The Canon Compact-Servo 18-80mm T4.4 lens is the newest release in Canon’s extensive lens lineup. The lens was designed to bridge the gap between their EF still zooms and their cinema zooms, blending features from both form factors. This lens fills an important space for documentary cinematographers looking for a small, inexpensive lens with high functionality on a wide range of shoots. The zoom range of the lens is great for all-around verite shooting, covering the most-used standard focal lengths.

Since we recently wrapped our Behind The Lens series, where we took a closer look at 11 documentary zoom lenses, we thought it would be appropriate to take some time to step back and reflect on what we learned.

Lens testing is like learning – it never stops! Keeping up with the latest technology can be a daunting task, but one that’s important in our field. Back in 2017, I did a Behind the Lens series looking at a wide range of documentary zooms to see how they can achieve specific needs for a project. The options for cinema glass have certainly grown since then, so I decided to add a few more lenses to the list.