Alister Chapman
May 8th, 2006, 02:35 AM
Interestingly Canon produce 3 remarkably similay lenses, the YJ19x6.7 which is a 2/3 inch HD lens, the YJ19x6.7 which is a 1/2 inch SD lens and the KH19x6.7 which is a HD 1/2 inch lens. The pictures and almost all of the details of these three lenses are remakably similar. Indeed on the Canon site even canon seem to be confused about which lens is which giving identical specs for both the YJ19 and YH19. http://www.canonusa.com/html/industrial_bctv/p_proVideo_YH19x67_intro.shtml
Obviously the rear elements will be different for a half inch lens compared to a 2/3 inch lens, but I suspect that it is cheaper for Canon to manufacture one basic lens and then adapt/re-badge it for different markets rather than having 3 production lines producing 3 almost identcal products.
I am not a lens expert, but I do know that it is harder to make a sharp lens for a smaller image sensor than a large one. It kind of makes sense therefore that a sharp half inch lens would be easy convert to a HD 2/3inch lens.
The YJ19x6.7 was the first of these very similar lenses produced by Canon. Did they then adapt it for 2/3 inch and re badge it as a HD lens, then have they re-badged it again as a half inch HD lens and slapped on a higher price tag?
It would be very interesting to compare the YJ19x6.7 and KH19x6.7 on the same HD camcorder. You can pick up YJ19x6.7 quite cheaply, I got a second hand one for $1000.
I was working with the owner of Van Diemen Films, a company that produces lenses for film cameras. He told me that there is a lot of hype about HD lenses. His comment was that "a lens is a lens, it is either ground correctly or not. There may be differences in tollerances and quality of materials, but when you are talking of broadcast quality glass lenses there is normally little or no difference between HD and SD glass." He then went on to remind me of how when CCD camcorders first came out all the lens manufacturers started to produce special CCD compatible lenses. These were nothing more than re badge lenses with a price premium, but if your lens grip didn't have a big "CCD" badge on it you felt inferior.
I expect (or at least like to hope) that HD lenses are produced to closer tollerances than SD lenses, but is there really that much difference? It makes me think of my XL-H1 and how Canon tell you that the older SD lenses are no good for HD, however many users are finding that the old XL SD lenses perform perfectly well and in some instances better than the supplied HD lens.
Obviously the rear elements will be different for a half inch lens compared to a 2/3 inch lens, but I suspect that it is cheaper for Canon to manufacture one basic lens and then adapt/re-badge it for different markets rather than having 3 production lines producing 3 almost identcal products.
I am not a lens expert, but I do know that it is harder to make a sharp lens for a smaller image sensor than a large one. It kind of makes sense therefore that a sharp half inch lens would be easy convert to a HD 2/3inch lens.
The YJ19x6.7 was the first of these very similar lenses produced by Canon. Did they then adapt it for 2/3 inch and re badge it as a HD lens, then have they re-badged it again as a half inch HD lens and slapped on a higher price tag?
It would be very interesting to compare the YJ19x6.7 and KH19x6.7 on the same HD camcorder. You can pick up YJ19x6.7 quite cheaply, I got a second hand one for $1000.
I was working with the owner of Van Diemen Films, a company that produces lenses for film cameras. He told me that there is a lot of hype about HD lenses. His comment was that "a lens is a lens, it is either ground correctly or not. There may be differences in tollerances and quality of materials, but when you are talking of broadcast quality glass lenses there is normally little or no difference between HD and SD glass." He then went on to remind me of how when CCD camcorders first came out all the lens manufacturers started to produce special CCD compatible lenses. These were nothing more than re badge lenses with a price premium, but if your lens grip didn't have a big "CCD" badge on it you felt inferior.
I expect (or at least like to hope) that HD lenses are produced to closer tollerances than SD lenses, but is there really that much difference? It makes me think of my XL-H1 and how Canon tell you that the older SD lenses are no good for HD, however many users are finding that the old XL SD lenses perform perfectly well and in some instances better than the supplied HD lens.