XF205 and XF200 MXF/MP4 Camcorders to Ship in July

Canon got the jump on NAB today with a slew of announcements, including a new 4K 17-120mm zoom lens with detachable servo drive for its EOS cameras, the new HJ18ex7.6B portable ENG zoom lens, two new lightweight camcorders that record in MXF and MP4 formats, and a forthcoming software upgrade aimed at leveraging new Intel graphics hardware to speed on-set processing of 4K raw video from the EOS C500 camera.

The Cine-Servo CN7x17 KAS S is a Super 35mm 17–120mm T2.95 lens designed for cinema and broadcast use and meant to be lightweight enough (6.4 lbs.) to be used on the shoulder. It has a detachable servo drive unit, allowing it to be used with standard lens controllers or in manual mode for precise cinematography, and an 11-blade iris is meant to provide natural, pleasing bokeh characteristics for both documentary and cine-style shoots. The lens  The Cine-Servo will be available in both EF- and PL-mount versions. (They will be switchable at an authorized service facility.) The lens has three 20-pin connectors for externally operated accessories and 16-bit metadata output for connecting to virtual studio systems, and it's compatible with Cooke /i and Canon EOS communication protocols.

Canon said the Cine-Servo lens represents an integration and adaptation of technology from existing broadcast zoom lenses as well as its line-up of EF cinema lenses and is designed its optical performance for 4K acquisition. A wide-diameter aspherical lens design allowed the total number of lenses used in the unit to be reduced, trimming size and weight. Fluorite lenses have been used to reduce chromatic aberrations, and high-refraction, ultra-low dispersion (Hi-UD) glass has been used to reduce fluctuations caused by focusing and zooming, as well as chromatic aberrations on the telephoto end of the lens. Further, lens coatings minimize ghosting and flare, Canon said.

Abel Cine said the lens has an image circle of 31.7mm, meaning it will cover the sensor area of all current 4K cameras, including the Red Dragon at up to 5.5K. Watch the following video from AbelCine to get a look at it set up in a PL configuration on the Sony F55.

The CN7x17 KAS S is expected to be available in August for a suggest list price of $33,000.

The new 2/3-inch HJ18ex7.6B ENG lens is the successor to the eight-year-old HJ17ex7.6B, with a 7.6mm to 137mm focal-length range (plus a built-in 2x extender) and minimum object distance (MOD) of 0.56m. Canon said it allows shots to be taken about four centimeters closer than competing lens designs, allowing it to be used in ever-tighter spaces. It weighs approximately 1.6 kg. It's slated to ship in July at a suggested retail price of $20,700 for the IRSE version and $22,600 for the IASE version.

Both cameras have Ethernet and dual-band wireless LAN connectivity, and Canon said its CameraAccess plus app for iOS and Android allows live monitoring and remote operation, as well as real-time transfer of 640×360 MP4 proxy footage at 1.5 Mbps.

The XF205 ($4,400 estimated list price) has HD-SDI and 3G-SDI output plus timecode and genlock, and comes in at a $500 price premium versus the XF200 ($3,900 estimated list price). Both cameras are expected to ship in mid-July.

Finally, Canon announced a forthcoming software upgrade for its EOS C500 digital cinema camera that will speed up processing of 4K Cinema Raw data on a PC with Intel Iris Pro, a hardware architecture that improves graphics performance. Canon is using a beta version of the Intel Media SDK 2014 Professional Camera Pack in combination with updates to Canon's Cinema Raw Development software to enable real-time playback at up to 24fps on notebook PCs with Iris Pro graphics.

A trial version of the system will be demonstrated at NAB next week. The good news? The software upgrade is free. The bad news? It isn't scheduled for release until October.