Earlier today, Canon announced the CJ20ex7.8B - a new portable 4K broadcast 20x zoom lens for use with broadcast cameras featuring 2/3-inch sensors. This versatile lens features a 20x zoom range and provides the optical excellence needed for 4K broadcast production. With a focal range of 7.8 - 156mm, a broad range of scene compositions can be achieved from a single lens. A built-in 2x extender allows more telephoto operation without sacrificing 4K image quality. CJ20ex2.8B Canon 4K UHD 2/3 inch Lens UltraHD acquisition on a broadcast level offers significant benefits for editors and other post-production professionals, who now can a Full HD 1920 x 1080 crop from within the 3840 x 2160 camera original with full HDTV image quality, or re-frame/stabilise the image without losing quality. Alternatively, the 4K UHD camera video can be down-sampled to HDTV offering enhanced resolution by virtue of that super-sampled original. With its broad zoom range and wide angle performance, the CJ20ex7.8B can be a workhorse lens for Electronic Field Production (EFP) and Electronic News Gathering (ENG) broadcast applications covering news, sports, live events and filmmakers creating documentary projects desiring 4K quality. CJ20 Canon 4K B4 Lens The CJ20ex7.8B is the fourth lens this year in Canon’s new UHDxs lineup of 4K UHD broadcast lenses, joining the wide-angle CJ12ex4.3B in the portable lens group, and the long-zoom UJ86x9.3B and UJ90x9B field lenses.
“As 4K UHD continues to grow in popularity, Canon is developing more solutions to provide producers and broadcasters with outstanding optical performance,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Complementing the wide-angle performance of the CJ12ex4.3B lens introduced earlier this year, the new CJ20ex7.8B lens provides a versatile option for magnificent imagery, whether in 4K UHD or HDTV.”
Canon CJ20ex7.8B 4K UHD Zoom Lens The form factor and operational controls will be very familiar to anyone who has used Canon’s award-winning HD lenses.  The lens is also compatible with standard HD zoom and focus demand controls. Its light weight of four pounds, 13 ounces and compact size make it ideal for shoulder-mounted ENG applications. A 20-pin connector, capable of reading out the high-precision position information of the zoom, focus and iris are provided as a standard feature. Coming standard with another two 20-pin connectors for zoom and focus control, virtual operations are possible in the full-servo mode, and use of a 16-bit absolute value encoder in the digital drive unit helps eliminate the need for any initialization, meaning users can simply turn on the camera and begin shooting. Availability and UK pricing is yet to be confirmed, but Canon have said the lens is expected to start shipping in May 2016. For all your Canon Lens or camera needs, get in touch with our Canon specialists at 0208 977 1222.