Canon CN7x17 Lens Hire

A true 4K 35mm sensor covering lens with all the features of ENG/EFP lenses

To put it directly, we don’t think that any other kit addition to our arsenal here at Newsworthy Vision has made such a difference to the quality of our output than this amazing piece of glass. It was so impressive, it became the subject of our blog which we started writing this year.

The Canon CN7x17 lens mounts directly on the front of many of the worlds high-end cinema cameras, including the Sony F55 or F5, the Arri Amira or any other super 35mm PL mount camera you can think of.

The main feature of the lens is the servo drive, which is often lacking on higher-end cinema lenses, and for me, coming from the news background that I have, I found using lenses without them un-nerving. Having one on this lens as standard has made switching from ENG style HD lenses to 4K capable lenses perfectly seamless.

With a maximum aperture of T2.95 up to 90mm and T3.95 between 90 and 120mm, it produces beautiful images at fully open apertures, with silky soft backgrounds behind any subject, which seems to be the look producers get excited over in our current trend of large sensor obsession. The iris control is beautifully smooth, with the lens only being purchased from new in May 2019.

The cine servo 17-120mm focal length lens is a very impressive focal range, allowing 7x zoom magnification, which should cover more than enough range for any project. The range is also written on the lens in both metric and imperial units, to cover all users preferences. The servo drive unit is detachable from the lens, in case you wish to use it without.

Weighing in at 2.9kg, it is on the heavy end of lenses for handheld work but isn’t too uncomfortable to use on a Sony PMW-F5 for extended periods of time. On a personal note, I was able to maintain a shoulder mounted setup for twenty minutes during a lengthy interview scenario recently. Any longer and I may have needed a rest.

The lens is rated as weatherproof and shockproof by Canon, but all efforts to protect the lens from the elements is mandatory.

This lens is deliberately aimed at the single operator setup, but it can also have third party focus pulling units and controllers attached. The lens also features standard Canon 20-pin connectors, that are compatible with older Canon zoom and focus controls.

For focus pullers, the focus ring has a 0.8mm pitch cine standard gear ring, and a 0.5mm Canon pitch ring, which is compatible with most tools.

This lens was designed by Canon for both the broadcast operator, and the cinema team, and efficiently covers both ends with very few sacrifices.

This lens kit includes:

• Canon CN7x17 Cine Zoom Servo Lens
• Lens support with 15mm rail mounts
• 112mm clear filter
• Standard Canon lens hood
• Chrosziel matte box 4×4 & 4×5 drop-in filters (Optional)

Technical information

All of the geeky facts and figures