Canon introduce cost-effective 20x portable 2/3-inch HD zoom lens with built-in 2x extender
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Top of the list of the new lens’ advanced features is its built-in 2x extender, an important imaging option previously seen only on higher-end HD lenses. As a result, the KJ20x8.2B IRSD offers ENG shooters and other camera operators greatly improved subject framing flexibility. At 8.2mm, the new KJ20x8.2B IRSD is also Canon’s widest lens in the affordable 20x zoom class, and it covers a generous range of focal lengths, particularly when combined with its built-in 2x extender expanding its 8.2mm-164mm focal length to 16.4mm-328mm.
Cutting edge optical performance
The outstanding optical performance of Canon’s new KJ20x8.2B IRSD portable HD lens is the result of the company’s world-leading design tools, including cutting edge optical simulation and 3D design technologies, novel optical glass materials and coatings and extraordinary dispersion glass - which Canon also uses for its flagship HDxs series lenses.
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Together, these technologies and materials have produced an outstanding combination of cost-effectiveness and performance in the KJ20x8.2B IRSD . The lens has minimised axial and lateral chromatic aberrations, coma aberrations and geometric distortion. The new optical materials and multi-layer optical coatings used in the lens effectively lessen the ghosting, flare and veiling glare that might be stimulated by strong light sources - sun in the daytime and car headlights at night time.
The KJ20x8.2B also has a high MTF (modulation transfer function) at the picture centre that is well controlled right out to the picture extremities. This high MTF is sustained even when focal length and object distance are being adjusted. The KJ20x8.2B IRSD ’s optical performance is well-balanced for both near and distant subjects, and its rendering of distant subjects at wide angles – frequently needed for landscape and cityscape shots – surpasses previously available lenses in this price range.
The new lens features an enhanced macro function that effectively reduces the minimum object distance (from the front of the lens) to only 10mm.
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New developments in advanced drive unit technology
In addition to its optical sophistication, the new KJ20x8.2B IRSD portable HD zoom lens also features Canon’s latest improvements in Advanced Drive Unit technology. This technology is famous for the convenience and control it gives to camera operators using Canon portable HD lenses.
On the new KJ20x8.2B IRSD , this Advanced Drive Unit technology includes Shuttle Shot, an exclusive Canon technology that enhances production capabilities. At the touch of a button, Shuttle Shot allows the operator to rapidly zoom back and forth between any two positions. It can be used to zoom to the telephoto position to check focus and almost instantly return to the original position. Or users can shuttle between any two zoom positions at any time. What’s more, users can also set specific Shuttle Shot zoom positions using a simple Memo push switch which enables more reliable Shuttle Shot set-up in the field, where more consistent functioning of the controls is required.
The KJ20x8.2B IRSD ’s zoom can travel end-to-end in just one second, an improvement over the speed of previous models. Even so, the new faster noise suppression on the servomotor inside the Advanced Drive Unit still ensures very quiet operation.
The new Advanced Drive Unit also features an ergonomically redesigned tilted shape for user comfort, convenience and balance. The operator’s tactile connection with the lens is enhanced by a ribbed surface on the bottom of the Drive Unit to ensure a firmer grip and better control. A new grip support allows users to securely grasp the Drive Unit without inadvertently pressing the VTR or Shuttle Shot buttons.