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Canon C700 FF and RED EPIC-W Dual ISO do High Frame Rates!

With NAB 2018 getting near, new announcements are starting to trickle in.  The two newest are the Canon EOS C700 FF Full-Frame Cinema Camera & the RED DIGITAL CINEMA EPIC-W BRAIN with Gemini 5K S35 Sensor.  These two are serious cinema cameras aimed at recording in high-end codec formats and supporting RAW codecs.  Both cameras support higher frame rates but do not offer extreme high speeds like dedicated slow-motion cameras.

In the case of the RED EPIC-W with Gemini S35 sensor, it is the first time RED has used a dual Native ISO sensor like the ones seen on the Panasonic EVA1 and GH5s which have two different native sensitivities to deliver extremely clean footage with the widest dynamic range. Witha claimed 16.5 stops of dynamic range in standard mode & a gain of approximately two stops of light, from 800 to 3200 ISO without increasing the image noise. DPs of all kinds will savor these advances to shoot in dark situations knowing the output will be dependable.

Canon EOS C700 FF Full-Frame Cinema Camera EF & PL Mount Options):

  • 5.9K Full-Frame CMOS Sensor with DAF
  • EF-Cinema Lock Type Mount
  • Dual Pixel AF
  • Triple DIGIC DV 5 Processing
  • XF-AVC and ProRes Recording to CFast 2.0
  • Internal Full-Frame up to 60 fps
  • Internal 4K/Super35 Crop up to 72 fps
  • Internal 2K/Super16 Crop up to 168 fps
  • Selectable Gamma and Log Curves
  • ACES Support
  • External Raw Recording Option (CODEX Box Optional)
  • MSRP $33,000.00 Camera Body
  • Shipping Soon

Introducing the Canon EOS C700 FF – A Full-Frame Digital Cinema Camera by CanonUSA:

The Calling 4K Shot With C700  by Canon:

High Frame Rates on the C700?

As you can see the C700 FF has a full frame no crop maximum frame rate of 60p which is impressive at the 5.9k aiming for 6k res which will become the newest cinema standard. Everyone seems to try to get a competing camera to the Alexa Large Format camera and the C700 FF seems to be ready for it with the benefits of dual pixel AF which arguably is the best in the business.

A 4k crop will yield 72fps and a 2k crop 168fps which tops out the fast frame rate options for the camera. The quality should be impeccable in these frame rates but the cost of the camera makes it a hard decision especially when other dedicated slow-motion cameras are able to do over 2,000fps at 1080p like the edgertronic SC2X for half the price.  Stil it is good to have these RAW and Canon Log recording options in a powerful cinema camera like this.

For those looking for the best cinema camera Canon currently offers there is no question the Canon C700 FF is the best ever with Dual Pixel AF, it is also quite a pricey proposition. However, at $33k for the camera body, it will accept Canon EF lenses with full AF which is a very good proposition for utilizing the large available lens collection in your stable.

Adorama Pre Order Page for the Canon C700 FF Camera Below:

 RED DIGITAL CINEMA EPIC-W BRAIN with Gemini 5K S35 Sensor: 

  • 5K Super 35 CMOS Sensor
  • Dual Sensitivity Sensor
  • 5K Recording up to 96 fps
  • REDCODE RAW, ProRes, and DNx Recording
  • Uses DSMC2 Accessories
  • Records to RED MINI-MAG Media
  • Interchangeable Lens Mounts
  • 60 & 120p @ 4k Cinema Resolution
  • Magnesium and Aluminum Construction
  • MSRP $24,500 Brain only!

GEMINI Sensor with Dual Sensitivity | RED TECH by RED Digital Cinema:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcKPupoLtKM

  • Recording Modes ProRes422HQ 4:2:2: 
    4096 x 2160 at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 fps
    ProRes422 4:2:2: 
    4096 x 2160 at 24, 25, 29.97 fps
    2048 x 1080 at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 48, 50, 59.94, 60, 120 fps
    ProRes422LT 4:2:2: 
    4096 x 2160 at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 fps
    2048 x 1080 at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 48, 50, 59.94, 60, 120 fps 
    ProRes422HQ 4:2:2: 
    2048 x 1080 at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 48, 50, 59.94, 60, 120 fps 
    DNxHR 4:2:2 12-Bit: 
    4096 x 2160 at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 fps
    2048 x 1080 at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 48, 50, 59.94, 60, 120 fps 
    DNxHR 4:2:2 8-Bit: 
    4096 x 2160 at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 fps
    DNxHD 4:4:4 10-Bit: 
    1920 x 1080 at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 48, 50, 59.94, 60, 120 fps 
    DNxHD 4:2:2 10-Bit: 
    1920 x 1080 at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 48, 50, 59.94, 60, 120 fps 
    DNxHD 4:2:2 8-Bit: 
    1920 x 1080 at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 48, 50, 59.94, 60, 120 fps 

The RED EPIC-W Gemini is no slouch for higher frame rates as it can deliver 300fps at 2k 2.4:1 (2048 × 864) resolution.   These frame rates are typical RED crop resolutions and should offer the same quality as other EPIC cameras. See the video below for a sample from the Helium sensor which should be close to what the new Gemini sensor can deliver. 

RED EPIC-W HELIUM [2K] 300FPS by TPR Media:

MAX FRAME RATES 96 fps at 5K Full Format (5120 × 2700)

120 fps at 5K 2.4:1 (5120 × 2160) 

120 fps at 4K Full Format (4096 × 2160)

150 fps at 4K 2.4:1 (4096 × 1728) 

150 fps at 3K Full Format (3072 × 1620)

200 fps at 3K 2.4:1 (3072 × 1296) 

240 fps at 2K Full Format (2048 × 1080)

300 fps at 2K 2.4:1 (2048 × 864)

  • APPLE PRORES ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 LT at 4K (4096 × 2160) up to 29.97 fps
    ProRes 4444 XQ and ProRes 4444 at 2K (2048 × 1080) up to 120 fps
    ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 LT at 2K (2048 × 1080) up to 120 fps
    AVID CODECS DNxHR HQX at 4K (4096 × 2160) 12-bit up to 29.97 fps
    DNxHR HQ, SQ and LB at 4K (4096 × 2160) 8-bit up to 29.97 fps
    DNxHR 444 at 2K (2048 × 1080) 12-bit up to 120 fps
    DNxHD 444 and HQX (1920 × 1080) 10-bit up to 120 fps
    DNxHD HQ, SQ and LB (1920 × 1080) 8-bit up to 120 fps

  • Dual Native ISO Modes:

    800 (Native)

    3200 (Native)

Out of both cameras, we are partial to the RED EPIC-W Gemini vs the C700FF for higher frame rates as it offers close to twice the maximum frame rate at 300fps on the RED vs 168fps on the Canon. However, if you really need dual pixel AF in your camera the C700 FF is the one to get out of these two.

The low light abilities of the new EPIC-W Gemini are pretty amazing since you get a 2 stop improvement in shadow noise and retention of low light details.  As the video says however you need to perfectly expose this camera in the LL (Low Light) mode as you will not be able to recover highlights overexposed in this mode as with other modes in RAW.

The trend in the industry seems to be shifting towards dual ISO cameras as the GH5s and EVA1 from Panasonic has shown. Now the RED EPIC-W Gemini is the latest camera using this technology to introduce incredible low light capabilities.  We expect other manufacturers to introduce similar capabilities soon as the trend of higher quality low light means sensors have to evolve to support the technology to have cleaner shadows.  We would love to see the same technology now used for ultra-low sensitivity for ISO 25-200 for shooting outdoors without using an ND filter. That would require a three voltage sensor which could prove difficult to execute.  -HSC

More information on the EPIC-W GEMINI at the RED site here: http://www.red.com/products/epic-w#


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