Canon Cinema Lenses now available!

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6141B002 CN-E14.5-60mm T2.6 L S With EF Mount $42,750.00 now shipping
6142B002 CN-E30-300mm T2.95-3.7 L S With EF Mount $44,650.00 now shipping
6141B001 CN-E14.5-60mm T2.6 L SP With PL Mount $42,750.00 now shipping
6142B001 CN-E30-300mm T2.95-3.7 L SP With PL Mount $44,650.00 now shipping
6569B001 CN-E24mm T1.5 L F With EF Mount $5,220.00 now shipping
6570B001 CN-E50mm T1.3 L F With EF Mount $4,950.00 end of August
6571B001 CN-E85mm T1.3 L F With EF Mount $4,950.00 beginning of Sept

If you are on the fence I'd like to know your thoughts and survey the the field for how you all think these lenses will sell / perform.

[Nate Haustein]

I can't imagine EVER buying a $45K piece of EF mount glass. Rental maybe, but that's bound to create some serious brand loyalty once you commit to purchasing something like that. Perhaps a ploy by Canon to keep people buying their cams far into the future... The primes on the other hand look nice for the price. I wonder how they perform wide open compared to say the Zeiss CP.2 Super Speeds.

[Jon Fairhurst]

One difference is that the CP.2 Super Speeds are 35, 50, and 85mm. Canon has a 24mm but no 35mm. Canon's 50 and 85 are slightly faster than the Zeiss. Maybe Canon will wait to deliver a Mk II 35/1.4L before making a cinema version.

I feel that Zeiss lenses have slightly better flare resistance, compared to Canon L lenses. I'd also assume that we'll see similar color differences that we're used to for the two brands.

If you shoot wide open, both lens sets will have falloff. With Canon L glass on a Canon camera, you can use Peripheral Image Correction (PIC) to boost the corners levels before 8-bit encoding. It works great with L glass on a DSLR. I don't know if you get the same results with Cinema lenses on a C300.

Then again, I seem to remember reading that unlike with DSLRs, the C300 offers PIC on some 3rd party lenses, so maybe this is a moot point. I don't know the answer, but I know that PIC can be worthwhile. With falloff, you can get 8-bit contour lines on flat surfaces like walls, the sky, and snow. PIC minimizes that artifact and delivers more usable bits in the corners.

[Mark Kenfield]

Can't wait to see how the new primes stack up to CP.2s at the affordablish end of the market (hopefully they've got a Cooke-like warmth to contrast against the coolness of the Zeiss glass) - it's always nice to have options!

[Pedanes Bol]

Thanks! I'll just use my 'nifty fifty'.

[Lee Mullen]

Who on earth has that kind of money except the priviledged few??

[Robert Turchick]

I think these were meant to live in the realm of rentals.

Seems all Canon glass is getting expensive. Even the mkII versions of the 500mm f4, 600mm f4 are over $10k! I will say that my mkII 70-200 f2.8 is much nicer in every way than the mkI version.

So no doubt they're making great lenses but those cinema zooms are 3 times the price of the C300! And the primes a grand more than Zeiss?

My clients will have to pay for the privilege of using those!

[Stephen Mick]

These lenses are actually quite reasonably priced compared to most other cinema lenses. Zeiss Master Primes go for over $20K per lens. Cooke Panchros go for around $8K each, and are f2.8 across the range. If you need/want pro cinema features, you've got to pay pro cinema prices.

[Charles Papert]

Originally Posted by Jalan Salur

Who on earth has that kind of money except the priviledged few??

People who do this for a living. And rental houses.

[Chris Barcellos]

6141B002 CN-E14.5-60mm T2.6 L S With EF Mount $42,750.00 now shipping

This would be the perfect fit with my Black Magic Cinema Camera :>)