South Hills Assembly of God’s Canon C80 & C50 Broadcast System

At South Hills Assembly of God in Pittsburgh, PA, the goal was clear: create a broadcast system that delivers beautiful, cinematic worship capture while remaining simple enough for volunteers to use with confidence.

The vision was not to build the most complex system possible. It was to build the right foundation. One that serves today’s needs and grows with tomorrow’s vision.

A Unified Canon Platform

The system centers around a unified Canon workflow.

Two Canon C80 cinema cameras anchor the rear positions, capturing clean, powerful sermon coverage with long-lens reach. On stage, a Canon C50 roaming camera provides dynamic movement and flexibility for worship moments.

Together, these cameras create a cohesive look across the entire experience while remaining cost conscious and future ready.

Clean Sermon Capture

For the primary teaching angles, we paired the C80 bodies with Canon 70–200mm f/2.8 Z lenses, Canon’s 2x teleconverter, and the Canon servo adapter. This combination provides extended reach and smooth broadcast-style zoom control without the five-figure price tag of traditional large-format broadcast glass.

Traditionally, teleconverters have been considered a compromise. But Canon’s most recent generation of teleconverters and lenses are exceptionally sharp. The image degradation is minimal, and the light loss introduced by the teleconverter is more than compensated for by the C80’s full-frame sensor and strong low-light performance.

The result is sharp, detailed imagery with cinematic depth at a far more responsible budget than comparable large-format broadcast lenses. Even at extended focal lengths, image quality remains consistent and reliable.

For volunteers, zoom control is handled through the servo motors and compact zoom controllers, making operation intuitive and repeatable.

A Volunteer-Friendly Roaming Rig

The roaming Canon C50 was designed with flexibility in mind.

On weekends, it moves on stage to capture worship and dynamic moments wirelessly. During the week, it transitions to a tripod for announcement videos, testimonials, and event coverage.

The C50 is paired with Canon’s 24–105mm f/2.8 lens, a combination that offers image stabilization, a versatile zoom range, and cinematic depth in one compact package.

To keep the rig streamlined and cost effective, we integrated a Hollyland wireless transmitter mounted cleanly between the camera body and battery plate. The entire setup runs off a single V-mount battery. No re-plugging. No reconfiguring. Drop in a battery and go.

Autofocus with eye tracking dramatically lowers the barrier to entry. Volunteers can open the screen, point, and capture beautiful imagery without worrying about focus pulls or technical complexity.

It feels approachable. And that matters.

Custom Tally Integration

One of the unique challenges was tally integration.

South Hills runs a Blackmagic Constellation switcher, but Canon cameras require a different protocol for tally communication. Rather than settling for external tally lights, we developed a custom Fresh AV Labs solution to translate Blackmagic’s tally data into Canon’s protocol.

This allows tally status to display directly on the camera screen and trigger the camera’s tally lamps. Operators can clearly see when they are live or in preview right inside their viewfinder.

The solution works across the hard cameras and even wirelessly on the roaming C50.

It is a small detail that creates a massive improvement in operator confidence.

Designed for Today. Built for Tomorrow.

Right now, the system is intentionally simple:

• Two strong rear angles for sermon capture
• A flexible roaming C50 for worship and content
• Clean SDI connectivity and wired networking
• Intuitive controls for volunteers

In the future, the platform allows room for growth. Dollies, additional motion systems, or expanded control can be layered in without replacing the foundation.

Stewardship Through Smart Design

High quality broadcast does not have to mean overspending.

By combining Canon cinema bodies with adaptable lensing, servo controls, and teleconverters, South Hills Assembly now has a system that delivers cinematic results while honoring budget realities.

More importantly, it empowers volunteers to serve confidently.

At Fresh Tech, we believe technology should elevate ministry, not complicate it. This project reflects that philosophy. Beautiful imagery. Intuitive operation. A foundation that grows with the church.