Netflix approved: Canon EOS Cinema cameras

Netflix has added the Canon EOS C300 Mark III and the Canon EOS C70 to its list of approved cameras, enabling documentary and drama filmmakers to use Canon's highly capable full-frame Cinema EOS System bodies as their primary cameras for Netflix Originals productions. The two filmmaking powerhouses, which share the same DGO sensor technology, join the Canon EOS C500 Mark II, which gained Netflix approval shortly after its release.

The streaming and production giant has stringent quality control standards, which are much higher than many other broadcasters. Approved cameras must have been used for at least 90% of the final cut's runtime – although there can be more flexibility when it comes to non-fiction.

"We're part of the Netflix Post Technology Alliance, so we're committed to making sure products we make in the future are going to be compatible with Netflix's technical and delivery specifications," explains Paul Atkinson, Pro Video Product Specialist at Canon Europe. "Netflix advises us of its requirements and then Canon, along with the other manufacturers, strives to produce products that meet them."

But what exactly are the camera requirements for Netflix Originals? Here, Paul explores why the Canon EOS C500 Mark II, Canon EOS C300 Mark III and Canon EOS C70 made the cut, while DoP Patrick Smith, whose credits include Tell Me Who I Am (2019) and Captive (2016), explains why these are the cameras he's been using to shoot a variety of Netflix documentary projects.

The minimum technical specification for a Netflix approved camera is a true 4K UHD sensor, a benchmark the Canon EOS C500 Mark II more than meets thanks to its Canon-developed 5.9K full-frame CMOS sensor, while both the Canon EOS C300 Mark III and the Canon EOS C70 can shoot Full 4K up to an impressive 120P. However, there are a host of other capture and camera requirements.

Netflix is one of the leading providers of High Dynamic Range (HDR) content, so the ability to deliver an appropriate file for post-production in HDR is important. Thanks to the ground-breaking Super 35mm DGO sensor, the Canon EOS C300 Mark III and EOS C70 have a dynamic range of 16+ stops, while the full-frame EOS C500 Mark II is 15+ stops. The EOS C500 Mark II and EOS C300 Mark III also have the option of recording in either Cinema RAW Light or Canon's XF-AVC format, producing footage that can be successfully put through an HDR workflow, be that in PQ or HLG.

"We already have a range of cameras approved for Netflix Originals, including the Canon EOS C300 Mark II, EOS C700 and EOS C700 FF," says Paul. Netflix Originals shot on these cameras include the Academy Award-winning documentary Icarus (2019), feature film Our Souls at Night (2017), and Emmy-nominated series Grace and Frankie (2015).

"This gives filmmakers an entire Canon solution, allowing them to combine different cameras while maintaining a consistent image quality. With the Canon EOS C500 Mark II and the Canon EOS C700 FF, you're able to have a full-frame A-cam and B-cam producing material that can be very easily matched in post. Both cameras use the same sensor, and share the same basic colour gamut, log setting and colour matrix. They shoot slightly different RAW formats, but it's even easier to match the footage if you set both cameras to 810Mbps and XF-AVC."

"We were asked not to use tripods while filming the surgery, but the in-built IS meant I could keep my distance – from the surgeon and the patient – and hold the frame with complete stability."

Patrick shoots about 50% of his footage handheld and likes to introduce subtle movement. "I often rock slightly from left to right. This gives the image a fluidity – and also stops my body from seizing up! I was really pleased to find that the electronic IS wasn't too aggressive – it allowed me to keep some lateral movement in the frame but lose some of that high-frequency vibration."

The light weight of the camera and its compact, modular format proved advantageous when following medical staff around the hospital. "I needed to be able to keep up in those dynamic, fast-moving, reactive environments and the Canon EOS C500 Mark II was the right tool to have," he says.

"I love the modularity of the camera. I'm constantly changing the setup, either for the application or as the way I work evolves. I often need a range of additions: wireless video link, follow-focus control, matte box, onboard monitor, radio mic support and sound equipment. You find different ways to power them, different ways to balance them – and that's part of the enjoyment of filming with the Canon EOS C500 Mark II and the EOS C300 Mark III."

On this particular project, Patrick mainly used Canon's EF Cinema Prime lenses, but the Canon EOS C500 Mark II's support for the interchangeable lens mount meant he could also switch from EF to PL and use Canon's Sumire Prime lenses. His standard kitbag is made up of four lenses: a Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM, a Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM lens (now succeeded by the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM), a Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM and a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM.

"The lenses are amazing – light, small and sharp," he says. "I've been using them for 10 years now, so focusing manually is instinctive. They're short throw, so pulling focus from infinity to 1.5m is only 10 degrees or so, whereas on a film lens that would be a much larger rotation. With film lenses I need a follow focus system or assistance to get it right, but with the stills lenses I can rack focus very quickly myself, just as accurately."

Using primes rather than zooms helps maintain the visual palette. "I wanted to keep things looking as filmic as I could on the full-frame chip," says Patrick. "I'm now shooting nearly everything for Netflix in 2.35:1, which is such a cinematic aspect ratio. You have to ask permission to shoot anything wider than 2:1, but if you can justify it, they'll go with it.

"Being able to apply a customised aspect marker on the image is one of the camera's most useful features. It makes a massive difference when you're shooting in this Netflix world, where 2:1 as a minimum aspect ratio is something you really want to be able to see rather than just guess."

With the EOS C300 Mark III now added to his kit and approved by Netflix, Patrick has the perfect multi-camera setup, using a combination of the EOS C500 Mark II and EOS C300 Mark III for much of his work. "It's the perfect setup because they both shoot the same codec. They shoot to the same colour science. They have the same form factor. Everything just works really seamlessly across both of them," he says. "I can just stop and swap to suit the individual camera's strength. With the EOS C500 Mark II, I tend use on the wider frame because it's got a larger chip, delivering a narrow depth of field for that particular type of shot. The EOS C300 Mark III, I tend to use for close-up shots, while being able to shoot at 120p in 4K is extremely useful. The two cameras complement each other beautifully."

With the news that the EOS C70 is also now Netflix approved, Patrick believes it will be of great use to him when working on documentary film productions. "The small form factor and versatility of the EOS C70 makes it an ideal second camera for high-end documentary work," he says. "Whether it's rigged to cars, being run around on a gimbal or even as an extra angle on an interview, it has a real place on my core kit list."