If you've read some of the past content I've created here for AbelCine, then you may know I'm a long time user of Canon's Cinema EOS series cameras, most notably the C300 and C300 Mk II. I've used them extensively as a 1st AC supporting multiple cameras on commercial and corp/industrial jobs, and as an operator and DP on short form, documentary, and independent narrative work. So naturally, the release of the C500 Mk II is very interesting to me.

Canon’s Cinema EOS camera line has matured to include options for all levels of production and all budgets. There are single-operator, handheld cameras like the C100 Mark II and the new C200, with its ability to shoot Canon’s Cinema RAW Light internally. At the higher end are models oriented to feature production: the C700 and the new full format C700 FF, both sporting flexible shooting and recording modes and the ability to send Cinema RAW to an on-board Codex recorder. In the middle sits the C300 Mark II with its class-leading documentary features and high-quality internal codec.

At AbelCine we hold a lot of events aimed at helping still photographers move into the world of cinematography or add video to their creative tool kit. These "Stills To Motion" events are focused on the art of cinema, as well as the latest camera technology. At one such event, we discussed the RAW and Log modes in the Canon EOS C500, as well as the wide cinema gamut found in the camera. Many of the photographers in the room weren't as familiar with these concepts and asked that we translate the terminology into something they could better understand.

Recently, AbelCine organized a focus group with select cinematographers and specialists from Canon to review the new Dual Pixel Auto Focus (DAF) upgrade for the C300 camera. The consensus was that for $500, this is a feature worth many times its cost, as it expands the universe of the types of shots that can be achieved.

Our scene file blogs have always been some of our most popular posts, and our specialists get many questions regarding how to create matching scene files for different cameras. Last year I actually wrote an article for HDVideoPro called "Making the Match," where I discussed step-by-step how I go about doing this. In that article, I used a Sony F3 and an FS700 as examples, but recently we received an interesting inquiry on how to match a Sony F55 with a Canon C500.

Convergent Design's Odyssey7Q is a versatile recorder/monitor that's a perfect match for the Canon C500. The Odyssey7Q acts as a great onboard monitor and is capable of recording multiple formats from multiple cameras, but when paired with the C500, it allows for 4K Raw, 2K and HD external recording. What's especially useful with this combo is the ability to record 4K Raw externally, while at the same time recording HD internally with matched filenames.

Over the last several months Canon has been announcing updates to their EOS Cinema line of cameras. Canon has definitely shown a firm commitment to upgrading their cameras in response to user feedback. With so many recent updates, and more on the way, we wanted to put together a quick timeline for each of their cameras.

Canon has Look Up Tables (LUTs) on their website for their Cinema EOS line of cameras – the C100, C300 and C500. These LUTs are designed to convert from Canon Log to Rec709 or Cineon. Originally, they were published with only the C300 in mind, but they were later updated to work for the C100 and C500 as well.

Today's quick tip involves changing the white balance on the Canon C300 and C500. There are actually five white balance modes to choose from, selectable via the Function button at the back of the camera. The Function button also allows you to change your ISO and shutter speed, so today i'm going to show you how to dedicate one of the assignable buttons to white balance, which is great for very fast adjustments.