LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., APRIL 8, 2010 – Throughout the 2010 NAB Show – April 12th to the 15th, in the Las Vegas Convention Center – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, will showcase a variety of 3-D related lens features currently available in the Company’s HDTV lens systems. Canon R&D efforts have been focused on facilitating, at minimum cost, the deployment of standard lenses for stereoscopic shooting as well as normal 2-D high-definition imaging. The 16-bit precision digital servos for zoom, iris, and focus that are standard to a wide range of Canon lenses are proving invaluable to stereoscopic lens-camera systems.
“The boom in popularity of 3-D has come as no surprise to Canon,” remarked Larry Thorpe, national marketing executive, Broadcast and Communications division, Canon U.S.A. “Canon has been actively engaged with HD camera manufacturers, 3-D rig specialists, and enterprising content creators who are exploring 3-D program origination in moviemaking, as well as television coverage of sports, concerts, and special events. After preparing for so many years, we are enthusiastic that 3-D has finally arrived and is ushering in an important new enhancement to HD imaging.”
A new separation box, the Canon SPB-10, allows one zoom controller and one focus controller to simultaneously control a stereoscopic lens pair with high tracking precision – and is expected to be released later this month. On display during the 2010 NAB Show and expected to be introduced at the end of this month will be a new zoom demand controller from Canon – the ZDJ-P01P – for high-precision, simultaneous control of two lenses.
New software is under development to make stereoscopic tracking (lens zoom and focus) even more precise and allow differential offsets to be made – through the Digital Drive unit’s display – to compensate for minor zoom and focus tracking differences between any two lens pairs. Also under development is another separation box, which will allow Canon’s ENG controllers ZSD-300D/FPD-400D to be used for controlling zoom and focus in 3-D lens pairs.
A pioneer in the development of Digital Drive units for its portable lenses, Canon’s upcoming control systems for 3-D lens/camera-pairs capitalizes on the precision of these Digital Drive units, allowing for one zoom controller and one focus controller to simultaneously operate both lenses. The Company’s ergonomic Digital Drive unit – introduced at NAB 2009 – incorporates Canon-developed, ultra-compact rotary encoders capable of 0.1um position detection. They employ Canon’s unique Micro Roofmirror Array (MRA) technology to produce 16-bit resolution of the positions of the zoom, iris, and focus controls. These provide a means by which camera operators can digitally program precise and repeatable settings into their lenses for speed, focus, and iris as well as zoom positions. An EL display built into the Digital Drive unit makes precise customization quick and convenient.
This year at Canon’s NAB booth (C4325), a pair of HJ18ex28B long-focal-length high definition lenses will be mounted in a side-by-side rig, to illustrate the intriguing potential of this lens for 3-D sports and event coverage. The lens is unique in its extended focal length (500mm) being available in a compact, lightweight lens package (5.6 lbs). The use of a side-by-side wide-interocular (the distance between the center of both lenses) configuration works well for long-focal-length imaging.
Also on the show floor will be a pair of KJ17ex7.7B HD lenses, mounted in a stereoscopic beamsplitter lens/camera rig that is intended for high-end 3-D production. When shooting a 3-D scene, the first decision is the framing of the image – requiring appropriate setting of the lens focal lengths. Depending upon the production team’s choice in setting the point of convergence (before or behind the screen plane) and the degree of depth sought around the principal subject within that scene shot – the interocular distance and the convergence controls on the rig are set accordingly. The 16-bit precision of the digital zoom and focus servos for both the HJ18 and KJ17 lenses ensure their precise tracking when controlled from one zoom and one focus controller.
Separately, Canon HD lenses and controllers will be used on 3-D rigs in additional booths during the 2010 NAB Show.
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 four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine's World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 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.
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†Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.
