Full Frame vs Super 35 vs Super 16 on the Canon C700 FF

The Canon EOS C700 FF can record many different fields of view, all either subsampled or cropped from its 5.9K Full-Frame sensor. Classic Super 35mm lenses and even Super 16mm or B4 broadcast lenses are on the table. This gives the Canon C700 FF a huge range of flexibility lacking in its lower-tier C series brethren. 

Its modular form factor and surprisingly light body (only 7 pounds!), wide range of codec options, and access to a broad spectrum of lens options make the Canon C700 FF one killer all-around camera. Not to mention Canon’s continued excellence in designing lenses for all ranges of shooters and productions, which is nothing but an asset to the ecosystem. But if this camera CAN do it all, then the real question is: what should YOU do?

Full-Frame - For Cinema 

The Canon C700 FF is, by name and by rights, a full-frame cinema camera. But a lot of its potential in this area is dependent on a full build-up of the camera, making for a heavier, more expensive package that is right at home in a cinema environment. 

Use the Codex, Unlock Your Potential

To record the maximum resolution out of this camera - 5.9K full frame - requires one to add on the optional Codex CDX-36150 Recorder. This bad boy simply plugs into the back of the camera, and immediately upgrades your recording options: increased frame rates, Cinema RAW, and of course 5.9K Full-Frame footage are suddenly at your fingertips. The C700 FF is at its best with the Codex attached, but that comes at a cost.

Firstly, a Codex Capture Drive 2.0 is an expensive piece of media to record to and requires its own specialized recorder. But even ignoring the recorder itself, the files being recorded are much bulkier than XF-AVC and require an exponential increase in storage capacity during post-production. ProRes and Cinema RAW are both bulky formats that demand a lot from your editor.

Limits on Lenses

The Canon C700 FF also has a somewhat limited full-frame lens selection. The larger sensor requires physically larger lenses, adding again to the weight of the whole package. But that of course assumes that the type of lens you are looking for is available. Certainly there is already a strong market of full-frame cinema primes in Canon EF and ARRI PL - including Canon’s own excellent selection. ARRI’s signature series and Zeiss Supreme Primes will fill out the high end of the market nicely, and there are already plenty of options on the lower ends. 

But primes are most useful on a film set, where there is structure, crew, and breaks in the action to swap lenses. But in the zoom world, quality full-frame options are fewer and far between. There are very high-end options, and there are photography lenses like Canon’s L-series zooms. Not much exists in between. Run-and-gun full frame lenses are not a fully mature technology. Not yet, anyway.

Super 35 - For Docs and Broadcast

As is demonstrated so clearly in Newsshooter’s review of the original C700, this is a workhorse camera that can compete easily with Sony’s CineAlta series on high-end and high-volume broadcast work. It fits on the shoulder and can be hauled around all day fairly comfortably. Canon’s excellent native Cine Zooms make good use of the EF mount, drawing power and returning metadata and AF control.

This camera’s Super 35 mode mimics the behavior of the original C700. You can record 4K or downsample the sensor to 2K internally. ProRes and XF-AVC are available internally, and with the Codex recorder you have access again to higher frame rates and Canon’s Cinema RAW.

Unlimited Lenses

One of the real advantages of committing to Super 35 mode for a project is lens selection. From Fujinon Cabrios to Canon’s Compact Servo Zoom line to Zeiss Compact Zooms, there is a vast world of quality, portable zooms that are aimed more at a high-end broadcast market. From more limited-range, special use zooms like the telephoto CN-E 70-200 to full-range zooms like the Canon 17-120 t2.9, the selection and options are there for you to make exactly the right choice for you. And best of all, your full-frame glass won’t miss a beat when cropping in to a Super 35 field of view.

Super 16

Super16mm was a trusted format for many decades before video, serving as the lighter and cheaper alternative to 35mm that could go anywhere, do anything, and capture it all in high enough quality. It wasn’t perfect, but that grainier texture gave it character. Think of Super16 mode here the same way. 

For high frame rate filmmaking on the C700 FF, your options are somewhat limited. Especially when looking for a Full-frame or even Super 35 field of view, you are limited to a maximum of 72fps, even in Cinema RAW recording with the Codex attached. Super16 is where you find the real power. In any codec you choose, Super16 mode will allow you to record a 10-bit 2K image at up to 168 fps - more than double what is available in Super 35. 

And Then... There's B4

For those users truly nostalgic for older B4 cameras with the 2/3” sensors, Canon has you covered with their custom-designed B4 adapter. Because of their tiny sensor, B4 lenses were known for packing a HUGE zoom range into one lens, often going so far as to include an optical focal-length doubler that you could switch on or off to turbocharge your already-huge native zoom range. Add in a par focal servo-powered zoom, and you can see why people still lust after them. 

Shooting in B4 mode comes with some limitations, though. As soon as the adapter is attached, the multitude of options previously available are greyed out, and you are left with one: 1920x1080, 60i. Blocking out the other options available in Super16 mode is mind-bogglingly short-sighted and renders their native adapter almost useless. 

Thankfully, Canon isn’t the only game in town. Companies like MTF Services have created much better adapters that don’t interfere with your settings, and can potentially cover a Super 35 sensor (depending on your lens and adapter). This appears to solve all of the problems noted above - if the camera doesn’t know what lens you are using, then all of the codec, resolution, and frame rate options are open to you once more. 

In Conclusion

The Canon C700 is a multi-faceted camera capable of operating across many different worlds of video production and filmmaking. Every technical choice made is also a creative choice, but that’s what makes these technical choices so exciting. Whatever your project requirements may be, the Canon C700 FF is a flexible, adaptable camera that can handle it. The question is: how do YOU want it handled?

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