Canon EOS C70 vs Canon EOS C200

This article is a comparison of the specifications of the Canon EOS C70 (Amazon, B&H) and the Canon EOS C200 (B&H, Amazon) for cinema and professional work with currently available information as of this writing.

If you don’t like such comparisons, stop reading!

How important is Auto Focus to you?

Even though the Canon EOS C70 can be paired with adapters to take EF lenses, the auto focus performance will not be as good as what you get with native RF lenses. On the other hand, the dual pixel AF on the C200 with EF lenses is outstanding.

Either way, a major decision between the two cameras also comes down to lenses. If that’s keeping you awake at night, you might also want to read this:

I’ve already gone into the details of RF vs EF glass in the above article, so I’m assuming you’re aware of it. It ultimately must factor in our discussion on lenses. To keep it fair, I’m assuming one needs the three major zoom lenses (f/2.8):

Only you know where you lie. If you’re buying from scratch, the choices are not that clear cut. E.g., you might think the newer RF lenses are worth it for the price difference ($1,000 is not a small difference, though!).

However, you get a solid advantage (if it is an advantage in your book) with the Canon Mount Adapter EF–EOS R 0.71x adapter (Amazon, B&H):

The 1.5x crop factor of the Canon C70 drops down to 1.03x. In other words, a 35mm field of view on a full frame camera will give you the same field of view on the Canon C70 with this adapter. This is really handy if you’re trying to match the C70 to its bigger brother, the Canon C300 Mark III; or if you like the full frame look.

In addition to that, you also get a full stop of extra light with this adapter. In simple terms, that EF 24-105mm f/4 L becomes a 24-105mm f/2.8 lens! In other words, if you’re happy with the center optical performance of Canon’s f/4 L series zooms, you’ll get relatively the same features for a lot less money.

However, to get along with this article, I’m going to assume the price differential between the two cameras is about $1,000 in terms of lenses, in favor of the Canon C200. You can use your own number based on your situation.

Who are these cameras aimed at?

The Canon cameras we’re comparing are squarely aimed at the professional filmmaker who demands reliability and professional video features. They are:

• Solo filmmakers
• Wedding videographers
• Wildlife filmmakers
• Documentary filmmakers
• Event videographers
• B-Roll camera crew

Let’s get started!

Comparison of sensors and video features

Here’s how the camera sensors compare for video:

The Canon EOS C70 (Amazon, B&H) has a larger sensor, better low light performance, and more in tune with the Super 35mm look.

The Canon EOS C200 (B&H, Amazon) is no slouch, but is showing its age.

What about 4K frame rates?

Here the C70 has a definite advantage across the board, making it the undeniable winner.

Next, the codecs and color information:

Now, while this might seem like a leg up for the Canon EOS C200 we also need to keep in mind that shooting in RAW might not be the top most priority for the target market of these cameras. The data rate is 1 Gbps (128 MB/s). The data rate for the C70 is only 51.25 MB/s, which is 2.5x less.

If you absolutely need RAW the choice is clear cut. If you still have to compare the lack of 10-bit 4:2:2 in the Canon C200 is a head-scratcher. In this price range though, I suspect most clients will be happy with 8-bit 4:2:0, and will not pay for RAW. And the 10-bit 4:2:2 option is the best compromise all said and done.

Ergonomics

Ergonomically both the Canon EOS C70 (Amazon, B&H) and the Canon EOS C200 (B&H, Amazon) can’t be any more different.

As far as size and weight are concerned:

The other big differentiating factor is the C200 has an electronic viewfinder, while the C70 does not.

Both cameras claim to be weather resistant, but this one easily goes to the C200.

Batteries and media cards

Here’s a look at the media

For practical shoots, you will need multiple cards. This could really add to your budget for RAW shooting. Also, having two SDXC card slots makes life a lot easier and cheaper for professionals.

What about battery life?

I think overall, batteries are not going to be a differentiating factor here.

Which is cheaper to own?

Let’s just add up the costs:

The difference? Nothing in practical terms. It will ultimately come down to your decision on lenses.

Recap

First, a recap:

Before we take our final decision, we’ll let the cameras tell us what they offer that the others don’t:

My Verdict

I said I’ll try to provide a balanced overview, even though it’s hard. Here’s what I think:

If you’re under a budget and seriously considering which camera is best, I hope this comparison helps you some.

For me, though, the Canon EOS C70 (Amazon, B&H) wins.