The Canon C300 was announced nearly three years ago (alongside the RED SCARLET), and since its release it has been a workhorse for many TV, doc, and reality productions, with quite a few movies thrown in there like the Cannes-winning Blue is the Warmest Color and the recent indie hit Blue Ruin. Its light weight, good dynamic range, EF lens compatibility, and excellent low light abilities have brought many productions out of the 1/3" or 2/3" realm and into the large sensor arena. While the price dropped $2,000 a little over a year ago, the C300 is seeing yet another price drop, this time to an all-time low of $12,000.
This $2,000 price drop applies to all variations of the C300, including EF and PL, and also the new cameras which are shipping the with Dual Pixel AF autofocus upgrade built-in:
Obviously this is still out of the budget range of many people, but it's not really a secret why this camera gets so much use on so many productions. The big question now is when we will see a replacement. Since Canon also dropped the price $2,000 last year to $14,000, these price-cutting moves don't necessarily mean anything new is imminent -- but it's definitely part of their phase-out plan that they do with most higher-end camera models. I do think something new in this price range is coming with 4K video, but Canon has been rather unpredictable at times, so we could very well see a new 4K camera in a C100-like price range.
Since the C300 was the first large-sensor video announcement for Canon, it stands to reason that it will be the first to get replaced, but we'll have to wait and see. The IBC show in September would be a logical time for the company to announce something new, but they may also create their own event just like they did with the C300 nearly three years ago.
Link: Canon C300 -- B&H
