Canon 1Dc: Where does it fit now?

Canon 1DC

The Canon 1DC is a curious camera. Based on a top-end DSLR design, with essentially only some additional firmware it becomes a 4K camcorder as well. But where does it fit into the increasingly complex matrix of options around high res, high dynamic range (i.e. RAW) devices that are available today at approximately affordable prices?

Well, it's pretty expensive at $12,000. You have to really want a DSLR that can't record  raw but instead outputs 4K video as very large 8-bit MJPEG files. On the other hand, just about everything can read MJPEG, so the workflow is very simple. 1DC content may not have the same flexibility in post as raw, but it does mean that if you're in the field, the chances are that you're going to get something that you can work with there and then, if you have enough memory. And, as you'll see in the clip at the end of the article, it does look good - brilliant, in fact, by most accounts.

Don't forget that it's a pretty powerful still camera too, with Dual Digic 5+ image processors and a 61 point autofocus.

Extra flexibility

If you're a professional, then you'll possibly not mind paying this for the extra flexibility and the knowledge that wherever you are, you can switch from still mode and create pretty stunning 4K video footage with the same device.

But if you don't need 4K but you do want the versatility (and don't mind the complexity) of raw, then Magic Lantern's clever hack for the 5D mk III gives you cinema-like video for only $3,500. Remember, though, that this combination won't be supported by Canon, although ML have a good record for reliability.

So, two very different approaches here. If you're an insanely wealthy camera professional, there might even be an argument for buying both.

Here's RedShark contributor Nick Rains talking about how he used a 1DC on a complex still and video shoot in West Papua.