Canon's 4K cinema camera — the C300 Mark II with Dual Pixel AF and Cinema RAW.
The Canon Cinema EOS C300 Mark II was released in 2015 as the 4K upgrade to the landmark C300. Featuring a Super 35mm CMOS sensor with 4K DCI recording, Dual Pixel CMOS AF, and Canon Log 2, it brought 4K and cinema-grade AF to the C300 platform. One of the most popular documentary and narrative cinema cameras of its era.
Video quality is excellent with 4K DCI at up to 30fps in Canon XF-AVC codec. Dual Pixel AF provides smooth, accurate cinema autofocus — rare in this class. Canon Log 2 provides 15 stops of dynamic range. Slow motion at 120fps in Full HD. The combination of Dual Pixel AF and 4K made it a documentary and narrative workhorse.
Canon EF mount. Weight is approximately 1,530 grams body only. Build quality is professional cinema grade. Dual CFast 2.0 recording. SDI and HDMI outputs. The Dual Pixel AF — the same technology that revolutionised Canon DSLRs for video — provides cinema-grade continuous AF with tracking capability.
Available on the used cinema market at reasonable prices. Check sensor, Dual Pixel AF, and recording. The C300 Mark II was the documentary workhorse of its generation. The C300 Mark III supersedes with improved features. The Dual Pixel AF remains one of the most capable cinema AF systems. Still relevant for productions on moderate budgets.