The Canon EF-S 17-55mm and Canon EF-L 24-105mm lenses have been a staple in documentary film productions since the advent of DSLR cameras for video. They are compact and light lenses that cover a great range and pack easily into small configurations.

Canon’s CN-E Compact Zooms have been a great addition to documentary cinematography since their release five years ago. The image quality is superb and is a great choice for higher-end productions. They offer a comfortable size and weight, with a fast, consistent T2.8 aperture. This pair of lenses offers a great focal length range that will cover you in most shooting situations. Let’s take a deep dive into the look and feel of these two lenses.

When Canon announced the Compact Servo 18-80mm T4.4 last year, it was also announced that it would be part of a family of lenses. Today, the Compact Servo 70-200mm T4.4 joins the ranks as the second lens of the series.

As a documentary cinematographer, I am constantly struggling to decide which lenses I want in my kit for any given project. The options over the years have ranged from minimal to overwhelming. In the beginning, I was mostly restricted to DSLR-style lenses to interface with my EF or Sony E-mount cameras.

The C300 Mark II's dual-pixel technology provides reliable and predictable autofocus. We now have the ability to dedicate autofocus to skin tones only, subjects coming in and out of frame, or multiple subjects in the same frame.

On Saturday, October 8, AbelCine held its first Fall Tech Expo. Taking place in our Chicago location on the Cinespace Studios lot, the expo featured a number of manufacturers displaying new gear for attendees to get their hands on.

Canon optics have a large following in the HDSLR world and are known for producing wonderful skin tones and a beautiful gradation into the blacks. In recent years, the popularity of Canon lenses has extended into the cinema world with many filmmakers seeking special adapters and rigs to use these photo lens in a production environment.

Jonathan Barenboim is a director and cinematographer; sometimes, depending on the project, he's both simultaneously. On his latest project, for a series called The Table launching later this summer, he was tasked with bringing to life short documentaries highlighting the human side of the unemployment crisis in the US. Because of the documentary nature of these pieces, he had to be ready to travel quickly and shoot in varied locations, all with the same basic camera setup. Jonathan was kind enough to answer a few questions about how he pulled it all off.

It was a busy NAB for our tech specialists with visits to the most interesting booths at the show, as well as Tech Talks and training workshops on the AbelCine presentation stage. With so much to cover, we wanted to round up all of our NAB blogs and presentations in one place for you.