Canon HD-EC Lenses On The Set For 'Extreme Close-Up' Shot In 480
With 25+ years of cinematography under his belt, James Mathers recently found himself as Director of Photography on his first digital video shoot, the 480P feature "Extreme Close Up". Getting his feet wet in the new format turned out to be no problem, however, courtesy of the advanced set of Canon High Definition Electronic Cinematography (HD-EC) lenses on his camera provided by Birns & Sawyer Camera in Hollywood.
Featuring a highly ergonomic design that realizes traditional film style feel and operation combined with top optics, the Canon HJ9X5.5B KLL-SC and Canon HJ18X7.8B KLL-SC gave Mathers a smooth transition to digital cinema. "I needed to have a high comfort level going into this project," Mathers says. "My experience with the Canon lenses on film shoots had always been extremely positive and they proved to be just as easy to use, shooting digital. The optical quality was exceptional, as I've come to expect from Canon."
Working with producer Sean Cunningham ("Friday the 13th", "House"), Mathers saw that the 480p format was a perfect complement for the feature's concept, a murder mystery that puts a dramatic twist on a reality TV series. Shooting through the Canon lenses from Hollywood rental facility Birns & Sawyer, Mathers discovered that their focus and iris rings are engraved with large, luminous scales and T-stop measurements. Other film-style features include distance scales marked from the CCD plane, and 0.8 modulus gears on the zoom, focus and iris ring provide compatibility with studio follow focus rigs, manual fluid zoom drives and motorized control systems. Both also include Canon's advanced IF (Internal Focusing) system.
"Dealing with so much new equipment, I needed it to react in the manner I was used to," Mathers notes. "As far as lenses go, that means that they're set up to operate cine-style: Clearly marked on the barrel for the assistants, with reduced breathing when they focus. The Canon HD-EC lens gave me all that, with sharp imagery."
"Birns & Sawyer found that the Canon HD-EC zoom lenses have been very well received by our digital cinematography customers," adds Bill Meurer, President of Birns & Sawyer. ""We critically evaluated the HD-EC lenses and found them to be terrific. Because of that evaluation, we have selected Canon HD-EC lenses for our progressive Panasonic variable frame rate HD digital cinematography cameras as well as our Sony 24p digital cinematography cameras."
The next time James Mathers approaches any new assignment, he will remember the pristine optics and ease-of-use of the Canon glass. "Digital is another tool to approach any project, and new lenses are part of that package of tools," he concludes. "Whether I'm shooting in 480p or any other format, I'll look to Canon lenses."
Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon, Inc., provides professional and consumer imaging solutions that give people the Know How to access the latest technology. The company's comprehensive product line includes networked multifunction devices; digital and analog copiers (color and black and white); printers, scanners, image filing systems, and facsimile machines; camcorders, cameras and lenses; and semiconductor, broadcast and medical equipment. Canon employs 12,000 people at more than 30 facilities throughout North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Canon USA Inc. Broadcast and Communications Division , 400 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632. Tel: 201-816-2913; Fax: 201-816-2909.