Oliver Daniel

There’s something wrong with this example you’ve shared. There’s some weird sharpening or bad compression severely affecting the image. Also the exposure for many of the shots is significantly off. 

It’s arrived. Just charging batteries but first impressions of the body...
- Great form factor, makes total sense although could be nice to have a compact EVF somewhere. 
- It’s much more lightweight than I thought. Doesn’t feel that much heavier than the A7SIII. 
- Body is solid, but the material is definitely a bit more budget than other C-series. 
- LCD is larger than I thought, although it’s on the flimsy side. 
- Button layout is great. Everything is there although the “media” button is almost impossible to press with your right hand on the grip. 
- The top handle is neat however the texture feels weird. Others might not mind, but I think I’ll have to wrap some extra material round it, haha. 
In conclusion, Canon have stripped back the premium feel a little to give us a camera with great features at a great price point. The form factor makes sense and they’ve done a great job of fusing these bodies together. 
Now, let’s see how it does on the field. 
 
 

Just had it powered up and walking round the house filming absolutely nothing. 
- Easy to use and setup. Menu’s are well organised. 
- The touch function to change settings like frame rates is incredible. I hated this on the EVA1. It felt like an eternity! This is super fast. 
- Digital IS is actually very impressive! On my Sigma 18-35 it was very steady. 
- DPAF works well with the standard EF adapter and my Sigma. Not quite as snappy as my Sony A7SIII does wish native glass but very, very usable. Only bad thing is it makes quite a bit of noise when changing focus. I can’t afford RF yet. 
- Sometimes like you get with IBIS, with DIS the image doesn’t feel robotic. Looks natural. 
- Some of the buttons are hard to reach with your right hand on the grip. Maybe I’ll loosen the strap more. 
- The joystick takes some getting used to. I keep making navigation mistakes. 
- With an EF lens like Sigma 18-35, somehow I felt the focus ring was too far for me to reach when hand holding. I think this is just that I’m used to other cameras, and this form factor is new so I just need to adjust. 
- More pleasurable time hold than the A7SIII, however I’m still stunned what that tiny body can do! 
- Camera doesn’t feel heavy at all with lens and battery. They’ve done a great job. 

It’s arrived. Just charging batteries but first impressions of the body...
- Great form factor, makes total sense although could be nice to have a compact EVF somewhere. 
- It’s much more lightweight than I thought. Doesn’t feel that much heavier than the A7SIII. 
- Body is solid, but the material is definitely a bit more budget than other C-series. 
- LCD is larger than I thought, although it’s on the flimsy side. 
- Button layout is great. Everything is there although the “media” button is almost impossible to press with your right hand on the grip. 
- The top handle is neat however the texture feels weird. Others might not mind, but I think I’ll have to wrap some extra material round it, haha. 
In conclusion, Canon have stripped back the premium feel a little to give us a camera with great features at a great price point. The form factor makes sense and they’ve done a great job of fusing these bodies together. 
Now, let’s see how it does on the field. 
 
 

Just had it powered up and walking round the house filming absolutely nothing. 
- Easy to use and setup. Menu’s are well organised. 
- The touch function to change settings like frame rates is incredible. I hated this on the EVA1. It felt like an eternity! This is super fast. 
- Digital IS is actually very impressive! On my Sigma 18-35 it was very steady. 
- DPAF works well with the standard EF adapter and my Sigma. Not quite as snappy as my Sony A7SIII does wish native glass but very, very usable. Only bad thing is it makes quite a bit of noise when changing focus. I can’t afford RF yet. 
- Sometimes like you get with IBIS, with DIS the image doesn’t feel robotic. Looks natural. 
- Some of the buttons are hard to reach with your right hand on the grip. Maybe I’ll loosen the strap more. 
- The joystick takes some getting used to. I keep making navigation mistakes. 
- With an EF lens like Sigma 18-35, somehow I felt the focus ring was too far for me to reach when hand holding. I think this is just that I’m used to other cameras, and this form factor is new so I just need to adjust. 
- More pleasurable time hold than the A7SIII, however I’m still stunned what that tiny body can do! 
- Camera doesn’t feel heavy at all with lens and battery. They’ve done a great job. 

It’s arrived. Just charging batteries but first impressions of the body...
- Great form factor, makes total sense although could be nice to have a compact EVF somewhere. 
- It’s much more lightweight than I thought. Doesn’t feel that much heavier than the A7SIII. 
- Body is solid, but the material is definitely a bit more budget than other C-series. 
- LCD is larger than I thought, although it’s on the flimsy side. 
- Button layout is great. Everything is there although the “media” button is almost impossible to press with your right hand on the grip. 
- The top handle is neat however the texture feels weird. Others might not mind, but I think I’ll have to wrap some extra material round it, haha. 
In conclusion, Canon have stripped back the premium feel a little to give us a camera with great features at a great price point. The form factor makes sense and they’ve done a great job of fusing these bodies together. 
Now, let’s see how it does on the field. 
 
 

Just had it powered up and walking round the house filming absolutely nothing. 
- Easy to use and setup. Menu’s are well organised. 
- The touch function to change settings like frame rates is incredible. I hated this on the EVA1. It felt like an eternity! This is super fast. 
- Digital IS is actually very impressive! On my Sigma 18-35 it was very steady. 
- DPAF works well with the standard EF adapter and my Sigma. Not quite as snappy as my Sony A7SIII does wish native glass but very, very usable. Only bad thing is it makes quite a bit of noise when changing focus. I can’t afford RF yet. 
- Sometimes like you get with IBIS, with DIS the image doesn’t feel robotic. Looks natural. 
- Some of the buttons are hard to reach with your right hand on the grip. Maybe I’ll loosen the strap more. 
- The joystick takes some getting used to. I keep making navigation mistakes. 
- With an EF lens like Sigma 18-35, somehow I felt the focus ring was too far for me to reach when hand holding. I think this is just that I’m used to other cameras, and this form factor is new so I just need to adjust. 
- More pleasurable time hold than the A7SIII, however I’m still stunned what that tiny body can do! 
- Camera doesn’t feel heavy at all with lens and battery. They’ve done a great job. 

It’s arrived. Just charging batteries but first impressions of the body...
- Great form factor, makes total sense although could be nice to have a compact EVF somewhere. 
- It’s much more lightweight than I thought. Doesn’t feel that much heavier than the A7SIII. 
- Body is solid, but the material is definitely a bit more budget than other C-series. 
- LCD is larger than I thought, although it’s on the flimsy side. 
- Button layout is great. Everything is there although the “media” button is almost impossible to press with your right hand on the grip. 
- The top handle is neat however the texture feels weird. Others might not mind, but I think I’ll have to wrap some extra material round it, haha. 
In conclusion, Canon have stripped back the premium feel a little to give us a camera with great features at a great price point. The form factor makes sense and they’ve done a great job of fusing these bodies together. 
Now, let’s see how it does on the field. 
 
 

It’s arrived. Just charging batteries but first impressions of the body...
- Great form factor, makes total sense although could be nice to have a compact EVF somewhere. 
- It’s much more lightweight than I thought. Doesn’t feel that much heavier than the A7SIII. 
- Body is solid, but the material is definitely a bit more budget than other C-series. 
- LCD is larger than I thought, although it’s on the flimsy side. 
- Button layout is great. Everything is there although the “media” button is almost impossible to press with your right hand on the grip. 
- The top handle is neat however the texture feels weird. Others might not mind, but I think I’ll have to wrap some extra material round it, haha. 
In conclusion, Canon have stripped back the premium feel a little to give us a camera with great features at a great price point. The form factor makes sense and they’ve done a great job of fusing these bodies together. 
Now, let’s see how it does on the field. 
 
 

It’s arrived. Just charging batteries but first impressions of the body...
- Great form factor, makes total sense although could be nice to have a compact EVF somewhere. 
- It’s much more lightweight than I thought. Doesn’t feel that much heavier than the A7SIII. 
- Body is solid, but the material is definitely a bit more budget than other C-series. 
- LCD is larger than I thought, although it’s on the flimsy side. 
- Button layout is great. Everything is there although the “media” button is almost impossible to press with your right hand on the grip. 
- The top handle is neat however the texture feels weird. Others might not mind, but I think I’ll have to wrap some extra material round it, haha. 
In conclusion, Canon have stripped back the premium feel a little to give us a camera with great features at a great price point. The form factor makes sense and they’ve done a great job of fusing these bodies together. 
Now, let’s see how it does on the field. 
 
 

I said a few years ago my “perfect camera” for video would be an XC15 style camera with at least S35 and up to 4k120 10bit. Then they released it. 
I also have the A7SIII and looking forward to comparing. I predict I’ll keep hold of both. The A7SIII is a triumph. 

Just had an email to say my C70 will be delivered by tomorrow! 

It’s arrived. Just charging batteries but first impressions of the body...
- Great form factor, makes total sense although could be nice to have a compact EVF somewhere. 
- It’s much more lightweight than I thought. Doesn’t feel that much heavier than the A7SIII. 
- Body is solid, but the material is definitely a bit more budget than other C-series. 
- LCD is larger than I thought, although it’s on the flimsy side. 
- Button layout is great. Everything is there although the “media” button is almost impossible to press with your right hand on the grip. 
- The top handle is neat however the texture feels weird. Others might not mind, but I think I’ll have to wrap some extra material round it, haha. 
In conclusion, Canon have stripped back the premium feel a little to give us a camera with great features at a great price point. The form factor makes sense and they’ve done a great job of fusing these bodies together. 
Now, let’s see how it does on the field. 
 
 

I said a few years ago my “perfect camera” for video would be an XC15 style camera with at least S35 and up to 4k120 10bit. Then they released it. 
I also have the A7SIII and looking forward to comparing. I predict I’ll keep hold of both. The A7SIII is a triumph. 

Just had an email to say my C70 will be delivered by tomorrow! 

Just had an email to say my C70 will be delivered by tomorrow! 

I said a few years ago my “perfect camera” for video would be an XC15 style camera with at least S35 and up to 4k120 10bit. Then they released it. 
I also have the A7SIII and looking forward to comparing. I predict I’ll keep hold of both. The A7SIII is a triumph. 

Just had an email to say my C70 will be delivered by tomorrow! 

Thanks for sharing Andrew. 
I just don’t agree with these people who say the A7SIII is safe, boring and not exciting. It’s baffling to be honest. 
I took it on a 6 day trip to Turkey to film a trilogy of music videos. I almost rather effortlessly acquired an immense amount of footage, beautifully exposed in the sun with crisp, detailed imagery. The experience was extremely liberating. 
Now I’ve got the 1st video in edit, the footage is such a joy to grade. It’s easy to get a great image with any look you want. The only downside being the non- All-I codecs being impossible to edit natively. So I got a Ninja V. 
Back to my point. This is not a boring or safe camera. This is a camera that’s been tuned to precision with absolutely no handicaps for 4k shooting. None whatsoever. No gimmicks. No cripple. Nothing. And no other camera on the market can claim this. To me it’s the most exciting camera I’ve used in a long time, because it sets me completely free. 
Interestingly, I did pre-order a C70 which also looks great. I’m now debating whether to get another A7SIII and be done with it. 
 

Thanks for sharing Andrew. 
I just don’t agree with these people who say the A7SIII is safe, boring and not exciting. It’s baffling to be honest. 
I took it on a 6 day trip to Turkey to film a trilogy of music videos. I almost rather effortlessly acquired an immense amount of footage, beautifully exposed in the sun with crisp, detailed imagery. The experience was extremely liberating. 
Now I’ve got the 1st video in edit, the footage is such a joy to grade. It’s easy to get a great image with any look you want. The only downside being the non- All-I codecs being impossible to edit natively. So I got a Ninja V. 
Back to my point. This is not a boring or safe camera. This is a camera that’s been tuned to precision with absolutely no handicaps for 4k shooting. None whatsoever. No gimmicks. No cripple. Nothing. And no other camera on the market can claim this. To me it’s the most exciting camera I’ve used in a long time, because it sets me completely free. 
Interestingly, I did pre-order a C70 which also looks great. I’m now debating whether to get another A7SIII and be done with it. 
 

Another first impression.....
I need to test in several conditions, but I’m sure the WB seems slightly off. I balance on a grey card, but then the skin looks too cool etc. This was a problem in previous Sony cameras, so I hope this is user error. There is definitely a tint of yellow in SLOG3. 
Also, all the codecs besides All-I are uneditable with proxies on my iMac. I’m going to update my Mac to the latest anyway, and I’ll be recording into ProRes on the Ninja besides 4k100. But for the time being, it’s very sluggish with the native H264 / H265 codecs. 

More first impressions...

- The 4k100fps is excellent. To have this feature in 10bit, in 1.1x full frame, in a camera this small is fantastic. Makes the EVA1’s downsampled 2k100fps look like mush. 

- The extended ISO at 100 in SLOG3 certainly limits the DR, certainly in the highlights. I wouldn’t recommend it, only if you are desperate. 

- Active Stabilisation works a treat. Tried a “gimbal shot” and did a fair job with stabilisation. 

- Footage doesn’t look overly sharp with a ProMist 1/4. Recommended. As the image itself is really very clinical. 

- Colour is definitely better. Don’t care what the naysayers say. Don’t know how good we can get it yet. 

- But, the skin definitely has a tinge of yellow in SLOG3. Dialling it out is fairly easy. Bit annoying but not a huge issue. 

- The 4k 10bit files in XAVC-S aren’t playing back on my Mac too well. Will try again as FCPX may have needed a reboot. Maybe not. 

- XAVC-I seems the tiniest tiniest tiniest bit sharper. You can barely tell though. 

- The colours with Gamma Assist On looks like classic Sony zombie look on LCD. I wouldn’t use the standard Rec709 LUT ever on SLOG3 in post. 

- I definitely need to play with Ninja V. Screen is too small to really get into the image. 
 
This early experience is just me filming cats, trees, kids, babies... whatever I can see. I’ll be putting it in the deep end soon. 
I’m impressed so far but I think the Canon C70 reveal hurt it’s thunder. The crafty buggers released the camera that I once described as my perfect camera. Read my mind. I’m suing. 

Got the A7SIII as wanted a small body that could do 4k120 10bit with high calibre AF tracking for gimbal work, and more.
Coming from the EVA1 and GH5. 
No footage yet to show. Haven’t used it on a job yet but I’ve took it for a casual spin in the park.
Is the hype real? Not sure yet. Need more time. 
Some observations: 
1. The body is very very light. The buttons are nice to press. The screen is a little thin. The menu button is in the wrong place. The grip is far better than before. It’s much bigger. 
2. The EVF is insane. Never seen an EVF that clear and sharp, ever. 
3. Menu’s make sense, finally. Woo woo. 
4. AF tracking is great. Feels like cheating. I’m not sure how I feel about it as part of the craft though. Feels less rewarding, if that makes sense? Lovely on a gimbal though.
5. Working on a screen this small makes me feel disjointed from the scene. Much less clarity than the EVF. Good I’ve got the Ninja V to test then! 
6. Dynamic range is impressive. Very nice roll off. 
7. There’s a “Shockless” WB. When you change it, it transitions smoothly while recording. Same with ISO and shutter speed. Nice!
8. How am I using ISO 100 in Slog3? Thought this was BANNED. 
8. Rolling shutter looks gone. Ran off. Away.  Thank the Lord. 
9. Battery life - hmmm. Not Panasonic standards. 
10. Tamron 70-180 seemed a bit drunk with close distance AF. 
11. Image looks quite clinical. Used ProMist 1/4 - not judged it yet. Seems better. Will decide later. 
12. Why is the skin tone in FCPX yellow looking when the skin is on the line in the vector scope? Not that the skin tones are bad (they are good off the line),  just doesn’t make sense. Maybe I’m blind. 
13. Colour is better. I’m not sure how much better yet. Definitely an improvement. 

I need to get this thing on a proper shoot. Got a triple music video shoot in Turkey coming up so I’m going to throw it in the deep end on that one. 
Overall, I’m impressed so far but I can’t help feel a slight bit of disappointment when Canon announced the C70, which is the camera I described some years back as the one I would love to have. Now it exists. Funny world. 
 

More first impressions...

- The 4k100fps is excellent. To have this feature in 10bit, in 1.1x full frame, in a camera this small is fantastic. Makes the EVA1’s downsampled 2k100fps look like mush. 

- The extended ISO at 100 in SLOG3 certainly limits the DR, certainly in the highlights. I wouldn’t recommend it, only if you are desperate. 

- Active Stabilisation works a treat. Tried a “gimbal shot” and did a fair job with stabilisation. 

- Footage doesn’t look overly sharp with a ProMist 1/4. Recommended. As the image itself is really very clinical. 

- Colour is definitely better. Don’t care what the naysayers say. Don’t know how good we can get it yet. 

- But, the skin definitely has a tinge of yellow in SLOG3. Dialling it out is fairly easy. Bit annoying but not a huge issue. 

- The 4k 10bit files in XAVC-S aren’t playing back on my Mac too well. Will try again as FCPX may have needed a reboot. Maybe not. 

- XAVC-I seems the tiniest tiniest tiniest bit sharper. You can barely tell though. 

- The colours with Gamma Assist On looks like classic Sony zombie look on LCD. I wouldn’t use the standard Rec709 LUT ever on SLOG3 in post. 

- I definitely need to play with Ninja V. Screen is too small to really get into the image. 
 
This early experience is just me filming cats, trees, kids, babies... whatever I can see. I’ll be putting it in the deep end soon. 
I’m impressed so far but I think the Canon C70 reveal hurt it’s thunder. The crafty buggers released the camera that I once described as my perfect camera. Read my mind. I’m suing. 

Got the A7SIII as wanted a small body that could do 4k120 10bit with high calibre AF tracking for gimbal work, and more.
Coming from the EVA1 and GH5. 
No footage yet to show. Haven’t used it on a job yet but I’ve took it for a casual spin in the park.
Is the hype real? Not sure yet. Need more time. 
Some observations: 
1. The body is very very light. The buttons are nice to press. The screen is a little thin. The menu button is in the wrong place. The grip is far better than before. It’s much bigger. 
2. The EVF is insane. Never seen an EVF that clear and sharp, ever. 
3. Menu’s make sense, finally. Woo woo. 
4. AF tracking is great. Feels like cheating. I’m not sure how I feel about it as part of the craft though. Feels less rewarding, if that makes sense? Lovely on a gimbal though.
5. Working on a screen this small makes me feel disjointed from the scene. Much less clarity than the EVF. Good I’ve got the Ninja V to test then! 
6. Dynamic range is impressive. Very nice roll off. 
7. There’s a “Shockless” WB. When you change it, it transitions smoothly while recording. Same with ISO and shutter speed. Nice!
8. How am I using ISO 100 in Slog3? Thought this was BANNED. 
8. Rolling shutter looks gone. Ran off. Away.  Thank the Lord. 
9. Battery life - hmmm. Not Panasonic standards. 
10. Tamron 70-180 seemed a bit drunk with close distance AF. 
11. Image looks quite clinical. Used ProMist 1/4 - not judged it yet. Seems better. Will decide later. 
12. Why is the skin tone in FCPX yellow looking when the skin is on the line in the vector scope? Not that the skin tones are bad (they are good off the line),  just doesn’t make sense. Maybe I’m blind. 
13. Colour is better. I’m not sure how much better yet. Definitely an improvement. 

I need to get this thing on a proper shoot. Got a triple music video shoot in Turkey coming up so I’m going to throw it in the deep end on that one. 
Overall, I’m impressed so far but I can’t help feel a slight bit of disappointment when Canon announced the C70, which is the camera I described some years back as the one I would love to have. Now it exists. Funny world.