The 2020 Olympic Games has crowned its first champion, as Canon lenses have been chosen by American network NBC for its on-field and in-studio broadcasts of the XXXII Olympiad.
One of the "big three" commercial broadcast networks in the United States, with a traditional specialism in sports and sporting events, NBC is one of the major players in coverage of the Olympus. So the choice of Canon lenses by NBC Olympics, a division of NBC Sports, is a major coup for the manufacturer.
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"We are honored to once again be able to showcase our finest broadcast digital imaging solutions and to be chosen as the broadcast lens provider for NBC Olympics," said Kazuto Ogawa, Canon USA's president and CEO.
A wide range of Canon's 4K (UltraHD) as well as HD (1080p) broadcast optics will be employed by the broadcaster at each of its sporting venues and studios in Tokyo. In particular, Canon notes that its UHD-DigiSuper 90 long-zoom field lens will be part of the NBC crew's optical outfit.
“With today’s multi-format camera systems, Canon has shown that it is on the forefront of providing advanced optics for today’s UHD and HDR-capable cameras, which we are utilizing at the Olympic Games,” said Chip Adams of NBC Olympics. “The images, equipment, and the support we receive from Canon are always exceptional and we look forward to partnering with them again for the Tokyo Olympics.”
While many are still dubious as to whether the Games will take place as planned in Tokyo, where they are scheduled to take place from 23 July-08 August, Olympic partners and broadcasters are seemingly cementing their plans – even if the next-generation best sports cameras haven't arrived quite in time.
While the 30fps, 50.1MP Sony A1 saw successful release, its two mirrorless rivals – the Canon EOS R3 (which won't replace the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III as the flagship) and the Nikon Z9 (which will replace the Nikon D6) have so far yet to materialize.
Read more:
Sony A1 review
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III review
Nikon D6 review
Canon EOS R Mark II to be announced May 2020
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