Canon’s CR-X300 is small, robust and perfect for filming a wildlife documentary in your back garden
A remote-ly interesting 4K video camera
When it comes to its cameras, Canon isn’t just about the DSLRs, point and shoots and other consumer snappers we regularly cover here at Stuff. The company also offers a wide range of professional video cameras for TV and movie production and outdoor remote cameras for security and surveillance use. Its PTZ (“pan, tilt and zoom”) line-up falls somewhere in the middle of those two functions, being comprised of remotely operated models designed to be set up and left somewhere for long periods of time.
The newest addition to the range is the CR-X300 (£TBC), a small (relatively – it’s about 7kg in weight) 4K video camera with an IP65 weather-resistant build and a stabilised 20x optical zoom lens with maximum f/1.8 aperture and Hybrid Autofocus system to boost performance in poor lighting, plus a built-in ND filter to ensure it can function in bright sunlight as well.
Canon says it’d be ideal for reality TV or wildlife show production, where its robust build, low light skills and its ability to swivel, tilt and zoom give it the flexibility to shoot pretty much anything in range at any time of the day, noon or night. The tilt, pan and zoom controls can work fast or slow, giving the producer behind the remote controls the ability to get the right shot in a smooth, steady fashion.
4K/30fps or FHD/60fps video can be output to an external recorder via HDMI or 6G-SDI cable, but the CR-X300 also supports IP-based live streaming over the widely used RTP/RTSP and RTMP/RTMPS protocols, as well as Canon’s own XC system. Could be just the thing if you want to recreate Big Brother for the TikTok generation, perhaps?
Sam Kieldsen
Contributor