Canon may announce EOS R7 cropped frame mirrorless camera before Q2, 2022

 

* * * Check out my Canon EOS R3 camera review * * *

* * *  Canon announced the EOS R7 and EOS R10 cameras  * * *

My readers know me as The Wildlife Ho-tographer. I have been using Canon gear for over 30 years. You can follow my travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com

Throughout the decades, I have owned and/or used all the EOS camera lines. I bought my first EOS 1 back in 1989 as my main camera and have upgraded to every model since. Now the EOS-1D X Mark III and EOS R3 are my primary bodies and the EOS-1D X Mark II and EOS-1D Mark IV are my backup cameras. Occasionally, I use the EOS-7D Mark II for far away wildlife shots.

As my readers know, I have waited for almost three years before I purchased my first mirrorless camera, the EOS R3. When the EOS R was first introduced, I was invited to a VIP preview but found the camera wanting. The EOS R3 is a great improvement over the original EOS R and I am trying to get used to it as one of my two primary wildlife centric cameras.

My biggest dislike of mirrorless camera is their small ergonomic size, limited battery life and 'slow' EVF as compared to the real time sensation of SLR cameras. The EOS R3 eliminated many of my concerns with mirrorless camera but it's still not at the EOS 1 level.

The upcoming EOS R1 with its expected 40+ MP (global?) sensor and Quad Pixel AF should hopefully make Canon's transition from a DSLR powerhouse to a first-in-class mirrorless camera company a reality. I am anxiously waiting to see some prototypes out in the wild and plan to place my pre-order as soon as it's available. 

The second mirrorless body that may interest me will be the EOS R7, a APS-C camera. It should have the same 1.6X crop factor that all Canon APS-C cameras. This new body will be similar to the EOS R6 but designed for wildlife photographers who like to have the extra reach under certain circumstances. The EOS R7 is rumored to come with the following features :

• Dimension and weight similar to EOS R6
• Low 30+MP dual pixel CMOS sensor
• Digic X processor
• CFexpress and SD memory card slots
• May use the same battery grip BG-R10 as the EOS R6
• May use the same LP-E6NH battery as the EOS R6.
• IBIS and AF similar to EOS R6
• 4K @ 60 fps, 1080p @ 240 fps, C-Log 3
• List price similar to EOS R6 

I have purchased the RF 100-500mm and RF 24-240mm lenses because they are not available in the EF format. Canon is releasing many EF lens  in the RF format. My complement of EF lenses have served me well and I do not need too many additional lenses to clutter my equipment bags.

Stay tune as I get the latest leaks and information concerning the upcoming EOS R1 and EOS R7. Both cameras' prototypes should be out in the wild now for field testing. It is possible to have a development announcement in the second half of 2022 for the EOS R1 and possible limited delivery in early 2023. The EOS R7 may be announced before the end of the second quarter of 2022. 

Canon released new firmware for EOS C300 Mark III and EOS C500 Mark II cameras

MELVILLE, NY, April 21, 2022 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today a firmware update for the Canon EOS C300 Mark III and EOS C500 Mark II digital cinema cameras. The new firmware will enable these cameras to be Frame.io Camera to Cloud (C2C) compatible devices. This cutting edge workflow can save valuable time, allowing a collaborative cloud-based workflow in a variety of production environments from scripted motion picture and television production to reality TV, documentary, commercial, and more.

Transferring footage from camera, from on set or location, into the post-production workflow traditionally requires backing up files to a hard drive and carrying or shipping the drives to another location to be ingested for post. C2C workflow sends secure high-quality, low-bandwidth H.264 proxies, 4K 10bit 4:2:2 H.265 (HEVC) files and uncompressed audio files with matching timecode and filenames to the Frame.io cloud platform. Frame.io® is now an Adobe® company.

Using a third-party Wi-Fi, 5G or LTE streaming encoder connected to the camera output, Frame.io C2C workflow can automatically distribute clips to editors (or anyone else who needs them) the moment the Director calls “cut.” This enables immediate review of footage on an authorized user’s device on or off set, anywhere in the world, empowering all stakeholders to watch production and collaborate in real-time.

Availability

The firmware update that will enable Canon EOS C300 Mark III and Canon EOS C500 Mark II digital cinema cameras to leverage third-party encoders for Camera to Cloud is scheduled to be available end of May 2022.*

Canon announced 122x Field Zoom Lens with AF for 4K Broadcast Cameras

MELVILLE, NY, April 12, 2022 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today the launch of the UHD-DIGISUPER 122 AF, a new field zoom lens with autofocus for 2/3-inch sensor 4K broadcast cameras, featuring the world’s widest angle*, longest focal length* and largest zoom*. Along with the new lens, Canon will also release two new focus demand accessories – The Canon FDJ-S31 and FDJ-S41.

The UHD-DIGISUPER 122 AF is Canon’s new flagship field zoom lens for 4K broadcast cameras, and the company’s first 4K broadcast lens to include built-in AF. With the addition of AF with superb high-speed and high-accuracy subject tracking, this new lens enables the capture of immersive, high-resolution video, thus meeting a wide range of needs at on-location 4K workspaces that demand extremely precise AF, such as sporting events, concerts and other indoor and outdoor events.

The DIGISUPER 100 AF (released in June 2006), Canon’s AF-enabled lens for HD broadcast cameras, garnered high praise from the broadcast market thanks to its high-performance phase-detect AF. The new UHD-DIGISUPER 122 AF carries this legacy into the next generation with support for 4K video. The lens produces natural and smooth AF that can rapidly focus on subjects — even when initially far out of focus — as well as track fast-moving subjects while maintaining focus with high precision.

Canon’s new UHD-DIGISUPER 122 AF features a zoom range of 8.2 mm at the wide end and 1,000 mm at the telephoto end — a 122x zoom ratio, the world’s most powerful zoom range for AF-equipped field zoom lenses for 2/3-inch sensor 4K broadcast cameras. In addition, the lens employs a built-in 2x extender that allows users to increase the zoom range two-fold, featuring a 16.4 mm focal length at the wide-angle end and a 2,000 mm focal length at the telephoto end.

Alongside the new lens, Canon will also release two new focus demand models for AF-equipped lenses used with HD or 4K broadcast cameras. The Canon FDJ-S31 and FDJ-S41 focus demand accessories enable focus control and provide a variety of powerful support capabilities, including the ability to switch between three sizes of AF frames, move the AF frame within the screen, AF mode switching, and three different focus curve modes.

Availability

The Canon UHD-DIGISUPER 122 AF lens and Canon FDJ-S31 and FDJ-S41 focus demand accessories are all scheduled to be available in early July 2022.**

Canon will showcase its latest digital imaging solutions and products, including the new field zoom lens and focus demand accessories, at the NAB Show 2022 (Booth #C4432) in Las Vegas, April 24th-27th. For more information about the new lens, focus demand accessories, and Canon’s presence at the show please visit usa.canon.com.

Canon announced new series of EF Cinema Lenses with wide T2.4 aperture designed for Full-Frame Cameras

MELVILLE, NY, April 12, 2022 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today the launch of a new series of lenses for the company’s EF Cinema Lens lineup — the Flex Zoom Lens series of lenses, which were developed to create cinema-style productions with greater workflow efficiency. The first lenses in the series are the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F/FP wide-angle zoom lens and the CN-E45-135mm T2.4 L F/FP telephoto zoom lens.

Designed in the pursuit of cinematic beauty, the new large-aperture lenses feature both high-level optical design and performance while maintaining the style and ease-of-use of Canon’s EF Cinema lens series. With the introduction of the zoom lenses featuring focal length ranges of 20-50mm for wide-angle and 45-135mm for telephoto, Canon now offers zoom lenses that cover the same range as its six existing prime (single focal length) lenses. The versatility of these new lenses supports efficient production workflows for a wide range of scenarios, including film, TV programs, commercials, and much more.

When paired with full-frame or large-format cameras, these lenses fully leverage the cameras’ signature shallow depth-of-field look and provide smooth and natural background blur, helping to produce powerful storytelling imagery. The lenses also maintain a bright T2.4 aperture1 across their entire zoom ranges allowing for image capture in both natural light and darker environments. This feature helps to reduce the need for intricate lighting setups, enabling more efficient and cost-effective video production workflows.

Engineered with an optical configuration that creates the optimal placement of lens elements, including a large-aperture aspherical lens and an anomalous dispersion glass lens, the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F/FP and the CN-E45-135mm T2.4 L F/FP lenses help reduce the potential for color smudging and chromatic aberrations. This enables them to maintain high optical performance from the center of the image to the periphery when paired with 8K cameras.

In addition to supporting EF-mount data transmission2, the new lenses are also compatible with /i Technology3 from Cooke Optics. With this capability, recording metadata such as focus, zoom, aperture, and lens model can be transmitted via the lens mount for visualization on the camera itself. This additional information helps to contribute to more efficient workflows not only during on-location recording, but also during post-production and editing.

Pricing and Availability

The Canon CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F/FP wide-angle zoom lens and Canon CN-E45-135mm T2.4 L F/FP telephoto zoom lens are scheduled to be available in early June 2022 and early September 2022 for an estimated retail price of $21,999.00.*

Canon will showcase its latest digital imaging solutions and products, including the new Flex Zoom Lens series of lenses, at the NAB Show 2022 (Booth #C4432) in Las Vegas, April 24th-27th. For more information about the new lenses and Canon’s presence at the show please visit usa.canon.com.