Many people know the Canon 1D-C as one of the best full frame cinematography cameras on the market. With 4K shooting abilities and a durable build that protects it from the elements, this camera is a benchmark for quality.
What about its still image quality? I wanted to take this camera out to show its versatility. Why not take a high end camera used for video for a portrait? I was sure that the image quality would be great since the 1D-C has essentially the same features of the 1D-X, but with more capabilities for video work. The feature set of this camera makes it the perfect all-in-one solution for anyone shooting weddings, integrating video into their workflow, or videographers looking to do more still photography. Not to mention that the low light quality is as good as it gets.
One of my friends came into town to see her boyfriend, who was visiting from California, so I figured they’d be the perfect models for my portrait shoot! Along with the Canon 1D-C, I brought out the 24- 70mm Canon lens, which is one of the sharpest zooms ever made. This combination of lens and body is a dream set up.
This camera has compatibility with the full line of Canon EF Lenses as well as Canon CN-E Cinema Lenses (available for rent here!). The 24-70 f/2.8 II has been my recent go to lens for my portraiture shoots. The freezing temperatures made it necessary to finish the shoot quickly, and the camera performed flawlessly.
We picked North Bank park overlooking downtown Columbus for our shoot as there was water and architecture that would make a good background. This 18 MP sensor did a great job with using the center metering and automatic focus point settings.
For these shots, I utilized natural light. Most of the shoot was backlit by the sun which was back right for the first part of the shoot and behind the couple for the rest. At first, it was extremely sunny which produced some undesirable shadows. The dynamic range from the RAW files helped pull detail out of the shadows cast by the harsh sun. Also, the more overcast it got, the better light balancing I was able to do, as the clouds acted like a diffusion panel for me!
When shooting couples, I think it’s important to capture their personalities and their candid moments together. I think with the time I had with Henry and Keri, I was able to do that. I found this shoot to be a little challenging compared to my standard portrait shoots, since I usually just shoot one person. When dealing with two people, it’s important to create a good composition and balance. I wanted my subjects to be comfortable. If one person was uncomfortable, the photo could easily be awkward. I went to Pinterest before the shoot to see some posing techniques for couples, but mainly wanted to rely on what I already knew. I also wanted the two of them to be natural, rather than stiff, uncomfortable poses.
The construction on the river made shooting in different spots difficult, and it was pretty cold! I wanted a large aperture for a shallower depth of field, so I shot near wide open. Shooting with a shallow depth of field also gave me the benefit of focusing on the subject, while de-emphasizing the background. With all of the challenges, I am happy with the results!
What other features does this stunning camera have? Well, for being an incredible video camera, it has a fast continuous shooting mode which can capture up to 14 fps .
For this shoot it wasn’t necessary to have this fast frame rate, but the 1DX and 1DC are the first choice among many sports, action and news photographers. This high speed shooting is possible with the camera’s dual processors. Having two processors also helps reduce image noise when using high ISO’s and reproduce great color in any light. In addition, the rugged weather sealing make this a perfect choice for someone in the trenches, in the rain, or in the jungle.
This summer, TJ took the 1DC to the Olympic Pool, here in Columbus. He wanted to capture some of the last beautiful days of summer fun before the pool closed forever! Sadly, we will never again be able to hit the high dive at Olympic, but at least there was some nice light in the last couple of weeks before Olympic Swim Club closed its doors.
So what about the video? It records the standard frame rates of 24p, 25p, and 30p. Also, records in 50fps and 60fps using full HD! Those higher frame rates allow you to get some silky slow motion shots. Not to mention the fact that you can record Ultra High Defintion video directly to CF cards. The 4K video is amazing, and since I am more of a photographer than a videographer, I’ll leave this one to the pros!
Introducing…
Our friends over at Little Tree Studios have been using the 1D-C for their wedding videos and some wedding photography and have gotten great results. Steve from the studio said, “Having now used the 1D-C for a year, I want to let you know that what we probably value the most from the 1D-C is using one camera during interviews and getting 2 or even 3 angles out of it. We’ve put that to use in more low budget talking head stuff than you can imagine.” Steve is able to use the same shot as two or three angles because of the super high resolution. The 4K footage has four times the pixels of 1080p video. That means that they can crop in on the video to look like another camera. That is just something you could’t really do in regular high definition video. “Also, the color off the sensor is amazing. Flesh tones are just right… We love the images from this camera.” That is the real clincher. When you are shooting weddings and people, skin tines have to be right.
“Also the color off its sensor is amazing. Flesh tones are just right… We love the images from this camera.”
Below is a recent wedding they shot! As you can see from the video, the camera does an excellent job with flesh tones and color as well as detail. Our friends at Little Tree Studios really know what they are doing!
You have to check out the stop motion video here!!!
A big thanks to Little Tree Studios for sharing their amazing wedding films with us! Be sure to check out their website!
Looking to try out the 1D-C for an upcoming wedding or event? Contact our rentals department! Within 10 days of returning the rental, if you like the product and want to purchase it, your rental fee will go towards the purchase of the camera. You can’t beat that deal right? (Our rentals also has some really great new Canon products they’ve put in their arsenal).
