The 20x optical zoom (f/1.8–2.8, 12 elements in 10 groups including two aspherical, eight-blade iris) runs from about 29.3 to 601 mm in 35 mm terms in 4K, or 30.5 to 627 mm in Full HD. At 65.6° horizontal it takes in a whole stage; at 3.6° it isolates one person on a lectern at the far end of a conference venue. At the wide end it focuses down to 1 cm, handy for product close-ups on a presenter's desk, and to 60 cm across the rest of the range. Optical-shift stabilisation calms the shake of trusses and wall arms. Zoom and stabilisation share one moving lens group, and operating noise is rated at NC35 or below, discreet enough for an interview set or a recital.

Hybrid AF takes care of focus: a separate distance sensor supplies a phase-difference reading and contrast AF does the final refinement, in Continuous, Face AF or Tracking mode. Exposure follows camcorder logic. A motorised gradation ND reaches 1/8, gain runs from 0 to 36 dB, shutter from 1/6 to 1/2000 s, and minimum illumination sits around 1.5 lux. White balance spans 2,000 to 15,000 K with two memories, alongside Normal or BT.709 gamma and four scene modes (Portrait, Sports, Low Light, Spotlight). Firmware 1.5.0 widened the master pedestal and black-balance trims and added colour bars, useful when lining up several heads against the house cameras.

Virtual studios use the CR-N300 for its FreeD output. Camera position and lens data go to up to four destinations at the same time, so a virtual-set engine, an AR graphics server and a tracking recorder can all read one head. Paired with SDI fill and timecode, a compact green-screen or LED-backed set can run on PTZ positions instead of tracked cranes.

Control works inside Canon's system or through third parties. The XC protocol drives the RC-IP100, RC-IP300 and RC-IP1000 controllers, the last two addressing up to 200 cameras. From a PC, the free Remote Camera Control Application runs up to 20 heads, and since firmware 1.7.0 the iOS Multi-Camera Control app connects over Wi-Fi. Standard Communication over IP or RS-422 on RJ45 links third-party panels and room controllers, and an infrared remote ships in the box. The head turns through ±170° at 0.2 to 300°/s and tilts from −30° to +100°, starting slowly enough for barely visible on-air moves. Each of the 100 preset slots keeps a thumbnail; giving a preset a fixed journey time lets three heads land on their opening shots in sync, and a freeze option hides the move from the programme feed.

Auto Tracking Lite is built in at no cost: it chooses a person by itself, keeps them centred at one of two sizes and stores one setting. The paid RA-AT001 licence adds manual subject choice, ten sensitivity steps, five framing sizes, priority areas and Auto Framing for groups, face direction and sit/stand changes. Firmware 1.8.0 (October 2026) ties tracking to preset recall and opens tracking on/off to Standard Communication, so a room controller or switcher macro can hand a lectern shot to automation.

Power comes from a switch port rated IEEE 802.3at class 4, since standard PoE is not enough for the roughly 16.2 W draw; the 24 V adaptor in the box covers any position without a PoE+ port. The kit also holds a ceiling plate and safety wires for hanging the head inverted, and for wall positions the A-SWD5WB2 (W)-CR bracket comes in the same white. A red tally lamp faces talent, the POWER/STATUS LED can be switched off for dark sets, and the camera is rated for indoor use from 0 to 40 °C. Across a fleet, each head can fetch firmware from Canon's servers and keeps a log of settings changes.

BC Live Productions put CR-N300 and CR-N500 heads on RC-IP100 controllers for an escape-room episode of the comedy series Game Changer. The PTZ positions covered rooms too tight for an operator, and Canon's shared colour science let that footage intercut with the EOS C300 Mark II cameras on the main set. For a team already shooting Cinema EOS, that match is where the Canon CR-N300 White saves grading time on every multi-camera job.

Upgrade your content with a new firmware update available August 2025
Download the latest firmware and take advantage of newly added Auto Tracking App RA-AT001* features. Auto Framing features include Multi-Person Framing, that detects and includes multiple people in the frame, while Face Direction Framing and Sit/Stand Framing deliver natural composition for a single person in frame. Additionally, RTMP/SRT auto reconnection and improved camera control from the iOS app is now included.

*Free Auto Tracking App RA-AT001(Lite) available via FW, 1.1.0 or later. A paid license is necessary for full functionality of auto tracking.

Specifications