Canon EOS C70 | Review

This year, I decided to step up my video game by acquiring a Canon C70 cinema camera. My first impression was one of intimidation - this was a lot of camera in a little package. Luckily, the fundamentals remain the same, and the look of your final product is more dependent on the operator, rather than the gear.

All that being said, there are several clear advantages the C70 provides that I’m excited to employ. First and foremost are the internal neutral density (ND) filters. “ND filters reduce the intensity of all wavelengths, or colors, of light equally from entering the camera, in measured amounts. This allows the photographer more control in selecting shutter speed and aperture combinations in a variety of conditions.”*

Next up is C-log, the logarithmic color space that captures more of the image’s highlights and shadows for more control in what the final product looks like. While C-log is not strictly necessary for every project, it is an extremely helpful tool in controlling more aspects of one’s output.

Similar to C-log’s advantages in the editing room is the diversity of codecs offered in the C70, namely XF-AFC 422 10bit. With the bulk of my previous work being done on a Canon 5D Mark IV, I mainly shot in MP4. MP4 is the most widely used format in the world, and so my deliverables will still be in MP4. However, XF-AVC “is a file format developed by Canon specifically for 4K DCI or 4K UHD footage. It's suitable for professional workflows, with creatives using it when recording high-resolution footage.** So, while file sizes are larger in this format, what you gain is even more leeway in the editing room while still stopping short of recording gigantic RAW files.

Another thing to add to this little powerhouse is the multi-channel audio recording. The C70 can handle 4 channels at once, which is can really help on shoots where i’m a one man band in charge of everything.

For added protection and versatility, I housed my C70 in a Tilta cage, complete with a baseplate and rods. These will come in handy for sets where I’ll want to rig up my follow focus for more precise manual focus work.

I could go on about what I’m excited to use this little-big cinema camera for, but I’ll stop short in order to actually go out and put some miles on this machine. I plan to add follow up posts including projects where I utilized the C70, along with a list of accessories and so on.