Canon C400 Open Gate Firmware Update Needs Attention

[sbojangles]

Canon engineers, please provide additional recording formats for the C400 Open Gate mode. I just purchased an R6 III, which is currently my B-cam, and it offers excellent open codec options. Even if you can only give us XF-AVC, please make it happen. It's essential for tight-turnaround projects. If you look at Facebook right now, the Canon group members are clearly frustrated at this release. Working professionals need options... please make this a priority in your roadmap for your top cinema camera.

[micheals]

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@sbojangles wrote:

Canon engineers, please provide additional recording formats for the C400 Open Gate mode. I just purchased an R6 III, which is currently my B-cam, and it offers excellent open codec options. Even if you can only give us XF-AVC, please make it happen. It's essential for tight-turnaround projects. If you look at Facebook right now, the Canon group members are clearly frustrated at this release. Working professionals need options... please make this a priority in your roadmap for your top cinema camera.

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Many users share this concern. Adding XF-AVC or other efficient codecs to C400 Open Gate would greatly help professionals with fast turnaround workflows. Hopefully Canon prioritizes this in a future firmware update.

[RazB]

As a C400 owner I am very frustrated by this as well. It is ridiculous that Canon mirrorless from years ago can shoot 8K HEVC, but we can't shoot even 6K HEVC (even not in open gate).

The demand is there and yet it is excluded by Canon for their professional cine cameras. 

I am not interested in mirrorless or hybrids (such as the R5C and the new C50) and not going to buy them. I bought the C400 for a reason, for its cinema body and features such as internal NDs. If I wanted a second body it would be probably a C80 or even another C400, but why would I if they don't bother to implement HEVC in 6K and 6K open gate? I'm glad we have RAW options, but it is not the answer for every other project.

[easd]

Entry Level: Canon C50 / R6 III - 7K Open Gate in both Raw and HEVC

Mid range: Canon C80 - No open gate

High end: C400: Open gate only in Raw

Canon's cinema line up features and segmentation is all over the place

[wjohnson1186]

Yes!  For the high end C400 to not have all the features the lower guys have is a bit annoying.  We should have all the options to work with. 

This isn't about product segmentation, it shows investment into the high end!

[MrSerious_Pants]

I agree. It doesn't really make sense that the cheaper C50 has open gate XF-AVC but the C400 does not. 

[ValQ]

Totally agree - segmentation is now terrible. Can’t even get Open Gate at all on the C80 - hopefully Canon’s engineers can deliver it in XF-AVC via Firmware for both the C400 and C80. They introduced amazing things for the C70 over its life, please prioritise this!

[easd]

I wish Canon was more communicative with our questions about missing product features rather than staying silent. The way the features are segmented in the cine lineup doesn't make any sense.

You even have certain features available on the older C70 but not on the newer C80. 

Their silence is honestly more frustrating than the weird features segmentation going on.

[ValQ]

Yes I completely agree - if Canon comes out and says that Open Gate on the C80 will never happen, for example, then I can decide if the camera is still right for my needs, rather than asking, waiting, wondering. Same with C70 features that are missing on the C80 - or if they will ever bring back compatibility with DJI Ronin gimbals.