The University of Oklahoma (OU) recently acquired a half dozen HD zoom lenses from Canon U.S.A. for its in-house video coverage of sports events. As part of its upgrade to full HD location and studio productions, OU chose Canon XJ86x13.5B extended telephoto and XJ86x9.3B long-zoom HD field lenses, two HJ14ex4.3B wide-angle portable HD zoom lenses, an HJ22ex7.6B long-zoom portable HD lens, and a KJ20x8.5B cost-effective portable HD zoom lens.
OU’s new Canon lenses will be used in its new SoonerVision studios inside its football stadium. The studios are used to produce upwards of 100 broadcasts a year, as well as in-stadium entertainment and TV broadcasts.
Leading the charge in providing coverage of dramatic up-close-and-personal OU sports coverage will be the university’s Canon XJ86x13.5B extended telephoto and XJ86x9.3B long-zoom HD field lenses. Both part of Canon’s DIGISUPER line of field (and studio) lenses, each XJ86 has built-in Shift-IS Image Stabilization technology for obtaining steady images even at the furthest zoomed-in distances. As with all Canon DIGISUPER lenses, the XJ86 features an advanced, computer-aided lightweight design, specialized multilayer coatings on each optical element and Canon’s second-generation digital servo systems for improved ease of operation.
OU sports coverage will also have the benefit of two Canon HJ14ex4.3B wide-angle portable HD zoom lenses, which combine an extended 14X zoom range with a minimum focal length of 4.3mm and an angular field of view of 96.3 degrees at the wide end of the 16:9 HD aspect ratio. These performance specs make the HJ14 the widest-angle portable HD lens in the industry. The 14X zoom range of this lens reaches to 60mm (120mm with extender), which expands creative options for the acquisition of crystal-clear and virtually distortion-free HD video images.
Further extending OU’s creative production capabilities is its new HJ22ex7.6B portable HD zoom lens, the longest-focal-length portable HD production lens offered by Canon (without an image-stabilization system). A flexible, multipurpose lens exhibiting high optical performance and ease of operation, the HJ22 is designed for long-distance shooting combined with wide-angle capture (7.6mm field of view) in a lightweight (4lb) form factor. An added advantage of the HJ22 is its Digital Drive unit, which enables camera operators to precisely pre-set zoom position/speed, focus and iris settings, if desired.
The sixth Canon lens purchased as part of OU’s HD equipment upgrade, the KJ20x8.5B portable HD zoom lens, is part of Canon’s cost-effective HDgc lens series, which combines high picture quality, ease of use, and sophisticated operation for use with the new generation of affordable HD ENG/EFP-style camcorders. Compact and lightweight (2.8 lb), the KJ20 is designed to offer excellent optical performance. It also features Canon’s exclusive Shuttle Shot function, an advanced servo system that enables camera operators to zoom back and forth between any two pre-set focal-length positions for added versatility in various production situations.
