Canon R100 Video Settings: Resolution, Shutter, Focus, Audio

The best Canon EOS R100 video settings for most beginners are Full HD, a shutter speed between about 1/25 and 1/125 second, and Movie Servo AF left on with Face+Tracking. Save 4K for scenes where you can stand back, because Canon's own spec shows 4K is cropped, limited to 23.98p or 25.00p, and uses a slower focus method.

How the R100 thinks about video

Video is a flip book. The camera takes lots of still pictures, one after another, and plays them back fast so they look like movement.

Two words come up again and again. Resolution is how much detail is in each picture, like the difference between a big poster and a postage stamp. Frame rate is how many pictures the camera takes each second. A flip book with more pages per second looks smoother.

On the R100, you set both in the Movie rec quality menu, and the camera saves your clips as MP4 files. The frame rates you see change to match the Video system setting, which is NTSC or PAL. If you live in North America, NTSC gives you rates like 29.97 fps, and PAL gives rates like 25.00 fps.

Resolution and frame rate: which to choose

4K: sharp, but cropped and limited

Canon lists 4K recording at 23.98p or 25.00p, taken from a crop around the center of the sensor. A crop is like looking through a paper towel tube: you see less of the scene, so everything looks closer. Photography Blog measures that crop at 64%, or 1.55x.

That crop matters with the kit lens. PetaPixel points out that the heavy 4K crop costs you any wide-angle look you hoped to keep. PetaPixel also notes that 24p only may not match clips from your phone if you mix them together.

There are a few more 4K limits to know. Canon says each 4K clip can run up to 29 minutes 59 seconds. TechRadar notes the R100 records 8-bit color, which holds less color information than 10-bit. TechRadar's review also says 4K goes up to 30fps, but Canon's own spec lists only 23.98p and 25.00p, so trust the Canon spec when you look at your menu.

4K does give you one nice trick. Canon's manual says you can pick any frame from a 4K clip and save it as a JPEG photo. That is handy for grabbing a still of a moment you filmed.

Full HD: the everyday choice

Photography Blog says the R100 records uncropped Full HD, and calls it a high-quality 1080/60p camera rather than a 4K one for most users. Uncropped means you see the whole width of your lens. Full HD also keeps the faster Dual Pixel CMOS AF, because Canon says contrast detection is only used for 4K.

Digital zoom is only available in Full HD at 29.97, 25 or 23.98 fps. If you are new, start here. You get a wider view, quicker focus and fewer surprises.

High Frame Rate for slow motion

Turn High Frame Rate on in Movie rec quality and the R100 records HD at 119.88 fps or 100.00 fps. The camera saves those clips as 29.97 or 25.00 fps files, so they play back at 1/4 speed. That makes a splash or a jump look slow and dreamy.

The Digital Picture lists High Frame Rate as 1280 x 720 with no audio. Canon says focus is fixed in this mode and each clip stops at 7 minutes 29 seconds. To keep going, press the movie button again and the camera starts a new file. Canon also warns the screen may flicker under fluorescent or LED lights in this mode.

Mode	What you get	Focus	Sound	Clip limit
4K	3840 x 2160 at 23.98p or 25.00p, cropped	Contrast AF, slower	Yes	29 min 59 sec
Full HD	Uncropped, up to 60p	Dual Pixel CMOS AF	Yes	Not listed in the evidence
High Frame Rate	1280 x 720 at 119.88 or 100 fps, plays at 1/4 speed	Fixed	No	7 min 29 sec

Shutter speed for video

Think of the shutter speed as a door that opens and closes for every frame. A door that stays open a little longer lets moving things smear softly, which looks natural on video. A door that snaps shut fast freezes each frame, which can make movement look choppy.

Canon's manual recommends about 1/25 to 1/125 second for moving subjects, and says the faster the shutter speed, the less smooth the movement looks. A friendly place to start is the slower half of that range, such as 1/50, and then adjust if the picture is too bright or too dark.

To pick the shutter speed yourself, the manual says you can set shutter speed, aperture and ISO manually for movies. Press the key to choose shutter speed or aperture, then turn the dial to change the value. PetaPixel notes the R100 has only one control dial, so switching between settings takes a few extra presses. That is normal on this camera, and it gets faster with practice.

Flicker under indoor lights

Canon says fluorescent and LED lights can cause flicker, horizontal stripes or uneven brightness in video. Canon also says a slower shutter speed may reduce the problem. If you see stripes, try stepping the shutter speed slower before you start recording, and watch the screen to see if they fade.

Set it, then leave it

Canon advises against changing shutter speed, aperture or ISO while you record, because the change may show up as a jump in brightness or extra noise. Make your choices first, then press record. If a clip comes out with a brightness jump, that is a useful lesson, not a failure.

Aperture and ISO: the other two parts

Aperture is like the pupil of your eye. A wide pupil lets in lots of light, and a small one lets in less. On the lens, a small f-number like f/4.5 is a wide opening, and a big f-number like f/16 is a small opening. Canon's manual warns that large aperture values may delay or prevent accurate focusing in video. So with the kit lens, stay near the wide end when you can.

ISO is like turning up the volume on a quiet song. It makes the picture brighter, but turn it up too far and you hear hiss. In video, that hiss looks like grain.

• The manual says you can set ISO yourself or leave it on Auto.
• With ISO Auto, you can press a button to lock the current ISO, and press it again to unlock.
• Expanded ISO (H) is not available when you record 4K.
• When Highlight tone priority is on, the lowest ISO is 200.
• White balance may shift if ISO or aperture changes during recording with auto white balance settings.

Canon says image quality may drop when you combine high ISO, high temperatures, slow shutter speeds and low light. When it gets dark, add light to your scene if you can, rather than pushing ISO as high as it goes.

Focus settings for video

Leave Movie Servo AF on

Movie Servo AF is set to Enable by default, so the camera keeps focusing the whole time. For most beginner video, that is what you want. Canon says Eye Detection can follow moving people when Movie Servo AF is on.

Pick an AF method

The Digital Picture lists four AF methods: Face+Tracking, Spot AF, 1-point AF and Zone AF. In video, Face+Tracking can choose from up to 99 points, and Spot AF has 3,375 positions.

• Face+Tracking: the camera finds a face and follows it. Canon says Eye Detection works in this mode. This is the best start for filming people.
• 1-point or Spot: you choose one small spot. Good when there is no face, like a flower or a plate of food.
• Zone: the camera looks inside a bigger box. PetaPixel says the single-point box or zone still works fine.

PetaPixel notes there is no animal or vehicle detection, and no tracking beyond people's faces and eyes. For a pet, use 1-point or Zone and keep the box on the animal.

Focus limits to know

Canon says 4K uses contrast detection, and focusing may take longer than in HD or Full HD. High Frame Rate locks focus during recording. The R100 also has no touchscreen, so PetaPixel points out you cannot tap the screen to move the focus point. You move it with the buttons instead.

Canon lists what can go wrong when the camera focuses during recording: a brief loss of focus, brightness changes, recording stopping for a moment, or lens sounds being recorded. If a clip keeps drifting out of focus, try switching to manual focus for a shot where your subject stays still.

Audio: what to watch for

The sources behind this guide say little about the R100's sound options, so check Canon's manual for microphone details. What the evidence does make clear is where sound goes wrong.

• High Frame Rate and time-lapse movies record no sound.
• Zooming while you record can capture lens sounds and an uneven audio level, and Canon recommends recording a few test clips first.
• Autofocus during recording may capture mechanical lens sounds.
• Canon notes that sound and picture may play back worse on other devices, even ones that support MP4.

The simple fix is to zoom before you press record, not during. If you need slow motion with sound, record the sound in a separate normal-speed clip.

Stabilization, cards and small settings

Movie Electronic IS

Canon says Movie Electronic IS helps reduce shake, such as when you film while walking. The trade-off is that the view gets narrower and resolution drops. Use it for walking shots, and turn it off when the camera sits on a tripod.

Canon's manual says leaving lens IS on uses battery power and can shorten total recording time, so turn it off when you use a tripod.

Memory cards

Canon says 4K needs a stable card with a fast writing speed, and any movie card should write faster than the video's bit rate. With a slow card, a buffer indicator appears on screen, and if it fills, recording stops on its own. If your clips stop early, the card is the first thing to check.

Handy extras

• Vertical video: the R100 can add vertical position information so clips play upright like phone video, though Canon says some devices and apps may ignore it.
• Shutter button to record: set Shutter btn function for movies so a full press starts and stops recording.
• Time-lapse: time-lapse records at 29.97 fps for NTSC or 25.00 fps for PAL.

A simple starting setup

Here is a calm first setup for the R100. Treat it as a starting point and change one thing at a time as you learn.

Setting	Start here	Why
Resolution	Full HD	Uncropped view and Dual Pixel focus
Frame rate	Match your other footage, or 60p for action	Full HD goes up to 60p
Shutter speed	Between 1/25 and 1/125, start near 1/50	Canon's recommended range for moving subjects
ISO	Auto, lock it once the picture looks right	ISO lock keeps brightness steady
Movie Servo AF	Enable	Keeps focusing as you record
AF method	Face+Tracking	Turns on Eye Detection
Movie Electronic IS	On for walking, off on a tripod	Crops the view

The R100 comes body only, with the RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM lens, or in a two-lens kit.

PetaPixel found the R100 strong for still photos but limited for video. That is fine. A short list of video settings means fewer menus to learn, and every clip that comes out wrong teaches you which setting to move next. For photo setup basics on any Canon body, the beginner guide to the best Canon camera settings covers the same three dials from the still side.