Canon Announces "World's First" 4K UHD Wide Angle Lens for Broadcast Cameras


This lens is designed to deliver superb optical performance on existing HDTV Cameras, with an angle of view range that can go as wide as 96.3 degrees for capturing more of a scene. It has a similar form factor compared to Canon's existing HD Lenses for Broadcast Cameras, and weights in at 4 pounds and 11 ounces. Controls are conveniently located with an ergonomic design, as shown in this image:

For more details, see the Press Release below:

CANON
ANNOUNCES WORLD'S FIRST 4K UHD WIDE-ANGLE BROADCAST LENS*
Canon
Introduces the First in its New Line of 4K 2/3-inch Broadcast Lenses
with the CJ12ex4.3B Portable Lens**, with Best-in-Class features
Melville, n.y., August 25, 2015 - Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the CJ12ex4.3B portable 4K 2/3-inch broadcast lens, the world's first* 4K wide-angle lens for use with 4K broadcast cameras featuring 2/3-inch sensors. This will be the first in a new line of 4K broadcast lenses intended to support a range of 4K ultra-high-definition (UHD) productions. Designed as a portable wide-angle 12x zoom lens, the CJ12ex4.3B is ideal for Electronic Field Production (EFP) and Electronic News Gathering (ENG) broadcast applications covering news, sports, live events and filmmakers creating documentary projects desiring 4K quality. Canon is also developing a portable, longer-zoom 4K lens that will further extend 4K UHD production capabilities.
"Through
rigorous research and development, Canon has developed these portable
4K lenses to provide producers and broadcasters with outstanding
optical performance to support newly emerging 4K broadcast
productions while also offering superb optical performance when used
on existing HDTV cameras," said
Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "With
a 96.3 degree angle of view, our best-in-class wide-angle lens will
allow broadcasters to capture more of the scene in stunning 4K
quality."
This
portable wide-angle lens provides the optical excellence needed for
4K broadcast production. Its 4.3mm wide angle (96.3 degree horizontal
angle of view) and minimum object distance of 30 cm are both the best
of its class in the world*. A built-in 2x extender allows more
telephoto operation without sacrificing 4K image quality.
This wide angle
lens supports framing of scenes containing large amounts of image
detail -- for example, a wide end zone-to-end zone shot.
Editors can then select a 1920 x 1080 crop from within the 3840 x
2160 camera original with full HDTV image quality. Alternatively,
the 4K UHD camera video can be downsampled to HDTV offering enhanced
resolution by virtue of that supersampled original.
The form
factor for production shooters will be very similar to shooting with
Canon's HD lenses in size, weight and controls. Its light
weight of 4lbs, 10oz. and compact size make it ideal for
shoulder-mounted ENG applications.
Three
20-pin connectors, capable of reading out the high-precision position
information of the zoom, focus and iris are provided as a standard
feature. Virtual operations are also available in the full servo
mode, and use of a 16-bit absolute value encoder in the digital drive
unit helps eliminate the need for any initialization, meaning users
can simply turn on the camera and begin shooting. The lens is also
compatible with standard HD zoom and focus demand controls.
Canon is
also developing a new longer-zoom 4K portable lens as an important
addition to the new 4K 2/3-inch broadcast lens lineup. Like the
new CJ12ex4.3B wide angle zoom lens, this new 4K portable lens, under
development, will realize a high level of imaging performance while
also featuring a weight and body size that achieve the same level of
mobility as conventional portable HDTV zoom lenses. Supporting both
indoor and outdoor use for a variety of applications, including
sporting events, live telecasts, serial dramas and television
commercials, the new 4K portable zoom lens will enable shooting
across a range of focal lengths, from the wide-angle capture of
entire sets to close-ups of distant subjects, in either 4K or HD
resolution.
The CJ12ex4.3B
portable broadcast lens is scheduled to be available in December 2015
while the longer-zoom 4K lens is scheduled to be added to the lineup
in the first half of 2016.
For
more information and the full list of product specifications, visit:
pro.usa.canon.com/broadcast
About
Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon
U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer,
business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the
United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean (excluding
Mexico) markets. With approximately $31 billion in global revenue,
its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in
U.S. patents granted in 2014† and is one of Fortune Magazine's
World's Most Admired Companies in 2015. Canon U.S.A. is committed to
the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100
percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the
products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei
philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the
Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED®
Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction,
operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings. To
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