At NAB 2016, Canon announced the new 18-80mm T4.4 EF compact servo zoom lens is targeted to be between the cine zoom lens and the photography zoom lenses which is used in video production. Cine zoom lenses are fully manual, bulky and too expensive for the general user, the new lens from canon is huge leap in the world of lenses it has the electric zoom lens with a moderate price. The lens features a great zoom range at 18 to 80mm, covers the Super35 sensor size, it is compact and weighs only 1.2kg it does not require additional lens support and features a good image stabilisation. Canon Technical USA Advisor Brent Ramsey talks about the features of the Canon Compact-Servo 18-80mm T4.4 EF in this video.
Canon CN-E 18-80mm T4.4L EF Features
- Covers Super 35 & APS-C Sensors
- Native EF Mount
- T4.4 Constant Maximum Aperture
- 9-Blade Iris for pleasing bokeh
- Parfocal with Minimized Focus Breathing
- Compatible with Servo Lens Controllers
- Optional Control Grip
- 77mm filter thread
- Image Stabilization & Auto Focus Support
- 180° Rotation for Focus
- Lightweight at only 2.65 lb
We can’t wait to receive this lens in Dubai and tested, the good thing about the lens is it can be used with cameras like the Canon C100, C300 and with Sony FS7 with an EF to E mount converter.
The only downside is that the lens will exist only in EF mount and no PL, so it’s mostly intended for the low end cinema production, nontheless this is a very versatile lens for Canon cinema shooters even if the T rating on this lens is not so good (T 4.4) but with latest sensors technologies on the new cinema cameras it is not a big problem.