We took delivery in Nottingham of a new Canon XF 300 video camera in November, and I thought I would pass on some comments on our experiences with it so far…
We have done a number of jobs with the camera since its arrival, this includes some location work indoors and outdoors, and a couple of days in studio like conditions.
In mid December we were approached to produce 4x 10 minute training videos for E.on UK, and this gave us the opportunity to really test the camera in some mixed conditions, as well as getting the best out of it in a studio like environment.
Picture quality from the studio setup was excellent. Its important to turn the IS off when the camera is fixed, and for panning on the tripod…. panning on the tripod with IS on was noticeably jerky…. and when I accidentally left it on for a interview there was a noticeable decrease in image sharpness.
The fact that most controls are switch based is a big plus. There is very little need to be accessing menu’s whilst shooting. Audio from the built in mic picks up too much background noise to be used on its own, so we have been using the Rode Stereo shotgun mic with the camera, as well as a couple of new Sennheiser radio mics.
I did feel that the Rode Stereo mic was too wide, and have now added a Rode NTG-2 to the kit as well.
Colour balance is a bit tricky on the camera in some conditions, and I do feel that out of the box the picture is a bit warm.
We are currently having a play with some profiles to see if we can find a setup that is a bit more appealing to us, however we have been able to get a good result from even the worst problems in FCP due to the very good wide gamut the camera produces.
Data usage is something else… we have added a shed-load of CF cards! I am nervous about going bigger than 16gig… but if we continue to do more big shoots… it may be necessary… The low compression means a great picture… but the cards don’t last as long as the 5d or 7d!
The new Sennheiser radio mics are excellent. We have also taken on some new lighting from Calumet, including some funky little LED daylight panels…
http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/eng/product/calumet_digital_multi_led_video_light/cf9020
These are just great! Daylight output, with adjustable power, and AA powered, I have used them standalone and also on the top of the camera… Excellent and affordable as well.
I would just like to pass on another thanks to Jason Batterham at Calumet, (Our local guy in Notts…) who has been able to source lighting, spare bulbs, etc, at the drop of a hat, and then deliver them straight to us in the office. Great service and much appreciated.
Everything really came together for the E.on shoot…. in 10 working days over the christmas period we were able to pre-plan, shoot, post produce, and then provide 200 final copies on DVD, 4x 10 minute training videos shot at two separate locations and involving 8 different subjects.
The XF300 didnt skip a beat, the new radio mics worked a treat, the new lighting was excellent, and everything, including producing 200 DVD’s together with artwork in 6 hours as a last minute request…. came together smoothly and without too many hitches!
