Canon EOS-1D C Shoots 4K Video

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The EOS-1D C also works with Super 35 lenses
The EOS-1D C also works with Super 35 lenses

Canon is serious about video. It’s 5D MkII was the go-to camera for low-budget indie filmmakers and professionals (like the creators of House) alike. Now, with rivals such as Nikon catching up, it has again leapt ahead. Say hello to the EOS-1D C, an SLR which can also shoot 4K video.

4K means 4096 x 2160 pixels, or enough resolution to choke even the new iPad’s Retina Display. The EOS-1D C is pretty much a 1D X, with added video capability. And capable it is, with 4:2:2 1080p HDMI output, redesigned circuitry to stop it overheating while all that data is pumped through it for minutes at a time, and the ability to shoot 1080p video at up to 60fps.

There are plenty of other specs in there that only a movie-making nerd would care about, but the stand outs are Canon Log Gamma, which gives a “dynamic range uniquely comparable to film” and allows for the footage to be pushed around a lot more in post production, and the 4K movies captured at 24p in Motion JPG format.

Now, not many people can even watch 4K, although both Apple’s and Adobe’s video-editing apps can take care of it. But the future of digital movie theaters is like 4K, and 4K also offers a lot more information for adding visual effects, too.

The new camera is no slouch at stills shooting, either. It’ll shoot 18MP images at 12 fps and the ISO tops out at 25,600.

Canon hasn’t yet announced a final price (preliminary numbers say around €10,000), but I have a feeling this is going to be a hit however much it costs.

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