Canon UHD DIGISUPER 122 AF Broadcast Zoom and PTZ Camera Driver Update Announced

Lens NewsSoftware Update

by Jeff LochApril 12^th, 2022

Canon has released a new BCTV lens with a 122x zoom ratio for broadcast cameras: the UHD DIGISUPER 122 AF. This lens has a reach of 8.2 to 1000mm, that can be extended with the built-in 2x extender. Also, new driver updates for the Canon CR-N300/CR-N500/CR-X300 PTZ cameras expand their capabilities with a webcam mode and SRT/FreeD communication protocols. Let’s take a closer look at all of these announcements!

Alongside the new Canon CN-E full-frame zoom lenses, the Japanese company isn’t neglecting a huge part of their market: the world of broadcasting. Last year, Canon released the CR-N300, CR-N500, and CR-X300 PTZ cameras. They just released some driver updates to improve these models with new webcam/video streaming capabilities. Also, Canon has just released a premium 4K broadcast lens with a 122x zoom ratio: the UHD DIGISUPER 122 AF.

Canon UHD DIGISUPER 122 AF features

The Canon UHD DIGISUPER 122 AF is an 8.2-1000mm broadcast zoom lens, which means it has a 122x zoom ratio. If this is not enough for you, the lens has a built-in 2x extender, which means you can turn it into a 16.4-2000mm with a flick of a button.

Canon is pretty vague about the lens design of the UHD DIGISUPER 122 AF. However, the lens elements have a fluorine coating, and UD glass elements help minimize lens artifacts such as chromatic aberration, ghosting, and lens flares.

Also, this long zoom lens has built-in image stabilization, which will be helpful at the long end of the zoom range. Furthermore, the UHD DIGISUPER 122 AF features Canon’s Advanced Autofocus Technology to help you nail the shot every time.

Lastly, you’ll find three 20-pin connectors on the lens to adjust settings remotely. The 16-bit absolute value encoder works with zoom, focus, and iris to output accurate lens positional information.

FDJ-S31/41 focus controller for the Canon UHD DIGISUPER 122 AF

The Canon UHD DIGISUPER 122 AF has two autofocus modes: full-time and part-time. Also, you can choose three area sizes of the AF frame and adjust the autofocus response speed.

You can combine the lens with the optional ew FDJ-S31/41 focus controller, which gives operators better control of the lens autofocus parameters. In addition, operators can customize various parameters, including the focus control characteristics and sensitivity, offering three focus curve modes – Far, Standard, and Near.

Canon CR-N300, CR-N500, and CR-X300 driver update

The Canon CR-N300, CR-N500, and CR-X300 are 4K PTZ cameras that were released last year. In addition, Canon released a new Webcam Driver that allows you to connect these cameras to Windows OS-compatible PCs, enabling webcam functionality for live streaming.

Once one or multiple PTZ cameras are connected to a computer, it’ll recognize them as webcams. Then, you can use PTZ cameras with applications such as Microsoft Teams, Skype, Panopto, Lecture Capture, and Zoom. Using a LAN connection, you can live stream in resolutions up to 4K at 30 frames per second.

For the Canon CR-N500 and CR-N300, this update also includes two new protocols: FreeD and SRT. The FreeD protocol allows information on the camera’s positional data – such as zoom, focus, iris, and pan-tilt – to be sent to a processing engine without additional tracking equipment. The SRT protocol is high-security encrypting protection for video data and reliable video transmission.

DP-V1830 reference monitor firmware update

Canon also announced an upcoming firmware update for the DP-V1830 reference monitor that will be available in July 2022. Here are all the new features that will be added:

• RGB Parade Waveform, Histogram, Frame Luminance Monitor, and Chromaticity Diagram Display tools.
• A new interface – Multi-Information View – allows you to use multiple HDR monitoring tools simultaneously without obstructing the image.
• Dual/Quad view functionality to see both HDMI and SDI feeds simultaneously.
• You can purchase an optional SDI Switcher functionality, enabling a 4-way SDI switching on the monitor.
• Lastly, the Canon DP-V1830 can now be linked to a computer, tablet, or smartphone via a LAN connection to utilize the Remote Control Web User Interface.

Pricing and availability

There is no information about the price/availability of the Canon UHD DIGISUPER 122 AF yet. We’ll update this article as soon as we learn more about it.

For more information, please visit Canon’s website here.

What do you think about this new 4K broadcast zoom lens? Did you ever shoot with such long lenses? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments down below!