Canon Australia has announced the addition of new products to its EOS lineup of professional digital cinematography range this year.
At the top of the range will be a new flagship model, the EOS C500, which is capable of shooting stunning 4K-resolution video. As with previous Cinema EOS cameras, this camera will be offered in two models: the EOS C500, which supports Canon’s diverse line-up of interchangeable EF lenses and EF Cinema Lenses; and the EOS C500 PL, compatible with industry-standard PL lenses.
The EOS C500/PL features an industry-standard Super 35 mm equivalent CMOS sensor (approximately 8.85 million effective pixels). It supports a maximum ISO setting of 20,000 and low noise due to the large pixel surface area. Canon Log Gamma enables high-resolution 4K video capture with a high dynamic range that can be output as Canon’s proprietary uncompressed Cinema RAW data (60p, 10-bit) with no image degradation.
Through its 3G-SDI interface, the EOS C500/PL is capable of outputting 4K 10-bit Bayer RAW data directly from the CMOS image sensor into an external recorder to meet the needs of the most demanding cinematic productions. The camera employs a 10/12-bit RGB 4:4:4 signal format during 2K (2048 x 1080) and Full-HD output, achieving rich colour reproduction while supporting efficient post-production editing, chroma key compositing and other image processing tasks.
The C500/PL boasts a maximum speed of 60fps in 4K RAW (4096×2160) full resolution mode. In 4K HRAW (4096×2160) and 2K (2048×1080) YCC 4:2:2 modes the C500/PL captures images at an impressive 120 fps. The new Canon EOS C500 and EOS C500 PL will go on sale in Australia in November 2012 with pricing set at dealer discretion.
Also announced today is the compact, lightweight EOS C100 digital video camera, which is designed for independent producers and features automatic functions facilitating easy operation by a single user. The EOS C100 has a similar sensor to the C500, featuring a large pixel-surface-area for high light-gathering capabilities. The result is high sensitivity and reduced noise for natural low-light shooting. The CMOS sensor reads Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) video signals for each of the three RGB primary colours, decreasing the incidence of moirø© while realising 1,000 horizontal TV line resolution. Supported by a high signal read-out speed, the CMOS sensor minimises rolling shutter skews, which can distort fast-moving subjects. Shooting in confined environments is easier thanks to the C100’s slim, vertically oriented ‘mobile core’ body design. The EOS C100 will go on sale in Australia in December 2012 with pricing set at dealer discretion.
The new 14mm T3.1 wide-angle EF Cinema Lens, which is currently being developed. (Source: Canon.)
Canon has also announced plans to bolster its EF Cinema Lens line-up with two new prime lenses, a 14mm T3.1 wide-angle and a 135mm T2.2 telephoto. Both are currently under development. The new lenses will support 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels) production standards, with a level of resolution exceeding four times the resolution of Full HD, while offering compatibility with not only industry-standard-size Super 35 mm-equivalent sensors, but also 35 mm full-frame, APS-H-size and APS-C-size sensors. While details regarding specifications have yet to be determined, Canon aims to launch the two new lenses in the first half of 2013.
The new EF Cinema CN-E15.5″“47mm T2.8 L lens. (Source: Canon.)
The company will also introduce four new compact and lightweight EF Cinema Lenses for use with 4K cameras: 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). Designed with hand-held shooting in mind, each new zoom lens weighs just approximately 2.2 kg, less than half the weight of Canon’s top-end zoom lens models. They feature an optical design employing low-refraction, low-dispersion UD (ultra-low dispersion) glass elements, which correct for chromatic aberrations and provide excellent imaging performance without colour blurring.
The CN-E30″“105mm T2.8 L S and CN-E30″“105mm T2.8 L SP are due for release in October, while the other two lenses will be available in December.
Full details of the new Cinema EOS products are available at the Cinema EOS System. Cinema EOS dealer websites can be contacted at: http://www.lemac.com.au/ and http://www.videocraft.com.au/page/contact_us.html.
