Next Gen Digital Film Capture: Canon 4K 1DC
Today, I stand on the NAB floor with my wife Lydia, CEO of Hurlbut Visuals. We both reflect on how far we have come. It was Lydia’s vision to build the educational/inspirational HURLBLOG, which passes on our collective experience and trail-blazing spirit. She envisioned the innovation arm, our Master Cinema Series in conjunction with the Letus Corporation to toss gasoline on the revolutionary fire. And the Hurlbut Visuals’ creation arm has produced the next chapter in Canon’s story. What a visionary woman.
Canon 1DC
NAB show floor
At a trade show such as NAB, you can get caught up in looking at all the camera technology, gizmos, gadgets, etc. so quickly. But the story seems to always ground me.
Today, Hurlbut Visuals launches a short film written and directed by another very talented woman, Po Chan. The Ticket is her follow-up to The Last 3 Minutes. Please enjoy!!!
The Elite Team and Talent watching playback on an HP Dream Color Monitor
The Ticket
Director Po Chan on location at the Santa Monica Pier
The right tool for the job has always been my mission. It’s whatever camera helps tell the story, aids in character development, helps deliver emotion, and transports you to a unique cinematic world for you to experience. Wouldn’t you say that is the primary goal of a cinematographer?
The 1DC on a Master Cinema series rig with Tiffen Glimmer Glass
Getting in close with the 1DC with Canon 50mm Cinema Prime with MCS action cam rig
Testing Canon 1DC 4K DSLR
When Canon approached me to test and shoot a short film for their new 1DC 4K DSLR, I was more than excited. This is the world that I have been trailblazing for quite some time.
When the camera was delivered to Hurlbut Visuals, my Elite Team and I sent it through various tests, using what we had learned from our collective experience with the Canon 5D MK II. After the first night of testing, one word came to mind. WOW!!!
Steadicam Operator Chris McGuire operates the Steadicam with the revolution head
Close up of the revolution head
When you harness 4K into the small footprint of a 1D, give it the processing power to record to little CF cards with no external recording devices needed. Now that is where the WOW factor comes in.
I can blind you with tech specs, and wine and dine you with test footage, but this is not what I am about. If this unique device transports you and rivals 35mm film, then my job is done.
Elite Team Member Mike Svitak
Everything about this camera will blow your mind. The image stands alone, with not even one competitor entering the playing field. What you are going to see on the web will never do this camera justice. You need to run out, knock down doors, and demand screenings of this camera on a 4K Sony or Barco projector. I have walked up to 6 inches from the screen, and you cannot see a pixel.
If there were only one booth, you could visit this week, that booth would be Canon. This is a company that I believe in, not because they make the best DSLRs in the world, but because they are coming from R & D that is about replicating film, not HD video. This is a big difference. Canon is delivering DIGITAL FILM, now in 4K. In this creation, they combined both divisions – Video and DLSR. So you are getting the collective brain power of two huge engineering monoliths. This is a big step for Canon.
This is as Techie as I get…
Out of the gate, the camera functions just like a 5D, 1D. It uses the same menus, and it is easy to navigate. You can save all your favorites and settings on a CF card and pass them from camera to camera. It records 23.98 at 4K at a size bigger than super 35, which gives you a shallower depth of field.
It has a mirroring function so that you can view the back LCD screen, as well as an external EVF or monitor. 4GB equals 1 minute of 4K. Lexar cards that process at 1000 mb/s, UDMA 7 are the only things that can capture this baby. 60p at 1080 Full frame sensor, so you gain all the benefits that the 5D’s full-frame sensor gave you. The rolling shutter was less apparent. Moire did not exist. Picture styles are like on the 5D, so you can go in there and make your own.
Canon Log was one of the most exciting functions of the 1DC. At 400 ISO, it will give you a dynamic range of 12.5 stops. The log looks unbelievable. You can expose it easily, not like Cinestyle or other flat files. No h.264 codec here. This records motion jpegs, and the WOW factor goes up when you see how the slight compression to the cards makes it look just like film. This compression, which I have embraced and love, soften the highlights and skin, and rounds the 4K capture.
The contrast ratio feels more like a hill than a cliff. Skin tones are absolutely beautiful. Vitality abounds with the Canon’s sensor and color space. I could care less that it is 8 BIT color. I am getting it very close, and Dave Cole, our colorist at Technicolor, had a huge range to deal with. Canon’s 8 BIT feels like 12 BIT with its color space and reproduction.
ISO Range
The effective native ISO of the chip is 400 ISO in Canon Log. There are no native ISOs like the 5D, 7D, and 1D. Through testing, I was able to go to 6400 on the Neutral picture style as well as Canon Log and see the noise that I saw at 1600 ISO on the Canon 5D, which is what 70% of the night photography was shot at on Act of Valor. That noise is minimal.
It doesn’t look like the C300 at 6400 ISO, which looks very noisy and a grain texture equal to 5219 pushed two stops, which is marginal. Shooting at 6400 ISO, with minimal noise/grain will shake things up. I felt that it handled the highlights of night photography wonderfully on Canon Log. Holding all detail in color on neon, Flo’s, street lamps with no hot burning video looking Boca.
There was no evidence of sensor pattern in the out-of-focus highlights that you get from every other camera. It just plain looked like film. This is an A Camera system. Period!!!!
This is just the beginning of a 5 week series about the inner workings of The Ticket. There will be a BTS post, two lighting posts, a producing post, and texture process post, so stay tuned.
Thank you to Simon Beins and The Three Fishermen for the original song “Those Kisses” on “The Ticket.”
Schedule 1-on-1 Video Call with David Cole
Looking for mentorship in the film industry? Schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with master colorist David Cole (The Lord of the Rings) today! This is where you can get expert advice from an industry professional on your career or a particular project.
About Filmmakers Academy Master Colorist David Cole
David Cole began his career in 1996 in Melbourne, Australia in the telecine department of AAV Digital Pictures. While maintaining his position as a colorist, his role expanded to Technical Director of Digital Film. He also assisted in the visual effects department as a Technical Director, writing scripts and other tools for the CG group.
In 2001, Cole joined The Post House Ltd in Wellington, New Zealand, as a Lead Digital Colourist on Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, and over the next several years helped pioneer DI in Australia and New Zealand. In 2004, Cole joined Weta Digital as Supervising and Lead Digital Colourist, setting up and leading the DI division for Peter Jackson’s King Kong, for which he earned a nomination for Outstanding Color Grading – Feature film, from the Hollywood Post Alliance Awards in its inaugural year.
Cole moved to Hollywood in 2006 and joined LaserPacific which later became Technicolor. In 2013 Cole moved to Modern VideoFilm and in 2016 started at FotoKem. Since arriving in Hollywood he has graded such films as Dune, The Tomorrow War, Minari (HPA nominated), TRON: Legacy (HPA nominated), Pride and Glory (HPA nominated), The Book of Life, Kong: Skull Island, and multi-Academy Award-winning Life of Pi (HPA win – Outstanding Colour Grading – Feature Film).
Filmmakers Academy Premium Post-Production Courses
- Color Correcting: Terms & Techniques
- Editing: Terms & Techniques
- Music Licensing & Selection
Shane, again you and PO deliver an amazing short. I started watching to see what this device could do, but now I have to watch again because the story captivated me, along with the visual storytelling you and your team employed. Amazing.
Also, I have to give a big thanks to Lydia for starting this whole adventure. We are all very fortunate for what you all give to us. I am grateful for all the work that goes into this.
P.S. The camera is pretty cool too ;)
mel haynes, wow, thank you so much, I will pass this onto Po and Lydia. They both rocked this out.
WOW. Fantastic short and the camera looks incredible. Well done to all and thanks for all you and the team do to promote this exciting medium.
Would love to see this in a side by side comparison with the Alexa…
Rory McHenry, thank you so much for your kind words and support. Yes I cannot wait, I have already seen this and I will leave it up to you.
Wow, looks fantastic Shane! Saw Technicolor in the credits…was Cinestyle used?
Thanks for the inspiration!
Scott Gold, thank you for you kind words, no Technicolor did the color correction with Dave Cole at the helm on the Luster.
re: “What a visionary woman.”
Shane, we’ve always regarded you the HDSLR guru, but always suspected that Lydia was the real genius behind the scenes :)
Of course together the dynamic duo!
Carl Olson, ha ha, the secret has been discovered. Yes, absolute brains behind the operation. Thank you so much for your support my friend.
Shane, you are awesome man! I was not sure what to think when I saw the release of this camera. I’ve been shooting TV commercials and Music Videos with the 5D, bought the 5DMKIII and looking towards the future of this breed of camera. I must admit I was a bit surprised by the price point for this DSLR. Obviously, the proof is in the image and Canon approaching you about testing was a no brainer. The film looks amazing! I know I have never posted on your site before, but thanks for all your insight. Very inspiring! Can’t wait to get my hands on this camera!
Chris
Chris McGuinness, welcome Chris and thank you so much for those very kind words. This will shake it up huge. The price point is right on. It is 4K in a DSLR, this is very powerful.
Really nice. Just watched it twice.
Great camerawork, stunning imagery, fine acting – and some nice moments -> the slo-mo as they run out of the store, the silent thanks for the ferris wheel operator.
I have a C300 on order since late January, still hasn’t arrived, maybe that’s a good thing…. :-)
Jon Roemer, thank you so much for those wonderful words of support. I will pass on your comments to Po, I think she knocked it out. The C300 is a great camera, but holy smoke Batman, this one is pretty impressive.
Wow is all I can say, and that’s without having watched this on a BIG screen. Great job on the cinematography Shane, I feel you truly captured the essence and emotion of the story through the camera. Great story, great acting and an all around great production. Thank you for sharing this short as well as your thoughts on the camera. Looking forward to the rest of the posts.
Daniel M, thank yo so much for those kind words. On the big screen it will blow you away. I will pass your kind words onto Po and our incredible team.
Really nice work. This is def an A camera. Can’t wait to get my hands on it. Would love to see the behind the scenes too.
Shaun Escayg, thank you so much for those kind words, BTS coming your way baby on Thursday!!!
Another amazing job…just Fantastic !
Matheus Oliveira, thank you so much for your kind words
Hi Shane,
This looked wonderful. Free from all the usual HDSLR tell-tale signs. I can see why you liked using it. Looking at the picture above of you dropping the camera off the balcony I thought ‘What’s he doing now??’. Then I watched the short and I didn’t even notice the trickery in that shot, I was right there with the characters. Thanks to Lydia for all her work and I’m looking forward to reading future posts about ‘The Ticket.’
Oli.
Oli Kember, thank you so much for those kind words my friend. I loved this camera, very powerful tool. I will pass on your thanks to Lydia, she rocks. Many more posts coming your way. The BTS gets launched on Thursday, fun stuff.
Wow, that looks extremely awesome. I can’t buy a $15k camera right now, but I sure as hell would love to rent one (and a great lens package to compliment).
Fahnon Bennett, thank you so much for those kind word and support. This is going to shake it up!!!
Can find the right words now, so I will just say Amazing Work.
Juhani Väihkönen, thank you so much for those kind words
Very interesting and exciting. As you stated earlier while talking about AOV…IMMERSION baby! Like never seen before!
My question is this: when shooting at these upper ISO’s and “nuking” the sensor, how do the highlights behave? Do ordinary practicals bloom in a nasty way or are they rolled off nicely like 35mm film? At first glace the upper ISO’s seem pointless as most stuff is lit- unless of course you’re shooting only available light. Thoughts?
Jon Chema, thank you so much for your kind words of support. The highlights roll off just like film, they looked absolutely amazing. I used available light, but added here and there to make it look cinematic and not just shooting with available light. I find you are taking the time now at these higher ISO’s to take light away and then adding little accents to make it special.
This camera will establish the DSLR-Platform in Hollywood. So exciting.
A real game changer!!!
Shane, Did you experienced any sort of Rolling Shutter Problems while shooting with the 1D C???
Just curious, because there seems to be no Rolling Shutter in the final movie. (Even in the shaky shot when the ActionCam is chasing the actors out of the store).
Would be great if there is some improvement compared to the 5D.
Fabio Seyding, thank you so much for your support. We did not have any rolling shutter issues or moire’ which was very promising.
Shane,
The short film you did for this post was amazing! It had me at the edge of my seat the whole way through! It has been great to follow your post on the 1DC as well as Philip Blooms.
Have you heard any news on the price? Last I heard it sits around 15k right now but there was talk of it being lower around 9 to 10k by the time it comes to the market. Would love to know your thoughts on that as well, do you think its worth it to spend 15k on a DSLR that shoots 4k when you have the new Sony NEX FS700 coming out and camera’s like the Red Scarlet that are priced if not the same but lower?
Thanks,
Nathaniel K
Nathaniel Kohfield, thank you so much for your wind words. Glad you enjoyed it I will pass this onto Po. Not into the pricing game. Not sure where they are headed, just no that what I saw on the screen looked like Kodak 35mm film for the first time.
The Marketing on this one is very strange.
Shane and Canon kept praising the 1D-C like it’s the second coming of the Christ
(just watched the “imagine what’s next” event) when at the same time the way superior C500 is also being presented!??
Is Shane basically saying that the image of the 1D-C is better than the one of the C500? that would be very counterproductive in this case…
Please don’t come a’knocking with “different Cameras for different Jobs” cause the C500 is roughly twice the size making it just as compact & efficient and smokes it’s little brother Specs-wise
(if you have that kind of money in the first place the difference to the C500 won’t matter, and if you’re renting it’s no-brainer as well)
I guess Canon itself doesn’t really know who the target audience is for this overpriced piece of equipment so they try to create a little charade with a well known D.o.p. like Shane to shift focus from the facts
All that glitters ain’t gold folks…
Andrew Wall, for decades we never use one camera to tell a story, Jeff Cronenweth knocked it out with Man and Beast. I felt the C500 delivered an amazing look and feel. The 1DC has its own look and feel. One that I have embraced for over 3 years. To tell a story multiple arrows in your quiver are required, its also depends on the director’s vision and the 1DC is one of those powerful arrows. Shooting 4K all in camera without any external recording device is huge. Shooting film I would shoot on a Panavision Platinum camera for my A Camera, then I would shoot with an Panavision XL for steadicam and B Camera, then an Arri 435 would be my C and D camera for high speed and rigs, then a Arri 235 for action handheld. As a cinematographer these are my personal preferences, but the story will speak to you and tell you what to shoot, always base these choices on the story over the tech.
WOW! Amazing camerawork and directing. Nice little story. Loved every moment of it.
Looking forward to more behind the scenes post.
This camera is awesome. People who are complaining about price really don’t understand what this camera brings to the table.
I think Canon should fill in the $5k – $7k range next and they’ll be on point.
Hoping to be as good as you one day. I continue to watch what you do. Also what my other favorite cinematographer does; Robert Richardson.
N.K.Osborne, thank you so much for your wonderful kind words and your support. I will pass this onto Po. I think she rocked it out. Canon has a plan afoot, don’t they always. This is a very powerful tool, that comes with a price. Bob Richardson is one of my mentors. I love his style and composition. He is the master.
Wow. Stunning work.
Alan Dang, thank you so much for your kind words
Shane, incredible work! One question, and I mean this sincerely. In reading this, it seems like this is the ONLY dslr sized 4k cam in existence, what are your thoughts on this vs epic, from a Dp perspective of course. I’m sure you’ve used epic. Look, no hidden agenda here, just an honest question from a potential buyer, thanks in advance for your response!
Jake Wilganowski, thank you so much for your kind words, the Epic is a tested digital capture device. This is in its infancy,it has all the dslr quirks and you have to know how to shoot DSLR’s, period. Know how to show the camera’s pros and not showing its cons is what I have been working on for over 3 years. But I have to say that in its infancy, the two side by side. The 1DC blows it out.
WOW
This all looks great Shane but have you ever considered shooting on a Cisco FlipCam? I think flip’s censor offers such a better variety and depth of field. Canon is great but Cisco has paved the way since before the T2i. Also on the MinoHD they released a software update that rivals the 5D’s CineStyle! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Flip, it works wonders for me and my crew
-Ralphie
Ralphie, wow, that sounds cool. Love to hear more about it.
Hi Shane, I got the chance to pixel peep from the 3rd row at Sunday’s exhibition. A couple of questions…
During the running scene at 4:30 or so I noticed a pretty significant drop in resolution. Was this due to post adding a warp filter to stabilize the footage?
Also, forgive this little bit of criticism… there were several scenes where the focus was soft – like the side of the head was in focus but not the eyes. I think this may be a fatal flaw in the pursuit of 4K – being that this camera has no way of outputting a 4k signal and has no electronic focus assist (peaking), it seems like there’s no way to be absolutely sure visually that you’re in focus. The only way is to rely on markers on the lens. Was this your experience shooting this?
John Hess, That was at 60p which the camera can only shoot 1080p at 60, both Po and I thought it would work well being a dream sequence per say. The shallow focus, was me being a little greedy and not giving my pullers enough stop. We were harnessed with a prototype hand built camera that in Canon log could not go above 1250 ISO. So I had to stay in the 2.0 range which is daunting task for a focus puller. Now this has been rectified and the camera now will go to 6400 ISO with minimal noise in Canon Log. Tip of the spear, bleeding edge.
Thanks for the insight Shane! The focus issues when shooting 4k on this camera still make be very nervous.
But like you said, perhaps the solution is just shooting with deeper focus.
Congratulations to you and your wife for building such a great business. It’s like they say “behind every good man is a great woman!”
What are you throughts on the GH2 (hacked) Vs the Canon 5D – as far as film/cinema look? There are some new feature films coming out shot with the GH2 and they look impressive. Just wanted to get your feedback.
Thanks.
Ansel, thank you so much for your kind words and support. Yes she is amazing!! No comment on the GH2. Have never been a fan of that camera.
Thanks Shane. I appreciate it. We own 2 Canon DSLRs and are planning on using them for an upcoming feature film.
My wife is a partner in my business as well, so I know what it’s like to have a great wife behind you.
As a side note: I think you would do well adding a paid membership site as part of your whole education package. I have a best selling book on Amazon.com on the topic of membership sites. Let me know if you’re interested. Happy to mail you a copy of my book.
Thanks again,
Ansel
Great work, Shane! I just can’t wait to see the ‘behind the scenes’ :)
Markus, BTS will be released on Thursday. Stay tuned its a good one.
Amazing piece of “art” so to speak. One particular shot I like is the shoe tying. You draw people right into the story. Well done, like usual.
Ron, I will pass this onto Po, I love that shot as well, when Po showed me her storyboards that one always stood out.
Hello Shane,
This is amazing. Love this. I was waiting to hear impressions of a respected person like you. Good to know that the 1D C blows away the Epic and the F65. Any idea if Canon is going to include 25p at 4K at some later date. I am thinking of using this for wildlife. Thanks once again for your impressions and the wonderful film.
Sabysachi Patra, thank you so much for your kind words. This is exciting times. Yes I have already met with engineers and we are making that happen before the release in the fall.
Thanks Shane!
Good to hear that 25p is going to be included in the 1D C. Did you ask the engineers for including zebra, peaking etc. I am sure that should not be a big challenge for them.
Sabyasachi
Hi Shane: great work AS ALWAYS….You have no idea how you have been inspiring me in these years…Your joy is kind of contagious…Anyway…A quick question: this camera looks great, have you noticed any 24p weird flickering? Thanks and have a great day! Manuel
Manuel, thank you so much for your wonderful words and support. This is a hand made camera, complete prototype. Did not notice flicker.
blows away the epic??? wow, if that is true then this is better than anyone sees at the moment. epic is the only choice for vfx and green screen shoots. if this camera at 15k beats the epic at 70k, then we have a big problem, well canon does, because they are going to be back ordered for a long time!
jlevy, ha ha, yeah baby, shaking it up
and no one is mentioning anything new at NAB today, is that it? done? anything else new we should know about?
jlevy, I loved the new 4:3 Arri ALexa anamorphic which will be delivered at the end of May, looking to use this on my new feature.
Hi there,
Wow, the whole team did an amazing job on this. I have to agree the camera seems to handle very well in many aspects, skin tones, details, rolling shutter, noise.
Quick question, I pressume the sound was still recorded externally?
Thanks in advance also to all the other posts coming about this, I know it is a lot of work, but I as many appreciate it tremendously that you guys do all that work for us!
thanks again,
Derrick
Derrick van Niekerk, thank you so much for you kind words. Yes we did both, we put a wireless mic and plugged it into the camera to sync sound to the CF cards. You are very welcome.
Thanks man :) A true indie is just like that: a true indie. Cameras are only tools, we and them, both serve what only matters, i.e. the pictures produced by the combination :-) No elitist BS improper of moviemakers, you and your free/rebel spirit are an inspiration! God bless you!!
Emanuel, thank you so much for your wonderful words and all your support.
yes so far it looks very cool, but sorry thats not a filmic looking image! very contrasty and non-organic, maybe thats the grading…
Cinemascope, this is on the internet, in a 4K theater it has all the subtleties.
What do you mean exactly with -The image of the 1DC crushes the RED, F65 and ALEXA in one fell swoop?
I was wondering the same thing.
This short is amazing, I really got immersed in the story and totally forgot about the camera thing. After watching It a second time I can say the image quality is very impressive.
Guilherme Rambo, Thank you so much for your kind words, the story is what is all about, this just happened to be the right tool to immerse the audience and deliver that intimacy.
>Canon is delivering DIGITAL FILM, now in 4K
That’s what she (RED) said years ago. Still not there yet.
Konrad, this comment is coming from a cinematographer that has shot 17 feature films on 35mm film not a camera company, right?
All I wanted to say was already said in previous posts!
Great piece, a little sad to watch in the morning :-)
Besides that, everything else is great,and what else can be expected from Hurlbut Visuals and Po Chan.
Gorgeous!
Greatings from Serbia!
Draganche, great to hear from you my friend. Thank you so much for your kind words.
Sorry, but what all this proves, for the nth time, is that technological development, and the skill of DPs and crews, is so far surpassing the writing and storytelling abilities of writer/directors — not to mention a disastrous TV-derived norm for “good acting”, that it all begins to seem pointless.
kitl, point taken and thank you for your comments
Where’s the short film?
Alex – it is embedded here in the post, or you can watch on the homepage in a larger format.
What happened to the Vimeo video? It was there this morning, but now Vimeo says “This video does not exist.”
It’s also missing on the homepage.
Canon snafu. We’re back.
it shows the video does not exist..ironic from a video guy lol
We’re back in action. It was a snafu from Canon!
Ahh! Very excited about the camera and your review of it makes my cinematographer insides all warm and fuzzy. The video on vimeo says it “doesn’t exist” though! Any other place we can check it out?? Thanks for taking the time to write the great review and I can’t wait to check out your work on The Ticket!
Thanks so much for your support. The video is back in action.
Looks very good!!
Just wonder… does this camera overheat?? The C500 seams to have a big cooling system… This one doesn’t. Love the form format though. I shot RED, Panavision Alexa Arriflex etc etc… But last big documentary, which one it’s first award.. on a Canon 5D MKII. Love the small size for this kind of work.
Cheers, Arie.
Arie van Dam. Thank you so much, the hand made prototype did overheat once on us. I have already talked with the Canon engineers and they are working on this as we speak. They will have things dialed in before the release in the fall. The form factor is amazing. The color depth and sensitivity is amazing.
Hi Shane, looks great but can we please watch the 4K movie in full HD?
Wurb, I would love that, we are being dictated by Canon and its roll out. Stay tuned
Awesome I loved it!!
Also If you happen to see Andrew Kramer at NAB be sure to say hi to him for me.
Paul, thank you so much for your kind words
Hi Shane,
Thank you for your great website. Sorry to be off topic but I was wondering what your opinion was of the Canon 5D Mark III video capabilities vs. 5D Mark II ?
cynthia, you are very welcome, it is our pleasure to give back to this amazing community, fuel the revolution. Go with the Mark III, the bugs are getting worked out and the sensor does not skip lines which is a big deal with moire.
I was great to see “The Ticket” in the Canon 4K theater at NAB. The picture looked amazing and the story was great! Congrats to you and the rest of the team that worked on the short.
Before the announcement of the 1DC I was leaning towards investing in a C300 as the 5D2 feature “Absentia” checks start coming in. Now I am really leaning towards 1DC since according to Canon the still capabilities are the same as the 1DX. We live in really exciting times!
Rustin Cerveny, thank you so much for your kind words of support and glad you had the chance to see it in 4K. Whole world of difference. Yes these are exciting times. This is a very powerful tool.
Perhaps, if you had shot it on Panavision Platinum and used your choice of glass and Kodak stock, there would have been a complaint that it doesn’t look enough like DSLR. We live in odd expansive times, and there aren’t many definitive answers. You are brave to even look at the comments, but always nice to see your work.
Keith Lanpher, I teand to not do what people expect. Everyone told me Act of Valor was not possible. You have to go out of your comfort zone to push yourself as an artist. Period!!! the old way is about to be nuked.
Out of all the footage I’ve seen from new cameras that have come out in the last year, this is by far the most impressive. I’m still trying to figure out how many CF card changes would be required for a long day of shooting??? I’m probably still going to buy the 5D MK III, but this will definitely be the tool I plan on renting for my A Cam. THIS is what I’ve been looking for. A hearty thanks to you and your whole crew and post team for showcasing it’s so well.
Marc B., Thank you so much for your kind words of support. It is 4GB a minute so a 64GB card will give you 16 minutes. We had Lexar cards that recorded at 1000mb/sec and even up to 128GB which would give you 32 minutes. The post workflow is really easy. Firewire card reader. I will pass on the kudos to the team
Hi Shane.
Was amazed at The Ticket both story telling and the visuals.
I suspect if it were not for you guys trailblazing we would not have the 4K 1DC as we know it, I’m sure you and Vince have opened Canon’s eyes.
One question please, it means a lot to me, Is the 1DC, in Full HD 1080 as sharp as the C300? Is it as sharp as the C500 in full HD?
If it is then I’ll have to buy one rather than just get a 1DX, the 1DC appears the be the ultimate DSLR for a stills/video freelancer right now.
Frank Redward, I feel that the C500 is sharper than the 1DC because of its RAW workflow, but the video out of the 1DC at 4K and 1080 is spectacular. It is the ultimate DSLR.
Shane, thank you for your reply.
It looks like the 1DC won’t be released till around October, so I assume Canon will put more finishing touches on the camera based on feedback from the field.
Your energy and your team’s enthusiasm for the camera is so contagious in a good way it makes me feel the sky is the limit too.
I’m very interested in the 1DC 1080 24/25/60/50p sharpness compared to the C300 in either RAW workflow or through CF cards and in the absence of any other hands on examples please may I ask your take? Is the 1DC as sharp at 1080 compared to the C300 or at least is it close?
Naturally at 4K it’s very very sharp as is mentioned in the BTS and I noticed some comments re The Ticket saying the 1080 vision seemed fairly soft, a comment I suspect might be a little unfair.
Thanks again for you fantastic work Shane.
Im also really curious to see the HD1080p, especially recorded out through hdmi to something like an Atomos Ninja in prores. For $15, 000 I would expect it to be as sharp as the c300 and for it to have similar latitude with c-log. I’d be disappointed with anything less.
Dear Shane,
Wonderful short, congratulations. Very impressed with the 1D-C – and your shooting.
Am i correct in thinking you applied a slight darkening of the image on the girl, at the last moment before she disappears/jumps? If yes, was that in post or on set?
Thanks!
Charles Brepsant, thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, we did that all in post. Dave Cole at technicolor who was our colorist, isolated her skin buy using the Luster roto tool and sucked the life out of her skin.
Sorry Shane but did you mean Autodesk Lustre? Luster or Lustre? Just clarifying.
Thanks
Well done! Nice story.
With a Panavision it would have been impossible to do the 04.21 trick.
I look forward to other posts or The Ticket. Thanks!
Charles, thank you so much for the kind words ands support
wonder how much this will cost?
shanks, probably 13k when it is all said and done.
Incredible story. Very moving and powerful- the visuals did everything to bolster that. How much of this did you light and how much would you say was just shot with available light? The Ferris wheel and rest of pier looked incredible! Also, what are the perks of using that “revolution” head on steadicam?
Cheers,
Jon
Jon Chema, thank you so much for your kind words, I will pass this onto Po Chan. I would say that nothing I shoot is available. I am not that DP. This is the biggest disservice you can do to HD. The image always requires a little zing, a stinger, and accent. I shot available in the car but added a small Rosco Panel Light. I shot with available light on the street, but added little out of focus peppers and tweenies with color on them in the BG as well as Flo’s in doorways when they run down the street. The advantage of the Revolution rig is that the camera can move from 4.5 inches to 9.5 feet in one move. Very powerful tool. Whole different steadicam language
Shane,
What a fine and revealing review. I shot the 5DMKII for 4 years and used the 5DMKIII on a train in the same low light environment as I shot the 5DMKII and I was really blown away at how much more detail I could bring out.
For the last 8 years we’ve taken a private train and set up the club car for live musical performances with a professional audio stage and lighting. This time, we were blessed to have Tom Russell, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Jonny Langford and Thad Beckman on the train for 6 days of concerts and seminars. I shot fron about 60 feet back above the heads of the audience with a 70-200mm Canon lens at 2.8 At 2500ISO and 30 speed and 4.0, I was getting by using the 5DMKII. The 5DMKIII allowed me to shoot at 8.0 instead of 4.0. The extra depth of field allowed me to keep all the musicians in focus all the time. The quality is really an improvement.
I will be buying a 4X when they come out even if it’s to archive the performances until 4x is more available to the consumer.
Shane, in your discussions with Canon, do you expect a new format above Blu_Ray to handle this resolution anytime soon? Thank you so very much. Peace, Joe Ray Skrha
Joe Ray Skrha, that sounds like a very cool gig. Thanks for all your kind words. Not yet but as everything technology will push this envelope very soon
What ISO are the night footage shot at ?
Because they look really really good :o
Wolf, 1600, 1250, and 6400 ISO
Shane,
What was “The Ticket ” edited on, was it edited with Premiere Pro CS 5.5 or what. It looks so darn good. It must be because it was shot in 4K. Great work and great camera. Keep up the great work as you always do.
Ron
Ron Whitting, we edited this piece on the Avid. Thank you so much for your kind words.
The shots in the cab made me do a double take. Wow.
The only tell tale sign of digital was in the horizontal banding from the florescent lights (7D shooters will recognize the 1 second giveaway). I was thoroughly engrossed in the story thereafter (which means you did your job).
Chris Gonzalez, thank you so much for your kind words, yes I over powered the light most of the time to lose those banding lines but that one got pass me.
Hey Shane, great meeting you, Lydia and Doug at the Supermeet this year – hope you had a chance to unwind a bit at the AJA party. So glad I was able to see The Ticket in the Canon theater – superb job and the best stop at NAB! Changed me from thinking Canon was nuts pricing the 1D C at 15k to thinking this is the biggest bargain at the show – just love the image and the fact that I don’t have to record to an outboard device and don’t have to give up the DSLR form factor to get insane imagery! Ironic I was hosting the C500/KiProQUAD in the AJA booth all week and thinking I don’t think I’ll ever use this… I want my 1D C!
Lance
Lance Bachelder, it was great meeting you as well, thanks for the AJA invites. Yes this camera is impressive and I think a great value. Small footprint, Big VISION.
Hey Shane! Now that you’ve had two amazing posts– one on the C300 and one now on the 1DC, being the price point for both of them is so close, I’d love to know what you feel the pros/cons of each of them are. The obvious I’d imagine is the 4K capability of the 1DC and slightly smaller body, but I’ve heard nothing but absolute raves over the C300 from DPs I’ve spoken with.
What’s your take on the two cams, side by side?
David Kittredge, the 1DC is in a league of its own. Shooting at 6400 ISO without noise at all, this is a can of whoop ass.
The running shot down the stairs where you handed off the camera to the other person on the ramp was awesome. Great film. I wish I could afford a 1D-C. :(
Kyle Rose, thank you so much for all of your kind words. I loved that shot, so simple with a camera that weighs 3.25lbs.
HI Shane hope I will work on it soon or later, it sounds pretty cool!!!!
Got one question: how is about the latitude of 1DC in the 4k mode?
Thanx for the answer.
cheerio josh
Josh, I felt the latitude was about 12.5 stops with Canon glass, if I had used the Leica’s maybe 13.5. This is an impressive camera.
Shane,
I note that the ‘share’ capability has been disabled. I would love to show this video to my students on our site (video hub.dcu.ie), but was wondering if you will be enabling sharing in the future?
Regards,
William
William – We are waiting on word from Canon on sharing. Will let you know.
Dear Shane,
Great work on “The Ticket”.
Your style is quite influential to my work and I love your eye for light & composition,
especially in this piece, as well as your decisions on how the camera moved through space.
My question(s) to you:
Based on the charts provided at the top of the article, and screenshots of the camera’s menu,
With the 1D-C, are you only able to shoot at 4K, with the sensor cropped to S35?
Or is 4K only available in APS-H mode, in which you’ll need lenses that’ll cover full frame,
and you can’t use the Canon Cinema Lenses, or any non full-frame cine lens in 4K mode?
If not, do you know if Canon will implement S35 4K onto their production 1D-C?
Also, I know the internet’s compression doesn’t do the camera justice,
so how does the 4K footage intercut with the 1080p footage?
Thanks for your time.
Best,
Gem
Cinematography Student
Hi Gem. Thank you for your kind words.
4k can only be captured on a APS-H crop.
All of the Canon EF lens will handle Full Frame including the new Cine Primes. So you still have all the lens choices that you had with the 5D Mark II plus the Cine Primes.
Only the Cine Zooms will not cover APS-H. Even then you could use them but you might vignette at wider settings. We used the 24mm and 50mm a lot on The Ticket, and the image was tack sharp from edge to edge.
You would have to ask Canon about implementing S35 4K onto the production 1D-C. But one of the greatest things about HDSLR’s is the large sensor, so anything bigger than S35 gives the image a shallower DOF and allows me to control where the audiences eye goes and how the image will tell the story.
Shane, thanks for the wonderful “review”, even though it wasn’t really a review :-). I know you were at the AJA exhibits and party at NAB. Any thoughts on the Ki Pro Quad and 1Dc 4k workflow? Thanks, Hal
I really liked that device, and think it will integrate well into the workflow.
Is that duck tape I spy in lieu of a mattebox holding up that filter? You guys are brave :P
Jack Yan Chen.Absolutely, but its actually matte black paper tape. Sometimes you need to improvise.
Shane, why would it benefit to spend $15k on this camera which shoots 8bit 4:2:2 as opposed to a scarletX which shoots 12bit 4:4:4 for the same price?
It is not the same price when you start buying the basic add ons.
I love scarlet and epic, but i have done a profile of the gears and accesories and at the end the 1d-c is around 60 to 70 % of the cost of a scarlet
I just saw “the ticket” and my mouth is still open, what a good piece of art work. I love the picture quality and I think this camera (Canon I dc) has created a new generations of films to come. I love how you have used camera techniques to tell the story and give it an image that already speaks volume with having to listen to the sound of the story. I have seen the bts too and what a cache of equipment you have. I want to know where can i get the electronic clapper slate that you used and the special steadicam with a revolition head.
Pedro Mendoza
Namibia-Africa
Pedro Mendoza. Thanks so much for the kind words and support. Here is where you can buy the salt http://www.filmtools.com/decodctssmti.html. Letus is making a rotating camera head similar to the revolution called the Helix and you can find it here . For more information on the revolution head it can be found here http://www.mk-v.com/#http://www.mk-v.com/?cat=45.
Doesn’t seem worth the price they wanna charge.
The ticket looks great though. But for that money I can buy a scarlet. Hopefully they drop the price to $8k. That’s feels worth 8bit 422.
vince gortho, I could not agree more. I did love the look and feel of this camera. Felt so cinematic
Shane, great job with “The Ticket”. What an exciting camera! I have two questions based on ambiguities I perceived (perhaps wrongly) in the text describing the 1DC on the B&H web page. First, is it possible to record in 4K to an external source, or only to the internal cards? And second, does the autofocus function in video mode (though I know most filmmakers would never use this, I am curious as to whether the feature is available at all, as with some of the lower end cameras). Thank you so much for your time!
Jim, Thank you so much for the kind words. 4K only goes to the high speed cards. No, Auto focus does not work in Video mode, but as a still camera it kicks serious ass.
Thank you very much for your prompt reply. I wonder also whether you were given a chance to experiment with either of Canon’s new Cinema Zoom lenses. I am trying to understand what $42,000 buys you for an EF mount camera. Thanks again so much!
Jim, you are very welcome, so sorry it has taken me awhile to get back with you. Yes I have used the Cinema zooms and they rock. Loved the glass. You can get them in EF and PL mount.
Yep. Shane was dead bang on the price of the 1DC. Price: $12,999.00
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/855962-REG/Canon_EOS_1D_C_EOS_1D_C_4K_Cinema.html
Look forward for Shane’s future review on this beast. Cheers.
Ron, Should have a post up next week about our tests with the Canon 1DC on “The Ticket.” Here is the link of our first blog about it: https://www.filmmakersacademy.com/film-education-online-the-next-gen-in-digital-film-capture-canons-4k-1dc/
Myself, and surely many others, are looking forward to your further review of the Canon 1DC. The more information the better. Cheers.
Ron, coming your way next week my friend.
Do you think 32 GB cards would be a better fit with this camera? Or would you recommend 64? 128?
Good sale at BH for TWO 32 GB 1000x cards – $238.22
Offer ends Sept. 8, 2012.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/841573-REG/Lexar_LCF32GCTBNA10002_32GB_CompactFlash_Memory_Card.html
Cheers.
Ron, those are the cards that we prefer. Yes shot all of the short film and the test on them.
Hi Shane
Thanks for having the generosity of spirit to share your knowledge, workflows, vision and experience. My cinematography and the landscape in general is better for it.
I’ve pre-ordered a 1DC here in the UK and not having had my hands on it yet I wondered if you have a view on using older manual exposure lenses on it? I have a set of 1970’s Canon still primes that have been de-clicked and cine converted with new EF back ends. Based on your experience, image quality aside, do you foresee any problems exposing manually?
Thanks for taking the trouble to contribute.
Gary Brown, thank you for those wonderful words. Much appreciated. That is great news, no problem with manual lenses, that is the main way I roll out. They will look amazing I bet
Shane, Lovely work. Am I right to think there is only 422 at 4k? Thanks.
Nigel, yes that is correct, but it is the best looking 4:2:2 8 BIT that I have seen.
Shane, do you know if the 1d-c will be released in Europe with 4K MJPEG in 25fps? If not, how would you deal with the electrical voltage differences? I mean wouldn’t shooting in 24fps cause flicker when shooting outside, because of the electrical differences? I hope you understand what I’m trying to say?
Mike, the camera as it stands now will not do 25fps. And yes it will flicker when shooting inside and or outside if you have fluorescents in the background. You can help this a little by changing the HZ select to 50 which is what your country is. I would test that before you go buy one of these babies.
Shane, Thank you for a great blog.
About the no-go on 25, ok it’s for cinema, but as I understand it the 24fps is not a true 24, but rather the NTSC-TV land friendly framerate of 23,976fps – is this true, and if it is and they do intend it for “Cinema”, why is there no option for a true 24? (or is this possibly what you are referring to above in another post that switching the camera system to PAL will help slightly in reducing fluorescent flickering in 50Hz countries – does the PAL system setting flip the 23,976 to a true 24?)
Kind regards
Joachim
Hi Shane, great blog!!
following for a while…
Just one question. the 1D-C from specs only outputs 1080 60i/50i/24p via HDMI; does it means that I cannot use an external recorder to record 50p (PAL) for a slow motion sequences? Am I stuck with the internal ALL-I codec?
Thanks
Filippo, yes this is correct. You can extract clean HD signal from the HDMI, but not 4K.
Hi Shane, really thank you for your honest answers. What I want to know is say that I buy a Canon 1d-c shoot 4K but want 2:40.1 crop, how do I set this? Can I do this in camera? Set guidelines? Or can I set this on the actual monitor? How would you do? Also If I write “physical” markers on the 1d-c screen for 2:40.1 crop, how would I do that?
Mike, you are very welcome. There are no lines that you can turn on. You have to do in manually. We use an EVF to generate the 2:40 aspect lines, or just tape the back LCD and your lighting monitor. We do this by creating a 2:40 framing chart. Then put in on a wall, then lens up the camera so that it fills the left and right side of the screen and you then mark you top and bottom frame line off of the chart. Hope this helps
Shane WHAT ABOUT Battery life in 4k mode cant find info on web ,great info on 1dc, TECH SHEETS on paper are nice, but ultimately its the final picture that counts and the less workarounds you have to endure to get a film made.
No external monitor for a 4k picture, lightwieght DSLR form factor, a canon company to backup the camera not an upstart company.
Shane im almost sold on this or c100,
WHAT is battery life if shooting in 4k, realistically how long will camera last if shooting in 4k and how much are replacement batteries, i ask because it would be amazing to carry a full days of batteries in a pocket for a shoot for cheap as opposed to battery external mounts
Jay C, the camera battery life is very good. I would say on 4K you could shoot most of the day on 3 batts. The camera has all the quirks of a DSLR but the most cinematic of all the cameras on the market. The 1DC and C100 are in two different leagues. One is for cinema and the other for weddings
First and foremost, thank you for the excellent information you and your team provide.
Regarding battery life, here is the info directly from Canon (keep in mind it will be a bit less if you use IS lenses):
Movie Shooting Battery Life
4K: 1 hr. 25 min. at 73°F / 23°C
1 hr. 15 min. at 32°F / 0°C
Full HD (30 fps, ALL-I): 2 hr. 10 min. at 73°F / 23°C
2 hr. at 32°F / 0°C
Some questions I have:
1. On page 38 of the manual, “Even if [Record func.] is set to [Auto Switch Card] the card cannot be switched automatically during movie shooting mode.” I was under the impression that with a 12 hour continuous movie mode that spanned clips would be possible. Does that mean it will not automatically start recording to the second card when the first one fills up?
1B. If it is possible, are the NLE’s (Avid specifically) able to stitch together the spanned clips?
2. On page 44 of the manual, “When Canon Log gamma is set, vertical noise stripes may appear in movies depending on subject or shooting conditions.” Well, that doesn’t sound good. Did you experience this (specifically in low light, like your ferris wheel shots)? What are the workaround options (I imagine, add light or change out of Canon Log, but I’d like your opinion)?
3. Does your MCS Cage allow space for the Canon GPS attachment GP-E1?
3B. I want to attach the MCS cage to a different baseplate, is this possible yet, if not what is the ETA?
Matthew Marzano. Thank you so much for the kind words,information and support. Here are the answers to your questions.
1. To my knowledge it will automatically switch from one card to another. The protocol for the elite team though was to only shoot on one card at a time to play it safe and better data management. Each card reflecting the a separate “roll”.
1B. Just like the C300 and 5DMkIII there should be a Plug in when the Camera is released for the different NLE’s to stitch the clips together.
2. Canon log on the 1DC provides increased dynamic range, but can’t be pushed into the higher ISO’s like the Neutral setting. It comes down to knowing how far you can push the camera. From testing I found that Log can be pushed to 1600-3200 ISO max without noticing fixed pattern noise, and Neutral as high as 6400 ISO.
3. The MCS cage does not allow space for the Canon GPS attachment GP-E1.
3B. All cages (except for the 1Dx/DC) can be attached directly onto a tripod and therefore if any baseplate that mimic the attachment of a tripod would work.
You got it!!! The Real Film Look. Not emulated. That is what we can get only with Canon EOS DSLR and Raw Cine-cameras. Mr Hurlbut,you’ve the vision of a real cinematographer: finally a man who can see the difference.
Many prosumer cameras are emulating the look,even the C100/C300 are to me too “videoish” .But when i take a look a DSLR (and the 1DC is really Amazing) i see the -feeling- of film: not too sharpened image,dynamic range,soft shadows,three dimensional 24p image,beautiful nuances of color.
Great educational pages Shane,keep the very good work! and thank you for sharing your experience to all aspiring filmmakers. I’ll follow you on Youtube,Twitter etc. Great this pages too.
Love “The Skulls” (i’m also a Randy Edelman composer fan) & Terminator Salvation photography. I’ve not seen Act of Valor,but the Blu Ray will be in my home soon. And “The Ticket” is absultely gorgeous.
Regards,
Lamberto,Italy
Lamberto Lamberti. Thank you so much for the kind words and support.
Hey Shane,
I noticed that you had a TV-Logic external monitor. Is the monitor connected by SDI or HDMI? If SDI, is that an after market accessory?
Zade Akkad. Hdmi was sent out from the 1DC into the EVF, Hdmi out the EVF into the TV-Logic and SDI out to video village.
I want to thank you on sharing your knowledge! I have learned so much from you and am very grateful for that.
I noticed the use of Anton Bauer batteries with the Canon 1Dc. Can you explain this camera configuration?
Thank you for your time in addressing my question.
Justin Teichen. What we did is take the AC adapter for the 1DC and do a power step down so we can take Anton Power 13volt power and step it down to the voltage of the camera. This gives you a days worth of shooting instead of swapping batteries. Thank you for the kind words and support.
Shane, thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge. I recently acquired the 1DC and was wondering if you could provide more detail on how to use the 1DC AC adapter and step down power in order to use an Anton Bauer. I would love to be able to power my camera all day from one battery. Is there rewiring involved or other adapters that need to be incorporated in the process or can I just buy the 1DC AC adapter and plug it directly into the Anton Bauer?
Thanks,
GB
Greg. I had the cables custom made. Contact Drew (drew@audiodept.com) at Audio Department in you would like to purchase some.
Here is a link to a photo of our innovative power solution for the Canon 1DC with Master Cinema Series 2.0. Power convertor in battery cache. Power Anton Bauer p-tap.
http://ow.ly/i/25lPv
Thanks Shane
Greg, you are very welcome, that is great, you can buy the !DC to Anton Bauer adapter on Letus35. I designed that baby. I think they are shipping soon.