Sony PXW-FS7M2 vs Canon C-300

[Leslie Wand]

sony’s 4k the canon isn’t?

what exactly are you after in a camera? what are you shooting?

[Craig Alan]

Canon c-300 Mark II
Super 35mm CMOS Sensor
4K,1920×1080 60/50i, 23.98/25p True 24p
Canon XF AVC H.264 Codec
EF Lens Mount
Dual Pixel CMOS AF Technology
Rotating 4″ LCD Monitor
2 x 3G-SDI Output, 2x XLR Inputs
2 x CFast Card Slots
Timecode I/O, Genlock In & Sync Out
Canon Log 3 Gamma
Short Form films. Looking for the best image for the buck.

Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic HPX250P, FCP X 10.3, teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Tried to edit post to indicate Canon c-300 Mark II, but site would not let me.
The other day it stopped a post of mine from going through because I used the word “basketball.”

Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic HPX250P, FCP X 10.3, teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Mark II added only

Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic HPX250P, FCP X 10.3, teach video production in L.A.

[Tim Wilson]

[Craig Alan] “The other day it stopped a post of mine from going through because I used the word “b*sketball.””

From March through June, that’s the #1 spam word that bots try to break into our system with, for bootlegged streams for your favorite college and professional playoff teams.

Don’t even get me started on the “f-ball” word during a US college bowl and pro playoff season that occurs the same year as the World Cup. Somewhere in the range of millions of attempts per day for most of the year.

We try to make moderation as seamless as possible, but those two words in particular are by the far most virulent we’ve ever had to deal with, and getting worse every year. If we didn’t automate some of the spam catching, we’d have to close the business. I do apologize for any delays hand-moderating posts that get caught in the net!

And like pretty much every forum site on the net, there’s a time limit here for editing posts. Any time you need anything, though, or have any questions about things like moderated words, swing by the Letters to the COW Team forum, or use the Contact link on the front page.

Regards,

Tim Wilson
Editor-in-Chief
Creative COW

[Leslie Wand]

ok, thanks for that. mkll…

i haven’t shot with either camera, so my opinion is moot, to say the least, but i’ve a long term preference for sony. i know canon makes fantastic dslr’s, but from what i’ve seen and read canon’s venture into video lacks the finesse, the ergonomics, etc., i did play with their xc10 and didn’t like its feel or handling.

i’m sure there are others here more qualified to comment – but i would try and do what i’ve always done (eg xc10) – hire/borrow a camera and shoot some test footage under your normal working conditions – it really is the oly way to find out if ny cmera is GOOD for you…

[Leslie Wand]

what happened to the ‘edit’ button?

just realized all those typos in the last sentence….

[Craig Alan]

The only way I know would be to rent one. And no worries on typos . I followed every word. Much better than apple fixing every word changing typos to proper spell but now a word that is not at all what I meant.

Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic HPX250P, FCP X 10.3, teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

For me its a mixed bag. Back in the day when Canon XL1/2 SERIES vs the Sony PD1000-150-170 series I used both and way more the Sony – it was sharper and worked hand held etc. However the canon had better lenses and flaws in human faces were softened and more flattering. Didn’t buy the film look that was claimed but had a more pleasing look in some ways assuming you were mounted on a tripod or some other way. Canon had way better audio. Sony which made good audio equipment did not include that on this series of cameras. After that the mini HDV Canon cams were really good beginner or tight space cams and the Sony HVR-Z7U was a step up with interchangeable lenses (which Canon had) and even HMI out which allowed you to skip the HDV codec and record to a KiPro recorder in ProRes. Also that way, way better than capturing from mini-DV/HDV tape via firewire. Speaking of which the Canon cams were real hit or miss when you needed to ingest the footage on a Mac. The computer would often not see the external cam at all. Better luck using a SONY deck (ironically) for capture. I enjoyed using both cams. The canon also needed yearly trip to canon repair shop to realign the heads.

My real need here is which of these two has a better sensor/image. Canon has better knobs and built in features; the Sony has better shoulder mount ergonomics and a ton of upgradable accessories but their mirrorless still cams are great bang for the buck video cams and the sensor image looks great and the PXW-FS7M2 sensor is in that family with camcorder features. It was a no brainer when the c-300 was significantly more expensive … now at my budget back on table. Been using Panasonics the last view years 1080P. Kinda the Sony PD170 of the 1080 years. But the Sony was more bullet proof. Damn thing when to several wars. I know people who used them in Vietnam and the middle east.

Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic HPX250P, FCP X 10.3, teach video production in L.A.

[Leslie Wand]

pretty much agree with all you wrote – and on that alone i’d probably buy a sony ‘-)

as i wrote, i don’t have experience wth either, but all my sony cameras have been rock solid performers – something i’d take over nearly anything else.

as for their mirrorless – i bought my wife a nex 7 for traveling – i now happily use it as a b roll;-)