J22ex7.6 and LCD display reviewed

Graham Maunder, Lighting Cameraman and co-owner of Awfully Nice Video Company reviews Canon’s new J22ex7.6B4 lens.

O.K., I admit it – I didn’t read the manual that comes with the lens, but I’m male and we just don’t do that when we’re given shiny toys in cardboard boxes! It almost proved to be my undoing, however, as I turned up to shoot some charity golf at The Belfry on a cold October morning. Somehow, though, after 25 years as a cameraman you don’t really expect to have to read a manual before using a lens, particularly an “ENG style” one. It’s not like when I proudly took delivery of our shiny new High Definition camera with it’s all new menu system - surely you just fit the lens onto the camera, plug in the cable and (an old-fashioned idea this one) check the back-focus. Naturally I did these three basic things and then with the director itching to get going it was off to the putting green for a pre-match interview.

This is when the first problem arose. Peter Luck of Canon had kindly included a small booklet in with the demo lens which gave a simplified version of using Canon’s new enhanced digital drive which was, of course, at this point back in the crew car. Having plugged in the cable from the remote zoom control there was a mild change of pulse and a small break out of sweat on my forehead as I pressed the VTR start button only for nothing to happen. Why would you ever want to disable this feature, I thought? Luckily the VTR button on the camera was unaffected so my first use of the lens was under way. Certainly the optics were the normal, high, Canon standard and it was quickly clear to me that if you ignored the problems associated with the enhanced digital drive, this was a lens that was easy to love. With really minimal zoom effect on focussing and an astounding clarity combined with almost negligible “ramping” the lens as a lens was quickly growing on me.

As the day progressed I cursed the fact that I didn’t have the quick guide book with me – I pride myself on my ability to pick up any old make of mobile phone or remote control and find my way around it very quickly. The tiny LCD and function selector did not seem to be at all user-friendly and did not react as I expected to my scrolling and pushing, frequently scrolling when I was trying to push it in to enter a choice. Cameramen can have fat fingers and do have to wear gloves someone should let the design team know. Eventually I managed to reach a line that had the reassuring “reset all” message that I had been searching for only to be foiled by an inability to push the selector in without inadvertently scrolling up or down at the same time. Finally it reacted as I had hoped and normal service was resumed.

Maybe the designers expect this lens to be used in a studio where un-gloved hands have plenty of time to play with tiny buttons or in some past era when a cameraman had an hour or so to set up their camera before the day’s shooting begins or maybe I’m being unfair and the fault was mine for not making sure I was au fait with the lens before the day started. Possibly the latter is closest to the truth but one thing is certain in my mind – as a company that employs many freelancers it is a frightening thought that a lens could create such a basic problem as not being able to start the tape rolling. As a company it would obviously be imperative for us to make sure after each job that the lens was reset so that no problems occurred on the next shoot. If the shoot had been with a less technically minded cameraman (and believe me there are plenty of them about!) would a call have been made to our office to send a new lens or camera straight away to the location? Could a client be lost?

So what does the enhanced digital drive offer to a cameramen? Well, given time and the required knowledge of the lens, it is possible to preset a specific frame (angle of zoom) or/and focus position and also control the take-off speed and end speed of the zoom function. Whilst I can see some benefit in the pre-set framing and (to a lesser extent) focus, for instance to limit the widest or tightest shot available to the cameraman, I found no use at all for the ability to change the zoom curve. Call me old fashioned if you want but that’s what training and operator skill is all about. If you want a crash zoom or a “feathered” start or end to a zoom, then that it was I and many like me spent years making sure we could achieve before classing ourselves as true craftsmen. Personally, I feel that Canon is only pandering to a new, less competent, breed of operators who need electronic help to achieve a satisfactory end result.  

But what of the lens itself? What have Canon achieved with the REALLY important part – the glass. Well, here, I’m happy to say that Canon haven’t let us down at all. The clarity and lack of blooming and aberrations prove that where it matters, Canon can still (despite the apparent lack of understanding for how their lenses are REALLY used) still deliver where it matters. Optically I couldn’t fault the lens and even in low light conditions and with the extender in use (yes, welcome to the real world of television where budgets are tight and time for lighting is tighter) the lens performed superbly. It sits nicely in your hand when being used hand-held and is lighter and faster than the lens it replaces. Maybe I’m being harsh about the new fangled controls and aids but my guess is that whilst I would happily have the lens as part of our kit at Awfully Nice, I’m totally convinced that at the end of it’s working life when we came to replace it, if there was a counter as part of the LCD display, it would still be in single digits for total usage.

So, all said and done, would I recommend the lens? For the price, I feel that perhaps a lot of companies will be paying for features that will never be used yet optically, it’s a winner. Maybe I’m alone on this one but perhaps Canon could invest some of their R & D money on helping to train people who could zoom and focus without artificial help. Or maybe I’m just becoming a “grumpy old man” afraid of technology? Ultimately, if you buy the lens you aren’t going to be disappointed with the optics and maybe you’ll find a use for the many settings available in other areas ofproduction such as studio, drama, commercials etc where time is still given to help perfection be achieved. Remember, though, the most important thing you’ll need to know is how to scroll to “Menu” press “enter” and select “Reset All” – that way you can appreciate the lens for what it really is – a fine piece of glass that lets the light onto your camera’s block!

Graham Maunder field tested the Canon J22x lens on a Sony DigiBeta 790WSP camera on a variety of programmes over several weeks in both outdoor and indoor locations with and without gloves!

Awfully Nice Video Company can be contacted through their website at www.awfullynicevideo.com