also used my 7D which is somewhat better in low light but lacks all run and gun features and requires external audio recorder etc. My main profession these Days is Writing and doing stills so I will continue to use it for that.

But filmning is also a big part of work, and more interesting. So I think I am getting closer and closer to buying a C100 MkII.

smhontz: Do you use mp4 also, or only AVCHD? About Ninja, I don't like the idea of attaching more gear on it but prefer a camera that is complete in itself. So how is c100 MkII:s internal recording quality, AVCHD and MP4? Can Vegas handle both?

Is C-log better than WDR?

VMP: You are right, it has two XLR's. Don't know why I thought it didn't...
However, it seems like everything around it will be quite expensive, memory cards, viewfinder etc and in reality it will end up in the C300 MkII class which is a more fair comparison I think.

Martin, I've only used AVCHD. I haven't tested working with MP4 in Vegas, but when I get a chance I'll try it out. My understanding (from a limited reading about on the internet) is that the quality between the two is comparable, with a slight edge going to AVCHD. So, I just settled on AVCHD and have used that when I don't need to really do any grading in post.

If you are going to do any serious grading, you will want an external recorder. Adding a Ninja to a C100 puts it in the ball park with a C300 mk i in terms of quality. It is a bit of a pain to have more gear to carry but for what I'm doing I really needed the boost in quality.

If you just want to run and gun without a lot of fuss and minimal grading in post, then using AVCHD/MP4 with WDR is a fine choice. If you use CLog, you WILL have to grade in post. It is extremely flat looking - no contrast, low saturation, and doesn't look good right from the camera.

Another nice feature they introduced in the MK ii is there is an actual on-camera mic now for doing scratch audio, without having the handle attached. The next step up is to attach a 1/8" mic like a Rode Videomic Pro to the hot shoe on the camera. Next step is to attach the camera handle with the 2 XLR jacks and then you can use things like wireless mics and better shotguns.

Thanks smhontz, that is interesting to hear. I think for my primary use the built in recording without the fuzz would be what I use from day to day. But if I would do chroma key filming I'd go and get a Ninja to get the 422 sampling.

Martin indeed,

There is a way to use SSD's on the Ursa using the 'C Box'

http://www.4kshooters.net/2015/05/13/use-any-ssd-on-your-4k-cfast-2-0-camera-with-the-c-box/


VMP