Canon has announced the development of two camera bodies that will expand the Cinema EOS System line-up plus developing four new digital cinematography zoom lenses.
The flagship product in the new series is a digital cinema camera capable of recording 4K-resolution video. Developed in response to growing expectations for higher levels of imaging performance, the interchangeable-lens EOS C500/EOS C500 PL will support 4K (4,096 x 2,160 pixels) video capture with RAW output to ensure superior image quality. The new camera will be aimed at Hollywood and the broader motion picture and television production industry. Release dates and pricing are still to be determined.
Also aimed at the motion picture, television and other digital high-resolution production industries the new EOS-1D C is a compact, lightweight model that is capable of recording video at 4K with a frame rate of 24p, with 8-bit Motion JPEG compression, cropped to an APS-H-equivalent size angle of view. The EOS-1D C also supports Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) video recording at a frame rate of 60p to satisfy users who require high-speed capture for slow-motion playback. A Super 35 mm crop function enables video to be recorded in the industry-standard 35 mm angle of view.
Equipped with a 35 mm full-frame approximately 18.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, the EOS-1D C features an expanded sensitivity range up to ISO 25600. The Canon Log Gamma enables the recording of high-quality video with rich gradation and minimises both shadow-detail loss and highlight-detail loss while providing a high level of colour-grading freedom. Bundled playback software allows 4K/Motion JPEG and Full HD/60p video shot on an EOS-1D C to be output to an external monitor with no loss of image quality. It also enables video shot with Canon Log Gamma to be displayed with video gamma applied.
The EOS-1D C realises the same exceptional still-image performance as the Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR camera (scheduled for release from June 2012), featuring a sensitivity range of ISO 100-51200 with reduced noise. Incorporating Dual DIGIC 5+ image processors, the camera delivers fast and accurate AE and AF performance while also enabling high-speed continuous shooting of up to approximately 12 frames per second (fps). In the ultra-fast continuous shooting mode, a continuous shooting speed of up to approximately 14 fps is available for JPEG images only (the mirror remains raised during shooting).
Both cameras will provide an efficient post-production workflow that is compatible with those used in the motion-picture, television, music video and other top-end production industries. The Canon EOS-1D C digital SLR camera will be available in Australia from the end of August 2012 with pricing at dealer discretion.
Four new digital cinematography zoom lenses will be released this year to expand the initial EF Cinema Lens line-up: the CN-E15.5-47mm T2.8 L S (for EF mounts) and CN-E15.5-47mm T2.8 L SP (for PL mounts) wide-angle cinema zoom lenses, and the CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L S (for EF mounts) and CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L SP (for PL mounts). All will support video recording using 4K-resolution cameras and feature compact, lightweight bodies that were designed to enable handheld shooting.
While further details regarding the four cinema zoom lenses currently under development, including specifications and pricing, have yet to be decided. Details will be posted on the product pages for the Cinema EOS System when they are finalised. Canon will be displaying prototypes of the cinema zoom lenses at NAB Show 2012, one of the world’s largest events for the video, broadcasting equipment and digital media industries, from April 16 to 19 in Las Vegas, U.S.A.
