Visually, the filmmaking style serves the story well, favoring intimacy over complexity. As the crew had to be flown in on a small seaplane, strict weight limits forced them to only bring the essentials, including a Canon EOS-1D C DSLR, which would serve as the primary camera on the shoot.
When it came out in March of 2013, the full-frame 1D C – part of Canon’s Cinema EOS-series of filmmaking cameras – was the first and only DSLR to offer 4K video recording. It also carried an astronomical price of $15,000, more than double the cost of the EOS-1D X upon which it was based. In the years since, 4K-capable cameras have proliferated across the market, and the 1D C has seen significant price drops. Although not the smallest or lightest 4K camera out there, it proved the right choice for Noatak: Return to the Arctic.
“We knew we wanted to shoot 4K internally, so the 1D C was the best option,” director Ric Serena told Fstoppers. “There have been a few cameras since that have similar specs, but it was really ahead of its time shooting
The 1D C also benefits from a rugged built quality with dust- and splash-proofing, which would obviously be advantageous on this type of shoot.
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