IBC 2019: Canon announces CJ15ex4.3B 4K broadcast portable zoom lens

Canon Europe has announced the expansion of its 4K broadcast lenses for 2/3-inch sensor cameras with the launch of the CJ15ex4.3B.

The CJ15ex4.3B supports a maximum zoom of 15x and a wide-angle focal length of 4.3mm. Now a Canon lens for every broadcast filming scenario, this lightweight (2.19kg) and compact lens enables broadcasters to achieve 4K optical performance, even with its built-in 2x extender, ensuring footage is of the highest resolution, from the centre of the image to the very edges.

With viewer demands for 4K content rising, the CJ15ex4.3B is the ideal choice for broadcasters looking to futureproof their content when upgrading to 4K systems and workflows, the company claimed.

Last year, Canon celebrated the 60th anniversary of its broadcasting lens business. The launch of the CJ15ex4.3B continues the manufacturer’s long-standing commitment to supporting the industry with innovative products.

With faithful colour reproduction, the lens supports BT.2020 camera chromatic aberration correction when attached to a compatible 4K camera. Going one step further than the conventional broadcasting standard of ITU-R Recommendation BT.709, using the CJ15ex4.3B broadcasters can achieve a wider colour gamut. Such lens capabilities result in brighter, more vivid and life-like images with outstanding tonality, realistic texture and depth, meeting the consumer demand for more immersive broadcast viewing experiences.

The optimised arrangement of fluorite, UD and Super UD¹ lens elements used in the CJ15ex4.3B also corrects chromatic aberrations optically. Using this Canon-developed technology, the lens produces beautiful images with less colour blur or colouring around the outlines. It’s also the first portable broadcast lens to feature ASC (Air Sphere Coating) – a new technology that applies a coating which suppresses the reflection of the light – reducing ghosting intensity and achieving a more authentic HDR shooting.

The zoom function of the CJ15ex4.3B, controlled through the use of multi-group movable zoom and aspheric lenses, ensures consistent and dependable optical performance. Even when using its built-in 2x extender, 4K excellence is achieved. In addition to this, the improved inner focus system controls focus fluctuation and improves resolution in screen periphery areas,  making for steadier, clearer and sharper footage.

Thanks to its wide-angle focal length and zoom ratio, the CJ15ex4.3B is ideal for capturing such scenes as stadium overviews and landscapes. Such features, coupled with its compact, lightweight design also make the lens suited to shooting in narrow environments or close with subjects when on-the-shoulder style shooting is required.

In addition to this, echoing the durability of a conventional HD lens, this portable broadcast zoom lens ensures the high mobility demanded of cameras in the reporting and documentary fields. Ergonomically designed for camera operators filming on their shoulder for long periods of time, the CJ15ex4.3B’s grip fits the users’ hand comfortably, easing strain and enabling unrestricted shooting capabilities.

Also launching today is Canon’s latest addition to its Cinema EOS System line up – the EOS C500 Mark II, a compact and versatile 5.9K Full Frame next generation camera, and DP-V3120 – a 4K HDR professional reference display with 2,000 cd/m² luminance. These products, along with the CJ15ex4.3B, will be on display, for the first time globally, on the Canon stand (Hall 12, Stand D60) at IBC 2019.