Canon's New Cine-Servo Zoom Lens is Compact & Surprisingly Budget-Friendly
On the heels of their new Super 35mm pocket camera announcement, Canon has unveiled a cine-servo zoom lens that is lightweight, compact, and actually affordable.
Canon's new COMPACT-SERVO 18-80mm Zoom Lens has a bunch of features that may appeal to not only ENG-shooters, but indie filmmakers and documentarians alike, but perhaps the most impressive thing about it is its price. At $5225, this parfocal lens is a far cry price-wise to similar cine-servo lenses, some of which come in at over $60K. It boasts 4K optical performance, enhanced servo drive unit, 3 image stabilization modes, and Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus.
Features
- Covers Super 35 & APS-C Formats
- EF Mount
- T4.4 Constant Maximum Aperture
- 9-Blade Iris
- Parfocal with Minimized Focus Breathing
- Compatible with Servo Lens Controllers
- Optional Control Grip
- Image Stabilization & Auto Focus Support
- 180° Rotation for Focus
- Lightweight at only 2.65 lb
Typically when you think about cine-servo lenses it's within the context of broadcasting and ENG-style content. However, Canon's aim with this new line of COMPACT-SERVO lenses is to appeal with indie filmmakers and documentarians, who typically opt for smaller camera rigs rather than a huge shoulder-mounted camera with a cine-servo lens that you typically see in ENG shooting. Furthermore, the COMPACT-SERVO 18-80mm Zoom Lens was built to be compatible with EF- mount Super 35mm large-format cameras, like the C300 and C500, so creating a lens that could provide users with a cinematic look was one of the goals Canon had with this lens. From Canon's press release:
Covering the commonly used focal length range of 18mm to 80mm, this new Zoom Lens combines the functionality of Canon EF lenses with the precision and cinematic look of Canon Cinema lenses. The new COMPACT-SERVO 18-80mm Zoom Lens is 4K-ready and features auto focus and optical image stabilization with compatible camera models only, resulting in high-resolution imagery, with the ability to assist filmmakers in capturing the shot they envisioned.
The CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 COMPACT-SERVO lens is currently available for pre-order for $5225. Canon is also releasing the ZSG-C10 zoom grip at the same time as the lens for $474, which was specifically designed for their line of CN-E COMPACT-SERVO lenses.
Canon says they will be introducing new COMPACT-SERVOS in the very near future, so it's a pretty safe bet that will happen at NAB. Stay tuned!
Canon CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 COMPACT-SERVO Cinema Zoom Lens (EF Mount) — B&H
Source: Canon