Having just received a Canon C100 I thought I’d post my first impressions. At this stage I haven’t started shooting with the camera so this is going to focus on the build and operation of the camera for now but I will be posting more about the results and workflow as time goes on. As a Canon C300 shooter a lot of this post will be comparisons to that camera but should prove useful none the less. I have to apologise for the low quality images below, I was far too excited to go and grab a proper camera so snapped away with the iPhone!

Build Quality

Taking the C100 out of the box it felt just like C300 only in a more compact form, in fact in some ways it actually feels a little more rugged! That’s probably due to the fact that it has less bits and pieces on it but none the less this feels like a well built camera. The handle with the microphones and XLR inputs built in feels really nice, I’m never a big fan of the clear plastic covers over the audio controls as I invariably break them but other than that the handle feels tough and is very sturdy. Having just the single connector lead that attaches on the side rather than the back like the C300′s leads also lends to making the camera feel a bit less vulnerable.

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I’ve dabbled with Final Cut Pro X a few times since it was released and although I still struggle to understand apple’s weird naming conventions the application does have quite a few things going for it. Multicam editing is fantastic in FCPX, it automatically syncs clips using audio in the same way the PluralEyes did/does in FCP7. FCPX is also great value and with each new version Apple add’s back in features that were sorely missed by FCP7 users when it first appeared.

The one thing that’s stopped me using FCPX more has been that it couldn’t handle the Canon MXF files from my C300 natively. There were plugins available that would import and transcode / re-wrap the Canon footage into more Apple friendly Pro Res files but after using Adobe Premiere Pro for a couple of years I’ve been spoiled by it’s ability to edit directly from the source footage and no longer dealing with duplicate media..

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I’ve been using Bluestar Eye Cushions on my cameras and viewfinders for a few years now, they are one of those little luxuries that once you’ve tried you just can’t live without. Using a camera without an eye cushion now feels like wearing shoes without socks!

Bluestar make a wide range of sizes for various viewfinders, they come in three materials, natural chamois, Microfibre & Fleece. The micro-fibre option comes in eight colours which is very handy if you need to quickly identify cameras. The fleece eye cushions come in four colours and are the most gentle on the skin, great if you like to snuggle in to your camera!

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