Sadly, Canon C200 doesn’t provide the option to record 4K 10-bit video directly in-camera as you are limited to either working with highly-compressed 8-bit MP4 format or opting for the much more resource-intensive 12-bit Canon Raw Light.
Apparently, neither of these options is ideal, especially for those of you working in documentary or TV broadcast industry who need to rely on a professional robust 10-bit codec on a daily basis. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can’t find a viable workaround in post. Armando Ferreira has already explored a few options as he showcases his completely automated and super efficient 10-bit workflow using Adobe Media Encoder in the video below.
Best of all, you won’t need to transfer your Raw media files onto your computer as you can do the transcoding on the fly directly from your CFast card. First and foremost, you’ll need to import your footage into the Adobe Media Encoder. Once your footage has been added to the queue, head over to the Preset Browser, search for GoPro Cineform YUV 10-bit, and drag the preset to any of your clips.
Now, you’ll need to change a few settings in the Preset Editor starting with the Video tab. Set the Quality to 5 and make sure that the Maximum Depth is checked. In the Audio tab, change the audio settings as you wish. In Ferreira’s case, he had one track set to Mono on Channel 1 and then created another Mono Track for the 2nd channel.
Lastly, you’ll want to save the preset so you won’t have to manually change settings every time you need to transcode your C200 footage. At this stage, you can exit the preset editor and in the Preset Browser, search for your new preset and drag it to all the clips in your queue. Don’t forget to choose an output directory for your exported files then click the Play button to begin the transcoding process.
If you find yourself performing this transcoding process too often, you may want to consider automating these steps by using a Watch Folder. In essence, this functionality allows Media Encoder to automatically transcode footage when files are placed in a pre-dictated folder on your computer.
To set this up, click on the plus sign under the Watch Folders pane and select a folder you want Media Encoder to constantly look files for. Search for the RAW to 10-Bit preset you’ve just created in the Preset Browser and drag it to the preset of your Watch Folder. Lastly, set the Output Folder to whatever directory you want.
Once you’ve completed all those steps, every time you place a file inside of the Watch Folder, Media Encoder will initiate transcoding of your footage automatically. Of course, you have the choice of choosing the codecs and presets that best suit your workflow. Either way, this automated workflow should save you a ton of time down the line while allowing you to get the most out of the available recording options on your favorite Canon C200.
[source: Armando Ferreira]
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Canon EOS C200 Cinema Camera (EF-Mount)
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