Canon has filed a patent that shows illuminated buttons appearing on the back of a prosumer DSLR camera (7D/5D-like design), hinting that the feature may be added to the maker's future models.
Details are sparse at this time, but an illustration in the patent shows a series of buttons with what appears to be a row of LEDs behind them.
The patent implies that this tech is about lighting up buttons while simultaneously preventing light leaks, explaining that this particular design: "enables a letter or character on the surface of a button to emit light uniformly [. . . ] without providing any dedicated separate member for light guiding and light shielding, and can prevent light leakage to the inside and outside of the device. "
As with all patents, we can't say for sure when (or even if) this feature will make its way into a Canon camera, but it seems like a no-brainer and something that would be simple to implement. Check out the full patent for yourself here (Japan Patent Application 2017-147019).
. dpreview.com2017-11-23 19:11