Canon C70 Review

The Canon C-70 is a wonderful balance between the Full Body Cinema/Camcorder Bodies and DSLRs. Coming in at just 2 and a half pounds it is the lightest camcorder in its class and only a pound heavier than the Canon EOS R5. Anybody who has ever used a DSLR/Mirrorless Camera will recognize the form factor and will feel it melt right into their hand. This makes the form factor one of my favorite features of the camera. What would normally be a shutter button has been replaced by a big red record button. There are user assignable buttons all over the place that can be preset to access any feature you might need: Zebra, Peaking, Waveform, and White Balance are all pre assigned and ready to use.

The next thing that stood out to me is audio control. Built into the I/O are 2 mini XLR jacks and audio control for channels 1 and 2 behind the flip out screen. This speaks to me because previously an external breakout box was required if you wanted XLR Audio with Control from a DSLR/Mirrorless Camera.

Out of the box it comes with a BP-A30 battery. This is the same battery you would find in the EOS C300 Mark II and offers much more power than the LP-E6 you would find with a traditional DSLR/Mirrorless Camera.

I found a few features that should be improved upon. For example, with the 3.5” flip out display should be larger. It’s difficult to use a 3.5” monitor for serious video. Canon also left a fair amount of real estate on the table. The C70 has some crazy thick bezels. Had they gotten rid of the bezels and extended the screen further down nearer the battery instead of having the lip of what I assume is dead camera body space I think they may have been able to get the screen to a full 4 inches. It might seem like a small amount but at that size every half inch counts.

I also have hesitations on the RF mount. This is more of a growing pain for me. I know the benefits of RF. But EF has been the standard forever and that’s what everyone has. Thankfully Canon has 3 wonderful adapters that are well priced and one that even adds additional ND to the built in ND the C70 already has.

I’m wondering why the C70 camera has a limited resolution that maxes out at 4K. Canon focused on maximizing record time and keeping the camera cool versus pushing resolution. But I feel like the compromise leaned too much in favor of record time. I would have liked to see at least 4.6K or 5K. Sure, most deliveries happen at 4K but as an Editor and a Director I always appreciate having a little crop space in post to readjust the frame.

Overall, if you are needing a solid B-Cam, are a photographer looking to do more video, or you’re a small-time shooter that does mostly local commercials the C70 is another solid entry in the long line of Canon Professional Cameras. Even despite the minor feature preferences I would have liked to seen; for a first-time hybrid camera I believe Canon has done a stellar job!