In a high-profile announcement in Hollywood last night, Canon has confirmed that it was officially entering the motion picture production industry with the introduction of its Cinema EOS system.

"The Cinema EOS System targets a new area of imaging expression for Canon," says the firm in a statement released shortly after the launch event in Hollywood. "The company has already earned accolades in the entertainment industry for the EOS 5D Mark II digital single-lens reflex camera, launched in November 2008, which has been used in the production of blockbuster Hollywood motion pictures and hit television programs."

It adds: "Canon's new Cinema EOS System, which offers compatibility with Canon's wide array of high-performance EF lenses, provides cinematographers with a range of unprecedented creative possibilities to ensure that no story is left untold."The system includes a new interchangeable-lens digital video camcorder, which combines "exceptional imaging performance with outstanding mobility and expandability to meet the demanding production needs of today's motion picture industry," claims Canon.

The camcorder, the EOS C300, features a newly developed sensor, dubbed Super 35mm-equivalent, offering a resolution of 8.29-megapixel. However, Canon points out that the sensor has a pixel size that is "larger than that for conventional professional camcorders, enabling greater light-gathering capabilities for enhanced sensitivity and reduced noise." The camcorder can record Full HD video signals for each of the three RGB primary colours, which, says Canon, decrease the incidence of moiré. However, the camcorder cannot record footage at a 4K resolution.

The EOS C300 can record at frame rates of 59.41i, 50.00i, 29.97P, 25.00P and 23.98P, as well as 24.00p, which matchs the 24 frame-per-second frame rate of film cameras "for high compatibility with common film-production workflows."

The camcorder will be available in two models - the EOS C300 Digital Video Camcorder, equipped with an EF lens mount, and the EOS C300 PL Digital Video Camcorder, with a PL lens mount for use with industry-standard PL lenses.

Both models will be released in January 2012. Both cameras will retail at £12,000 +VAT in the UK, or $20,000 in the US.

Canon is also introducing seven new 4K EF Cinema Lenses, which includes four top-end zoom lenses covering a zoom range from 14.5mm to 300mm - two models each for EF and PL lens mounts - and three single-focal-length lenses for EF mounts.The four new Canon zoom cinema lenses comprise the CN-E14.5-60mm T2.6 L S (for EF mounts) and CN-E14.5-60mm T2.6 L SP (for PL mounts) wide-angle cinema zoom lenses, and the CN-E30-300mm T2.95-3.7 L S (for EF mounts) and CN-E30-300mm T2.95-3.7 L SP (for PL mounts) telephoto cinema zoom lenses.

Each lens supports 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels) resolution, which delivers a pixel count four times that of Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), and offers compatibility with industry-standard Super 35mm-equivalent cameras as well as APS-C cameras.

The single-focal-length Cinema Lenses for EF Mounts include the CN-E24mm T1.5 L F, CN-E50mm T1.3 L F and CN-E85mm T1.3 L F.The three lenses deliver 4K optical performance, are designed for use with EF mounts and are compatible with the industry-standard Super 35mm-equivalent cameras, but also with 35mm full-frame, APS-H and APS-C sensor sizes. "The trio incorporates anomalous dispersion glass and large-diameter aspherical lenses for high resolution imaging throughout the frame, and features a newly designed 11-blade aperture diaphragm for gentle, attractive blurring," says Canon.

Pricing has yet to be determined.

Visit www.canon.co.uk for more details.

Canon has also announced the development of a new digital SLR, which will record footage a 4K resolution. For more information, read our report here.