These two lenses are the first in Canon's line of 4K broadcast lenses for covering sporting events, concerts, and other live events
Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced two new long-zoom 2/3-inch 4K field lenses in support of the emerging 4K UHD broadcast camera systems. The UJ86x9.3B (UHD-DIGISUPER 86)* is the flagship Premium 4K field lens and is flanked by the UJ90x9B (UHD-DIGISUPER 90)* standard 4K field lens. These two lenses are the first in Canon’s line of 4K broadcast lenses for covering sporting events, concerts, and other live events.
The zoom ratios of 90x and 86x of these two lenses make them the longest and second-longest 4K broadcast lenses in the world**. 4K UHD cameras deliver video outputs having a digital sampling structure of 3840 (H) x 2160 (V) – which is four times more spatial samples than 1080-line HDTV, rendering stunning images of live events and driving the public’s desire toward more 4K content delivered to their homes. These new lenses meet and can exceed the rigorous demands of 4K UHD content creation, continuing Canon's legacy of innovative research and development in the broadcast television industry.
“From monochrome to color, SDTV to HDTV, and now HDTV to 4K UHDTV, sports and live event production have long been the primary driving force in television innovation,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc., “With these two new 4K field lenses, broadcasters will be empowered to deliver amazing levels of image clarity to those who seek new viewing experiences on larger television screens.”
Anticipating that 4K UHD acquisition systems will evolve in diversity in order to meet various performance levels and production budgets, Canon has developed two classes of 4K lenses based upon two different design criteria. The UHD-DIGISUPER 86 is the initial offering in the Premium 4K class, and is positioned to be the flagship of Canon’s 4K family of lenses. The design of this lens sought the highest possible overall optical performance to help ensure performance in excess of 4K throughout all lens operational settings. The design of the companion UHD-DIGISUPER 90 lens is based upon the design criteria of our HDTV field lenses – by providing 4K performance in a smaller body while offering a wider focal range.
Following four generations of HDTV lens designs, Canon’s accumulated experiences combined with the very latest in design tools, optical glass materials, and associated advanced optical coatings were mobilized to move new optical designs to the higher level of 4K. Tight management of optical spatial resolution across the image plane and over the entire focal ranges is supported by enhanced contrast to offer superb image sharpness. Maintaining the image sharpness of 4K is especially challenging in outdoor shooting environments where wind and platform vibrations can stimulate image blur. For this reason Canon deployed the very latest in sophisticated shift-type optical image stabilization technology augmented by high-speed digital servo control. Camera operators will be further heartened by the ergonomic design of these lenses which essentially maintained the same size and weight as contemporary Canon HDTV lenses. These lenses utilize the same standard Canon controllers for zoom and focus operations that have been optimized over decades of Canon HDTV field lens developments. Both lenses also utilize 16-bit absolute value encoders for sensing positional information of the zoom, focus, and iris operations, and use the standard Canon 20-pin connector that provides an interface for this information for external virtual systems. The design of the built-in 2x optical extender unit continues to maintain full 4K optical specifications when that extender is switched in.
The UHD-DIGISUPER 86 offers a focal range extending from the wide-angle 9.3mm setting out to the telephoto 800mm extremity (18.6-1600mm with the 2x extender). The UHD-DIGISUPER 90 has a wide-angle setting of 9mm and a telephoto extremity of 810mm (18 – 1620mm with the 2x extender).
The UHD-DIGISUPER 86 and 90 lenses will be shipping in October 2015 and March 2016 respectively.
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean (excluding Mexico) markets. With approximately $31 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2014† and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2015. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyoseiphilosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED® Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. For media inquiries, please contact pr@cusa.canon.com.