Canon's latest camera gets the thumbs up from Netflix

As if the camera hadn't already received enough praise, the Canon EOS C50 just got even more approval – this time from Netflix.

The EOS C50 – Canon's "Sony FX3 killer", with headline features including 7K 60p capture and 7K 30p open gate – has just been added to Netflix's list of Approved Cameras.

This is a list maintained by the company prescribing the cameras that may be used for the production of Netflix Originals content, which require that at least 90% of the material is filmed on an approved camera – along with approved camera settings.

Netflix has approved the C50 to deliver content in full frame 3:2 (open gate), full frame and Super 35 (cropped) RAW in HQ, ST and LT formats, using either of the base ISO sensitivities (800 and 6400).

For 4K compressed footage, full frame or Super 35 is welcome and both Canon Log 2 and 3 are acceptable, though true DCI 4:2:2 10-bit XF-AVC are required. Canon's high-speed 4K 120fps and 180fps (the latter in cropped format) are also on the approved list.

Unsurprisingly, Netflix lists its preferred settings as full frame or open gate in RAW HQ or ST format shot in CLog 2.

Which Canon cameras are Netflix-approved?

With the addition of the C50, there are currently 11 Canon cameras on the Netflix Approved Cameras list – including full cinema cameras and hybrid mirrorless cameras:

Canon EOS C300 Mark II
Canon EOS C300 Mark III
Canon EOS C500 Mark II
Canon EOS C500
Canon EOS C700
Canon EOS C700 FF
Canon EOS C70
Canon EOS R5 C
Canon EOS C400
Canon EOS C80
Canon EOS C50

You can see the full list of Netflix Approved Cameras here.

What is a Netflix-Approved Camera?

If you're wondering why does Netflix have an Approved Cameras list, you're not alone – but the company has done its best to be transparent about why it exists and what its requirements are.

"One of the biggest priorities for us as a studio is helping our filmmakers do their very best work," explains Kris Prygrocki, Netflix's camera systems specialist.

"We want our filmmakers to not just feel enabled, but also encouraged to use the latest and greatest capture technologies out there to tell their stories."

As you might imagine, getting a camera approved is about much more than just resolution.

"While capturing at a higher resolution is certainly important to image quality, we know it's not everything. That's why resolution is just one of the many attributes we look at when evaluating a camera system.

"Other criteria that is just as important to image quality would be dynamic range, color reproduction, noice performance, sensor readout speed, compression, chroma subsampling, bit depth and so on and so on."

Take a look at the video below for a full explanation of Netflix's testing and approval process – it's a pretty fascinating watch:

Approved Cameras - Behind the Scenes - YouTube

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Take a look at the best Netflix-approved cameras, along with the best Canon cameras.