Why You Should Rent The Canon C300 Mark II

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If you’re looking to rent a fantastic cinema camera for run and gun, reality, interviews, and high production value sports applications, consider renting the  Canon EOS C300 Mark II, representing a significant advancement over the original Canon C300, while keeping the Canon colorimetry and look.

Much like its C300 predecessor, the Mark II offers great convenience, handling, and usability. The biggest difference between the Canon C300 and the C300 Mark II is the ability to shoot 4K and higher frame rates (up to 120fps in 2K or HD).

The C300 Mark II is great for internal recording. It shoots 10 bit 4K in 4:2:2, as well as 12 bit 2K in 4:4:4 (both at a bit rate of 410 megabits per second). It will also output raw 4K if you want to use an external recorder.

To handle the data rate, the C300 Mark II uses CFast 2.0 cards instead of CF cards. This cinema camera also provides you with the ability to do proxy recording while you’re recording 4K by recording 4K to the CFast cards and a 2K proxy to the camera’s internal SD card at the same time (great for dailies). The Mark II also shoots slow motion up to 120fps.

Below we’ll break down some important specs for the Canon C300 Mark II available for rent at Deck Hand Camera Rentals in the Los Angeles area. You can also view the video below from Brent Ramsey, Canon U.S.A.’s Technical Advisor.

The Camera Body:

The C300 Mark II’s body is a slightly bigger and heavier than the C300, but it’s still a great run and gun size and has all of the important need-to-hit-quick buttons like the ND Filter, ISO, shutter, and white balance on the side for quick changes while operating. The buttons also light up so you can see what you’re doing in the dark (and it looks really cool). The C300 MK II also has a built-in mic so you can get scratch audio even when the monitor unit isn’t connected. For batteries, it uses BPA-30 & BPA-60 which are different than BP-975 batteries used on the Canon C300.

Dual Pixel AF

The C300 Mark II has one of the most advanced auto focus systems for a large sensor camera on the market. Cinematographers moving from HD to 4K quickly learn how important focus can be with a Cine lens and larger sensor camera. There are three different AF modes: One Shot, Continuous and AF-Boosted MF. Fully manual zoom, focus and iris are also available. Cine lens users also love lens’ 300-degree focus rotation. The C300 Mark II combines its Dual Pixel autofocus system with extremely accurate face tracking, allowing the operator to keep a walk-and-talk shot sharp.

With Boosted Manual Focus, you can switch your lens to autofocus (if capable of AF) but also keep focusing manually. Once the focus in the AF-area-box hits a surface which becomes sharp, the Autofocus takes over and adjusts the sharpness if it’s not 100% perfectly focused. The Focus Guide provides additional focusing help, even with non-autofocus lenses like primes.

Dynamic Range

The C300 Mark II advertises 15 stops of dynamic range from the image sensor with the application of Canon’s C Log 2 gamma curve and additional color space options. It also offers a lower noise floor, providing a cleaner image.

Screen Space

The Canon C300 Mark II has a much brighter LCD screen than the C300. It’s still an LCD screen, not OLED, but it’s much brighter and easier to see in sunlight. The screen also allows you to move your info display overlays off of the image to the edge of the frame in Perimeter Mode, so you can view the entire image unobstructed.

ND Filters

The C300 Mark II has extra internal ND filters, giving you more flexibility in harsh daylight. The ND filter wheel has been extended with a second disc. When combined, the dual ND wheels offer two additional levels of ND compared to the C300. In addition to 2, 4 and 6 stops, users have access to 8 and 10 stops ND. If you don’t want more than 6 stops, you can turn off the extended function in software.

Detachable Proprietary Cables

The cables to the Mark II’s LCD screen are fully detachable from each side, making storing the camera safer and less likely to break. Each cable individually carries audio or video and are swappable, so if one were to go down you could prioritize peripherals. Removable cables also make it easier to carry a spare set with you.

Want more information on the C300 Mark II? Check out this blog on “ Why the Canon C300 Mark II Is the Gold Standard for Documentaries”.

Where to rent the Canon C300 Mark II near Los Angeles

If you’re interested in renting the Canon C300 Mark II, contact Deck Hand Camera Rentals. We serve the Los Angeles area, including Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, and the San Fernando Valley. If you’re not near Los Angeles, Deck Hand ships camera rentals nationwide. Contact Deck Hand today at (818) 557-8403.