CANON INTRODUCES
HDgc HIGH DEFINITION LENSES
TO SUPPORT THE EXPANDING HD CAMERA MARKET
Five New “General Class”
Canon-Quality HD Lenses, Three with eDrive,
Debut at NAB 2006
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., April
10, 2006 — As leading manufacturers
introduce economical, mid-range HD cameras
to support the expanding demand for affordable
HD content, Canon Broadcast and Communications
remains out front with a new line of lenses
engineered for these “general”
HD applications. Canon, which has established
a leading reputation in HD lens technology
for broadcasters and content producers who
require exacting image quality and superior
operational capabilities (HDxs line), has
incorporated their philosophy for excellence
into their new line of HDgc lenses.
The new lenses combine the
best optical features of Canon’s remarkable
lenses, including reduced chromatic aberration
and high and well-controlled MTF, with digital
operational tools that include Shuttle Shot,
Framing Preset, Speed Preset, and more in
a line-up that delivers HD optical quality,
and other higher-end lens advancements.
The HDgc lens line includes for ½-inch
CCD cameras: the KH21ex5.7 IRSE telephoto
lens, the KH10ex3.6 IRSE wide-angle lens,
and a 16X standard lens, which will be available
in late 2006. Digital “eDrive”
is available on all three of these lenses
and represents a principal difference (along
with a built-in 2X extender) between these
models, and the more economical KH20x6.4
KRS lens (for ½-inch HD CCD cameras)
and the KJ20x8.5B KRS lens (for 2/3-inch
HD CCD cameras).
This important new tier of
HD lenses supports the emergence of an entirely
new class of cost-effective HD acquisition
systems recently introduced by all of the
world’s major professional camera
manufacturers. The arrival of diverse new
tapeless HD camcorders is augmenting the
established tape-based HD acquisition systems
and lowering the cost of transitioning broadcast
news and general programming to high definition.
It is anticipated that the HDgc class of
lenses will expand as these new HD acquisition
systems continue to proliferate globally.
All five HDgc lenses feature
Canon’s innovative technology, which
enhances optical performance and provides
multiple user benefits. The new HDgc lenses
achieve an excellent contrast performance
and a well-controlled MTF (Modulation Transfer
Function) profile over their entire respective
image planes while also minimizing chromatic
aberrations. The lenses are designed for
compactness and low weight in direct response
to the equally compact new tapeless HD camcorders.
In addition, these lenses incorporate special
elements without lead to minimize the impact
on the environment, including “Flourite”
with extraordinary dispersion characteristics
and the newly developed Hi-UD (high index
ultra low dispersion) glass. The KH20x6.4
KRS and the KJ20x8.5B KRS lenses feature
Canon’s exclusive Shuttle Shot function,
an advanced servo system that facilitates
zooming back and forth between any two focal
length positions and brings an entirely
new range of value-added creativity to hand-held
acquisition systems. These two lenses also
feature a new ergonomic drive unit that
achieves an ideal balance in comfort and
operation.
“High Definition imaging
is fast becoming a new standard, not simply
in broadcast televison, but in a wide range
of other professional applications as well,
and Canon is staying on top of the demand
with their new HDgc lenses,” said
Gordon Tubbs, assistant director of the
Broadcast and Communications division at
Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon
Inc. “Canon’s decades of leadership
and optical expertise in both standard-
and high-definition lens technology, as
well as our latest innovations in optics
and ergonomics, enables us to engineer this
new class of lenses with an eye on HD quality
and affordability.”
The KH21ex5.7 IRSE, the KH10ex3.6
IRSE, and the upcoming 16X HDgc lenses all
feature eDrive, an important advance pioneered
by Canon. Utilizing three Canon ultra-high-precision,
microprocessor-driven digital servos with
miniature 16-bit optical encoders, Canon’s
eDrive technology represents an entirely
new way to control portable lenses. With
eDrive, users can easily program such functions
as zoom and focus settings into a lens for
precise, automated repeatability via an
easy-to-use LCD menu, assignable “soft”
function buttons, and the rocker switch
built into the lens grip. Users can program
multiple settings or none at all, depending
on their personal needs and preferences.
Canon’s eDrive provides:
nine user-definable function profiles; a
choice of manual, digitally assisted, or
fully programmed control; and instant “Shuttle
Shot” to zoom to the longest focal
length for quick check of focus and back
focus. Digitally assisted shooting techniques
offered by Canon’s eDrive include
graceful “padded” zoom start/stops
so that zooms begin and end softly and without
jerkiness. Canon’s eDrive provides
for memorized focus and zoom positions,
repeatable focus with no mechanical play
or gear backlash, steady and slow zoom creeps,
and one-button on/off.
The KH21ex5.7 IRSE lens features
a 21X zoom ratio and a 2X extender, ideal
for both ENG and EFP applications. The KH10ex3.6
IRSE lens is Canon’s wide-angle version
and offers a 3.6mm wide angle, a 10X zoom
ratio, and a 2X extender.
The KH20x6.4 KRS lens (for
1/2-inch CCD cameras) features a 20X zoom
ratio and a wide angle of 6.4mm for a focal
length of 6.4–128mm, while the KJ20x8.5B
KRS lens (for 2/3-inch CCD cameras) features
the same 20X zoom ratio, a wide angle of
8.5mm, and a focal length of 8.5–170mm.
In addition to their compact
size and weight, Canon has engineered additional
ergonomic design innovations that further
improve the price-performance advantages
of the HDgc lenses. All lenses feature a
new, smaller drive unit that not only comfortably
fits into the palm of the user’s hand,
but also improves the feeling of unity between
the drive unit and the lens. These drive
units, featuring a grip support and ribbed
surface, are tilted at an ideal angle in
order to achieve a better balance and to
provide more comfort and help reduce operator
fatigue.
The new economical HDgc Series
lenses combine high picture quality, ease
of use, and sophisticated operation to provide
support to the popular trend of more affordable
HD cameras for an expanding user base. In
addition, Canon is manufacturing all of
its lenses, including the new HDgc models,
without lead, cadmium, mercury, and other
toxins as part of the company's policy to
minimize the impact on the environment.
See the full line of Canon
products at NAB 2006 in Booth # SU 131 at
the Las Vegas Convention Center.
About Canon U.S.A.,
Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business,
and industrial imaging solutions. The Company
is listed as one of Fortune’s Most
Admired Companies in America and is rated
#35 on the BusinessWeek list of “Top
100 Brands.” Its parent company Canon
Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent holder of
technology, ranking second overall in the
U.S. in 2005, with global revenues of $31.8
billion. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.
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