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Canon C300 Audio


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I find the C300's timecode drift issues maddening. It's inexcusable in this era. Like many small cameras, The C300's TC drift contribute to a cascade of shortfalls that undermine reliable audio. Here's the cascade:

1. In hand-held non-fiction work, we often run wireless-to-camera. Like many mixers, I use a Zaxcom link. The C300 has no external 12VDC (Hirose) out, which means you power it internally and have to watch the batteries like a hawk.

2. There is no convenient place to mount the wireless receiver; all locations generate a whining noise which I've trianulated as coming from the camera person's mouth. But mounting options are:

-strapped in the outer portion of the camera's lens handle.

-Velcroed to the back of the LCD screen.

-box mounted on the bottom of the camera

-in a butt pack the camera person wears with a 4-foot duplex jumper.

3. The C300 fine-scale audio metering is directly below the eye piece, so when the camera person is shooting, you can't easily verify levels from your wireless link. Also, the metering backlight toggles off during every power-down, making it more difficult to read that microscopic LCD.

With all this in mind, here's the very real nightmare scenario:

You and the cameraperson jammed at the last location, then jumped in the car. The C300 battery was changed during the drive. You're rushing to the next scene and a stressed out producer has you jump out of the car and start shooting a street riot. You say, "Wait, we have to rejam!" The producer insists there's no time, tires are burning, police are arresting people. The lithium AA batteries just read "9" on the Zaxcom receiver in the car, so you're good to go. But the insidious discharge curve of lithium kicks in and, while you're booming 50-feet away, the batteries go flat. The camera person doesn't notice the meters are flat, because they're so focused on their shallow depth-of-field. But you're rolling back up audio files, so you're fine. Right? But's there's no sync.

This camera looks beautiful, but as a reliable ENG production tool, it's a clunker. It's just another toy camera that makes stunningly beautiful images.

If you have a C300 shoot, use a Deneke or Ambient box. Tell the DP before gear prep that both a wireless link and lockit will be on the camera. Ease them into it, like coaxing a puppy into the veterinarian clinic for the first time.

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So have I. Boom on ch1. Doh!

Bwahhaahaahaa! Yeah... so my return is all F'ed up... I can't figure out why Ch.1 is hot as hell and Ch.2 is low... cam op says levels are fine... I'm panicking... but I switch to direct and ignore return... everything's fine. I walk up to the cam between takes and WTF... red ISN'T right? I look at him like... "can I change these?"... and obviously, for the editor... boom is now Ch.2 for this gig... so I do the rest of the day that way... using direct and assuming everything's fine.

Well... as usual... it was... but yeah... WTF Canon? When is right EVER left?

One thing I'll say about the C300 positive... is the batteries last forever on it. We go through a lot of bricks on everything else.

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Mike M.,

You make a good point. I don't think the C300 is being marketed as an ENG camera. But more and more, doc and ENG shoots want that "cinematic look". It's the buzz phrase I hear in so many pre-production sessions. "Cinematic look" seems to translate as shallow depth-of-field, prime lenses and secret camera settings by an in-house wonk. The C300 is often a first choice.

You're also right that historically, ENG is a single-system world. But that's changing more and more. The steady reliance on wireless links to camera, the (understandable) resistance of DPs to monitor wireless mixes and the lack of external DC outputs to power wireless links have all pushed ENG shoots to rely on dual-system. Every network or cable non-fiction shoot I've mixed in the past year has required TC-stamped backup audio. Of those, most required a 2-channel production mix wireless to camera, with multi-track audio backed up in the bag.

Don't get me wrong, I like this trend. I like TC-locked multitrack in the field. It makes the job more interesting and makes shows sound better. But why are we begging for accurate 30-frame code in a camera that makes 4K images? Maybe I just feel neglected. ;-)

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" Every network or cable non-fiction shoot I've mixed in the past year has required TC-stamped backup audio. "

For ENG, this tends to be for transcription, ENG/EJ typically still uses camcorder audio in editing.

" the (understandable) resistance of DPs to monitor wireless mixes and the lack of external DC outputs to power wireless links have all pushed ENG shoots to rely on dual-system. "

do you mean EFP shoots..? (and that is what you are describing) ... ENG camera op's are "shooters", they call themselves that, not DP's. (and these days they are frequently OMB's)

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" Every network or cable non-fiction shoot I've mixed in the past year has required TC-stamped backup audio. "

This tends to be for transcription, they typically are still using camcorder audio in editing.

Wrong. Wireless hops require TC referenced files as backup.

However, put a sync box on the camera and you're good to go. I don't see what all the angst is about? This is basic stuff, no?

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Has anyone used the Zaxcom QRX system on the c300 with double system timecoded recording on a 552? I know the camera doesn't have power out so I use a Tenergy Li-ion 14.8v 2600mAh to run the receiver. I have my first shoot with one next week and this is the system I'm proposing to production as all they initially have requested (typically ignorant) is a mixer, boom and 2 wireless mics.

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Has anyone used the Zaxcom QRX system on the c300 with double system timecoded recording on a 552? I know the camera doesn't have power out so I use a Tenergy Li-ion 14.8v 2600mAh to run the receiver. I have my first shoot with one next week and this is the system I'm proposing to production as all they initially have requested (typically ignorant) is a mixer, boom and 2 wireless mics.

Your setup should work, but let us know where you end up mounting the QRX on the C300. Unless you can put it in a VERTICAL hotshoe (which is only available with an accessory top handle) I don't think you'll have enough free space to mount it. I mount an ERX or G3 to the camera and send a scratch feed, though as Eric Toline pointed out, the audio sent via the G3 can totally be used, and sounds fine.

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Your setup should work, but let us know where you end up mounting the QRX on the C300. Unless you can put it in a VERTICAL hotshoe (which is only available with an accessory top handle) I don't think you'll have enough free space to mount it. I mount an ERX or G3 to the camera and send a scratch feed, though as Eric Toline pointed out, the audio sent via the G3 can totally be used, and sounds fine.

What do you do for time code Justin?

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Has anyone used the Zaxcom QRX system on the c300 with double system timecoded recording on a 552? I know the camera doesn't have power out so I use a Tenergy Li-ion 14.8v 2600mAh to run the receiver. I have my first shoot with one next week and this is the system I'm proposing to production as all they initially have requested (typically ignorant) is a mixer, boom and 2 wireless mics.

I have - though to my Nomad not a 552.

I jammed code with the C300 and all was good - both kept sync.

As for mounting the QRX I have used this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=770037&is=REG&A=details&Q=

And one operator I work with has this:

http://www.adorama.com/ZCZZWP.html?gclid=CJOyqoLcnrMCFQyk4AodxBUAKw

So I was actually able screw on the wireless mount right to this just like you would do on a full size camera.

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Has anyone used the Zaxcom QRX system on the c300 with double system timecoded recording on a 552? I know the camera doesn't have power out so I use a Tenergy Li-ion 14.8v 2600mAh to run the receiver. I have my first shoot with one next week and this is the system I'm proposing to production as all they initially have requested (typically ignorant) is a mixer, boom and 2 wireless mics.

This is the same setup I used on a show a while back and it all worked great. The only thing that I was unable to to is get the C300 to jam my QRX. I've done this many times before with other cameras, but for some reason the QRX didn't want to see the incoming timecode. I'm guessing the signal coming out of the C300 wasn't strong enough.

That said, I ended up just sending timecode from my bag to the QRX and then jamming the C300 and my 552. Worked great.

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This is the same setup I used on a show a while back and it all worked great. The only thing that I was unable to to is get the C300 to jam my QRX. I've done this many times before with other cameras, but for some reason the QRX didn't want to see the incoming timecode. I'm guessing the signal coming out of the C300 wasn't strong enough.

That said, I ended up just sending timecode from my bag to the QRX and then jamming the C300 and my 552. Worked great.

I had the same problem with the C300 and the QRXQIFB. Wouldn't take a jam and I (even with Howy's help) was never able to figure it out. At that time it was not yet possible to send TC from the TRX to the QRX.

I use BEC boxes and parts in conjunction with the DP's shoulder rig to mount the receiver. I've found that if the operator wants to use the camera with no shoulder rig then they are also likely to ask for a fanny pack to keep the weight out of their hands. They have the same issues as us trying to mount video transmitters to these things so their solution for that can also help find a spot for the audio.

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The problem with not taking a jam, I believe, could be because the TC BNC is menu assigned as either an input or an output.

Marc

Yes, set in the menu to one or the other but it was definitely on output and the QRXIFB wouldn't jam.

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  • 1 month later...

Just did 3x 45min docs with C300 Rec run>>>Timecode Buddy>>>788 Autorecord and Sennheiser G2 Feed on C300

Besides the little delay in auto record (around 1,5 sec) it worked out fine. We had no problem with that as everything happend pretty much controlled.

tcbuddy.jpg

BUT: Yesterday different Client:

a Interview direct Line in from SQN 5. Could not see Levels during Interview but put Tone to -20 as Line in does automatically.

In Final Cut it turned out that my levels peak around -24 to -22. From my experience it should have been 10dB higher. (Limiter in SQN was on).

That leaves me to the idea that THE C300 METERS ARE CHEATING. I AM PRETTY SURE THAT CANON PUT SOME SAFETY ZONE IN THEIR METERS.

Anybody else did some tests with levels on the recorded videos?

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Yeah, I wish more camera owners/DPs would use the rails or a frame on the C300. The C500 has the same size/weight issues.

Note that the new Red upgrade will be 6K! (More K's is better... right?)

There is no way to work with the C300 for more than a half-day handheld... without rails. The best systems, in my opinion, are the smallest rails. Some are too bulky and you end up with cameras ill-suited to move quickly.

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