NAB2025 Booth Review
On April 3, 2025, Canon announced that it will begin accepting paid service requests for a new imaging expression called “Novel Look.” This function blurs the background and highlights the subject by incorporating optical parts. At the Canon booth at NAB 2025, a 122x box lens “UHD-DIGISUPER 122” equipped with a new optical unit was exhibited for the first time.
UHD-DIGISUPER 122 with Novel Look
The first thing that attracted attention at the Canon at NAB 2025 booth was a baseball game video using Novel Look. It is clear within the sample videos, the separation between the subject and the background was clearly recognizable.
For example, in conventional baseball broadcasts, the spectators and players are shown relatively clearly, and the impression is that the game is being broadcast from a bird’s-eye view, but in video using Novel Look, it feels like the focus is on a specific object. Some commentators call this the “video game” look.
In this way, “Novel Look” supports impressive image expression with a shallow depth of field in live broadcasts of sports, concerts, etc. With normal broadcast lenses, there are situations where fast-moving subjects or focusing is difficult, but by adding this optical unit, precise focusing becomes easier, and it is expected that impressive images with separated subjects and backgrounds will be captured.
How it works
In recent years, cinema lenses have been used in sports broadcasts to create impressive images, but in reality, they pose challenges such as the difficulty of color matching and the fact that technicians skilled in broadcasting operations are unfamiliar with operating cinema lenses.
One notable feature of this paid service is that the lenses are originally broadcast lenses, so there is no need to worry about compatibility with existing broadcasting systems. In terms of operability, you can continue to use the controller you are currently using, and in addition to switching between the normal 1x and 2x extenders, you can also switch to “Novel Look.”
This increases the options for video expression depending on the shooting scene. When an impressive image is required, you can select “Novel Look”, and when normal shooting or the use of an extender is required, you can return to the original state. The feature of this camera is that it can handle various shooting methods with one camera position.
The demonstration was done in combination with Sony’s system camera “HDC-5500V.” The “HDC-5500V” comes equipped with an optical variable ND filter unit as standard, making it possible to adjust brightness using a variable ND filter instead of an iris. Particularly in high-illumination environments such as outdoors, it is possible to continuously capture images that maintain a shallow depth of field by keeping the iris close to open (F1.7 or F2) and adjusting the brightness to an appropriate level with the ND filter. Although it can be used with other camera models, it is suggested that it is particularly suitable for use with the V series.
Canon asserts using “Novel Look” does not have any adverse effects, such as darkening of the image. Its main feature is that it makes focusing easier while maintaining the same brightness as conventional lenses. The focus peak has been adjusted to be slightly gentler to make it easier to focus. This adjustment makes it easier to focus overall, and enables stable focusing even on relatively fast-moving subjects.
