Canon’s Cine-Servo 40-1200mm Is a Fresh Take on a Legendary Lens
Canon has unveiled the Cine-Servo 40-1200mm T5.0-10.8 lens, a new version of the company’s extremely popular Cine-Servo 50-1000mm T5.0-8.9 lens.
The new Cine-Servo 40-1200mm lens offers an expanded zoom range, being both wider and longer than before, while retaining the same size and weight of its predecessor. Like the 50-1000mm, the new Cine-Servo 40-1200mm also includes a built-in 1.5x extender, which not only increases its range to 1800mm in its native Super35 format but enlarges the image circle to cover full-frame image sensors.
It is difficult to overstate just how widely used the Canon Cine-Servo 50-1000mm T5.0-8.9 lens is among broadcast and documentary applications. Numerous wildlife filmmakers have described the lens as a staple in their kit to PetaPixel over the years, and there is every reason to believe the new 40-1200mm will occupy a similar role. The video below discusses the origins of the 50-1000mm, and the lessons included apply equally to the new 40-1200mm.
The new lens weighs 14.6 pounds (6.6 kilograms) in PL mount, the same as the 50-1000mm lens. Likewise, the PL version is still the same length, about 16 inches (413 millimeters). As Canon notes, this means the new lens will work with the same rigs and housings as before, which is important for professional workflows.
The expanded zoom range, from 50-1000mm to 40-1200mm, comes at the cost of a slower maximum aperture. However, in most cases, this will likely be a worthwhile tradeoff. The lens remains at T5 until 560mm, then slows to its slowest maximum aperture of T10.8 at the extreme telephoto end.
Another big change is the move to a native RF-mount version, which was a much-requested feature. This enables Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus performance on compatible Canon EOS RF-mount cameras, including the EOS C400, EOS C80, EOS C70, EOS C50, and EOS R5 C. For the EOS C400, the new lens also supports Auto Exposure Ramping Compensation with a firmware update. This feature has been available on other EOS Cinema cameras and helps compensate for light loss during zooming, since the Cine-Servo 40-1200mm is a variable-aperture zoom.
The new Cine-Servo lens works alongside a next-generation USB-C Drive Unit. When using the new USB-C terminal with a compatible USB-PD device, the lens can zoom 50 percent faster, racking from 40mm to 1200mm in just one second, rather than the standard 1.5 seconds. The US-C port can also be used to import/export settings, adjust servo drive preferences, perform firmware updates, and more.
The Canon Cine-Servo 40-1200mm T5.0-10.8 lens is very advanced and thus comes with a price tag to match. The lens will be available in September for an estimated retail price of $79,999, a modest increase over the $75,840 price tag of its predecessor.
Image credits: Canon
