Canon Compact-Servo 18-80mm EF Lens Announced $5225 Pre-Orders @Texas Media Systems

Mitch Gross said:
What's to figure out? It's a lens designed to work in the style of 2/3" ENG but covers S35 for use on cameras like the C300. And it is very inexpensively priced. Motorized zoom, steeples iris and autofocus? All for under $6K? I think it will sell like mad.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Many FS7 r&g users have been patiently waiting for a lens like this for nearly 18 months.... I'm not that familiar with the Canon C - line of cameras... do they have some type of 20 pin cable connector area for the servo to be powered by the camera? (I like how those photos just show that cable hanging in air ??)
 
Nice to be off the NDA on this because I'm very excited about the possibilities......The lens gets it's power from the EF camera contacts. The cable is from the grip being plugged into the lens.....we know it will work great with the C300 MK II & C100 MK II cameras, but according to the specs, it says it works with EF type cameras. If true, that might mean you could put this on a Canon DSLR....wow...but being only for S35 sized chips, a 5D would be no but a 7D, 80D,etc....Also, how well it will work with 3rd party stuff (FS7 EF adapter for example) is yet to be determined.......interesting.
Anyway, the lens is going to sell very well......and I loved the cryptic end of the article in FD times......"This is the first in a series".....very nice!

Jim Martin
EVSonline.com
 
Me likey. I hope Metabones or someone making Canon EF camera adapters will be quick to be sure that power thru the contacts works for other brands of camera!
 
At first glance I thought the price was $499 for a f/4.4 lens, then I saw the real price!

I understand it's a servo but wow that is expensive for such a slow lens.
 
alex1 said:
At first glance I thought the price was $499 for a f/4.4 lens, then I saw the real price!

I understand it's a servo but wow that is expensive for such a slow lens.
Click to expand...

Naw, it is mouthwateringly inexpensive. Nay, it is break a leg running to store to buy it when compared to alternatives. Still need more details but this will bring a lot of people back to Canon gear, even bodies.
 
Last edited:
Bassman2003 said:
I am not thinking so much about the price but rather the usage in an ENG type of environment. Given that so many use the 24-104 f4 on the C-series this will probably be well received. Does the fact that the lens is called a cine lens absolutely mean it is of higher quality than a still "L" lens? Given that it has an EF mount, is there a quality difference? We will have to see.
Click to expand...
The focus is direct mechanical drive instead of servo. That means your focus marks are your actual focus marks and there is no delay between adusting the ring and the lens responding. That is huge.
 
Just noticed the line below in the Canon Press Release:

"Additional lenses in the COMPACT-SERVO lens class will be announced in the near future."

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/about/newsroom/press-releases/press-release-details/2016/20160413-cinema-lens-Compact-Servo-18-80mm/20160413-cinema-lens-Compact-Servo-18-80mm
 
Meh… Looks like they're shooting for the guys that are using nothing but stills lenses and want to step up slightly. The witness marks are in a window like a Canon stills lens. Its slow. Top end isn't very long. I'm not sure where/when I'd use it. Definitely not for sit downs, I have the fast Cine Primes that cover most focal lengths for that much better. Yeah, it's wider than the 24-105 that a lot of people use, but you need more top-end a lot of the time and it's a tick slower. Unfortunately, the 17-120 is still the best solution out there for an "ENG lens" replacement in the s35 category. There's nothing perfect out there, in my opinion, yet(and I doubt nothing will ever tick all the boxes for me, just because I'm used to 2/3" ENG offerings). The 17-120 is HEAVY as hell, and I say that as a guy who regularly shoots with a 30lb camera. And it's not constant aperture. BUT most of our ENG lenses aren't, either. The Fuji 19-90 is neither wide enough or long enough and the new 20-120 is definitely not wide enough.
 
Most of you seem to be missing some of the biggest points. First, over everything IMO is the fact that it's parfocal. Second, unlike its big brothers, it has IS. Those two features are invaluable when paired together. Sony's great (and unfortunately full frame) 28-135mm is the only other cinema zoom lens I can think of under $15K that is truly parfocal and incorporates IS. An S35 version of that lens at f/2.8 (18-105mm) would be more important to me than the differences between the FS7 and C300 II.

Lastly, this isn't an f/4.4 lens, it's a T4.4 lens. I'm sure it's technically an f/4 lens. Also, the weight, being only 3 pounds is perfect. That makes all the deifference between this being a viable doc lens and it making the camera a tripod-only rig. You see what the f/2.8 (T3) lenses weigh-- so if you want that range and speed, that option is already there.
 
For high ISO cameras like the C100/300 this is going to be a great lens for doc guys, ENG, event and run-and-gun projects. If Canon only had a C200 with 4K priced somewhere between the 100 and 300 I'd jump all over that and this lens for 90% of my work.
 
Last edited:
I guess it's on par with the 24-105 t-stop wise, but hopefully it stays constant through the range.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top