Canon C200 Compact Cinema EOS Camera

I have been using Canon pro equipment for almost 25 years. This is an amazing camera, so why only two stars? The 4k 60p raw (c lite) ability of the C200 is exactly what I need. However, without the ability to output the data to an external SSD I have no opportunity to make use of the camera's premier feature.C fast 2.0 cards to feed the internal recording are extremely expensive ($350 for 128g). 4k C lite burns through 128 g in 15 minutes, which presents three huge problems. One, I would need to buy 12 cards ($4,200) to get through an average shooting day (3 hrs). Two, the 15mins of record time considers perfect card management with no waste, which never happens. And three, with only one c fast slot, interviews would have to be paused every 12-15 minutes to change ... MoreI have been using Canon pro equipment for almost 25 years. This is an amazing camera, so why only two stars? The 4k 60p raw (c lite) ability of the C200 is exactly what I need. However, without the ability to output the data to an external SSD I have no opportunity to make use of the camera's premier feature.C fast 2.0 cards to feed the internal recording are extremely expensive ($350 for 128g). 4k C lite burns through 128 g in 15 minutes, which presents three huge problems. One, I would need to buy 12 cards ($4,200) to get through an average shooting day (3 hrs). Two, the 15mins of record time considers perfect card management with no waste, which never happens. And three, with only one c fast slot, interviews would have to be paused every 12-15 minutes to change cards. Pausing an interview as the subject gets to the emotion of the story. missing the best moment while shooting a sporting event, or breaking an actor's concentration to cut and change cards every few minutes are items that yield this great camera almost useless.This camera has amazing features and Canon build quality, but won't be a usable tool without allowing the best features to output to an external SSD.

This is a really great camera that takes beautiful footage, but if you care about customer service buy this somewhere else.My company bought this camera from Adorama for a shoot that was happening a few weeks later and the camera arrived with a defective sensor and would not turn on. I know this is nobody's fault it happens, but their customer service would not replace the camera or offer any kind of solution other than call Canon for a warranty claim. So because of shipping and repair times the almost $6k camera we bought wont be used on the shoot we specifically got it for.So my advice is if you are spending this kind of money I would go to company that actually backs up their sales and cares about their clients like B&H or buy directly from Canon.And just ... MoreThis is a really great camera that takes beautiful footage, but if you care about customer service buy this somewhere else.My company bought this camera from Adorama for a shoot that was happening a few weeks later and the camera arrived with a defective sensor and would not turn on. I know this is nobody's fault it happens, but their customer service would not replace the camera or offer any kind of solution other than call Canon for a warranty claim. So because of shipping and repair times the almost $6k camera we bought wont be used on the shoot we specifically got it for.So my advice is if you are spending this kind of money I would go to company that actually backs up their sales and cares about their clients like B&H or buy directly from Canon.And just in case anyone is wondering I talked to 3 different customer service reps. and a supervisor over the course of about 4 days trying to get them to return or exchange the broken camera they sold me. So once more I say, buy somewhere else.

Let me start by comparing this camera to the cameras I have used personally. I have read countless reviews based solely on specs. Yes this camera is extreme in choices of image quality. Here is how I get around it. I use the Angelbird 1tb CFast. Gives me 136 min of RAW recording at 4k 10 bit 60fps. From there I mount the CFast and convert if needed to 10 bit 422 pro res using the free Canon RAW utility. This Camera runs side by side to my Canon C-500. Image matches well. The key to this camera is the small form factor to run and gun. Battery life on the C-500 is 60 min shooting 4K using the BP-975. The C-200 is around 3 1/2 hours using the BP-A60 using Phantom power. Build quality is top notch. Nothing compares to it. I had the Panasonic EVA-1 and returned it. The ... MoreLet me start by comparing this camera to the cameras I have used personally. I have read countless reviews based solely on specs. Yes this camera is extreme in choices of image quality. Here is how I get around it. I use the Angelbird 1tb CFast. Gives me 136 min of RAW recording at 4k 10 bit 60fps. From there I mount the CFast and convert if needed to 10 bit 422 pro res using the free Canon RAW utility. This Camera runs side by side to my Canon C-500. Image matches well. The key to this camera is the small form factor to run and gun. Battery life on the C-500 is 60 min shooting 4K using the BP-975. The C-200 is around 3 1/2 hours using the BP-A60 using Phantom power. Build quality is top notch. Nothing compares to it. I had the Panasonic EVA-1 and returned it. The plastic moved and makes cracking noises. Image is nice. Really nice. The Focus Assist on the EVA-1 is the best I ever used. Small green blocks that get bigger with focus. But Canon Dual Pixel autofocus is king.