Canon cine zooms: first shoot with the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP

From food commercials to short-form brand stories, DoP Ian Murray has more than 20 years of cinematography experience, during which time he's developed a keen understanding of the "magic, realism and energy that light can provide," and how to make this palpable to the viewer.

However, full-frame has traditionally been a sensor format with few available cine lenses, especially fast aperture zooms. Canon's new Flex Zoom Series fills this gap, with two cine lenses that span the popular focal lengths of 20-135mm: the Canon CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP and the Canon CN-E45-135mm T2.4 L F / FP.

We spoke with Ian shortly after his time on set using the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP to shoot the below film, to find out what he made of the lens, how well it paired with the Canon EOS C500 Mark II, and what difference the addition of a bespoke full-frame lens to his kitbag made to his creative process.

Ian's work often involves filming people, so any lens he uses needs to satisfy his acute eye for skin quality, colour, face shape and sharpness of detail. These are points that the viewer notices subconsciously, making camera and lens colour science of paramount importance to DoPs.

"As humans, we have evolved to identify even the slightest refinements of colour," explains Ian. "That affects how we analyse a lens. We are very interested in how a lens recreates the human face and how those emotional expressions are conveyed to us. Reproduction of skin colour, which was superb in the Canon CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP for a wide range of lighting scenarios, is very important."

To make the most of the golden light from the sunrise, Ian and his team shot one of the balcony scenes with natural lighting (see second image above). This style choice fed the creative narrative of a lawyer looking through documents, while also avoiding the potential issue of the fill light and polyboards being reflected in the model's glasses. "We just had the sun directly on the model, with quite a dark background. And it looked really cinematic," says Ian.

When filming a human face, DoPs must simultaneously reproduce the softness of the skin and clarity in the eyes. For Ian, a cinematic lens must balance both of these elements: if the skin is too sharp, it is distracting; if the eyes aren't sharp enough, you aren't getting a window to the person's soul. For the naturally lit balcony scene, the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP performed impeccably. "The model's skin just glowed," says Ian.

The impressed DoP was also able to complement action shots with flattering portrait angles. "You'd be surprised how different lenses produce a completely different face shape," he explains. "I was on the 50mm end with the zoom a fair bit, because I wanted to see that portrait effect. The CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP certainly produced a lovely triangulation and an attractive looking face."

When directors and DoPs talk about focal length, what they are really discussing is how they want a person to appear in relation to their environment. Ian cites English cinematographer and two-time Academy Award winner Roger Deakins, who usually shoots at focal lengths of between 35mm and 50mm for a three-dimensional effect – as if the viewer is in conversation with the subject. That realism is somewhat lost when shooting telephoto from greater distances because subjects become compressed.

Creating an immersive feel is a priority for Ian, so he also prefers to shoot closer to his subject and soften the background. Getting those two effects simultaneously is made easier by the full-frame format's wider field of view combined with fast aperture lenses such as the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP that provide a shallow depth of field. "A narrow depth of field around your focus point is probably the most useful tool to direct the viewer's attention," says Ian.

In addition to depth of field control, the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP and CN-E45-135mm T2.4 L F / FP feature 11 iris blades that create smooth out-of-focus areas, well suited to the needs of modern productions. "Most of the old cinema lenses have a pronounced 'stop sign' bokeh, but the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP lens feels like it is a mature and modern cinema lens, which makes it perfect for work such as commercials. Behind the actress was a round, smooth bokeh, while the large format's fall-off beautifully isolated her from backgrounds," says Ian.

Cloud cover created a soft, even light for an indoor kitchen scene of the actress slicing fruit (see above). Ian used some fill light to bring out the colour of the fruit, but also wanted an organic feel and nothing too artificially lit, pushing the capabilities of both the Canon EOS C500 Mark II and the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP. "Maybe what was most inspiring about this lens was that it allowed you to be as natural as possible," says Ian. "Normally, I really like stylised and immersive lighting – I try to give something a punchy look. But with this lens it felt very refined and cinematic, like it didn't need a lot. The fruit really popped even indoors and that shot really showed the colours of the lens."

As part of the shoot's modern, natural narrative and in order to push the dynamic range of the Canon EOS C500 Mark II and CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP pairing, Ian was keen to use sun flare for one scene. However, the sun had set for the day, meaning he had to improvise, putting parallel beams of light into proprietary reflectors for parallel shadows that replicate naturalistic sun flare, with a reflector directly in shot to look like sunlight coming through a cloud.

"We had the model walking and crossing through the shot," says Ian. "You were looking at the image thinking there was no flare, but then when she crossed through it, you could see the left and right contrast suddenly get deeper. So you could see the flare disappearing. That showed that the lens produces a flare, but a very subtle flare, and it holds a contrast well even in a direct light."

Inside the modernist house with large plate windows, the model then posed under direct lights with the dim twilight sky in the background, creating a layered, painterly feel. "Again, the model's skin held beautifully, even without make-up and no diffusion on the lights. It shows the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP has a classiness to it," says Ian. "With the EOS C500 Mark II, it has excellent resolution, dimensionality, a smooth bokeh and focus fall-off, and creamy skin tones. It's not like your normal modern full-frame lens that's just very clean and completely without character. It has a refinement and richness to it. This is a proper cinema lens."

Industry trends such as the shift from Super 35 to full-frame for a more immersive cinematic experience, the quest for realistic, flattering skin tones and smooth, soft bokeh, and the continuing growth in demand for content has encouraged videographers and DoPs to explore new kit possibilities that enable them to work faster and smarter and produce ever-more beautiful footage. The latest Flex Zoom lenses – the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F / FP and the CN-E-45-135mm T2.4 L F / FP – are an example of the many innovative products Canon is developing that give modern filmmakers the freedom and flexibility to realise their creative vision.