Canon Unveils New 4K UHD Pro Camcorder, 8K UHD Portable Zoom Lens
Canon has unveiled a new professional 4K camcorder and a new 8K-suitable pro BCTV zoom lens. The Canon XF605 is a compact 4K camcorder designed for solo shooters. The XF605 is 10% smaller and 600g lighter than the Canon XF705. The new lens is the 10×16 KAS S, an addition to Canon’s 1.25″ 8K broadcast camera lens lineup that includes 10x optical zoom from 16mm to 160mm.
The new XF-series professional camcorder comes equipped with a 1.0-inch CMOS sensor and the ability to record 4K/60p/4:2:2/10-bit/HDR video to dual onboard SD card slots. Equipped with Canon’s renowned Dual Pixel CMOS AF, the XF605 achieves high-speed and high-accuracy focusing and is the first XF-series model to include Eye Detection AF, as well as improved face and head detection, enabling more accurate and stable tracking of subjects. The new camcorder also includes new video transmission functionality, making it an ideal tool for broadcast journalists.
Featuring a Canon L-Series lens with 15x zoom, 3-ring operation, a 1.0-inch CMOS sensor, and a DIGIC DV7 image processor, the XF605 allows for the capture of in-camera HDR video. Users also have the ability to leverage a high frame rate of up to 120 FPS when opting for Full HD recording. Canon Log 3 recording is also available, to provide additional color latitude. Weighing more than 21 ounces less than the XF705, (which is more than a 25% reduction), the XF605’s compact body is also 10% shorter in both length and height.
In addition, the camcorder provides professionals with a more intuitive user experience through features such as Direct Touch menu operations and touch-panel playback. By way of the newly released CTM mobile app for iOS (a paid application to be released in mid-October 2021), the XF605 can connect and transfer recorded video data via cable or wirelessly to compatible iOS devices and transfer proxy footage, audio, and metadata to servers at broadcast stations or other locations, thus making possible faster and more efficient workflows for broadcast operations. The camcorder features built-in Wi-Fi/Ethernet connectivity for Browser Remote, IP streaming, and FTP transfer. What’s more, the camcorder is also the first XF-series model to feature USB Video Class, allowing use as a webcam without the need for a third-party HDMI to USB adapter.
The XF605 is equipped with a new multi-accessory shoe. By connecting the XLR microphone adapter CA-XLR2d-C (sold separately) developed by TEAC Corporation, up to four channels of XLR input can be used together with the audio input of the XF605. This enables a flexible audio recording workflow.
The Canon XF605 4K UHD Professional Camcorder is scheduled to be available in mid-October 2021 for an estimated retail price of $4499.00.
The 8K resolution 10×16 KAS S is a new portable zoom lens for 8K broadcast cameras that feature a 1.25-inch sensor. The new lens was designed to meet the ever-growing demand in recent years for ultra-high-resolution video production equipment, especially in such fields as sports broadcasting and documentary filmmaking.
The lens features a fast constant aperture of f/2.8 across the entire zoom range that spans 16mm at the wide end to 160mm at the telephoto end, a zoom magnification of 10x. This combination of aperture speed and the zoom range is ideal for events such as sports and live broadcasting, which often involves frequent changes in focal length, in order to provide immersive and high-resolution imagery with a colorful and vibrant appearance. The Canon 10×16 KAS S lens is equipped with lens elements such as fluorite, UD lenses, Hi-UD lenses (a lens element utilizing ultra-low dispersion glass), and wide-diameter aspherical lenses that help to reduce chromatic aberrations, spherical aberrations, and other effects that could diminish image quality.
Canon utilized its optical simulation technologies, honed and improved through the company’s history to determine the ideal placement of lens elements. High-precision manufacturing operations and assembly technologies help to optimize manufacturing consistency for this type of lens class. Together, these features and procedures allowed Canon to develop a lens with an image that is clear and sharp from the center to the periphery throughout the entire zoom range.
The lens also features a high-performance digital drive unit powered by the high-resolution 16-bit absolute value encoder digital drive unit that has a proven track record of use with 2/3-inch 4K broadcast zoom lenses. This makes possible high-precision position detection, which is vital for productions that incorporate virtual imaging systems.
The Canon 10×16 KAS S 8K UHD portable zoom lens is scheduled to be available in late October 2021.
More info on Canon’s website.
