Canon Announces 2 PL-mount Cinema Zoom Lenses

cowpunk52

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http://www.the-digital-picture.com/...m-Lens-FK30-300-Telephoto-Cine-Zoom-Lens.aspx

Canon U.S.A. Introduces Two PL-Mount Digital Cine Zoom Lenses With Full 4K Image Format Performance

Based Upon a New Optical Design Platform, These Precision-Matched Wide-Angle and Telephoto Cine Zoom Lenses Feature Multiple Imaging Enhancements

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., April 7, 2011 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today introduced two advanced-design PL-mount lenses that address the emerging 4K production standards. Designated as the Canon FK14.5-60 wide-angle cine zoom and the Canon FK30-300 telephoto cine zoom, these precision-matched lenses incorporate breakthrough Canon optical designs that simultaneously optimize and enhance multiple imaging attributes while minimizing optical aberrations and distortions. Both lenses are also more compact and lightweight than contemporary PL-mount lenses and both feature a totally new Canon optical design that virtually eliminates focus breathing. As digital cinematography continues to accelerate for theatrical motion pictures, TV movies, episodic dramas, commercials, and other forms of digital high-resolution production, professionals will require the very best in performance and image quality. By already performing in accordance with emerging 4K production image format standards, both of the new Canon PL-mount cine zoom lenses inherently ensure the very highest performance in contemporary 2K and HD digital motion imaging.


“Both the Canon FK14.5-60 wide-angle cine zoom lens and the FK30-300 telephoto cine zoom lens are engineered to meet the most demanding overall imaging requirements of the latest large-format single-sensor digital cinematography cameras, and the creative requirements of the most discerning cinematographers, producers, and directors. Canon’s new wide-angle FK14.5-60 and telephoto FK30-300 PL-mount lenses will be on display at the 2011 NAB Show along with many other Canon HD lenses and advanced imaging products in booth # C-4325 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, April 11-14.

“The 2K and HD digital production formats are firmly established in the global marketplace today, while 4K resolution is poised to further propel the imaging quality of digital cine production. Anticipating this exciting evolution in digital acquisition guided Canon’s developments of a new optical platform in recent years to meet the current and future imaging needs of high-resolution camera sensors,” explained Larry Thorpe, national marketing executive, Broadcast and Communications division, Canon U.S.A. “Canon has extrapolated a new optical platform – first seen during NAB 2009 on a working prototype 8K lens – to bring to market these two new PL-mount lenses. Advanced glass materials, exotic new optical coatings, and new computer-design techniques were all employed to achieve significant overall optical performance in these two lenses.”

Digital Cinematography for Feature Films

Canon’s new FK14.5-60 wide-angle cine zoom lens and FK30-300 telephoto cine zoom lens are both engraved with large, highly visible focus scales for convenient film-style operation. Both also have a common 136 mm front diameter for use with industry-standard optical accessories. The location, diameter, and rotation angle of the lens gears are also identical, which further facilitates convenience in exchanging lenses on-set.

The wide-angle FK14.5-60 maintains its T2.6 maximum aperture over the entire focal range, and with the virtual absence of focus breathing offers new freedom in exploring novel picture creation. The lens preserves a high MTF (modulation transfer function) at wide-open apertures, exhibits well-controlled light distribution across the image plane, and greatly curtails ghosting and veiling glare artifacts from strong light sources. These attributes combine to help ensure superb contrast under a wide range of scene-lighting conditions, help maximize the image-creation capabilities of the current top-of-the-line single-sensor digital cinematography cameras. The telephoto FK30-300 complements the wide-angle FK14.5-60 in larger studios while also servicing many outdoor shots with exceptionally vivid imagery.

TV Movies, Episodic Series, and Commercial Production

The focal ranges offered by the wide-angle FK14.5-60 and the telephoto FK30-300 cine zoom lenses are designed to flexibly address most of the needs of contemporary HDTV episodic program production. The short depth of field, high sensitivity, superb contrast ratio, and excellent picture sharpness of both lenses are designed to provide producers of TV movies, episodic (drama) series, commercials, and music videos with the creative imaging flexibility needed to fulfill a myriad of potential story-telling objectives. Both lenses are equipped with precision back-focus adjustments to expedite lens-camera set-up, which is especially useful in multi-camera TV production environments. The mechanism is concealed beneath a cover plate. In addition, both lenses provide superb control over geometric distortion to prevent visible anomalies when shooting at extreme wide angles on large studio sets that contain extended straight edges.
 
hell yea!!! they look fantastic... you have to think a canon cinema camera is on the way


Yes, one would almost have to think that.

"Canon's partnership with Technicolor" + "intro of two cinema lenses" = ? .

I'm assuming Canon will introduce these with an EOS mount as well? If they do introduce a digital cinema camera, maybe they will go with a PL mount?
 
It's easy to draw conclusions or even leap to them, but don't forget -- the PL market has exploded recently, and Canon has a whole broadcast/high-end lens division that doesn't have anything to do with EOS or EF-compatible lenses. That is, presumably, who this press release was issued by. That's the company that competes with Fujinon and Angenieux in the $20k to $80k lens bracket, and really has nothing to do with SLRs.

PL lenses have exploded in popularity in recent years. Three years ago I bought a Cooke 20-100 zoom for $3500 (and complained about it, because a year prior I could have gotten it for $2000). I sold it three months later for $9,000 when I sold my Red One. The introduction of the Red One caused a total run on PL glass in the market.

Consider that in the three years (almost four years now) that the Red One has been on the market, they've sold 8,000+ PL-mount digital cinema cameras. Now consider that Panasonic has sold that many AF100's in the last four months.* And that the F3 is now on the market. And the Alexa. And shortly, the Epic. The demand for PL lenses has never been higher.

*(and while the AF100 isn't a straight PL mount, there's obviously tremendous demand for PL adapters, as shown by the sheer number of companies that are in the business of making them -- Optitek, Hot Rod, Letus, Ciecio7, Band Pro, Denz, MTF, at least one other that I can't divulge info on yet but will on Monday, and at least two or three others that I can't remember the names of offhand). That's a whole lot of people competing for share of that pie -- and shows that PL glass is big business and getting bigger.

So while there may or may not be a Canon cinema camera coming, I think the existing market is plenty enough reason for Canon's high-end lens manufacturing business to get involved and produce some good PL glass. Fujinon introduced their extremely-well-received Alura line just last year (premium PL-mount cinema zooms at relatively affordable prices) and Fujinon is Canon's primary competitor, so hearing them announce these lenses is probably (IMO) a reaction to Fujinon more than it is a harbinger of an impending high-end digicine camera from Canon.

(and before anybody leaps down my throat for being a "downer", just remember the last time everyone got their hopes sky-high -- with "the biggest announcement in Canon's history" -- and it turned out to be a photocopier.) All I'm saying is that there is plenty of justification for them to introduce new lenses without it having to mean that there's some big revolutionary cinema camera coming; just the competition from Fujinon is more than enough to justify it.
 
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Indeed, Canon up until now has pointedly stayed out of the motion camera market for anything above high end prosumer prices. $10k or so tops.
 
Indeed, Canon up until now has pointedly stayed out of the motion camera market for anything above high end prosumer prices. $10k or so tops.

Not so. Canon make some eye wateringly expensive broadcast TV lenses and they have a history of Super 16 and 35mm PL mount lenses
 
Those lenses look very high end, I'm sure a direct competition for the Fuji. But surely these companies see the potential for a cheaper alternative for a more mass produced market. Like say the reletively cheap Fuji 'kit lens' for a 2/3 cam like the HPX 500. There were upgrades available for much more but there was always a basic starter lens that did the job. This is what is desperately needed in the market, and PL seem to be the way to go to make it the most universal.
 
(and before anybody leaps down my throat for being a "downer", just remember the last time everyone got their hopes sky-high -- with "the biggest announcement in Canon's history" -- and it turned out to be a photocopier.) .

canon makes photocopiers? *gasp!* :shocked:
 
Those lenses look very high end, I'm sure a direct competition for the Fuji. But surely these companies see the potential for a cheaper alternative for a more mass produced market. Like say the reletively cheap Fuji 'kit lens' for a 2/3 cam like the HPX 500. There were upgrades available for much more but there was always a basic starter lens that did the job. This is what is desperately needed in the market, and PL seem to be the way to go to make it the most universal.

Fujis are dearer....they are T2.0
 
Anyone hear what speed they are? I did not see a what the aperture range is on their site, which makes me wonder... If they are T2 or T2.8 that would be awesome, but anything slower than T3, frankly I will be a bit unimpressed, especially with the RED 18-85 and 50-150 being under 10K each and a 17-50 or refurbished 18-85 being 6K. They either need to be really fast and/or really cheap.... (I am assuming the IQ will be excellent though as it is Canon glass.)
 
Can anyone explain the difference between t stops and f stops. I remember reading an article about it several years ago, But cant remember where.
 
The F-stop is the ratio between the focal length of the lens divided by the diameter of the aperure opening
Example - If the focal length is 50mm and the diameter of the opening is 25mm, the F-stop is 2.0
In a perfect world the F-stop would be a good guage for all lenses, but each piece of glass has properties that can change the amount of light that goes through the lens.
The T-stop is just a measureof the actual light that gets transmitted through the lens no matter the glass. (The F-stop can be off by a bit dependent on different glass properties)

In short: F-stop is theory and T-stop is reality.

Information paraphrased from Brian Paris. 2009
 
On paper this lens seems to be a good choice for the AF100 - real wide angle on a 4/3 sensor (29mm). Much better than the RED zooms. Finally a cine zoom that fits, but the biggest drawback could be the price.
 
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