4K the lens or Photo the lens?

[Kharak]

In this video Canon is talking about the 4K lens and how much better they are than "normal" lenses.

Take the Canon L series, those are designed for photo and those resolutions are as high as 6k and the images are gorgeous and sharp. Ofcourse they are for photo, so clicked aperture and focus pulling might not be perfect.

Is this a marketing stunt to sell to the ever thirsty gear hunter or is there anything real behind this?

What are your thoughts? Will you switch out all your lenses for 4K ones.


and last.. Isn't glass just glass, no matter if its 4K or HD.

[JADURCA]

Is there sucha a Canon lineup called 4k lenses? Never seen them. But as you said, glass is glass. Quality in construction and design equals to better light handling in the optic range so the sensor receive the cleanest light without distortions or aberrations. I think that they are marketing theirs lens as the best choice for 4k as many companys are starting to make their own cameras.

[andyshon]

Unless Canon tell us exactly what spec a lens must achieve to be given the 4K badge then on it's own it's pretty meaningless. But to say that 4k capture will show up problems with lenses that were fine in HD, or on FF 35mm film, is not untrue.

As you suggest, a decent L series prime will project well over 4k resolution onto a S35 or APS-C sized sensor. Even the sub $100 50mm/f1.8 will do so if stopped down a bit, as will many lenses dating back to 1950s and beyond. Problems are more likely to show up with zooms, even high end ones. However, some of Canons newer zooms are remarkable, and not just those with the 4K badge on them.

Glass is definitely not just glass, not by a long shot. Lenses vary massively in image quality. 4K on S35/APS-C is without doubt challenging and will certainly separate the good from the bad. But the lack of a 4K badge does not mean a lens aint good enough, just that it aint part of this particular marketing drive.