Exploring Canon's innovative virtual trade show, Canon Vision

Recent global events have made it difficult to meet in person, so Canon launched an innovative new virtual trade show. Canon Vision enables viewers to explore the latest in video imaging technology within an interactive, immersive space.

Visitors usually flock to the Canon stand at the annual International Broadcasting Convention (IBC), but in the absence of a physical show this year, Canon created an online event to showcase its full range of Professional Imaging Solutions, including the latest Cinema EOS cameras, 4K display monitors and the extensive suite of professional lenses.

Canon Vision captures the atmosphere of a real trade show, with immersive displays, dynamic demonstrations and a range of exciting new product announcements. The big story of the event is the launch of the compact Canon EOS C70, a crossover 4K camera that fuses the best features of Canon's Cinema EOS and EOS R System ranges. Debuting alongside the EOS C70 at Canon Vision are the new Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R 0.71x and the versatile Canon CJ20ex5B IASE S 4K broadcast lens.

Filmmaking pros shared their experiences of using the latest Canon technology and offered their thoughts on the challenges facing the industry in a series of live-streamed interviews, with Canon product experts on hand to talk through the technical aspects of the latest additions to the ranges. The Q&A sessions are still available to watch.

In this feature, we round up nine highlights from the inaugural Canon Vision virtual trade show.

The Technology Showcase Area greets visitors at the entrance to the virtual trade show – the ideal introduction to the latest technical innovations on display at Canon Vision.

Here, you can find out more about Canon's commitment to developing technology for future high-resolution workflows such as 8K, and the benefits it can bring to filmmakers. You are also able to discover more about the incredible optical technology Canon has developed, pushing the boundaries of lens innovation. For sports fans, there is an introduction to Canon's innovative Free Viewpoint Video System, which completely changes the way viewers experience live sport.

In addition to the new Canon EOS C70, Canon's full lineup of Cinema EOS cameras is on display in the Cinema Zone. From the EOS C200 through to the EOS C500 Mark II and EOS C700 FF, you are able to hear from product experts about how these cameras harness Canon's famed colour science for unparalleled cinematic results.

This is also where visitors are able to explore the latest additions to the range. The Canon EOS C300 Mark III is the first Cinema EOS camera to feature Canon's DGO sensor with 16+ stops of dynamic range, making it ideal for an HDR workflow. The EOS C300 Mark III shares the same body and many features with the full-frame EOS C500 Mark II – at Canon Vision it is possible to examine 3D models and view high-resolution footage captured on each.

The Cinema Zone also houses the complete lineup of Sumire Prime and EF Cine Lenses. The Sumire Prime lenses are designed for cinematographers and exhibit class-leading optical performance, natural warmth in colour, smooth roll-off in highlights, and soft, rich bokeh.

After seeing the latest kit, visitors can hear from the pros who have been using it. A range of filmmakers shared their shoot stories, live streamed on YouTube and still available in the Live Streaming Seminar Zone in the virtual show, with Canon hardware specialists providing technical insight into the products being discussed.

Celebrated cinematographers explain how the Cinema EOS line brings magic to their work. Nollywood filmmaker and director Daniel Ehimen shares his views on the future of filmmaking with Cinema EOS cameras including the Canon EOS C300 Mark III, EOS C700 and EOS C200; while cinematographer Juan Luis Cabellos AEC, who shoots drama, documentary and music videos, explores how the full-frame Canon EOS C500 Mark II and Sumire Primes influence his cinematography. "The things I like the most about the Sumire lenses are their warmth and the skin reproduction," explains Juan Luis. "Movies are 90% about faces, so the lenses you're working with are very important."

Looking at post-production, editor and colourist Ollie Kenchington, who produces commercials, shorts and documentaries and runs post-production training courses, shares how the Canon EOS C300 Mark III can positively impact your workflow.

Canon Ambassador Simeon Quarrie, who shoots video and stills for clients across the globe, as well as hosting YouTube tutorials, details how Canon's RF mount systems and the latest RF lenses support small-budget productions.

"This is an ideal product for a low-budget film, whereby somebody who is an indie filmmaker trying to do something that is maybe drama-related, can create a piece with such a beautiful, precise 'director of photography' aesthetic," he suggests. "The stabilisation for me is totally game-changing. I can literally go out to a shoot with minimal footprint and know that I'm in a position to get it, but with an understanding that the features in the camera are truly cinema features."

Journalist and documentary cinematographer Elisa Iannacone, who has produced work for National Geographic, Newsweek and Vice, discusses the role her Canon XA55 camcorder plays in her work, as well as her experiences with the Canon EOS C70.

"Working in areas like refugee camps, if you bring a large amount of kit, people get intimidated and it becomes much harder to get at the story," she explains. "So having compact kit is the best way to go about it.

"Safety is the number one priority. You need gear that isn't clunky or too large or weigh you down. With lockdown, everything is changing so quickly. The requirements for travel, for shooting, the sizes of crew and the amount of people that can be in a room is so limited."

Designed for broadcast, and with documentary and commercial productions in mind, the XF range – including the Canon XF705 and the Canon XF405 – perform exceptionally well across a wide range of conditions. Both cameras feature exceptional 4K image quality, 15x optical zoom, rugged build and long battery life.

Product specialists talk about the Canon XF705's stunning 4K 4:2:2 10-bit image quality at up to 50p, and the 1-inch CMOS sensor, which delivers exceptional low-light performance. The Canon XF705 is the first Canon camcorder to adopt the H.265/HEVC codec for improved file handling with 4K workflows. The more-affordable Canon XF405 shares many of the same features but has a lighter, more compact body.

The five cameras in the ultra-compact XA range are also exhibited at the virtual show, from the high-end 4K UHD Canon XA55 and Canon XA50 models through to the Full HD Canon XA11. They're ideal for single shooters and combine extreme portability with high image quality, professional audio recording and incredible optical zoom performance.

At the Broadcast TV Lens Tower, visitors can check out Canon's lineup of industry-leading, ultra-high performance 4K broadcast lenses. These include Canon's long-zoom field UHD DIGISUPER range, which consists of two standard 4K series lenses and six innovative 4K Premium series lenses covering both field and studio applications.

The flagship Canon UHD DIGISUPER 122 is the second-generation model and features a stabilised 122x zoom with a focal range of 8.2-1,000mm – the longest zoom range in the lineup. The image stabilisation system in the lens holds the image still even at maximum zoom and is so advanced it can differentiate unintended vibration from camera movements such as panning to avoid over-correcting camera movements for smooth, natural pans and tilts.

Making its debut at Canon Vision is the Canon CJ20ex5B IASE S, a versatile new UHDxs-class broadcast lens for sports, news gathering and studio work that delivers true 4K resolution across the entire image. It's a Hybrid Concept wide and telephoto lens that offers a class-leading 5-100mm 20x optical zoom, which can be increased to 10-200mm using the built-in 2x extender.

"The ability to go tight and wide and not feel like you're trapped, you can't ask for more than that in a lens," says professional broadcast camera operator Jeff Zachary. "That's what we've been waiting for and looking for. That's why this is the Holy Grail of lenses, especially for sports."

If you're looking for the ultimate stills-video hybrid, the Compact Imaging Systems zone is the place to be. Here you can get up to speed on the full range, including the full-frame mirrorless Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6 and the flagship DSLR, the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III.

The next-generation Canon EOS R5 features a full-frame 45MP sensor and is capable of shooting stills at up to 12fps with mechanical shutter or 20fps with electronic shutter, with Dual Pixel CMOS AF. The EOS R5 can capture stunning 8K video in 12-bit RAW internally to a CFexpress card, or 8K video up to 4:2:2 10-bit in HEVC MP4.

The Canon EOS R6 has a 20MP full-frame CMOS sensor similar to the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III pro DSLR, and offers 4K video at up to 60p. Both the Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6 feature industry-leading in-body image stabilisation, vari-angle displays and Canon Log for increased dynamic range, reduced noise and superior grading.

The Compact Imaging Systems zone also showcases the wide range of both EF and RF mount lenses. With such an extensive selection of optics, there's a wealth of creative options available, from compact, wide-aperture prime lenses and zooms, specialist lenses such as fisheye, macro and tilt-shift, to professional quality L-Series lenses with proven optical performance.

Canon's 4K professional reference displays are suitable for live filming and post-production setups, with sizes ranging from a rugged 17-inch model with an aluminium chassis, to a number of 24-inch models, to the flagship 31-inch 4K HDR display. All of the monitors have been designed to meet the needs of professional users and feature wide viewing angles and Canon's innovative Matrix Array technology for edge-to-edge uniformity with minimal colour shift.

The flagship 31-inch Canon DP-V3120 offers an industry-leading 2,000cd/m2 of edge-to-edge brightness and ultra-low black levels, providing greater flexibility for an HDR production workflow. It is certified as a Dolby Vision mastering monitor and meets the forthcoming HLG HDR broadcast standards.

The Canon DP-V3120, DP-V2421, DP-V2411 and DP-V1711 are all equipped with 12G-SDI interfaces, PQ and Hybrid Log-Gamma support, plus wide colour gamut reproduction like ITU-R BT.2020 and DCI-P3, making them ideal for a wide range of 4K production workflows. They also offer an extensive suite of HDR support functions such as a built-in HDR waveform monitor, HDR-SDR split-screen, HDR false colour and HDR histogram.