SEMINOLE PRODUCTIONS TRAINS TOMORROW’S SPORTS PROFESSIONALS WITH CANON HJ18ex28B SUPER TELEPHOTO PORTABLE HD ZOOM LENSES
Zooming to a Maximum Focal Length of 1000mm While Weighing-In at Under 6 lbs.,
the Canon HJ18ex28B Empowers Students Learning to Shoot a Wide Range of College Sporting Events
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., October 5, 2010 – As the demand for television sports programming continues to increase, training the next generation of sports-production professionals becomes more essential than ever. At Florida State University, Seminole Productions is providing a real-world education for these students with two HJ18ex28B super telephoto portable HD zoom lenses from Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging. An educational auxiliary within FSU’s College of Communication and Information, Seminole Productions trains media and communications students in sports television production by having them operate cameras and perform other hands-on tasks. Adhering to deadlines and supervised by full-time, award-winning producers, students shoot FSU baseball, basketball, and football games as well as studio productions telecast on a major statewide sports network.
“We have a reputation of providing compelling and exciting productions to our fans and Canon has played a big part in helping us achieve high-quality standards,” said Mark Rodin, executive director of Seminole Productions. “Our approach has always been to provide our students and clients with the best possible production gear while also being cost-effective. We use industry-standard equipment that is proven and used worldwide. We find that the Canon HJ18ex28B super telephoto HD lenses give us the right mix for sports as an excellent mid-range lens. Seminole Productions uses these lenses for our end-zone and mid-level stadium angles, and they have a perfect focal-length range for that purpose.”
Shooting in 720p/60 for sports applications, and occasionally in 1080i for corporate productions, Rodin and his students have come to rely on the superb optics and user-control of Canon HD lenses. “The image quality of the Canon HJ18ex28B is excellent,” he said. “We have a giant video display board in Doak Campbell Stadium, and even though it isn’t technically an HD board, the game-day video we gather through our Canon lenses looks really beautiful, sharp, and crisp.”
Canon’s HJ18ex28B super telephoto portable HD zoom lens is designed for challenging location productions where superb image capture is needed over a long range of focal lengths using portable HD cameras with 2/3-inch imagers. Representing the very best in contemporary optical and mechanical design, the HJ18ex28B delivers a focal-length range of 28 to 500mm (1000mm with its built-in 2X extender), and has an impressive optical speed of f 2.8 up to a focal length of 286mm. The HJ18ex28B offers the longest focal length of any lens in its class, and yet weighs less than 6 lbs. (less than half the weight of comparable lenses) and requires no mechanical support system to mount to an HD camera.
“The zoom capability of the Canon HJ18ex28B super telephoto HD lens allows our fans to see the action up-close,” Rodin confirmed. “In the stadium people can already see the action on the field so they look to the giant video display for the close-up shots that they cannot see from their seats. We have the ability to zoom in as tight as we need to from the mid-level camera platform and get a close shot for the video board. The HJ18’s controls are well placed and easy to use. The zoom speeds are adjustable and smooth and all the controls are easy to access.”
Designed for maximum creative control and functionality, the HJ18ex28B includes Canon’s eDrive feature, which enables camera operators to pre-set focus, iris, and zoom position and speed settings, if desired. Inside the lens, design optimization strategies include high sensitivity, maximization of image contrast, and preservation of the highest MTF (modulation transfer function, essentially a measure of lens sharpness) over the long focal ranges. High-contrast image gathering in the HJ18ex28B is ensured by superb control of black reproduction, with optical and mechanical design innovations that substantially reduce flare, veiling glare, and any internal reflections. Similar attention to minimization of ghost images and other highlight-related chromatic distortions caused by strong light sources on-axis and off-axis further extend the operational contrast range of the lens.
“Canon has always been at the forefront of technology and advances in lens design,” Rodin noted. “We put these lenses through rigorous paces from a variety of factors. In September in Tallahassee a football game can be 100 degrees with high humidity, but these lenses have not failed us. We also can get very cold in November and, again, we have not had any problems. We use a combination of students and professionals at any given time, and students can tend to be a little hard on equipment. That said, we have not had any problems with the Canon lenses. In the event that it’s needed, Canon support has been great. Any time we needed a repair Canon was very quick and responsive, and would always offer a loaner lens if we needed one.”
Confident in the performance and reliability of their Canon HJ18ex28B super telephoto portable HD zoom lenses, Seminole Productions and Florida State University can concentrate on the challenge of teaching students to be tomorrow’s television sports professionals. “There’s no beating the quality and dependability of Canon lenses, so we’ve come to count on them,” Mark Rodin added. “I know Canon will continue to lead the pack and provide great service along the way.”
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked fourth overall in the U.S. in 2009†, with global revenues of US $35 billion, is listed as number six in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine's World’s Most Admired Companies 2010 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands.” Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.
†Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.
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