$2000 Price Drop – Canon C300 Mark II PL Now Sells for $4,999

Camera News

by Olaf von VossJune 9^th, 2021

If you need a decent camera and also have a collection of PL lenses, this news might be something for you: The Canon C300 Mark II PL (from 2015) has received another price drop over at B&H: $2,000 off! So now you can get a new (but not the latest model) C300 Mark II with PL mount for just $4,999. The EF version still sells for $6,999.

The Canon C300 Mark II is still a very capable camera and the only real drawback might be the native PL mount. Most shooters (myself included) got a C300 Mark II back in the day to make use of existing EF glass with it. But if you already own a few PL lenses, well, you’re getting a still superb camera, especially for that price.

Canon C300 Mark II PL price drop

Over the years, the Canon C300 Mark II, just like any other camera, has seen some price drops. Business as usual I’d say. But this new price of under $5,000 for the PL version seems a bit mind-boggling to me. I believe this camera once sold for $15,000 when it was launched in 2015.

I think Canon did a good job with the EF version, but maybe they had trouble selling the PL version, and that could be the reason for the recent price cut for just that PL version, not the EF version.

The camera was (and is) especially popular with documentary filmmakers and I myself never had any problems with mine – I own the EF version. With its new low price, the once-expensive C300 Mark II PL now competes a bit with cameras like the Sony FX6 or Canon’s own C70, at least in terms of the price tag. But remember: the C300 Mark II was and is a true so-called cine camera, complete with professional I/O and all the bells and whistles of 2015.

EF to PL and back

With the C300 Mark II, you can swap out the lens mount, but to do it properly, you’ll need to send it in to an authorized Canon service center, and that will cost you, of course. However, third-party conversion kits are available. A PL mount with shims and instructions is available from Wooden Camera, for example. I’m not 100% sure if EF mounts are available, though.

In general, switching from EF to PL and back again is doable, but is not recommended by Canon and I believe might void the warranty if you perform this procedure yourself. At least you need to be very careful. ideally you have access to a back focus calibration tool, too.

Link: Canon

What do you think? Are you a C300 shooter already? Share your experiences in the comments below!