Introduction

Announced just a few weeks ago, the EOS C100 is the newest member of Canon's Cinema EOS line—a series of professional cameras designed specifically for filmmaking. At $8000, the C100 is the cheapest member of this family, which also includes the EOS C300 ($16,000) and the 4k-capable EOS C500 ($30,000).

With its lower price tag, the EOS C100 also has some significantly different features than its pricier siblings. It's only offered with an EF lens mount (you can get the C300 and C500 with either the EF or PL mount), and it makes use of the consumer-oriented AVCHD compression system rather than higher-bitrate MPEG-2. The C100 also has extra auto controls (including an autofocus system) and a 15% size reduction compared to the C300. This should give the C100 more appeal to documentary shooters or anyone who does a lot of off-the-cuff handheld recording.

At Photokina this year, there has certainly been a lot of talk about new digital cameras with an emphasis on video. Canon's Cinema EOS line can expect strong competition from Sony with its new NEX-VG900 camcorder and Alpha A99 camera, both of which are loaded with Full Frame image sensors. Then there's the Panasonic GH3 lurking around the corner, offering video bitrates of 72Mbps and 50Mbps for less than $2000 (it's available on preorder for $1300 in the US).