Zacuto Canon C100 Rigs

Canon announced an addition to their EOS Cinema line, the Canon C100 Camera. The Canon C100 camera is the economically friendly camera in the EOS Cinema line coming in under $8,000. “The price, if true, clearly puts it more into the spheres of the Sony FS700 than the FS100, which is of course a lot tougher for Canon to compete with, due to the lack of slow-mo ability,” says Nino Leitner Austria based Filmmaker and DP. ”However, we haven’t seen images yet and if they are more like the C300 than the FS700, that clearly is a trump for Canon.”

The ergonomics in the Canon C100 is very similar to a DSLR with a large, high quality 3.5″ LCD situated at the rear of the camera body and an adjustable handgrip for handheld shooting but the core is similar to the EOS C300 Camera. The news released by Canon is pushing the features designed around the needs of single operators, such as documentary and new shooters, which include a range of new automatic features: One Shot AF button enables users to instantly check focus, Push Auto Iris evaluates exposure and makes any required adjustments before shooting, and Auto White Balance uses the power of Canon’s DIGIC DV III image processor to detect and balance color information.

• 8.3MP Super 35mm CMOS sensor; Full HD
• High sensitivity, low noise
• 24Mbps AVCHD to SD cards
• Automatic shooting functions
• Interchangeable EF lenses
• Canon Log Gamma
• Compact, modular, lightweight
• Professional audio
• Seamless workflow integration
• CPS video support
• Gamma Settings

We were lucky enough to get a first look at the prototype Canon EOS C100 camera. Rodney Charters, ASC, @rodneykiwi tweeted on August 29th, 2012 “played with C100 at Zacuto the other day very excited by the feel weight and essentially the same form factor as the C300 but lesser codec.” With the core being the same as the Canon C300, we have a full range of accessories and rigs that will complement the Canon C100 Camera. Starting with our EOS C300 Studio Baseplate or Gorilla Baseplate platform, you can design a rig to fit your needs – either handheld, tripod or shoulder mounted. Watch Steve and Jens discuss the camera and some accessories and rigs for the C100 Camera.

We also have kits available for those of you who want to start with a rig and customize it yourself. For simple run’n'gun, documentary type shooting, you can use a kit like the Target Shooter to give you points of contact to help steady the camera and lessen fatigue. The Predator is our newly designed rig that offers three points of contact with one being our Grip Relocator. The Grip Relocator positions Canon’s grip on the C100, C300 or C500 to the Zacuto handgrip to easily control the camera without removing your hand from the rig. With both of these rigs, we recommend using a Z-Finder, optical viewfinder. Yes, I said a Zacuto Z-Finder!

The new Z-Finder will have a 1.8x magnification to accommodate the wider screen on the C100 LCD screen. The frame, made specifically for the C100, will clip on to the LCD screen. The frame clamps surround the flip out LCD screen to give it a firm hold. The Z-Finder Pros 2.5x and 3x cannot be used on the C100 LCD screen as you will not see the entire image. There will be an update path for current Z-Finder Pro owners. Availability is May 2013 and price is TBD. Sign up to our email list to get product updates.

If you are looking to shoulder mount this camera, we recommend using an in-line rig like the Stinger or Recoil and using an EVF. The LCD screen on the back of the camera is in an awkward position; it isn’t directly in the back and it isn’t pushed out to the side enough to offset the rig. It is very uncomfortable to try to shoulder mount this rig and use the Z-Finder/LCD Screen. The Recoil concept puts the weight of the camera on your shoulder, so there is no need for counterbalance weight. However, you will need to relocate the camera controls to the handgrips with the Grip Relocator and Tornado. The Tornado is a remote mechanical follow focus that allows you to pull focus utilizing the handgrip! The Tornado will be available summer 2013.

*Check out the Canon C300 Rigs & Accessories!

*Get more information on Canon C100, C300 & C500 Rigs and accessories