Canon unveiled its much anticipated Canon C300 mark III camera today for $10,999. The Mark III video camera is a follow up to their popular C300 mark II camera that’s been a staple on many film sets, documentaries, and commercials for the last few years. Canon also recently released the C500 mk II which offers full frame 5.9k recording and some additional features at a price tag of $15,999. And a nice effect of the Canon C300 Mark III release is that the older cameras like the C200 and C300 mk II have each had their price tags reduced by $1000.
So you can pick up a C200 (which is one of our favorite cameras, and what we shoot most Film Jams episodes on) for just $5,500 now. The C300 mk II is now just $7,499. Even the C100 mk II has been reduced to $2,699. It’s a good time to buy…as long as you got that quarantine cash stash!
Canon C300 Mark III Specs
So let’s check out the Canon C300 Mk III Specs. Unlike it’s bigger brother the C500 mk II, the new C300 is NOT full frame. It also only goes up to 4K recording. It does share the same body as the C500 mark II so the cameras look nearly identical side-by-side. They will use all the same accessories as well.
Key Features of the New C300 Mk III Camera
- New Super 35mm 4K CMOS DGO (Dual Gain Output) sensor
- 4K 120 FPS high-speed supported
- INTERNAL 4K Cinema RAW Light 10-bit or 12-bit
- INTERNAL 2K RAW recording in Super 16mm Crop, 10-bit or 12-bit
- SLOW MO PLEASE MAMA! Up to 120 fps 4K RAW or XF-AVC recording (INTERNAL!)
- Up to 180 fps in Super 16mm crop 2K/FHD
- Modular design like C500 mk II w/ optional expansion modules & EVF
- 16+ stops of dynamic range
User-Swappable Lens Mount
The C300 mk III lens mount is user-swapped between EF, PL and EF Cinema Lock mounts. So you don’t need to send the camera in to an Authorized Service Center. This is a big improvement over the previous generation C300’s which were one lens mount only – so if you wanted PL you had to buy a whole other camera body.
Canon also says that the camera will support and 2.0 and 1.33 anamorphic lenses. We’re anxiously waiting to try our Atlas Anamorphic lenses on it!
New Sensor & What’s that Dual Gain All About?
The C300 mk III has a completely new sensor compared to even the C500 mkII. The new Dual Gain Output (DGO) technology, essentially combines two amplifications of a moving image (highlights & shadows) into one, which achieves a dynamic range (from what Canon says) of 16+ stops – it’s basically a version of HDR technology. It creates “exceptionally clean low light picture quality” and “massively reduces noise levels” from what a Canon product specialist says. We’re pretty excited about testing this out. Canon’s C-series cameras were always good in low light, so this could be new territory for Canon, if it’s as amazing as they say.
C300 Mark III Slow Motion 120 fps?
When it comes to slow motion filming, the C300 mark III is no slouch! It is able to film high-speed in 4K up to 120 fps, and 2K crop up to 180 fps. This sets it apart from the previous version of the camera (the C300 Mk II), which only recorded 4k 30p. Huzzah!
WATCH OUR Canon C300 mkIII 120 fps Slow Motion Video.
Canon C300 Mk III Release Date
The release date for the new Canon C300 is June 2020. So just a couple months and you can be filming that new Netflix series, or your Grandma’s birthday party in style! We’ve got links below if you’d like to pick one up.
Other New Canon Firmware Releases 2020
Along with the new C300 Mk III announcement, Canon also announced a variety of firmware upgrades in 2020 for its camera lineup. Some of our favorite features are:
- Canon C200 gets simultaneous output to both HDMI and SDI
- The Canon C500 mk II gets 3 or 5 seconds of pre-recording ability
- Canon C500 mk II – ability to change magnify button assignability
Where to Buy?
If you’re looking to pickup a new C300 mark III, or one of Canon’s previous model cameras, we’ve included links below that go to our affiliate partner, Adorama. Using these links helps us keep our site alive and kicking. Thanks for stopping by!
- Canon C200 – https://adorama.rfvk.net/DonPb (Now $5,499)
- Canon C300 mark II – https://adorama.rfvk.net/ezxV1 (Now $7,499)
- Canon C300 mark III – https://adorama.rfvk.net/g0QZg ($10,999)
- Canon C500 mk II – https://www.adorama.com/cac500m2.html ($15,999)
Canon Cinema Lenses Get HUGE Price Drop
- Canon 15.5-47mm EF (Previously $23,999) – NOW $9,999 – https://adorama.rfvk.net/Kbvjn
- Canon 30-105mm EF (Previously $23,999) – NOW $9,999 – https://adorama.rfvk.net/2DL1z
What do you think of the Canon C300 Mark III Release? Is it everything you were hoping for? Let us know down in the comments! And if you’re looking for other great cinema cameras that have been released recently definitely check out the ARRI Alexa Mini LF – this one’s on the higher end, but it’s our current favorite.
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