Canon C300 Mark II (B&H Photo | Adorama) at a glance:

• 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

Canon’s CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 L IS servo zoom is a hot piece of gear for news and documentary shooters. Even if it is selling for over $5,000, it has to be considered “affordable” compared to other cine zoom lenses.

Newsshooter posted some exclusive video footage shot with a pre-production CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 L IS. They used a Canon C300 Mark II for the tests. The C300 Mark II had beta firmware on board to make it work with the CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 L IS.

They write:

If the pre-production sample is anything to go by then I think Canon have a winner on their hands. It might not be as long, or as wide as the ideal lens, but then it isn’t the price of a Fujinon Cabrio or Canon’s own CN7. It is a much more usable run-and-gun lens than the average stills zoom and the range is very usable. And for the price there are currently few alternatives. Read the review…

Canon COMPACT-SERVO 18-80mm T4.4: Adorama | B&H Photo

Canon COMPACT-SERVO 18-80mm at a glance (taken from Adorama’s product page, pre-orders possible):

• Covers 18-80mm Focal Length with Servo Control Capability: The lens is equipped with an electronic zoom that delivers smooth, quiet and stable zooming from high speed to low speed across the entire 18 80mm zoom range.
• High-level 4K Optical Performance: Designed to fulfill contemporary 4K production standards, the lens provides superb optical performance with 4K support through the entire zoom range, from the center to the perimeter of the image.
• No-step Iris Mechanism for Motion Picture Shooting: Smooth, no-step iris operation can be controlled manually or electronically. The iris can be closed at the minimum aperture.
• Focus Breathing: Featuring zoom and focus mechanisms suitable for video shooting, the variance in angle of view during focusing is minimized
• Newly Developed Servo Drive Unit: The newly developed servo drive unit allows you to control zoom, focus and iris over servo.
• Compact and Lightweight: For Increased Mobility and Versatility
• Autofocus Function: The lens is equipped with an ultrasonic motor (USM) to support Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Auto-Focus) and the Dual Pixel Focus Guide.
• Image Stabilization: Featuring optical-shift image stabilization, this lens provides strong IS from low to high frequencies to help enable stable shooting
• EF Communication Functions Ideal for Video Shooting: The lens supports various EF communication functions via the electronic contacts of the EF mount

Canon’s Technical USA Advisor Brent Ramsey discusses the features and benefits of the Canon COMPACT-SERVO 18-80mm T4.4 EF. This lens can be ideal for the cinematographer moving up from EF lenses, combining the functionality of EF lenses with the video shooting features of Cinema lenses, as well as benefits of compact size and lightweight (only 2.7 lbs.) for outstanding mobility.

Canon COMPACT-SERVO 18-80mm T4.4: Adorama | B&H Photo

Canon COMPACT-SERVO 18-80mm at a glance (taken from Adorama’s product page, pre-orders possible):

• Covers 18-80mm Focal Length with Servo Control Capability: The lens is equipped with an electronic zoom that delivers smooth, quiet and stable zooming from high speed to low speed across the entire 18 80mm zoom range.
• High-level 4K Optical Performance: Designed to fulfill contemporary 4K production standards, the lens provides superb optical performance with 4K support through the entire zoom range, from the center to the perimeter of the image.
• No-step Iris Mechanism for Motion Picture Shooting: Smooth, no-step iris operation can be controlled manually or electronically. The iris can be closed at the minimum aperture.
• Focus Breathing: Featuring zoom and focus mechanisms suitable for video shooting, the variance in angle of view during focusing is minimized
• Newly Developed Servo Drive Unit: The newly developed servo drive unit allows you to control zoom, focus and iris over servo.
• Compact and Lightweight: For Increased Mobility and Versatility
• Autofocus Function: The lens is equipped with an ultrasonic motor (USM) to support Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Auto-Focus) and the Dual Pixel Focus Guide.
• Image Stabilization: Featuring optical-shift image stabilization, this lens provides strong IS from low to high frequencies to help enable stable shooting
• EF Communication Functions Ideal for Video Shooting: The lens supports various EF communication functions via the electronic contacts of the EF mount

The folks at NewsShooter are at NAB 2016 and had a close look at Canon’s COMPACT-SERVO 18-80mm lightweight cine zoom lens. Well, they were impressed. Watch the video below.

[via NewsShooter]