Ron Wilk

The latest firmware update thankfully addresses the internal microphone issue ... it can now be turned off for external recording.

I now have a Canon DM-E1D stereo microphone that I had hoped would defeat the R5c's internal microphone, but it does not ... the internal microphone remains active, and most of the first 2 pages of the audio menu remain grayed out. If the persistence of the internal mic is not a design oversight, I have no idea what the design team had been thinking, because this is anything but professional.

I have been struggling with the audio input for the newly released R5c. Following multiple telephone conversations and back and forth emails with Canon support, it has become apparent that there is no reasonable means of defeating the camera's internal microphone. The only way that it can be accomplished is to attach the Tascam XLR adapter and microphone, while at the same time connecting a consumer mic to the camera via its 3.5mm jack—an entirely unacceptable approach. It was suggested that owner/users reply to Canon's 'Feedback' page on the Canon web site and lodge their complaints there. it would appear that this is something that could be fixed in firmware, rather than requiring a hardware modification, and those of us who are plagued by this issue should become rather vocal via the feedback page or via calls to Cine Tech Support.

FYI, I have been shooting with the R5c—for test purposes—in 8k, and importing the clips into Resolve Studio 17 where Pro Res HQ 422 proxies are made. The proxies play smoothly, and there is little if any visible degradation on an Eizo 31" 4k monitor, as compared to the original media. While the transcoding takes a little time, it is worth the wait and seems to represent a reasonable approach to editing 8k clips, at least for my current editing platform.

I thought that you'd been referring to XF-AVC, and the R5c does not offer 8k in XF-AVC. Sorry for the confusion.

Hello Tyler, Perhaps my explanation had not been clear, but there is no option for AVC... 8k on the R5c, the only options are for MP4 or RAW. But the best workaround appears to be to use proxies, at least for Resolve Studio 17. As I've mentioned, it is not a big issue at the moment, since I plan on shooting in 4k, but for the occasional instance where I decide to, or am required to shoot 8k and subsequently edit same, I will be using proxies. Regards, Ron

The files in question were MP4 8k, not Canon RAW. And I understand that the timeline would have to be rendered each time edits are made. Proxies may be an option. But despite the impressive files, I plan to stick with 4k, in order to interface with the output from my C300 Mk III. But I was disappointed to find that my uber costly, maxed out Mac Pro Tower could not handle the 8k files, and I have no intention of working from an M1 laptop, which, BTW, I do own. But I appreciate your response. Regards, Ron

Followup to the above post: Rendering the timeline has resolved the issue.

I have just begun to fiddle with the 8k output from the R5c, and have encountered some issues with playback on my 2019 fairly maxed out Mac Pro Tower. There is quite a delay before the clips begin to play in Resolve 17 Studio, and there is some stuttering, as if some processing is going on in the background. I have the clips loaded to an SSD RAID box connected via Thunderbolt, but the same issue occurs if the clips are loaded to the desktop, and the main drive is SSD as well. 4k, on the other hand, plays back a smooth as butter, and since I mainly shoot 4k, it is not a big issue at the present time. But I am wondering if I have overlooked the proper Resolve settings? Anyone else encountering similar problems?

Hello, and thank you for the followup. It is interesting that they suspect the cables, and not the camera itself. And I guess the fact that it can output the desired frame rate over SDI offers additional support. A cable change seems easy enough to accomplish, and I would be interested to hear about the result. Regards, Ron

Sorry about that, it was a wild shot at best. As mentioned, I don't usually shoot with an external recorder/monitor, as I find the LCD screens to be compromised in bright sunlight, which is where most of my shooting is performed. Instead, I prefer an EVF, like the EVF-V70 which I use. That said, I have found Canon Cine Pro support to be very helpful in the past, you might want to give them a call. 1 (855) 246-3367 Addendum: I believe you'd said that you'd managed to get it working over SDI? That might suggest that there is an incompatibility issue with the Small HD, as opposed to the MK III, since it is outputting properly over SDI? Regards, Ron

Hi Ruthie, What is camera's system frequency set to? I've noticed that my C300 Mk III defaults to 59.94 fps, unless I change it, and it may be outputting system frequency over HDMI. The only outboard monitor/recorder that I have on hand is a Black Magic Video Assist 7" HDR 12G, and I'm not certain that it will work properly with the Mk III, but I can give it a try.

Thank you, Tyler.

After much internal debate, I'd decided against the Sigma and purchased the Canon RF 24-70mm F/2.8 IS. So far, my testing has shown that the lens is sharp across the focal plane at all apertures, while sharpness increases towards F/4-5.6. AF is quick and accurate in video mode, and the control wheel is a welcome feature that I have set to ISO.

As you have probably noticed from my posts, I have my C300 MK III's channel #1 gain—I only record mono with one shotgun— set at position '5', with a Rode NTG-3 attached, and have found it to be quiet. But if others, such as yourself and Ian have noticed noise, I'm beginning to wonder if my high frequency hearing acuity is amiss. I do not hear hiss either with headphones or when editing in Resolve. That said, I imagine that if I aggressively ride the gain beyond the midpoint I could probably induce some noise.

FYI: A conversation with a Sigma representative has revealed that their lenses will Autofocus on the R5c in video mode.

I'd received my R5c some weeks back. Prior to its arrival, I had ordered a Tamron EF 24-70mm F/2.8 USD G2 VS... lens to be used with my C300 Mk III. I'd already owned the Canon version, but I'd wanted the OS offered by the Tamron and not by the Canon. The lens works fairly well—AF included—with the Mk III, but it will not autofocus on the R5c in video mode. An owner of several other Tamron G2 lenses has stated that his various EF mount 'G2' lenses do not AF—in video mode—on the R5c either. I am therefore wondering if the Sigma EF mount lenses present with the same AF problem? Any owners out there???

Hi Ian, The internal mic records to channels 3&4, and can be easily muted or deleted in post, at least such is possible in Resolve Studio 17. The NTG-5 is perfect for the R5c, given its light weight and short length. Frequency response is good, as is side rejection, and the mic comes with a grip—I have no use for it—a foam windscreen and a dead cat, as well as an accessory mount.

The NTG-5 works nicely for voice, but there is a major Canon oversight on the R5c. The camera's internal microphone cannot be turned off. It picks up ambient and wind noise and there is no way to cancel that in camera. However, I think that when an external mic is connected the internal mic records to a separate channel, and if I am correct it should be mutable in post. I will check into that in the morning. Regards, Ron

Hi Ian, The NTG-5 arrived a short-while ago—it is incredibly light weight—and I connected the Tascam CA-XLR2-C to the R5c's multipurpose shoe and then the NTG-5. The Tascam unit requires 2 AA batteries to provide 48v phantom power to the mic, and with a pair of Bayer Dynamics headphones plugged in it is totally silent. I have the gain on the tascam turned to the halfway mark and the camera's level meters are where they should be for adequate volume. Next step is to see how it sounds when I load the clip into Resolve. The mic comes with a pistol grip, a foam cozy as well as a dead cat and a few other accessories, most of which will not be used. I will write more when I have some concrete results via the computer playback. Regards, Ron

Hi Ian, I don't know if you have purchased the Rode NTG-5 microphones, or had just rented one, but I have just placed an order for one to be used with my R5c, and I hope that it lives up to the hype. I have been happy with the NTG-3, but its length and weight are not the best combination for the R5c/Tascam setup, while performance on the C300 Mk III is stellar. Regards, Ron

I have been considering a PD power bank for 8K/60fps video, but I have yet to find one that doesn't have a host of bad reviews. Furthermore, I'm not sure how I would carry one ... in a pocket, or a belt loop case, if one exists? The optimal solution would be a Gold Mount or 'V'mount battery, but that would pose an even greater mounting issue and would negate the advantage of the R5c's size and weight. But battery life is a real issue that Canon should have addressed with a different battery. Furthermore, the only way that I have found to view any indication of battery charge when the battery grip and 2 batteries are being used, is to switch to photo mode, where there is a menu item that shows battery charge and condition. Why this same menu item isn't available in video mode is baffling. And then there is another quirk. The battery level indicator in video mode shows a lower battery charge for the same point in time than than in photo mode ... that is really odd. I'm sure that there are other issues that I have yet to find. Like most new cameras to market, the R5c's RAW files are not recognized by Capture one and others. However, a simple batch removal of the letter 'c' from the camera's nomenclature, via EXIF Editor, fixes that problem.

The R5c's battery life in video is abysmal. And with even a short tele zoom on board the camera feels unbalanced. As a result, I have attached the battery grip with 2 batteries installed to improve handholding/balance and, hopefully, shooting time. I suspect that the battery grip will become a permanent fixture on the camera.

I have performed some minimal testing with the R5c, and while I had anticipated some visible improvement in resolution from the FF sensor, shooting with the same 4k settings as with the C300 Mk III, that has not been the case. I have yet to try 8K, but that is up next. One other notation, the Tamron EF 24-70mm DC Vi USD G2 lens does not provide AF in video mode, and it appears from what others have found that other 'G2' series lenses will not work either. Tamron support has claimed that they do not test 'CINE' cameras and have no plans to do so, and yet the AF works on my C300 Mk III.