In November of 2013, Canon announced that the C100 would be upgraded with the same Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology as the 70D received in July. The announcement came today that the C300 would follow suit, making the AutoFocus improvement, which allows for continuous autofocusing in single shooter and run-and-gun situations with both Canon EF and STM lenses, available to users in May of this year. Continue on for more information about the C300's upcoming AF upgrade, as well as a couple of other new features included in Canon's announcement.


Here's a bit from Canon's press release:

Announced today is a new optional feature upgrade for the EOS C300 Cinema camera which will support Canon's innovative Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus (AF) technology and enable continuous autofocusing with the entire line of Canon EF lenses and optimized for Canon's stepping motor (STM) line of lenses when used with the EOS C300 camera. This optional feature upgrade is expected to be available in May 2014 for a cost of $500.00 and will require the EOS C300 camera body to be shipped to an authorized Canon service center for installation.

In case you missed one of our previous posts about how Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF works, here's a quick description of how it all works from the C300 feature upgrade page:

The EOS C300 camera with Dual Pixel AF technology features a CMOS sensor that consists of an array of pixels that each feature two separate photodiodes. By continuously comparing their outputs during AF mode, phase-difference autofocus helps ensure non-blurred images and smooth focus transitions even when the talent and/or camera are moving. The new feature places a high priority on maintaining sharp focus while, providing a natural, smooth focus transitions with select Canon autofocus EF lenses – including newer-generation STM lenses – which offer even smoother and quieter operation.

Just like with the C100 upgrade, the camera set-up menu, modified for the C300, offers two options for “AF Mode”: One-Shot AF and Continuous Autofocus, and the AF Lock function can can be set to one the camera's assignable buttons.

The new upgrade, available in May 2014, is going to cost you $500, and will require sending your camera body to a Canon service center for installation.

C300 AF

Included in today's announcement from Canon is a new remote control, as well as a firmware update. The RC-V100 Remote Control, which will let users remotely control main camera functions, including white balance and exposure, on the C500, C300, and C100. It will be available in June of this year at a suggested retail price of $2,999. The firmware update includes an upgrade that adds two Canon lenses that "maintain even illumination across an image plane, and virtually eliminates vignetting" when used with the C500, C300, and C100.

Be sure to check out Canon's press release, as well as the C300 feature upgrade page for more information about the AF upgrade and all the new features that will be included.

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[via AbelCine]