This has certainly been a very busy week for interesting patents. Canon News found another interesting one, it looks to be a development of an OVF/EVF viewfinder for a Cinema EOS camera. From Canon News: The mirror is cut out around the sensor, and an EVF is used to “fill in the hole” where the actual Read more...
Canon News has found a BR related patent application (Japan Patent Application 2018-54914) that deals with a variant of the 35mm lens, but interestingly enough also contains a 10mm APS-C patent embodiment.
I’ve never been a big fan of Canon’s EF-S 18-200mm f/3. 5-5. 6 IS (terrible zoom creep, dust collector, not all that good optically) and would very much like to see a replacement, which I think is long overdue.
Northlight has also uncovered a patent from the USPTO showing improved chromatic aberration and field curvature. A bunch of prime lenses, including a new EF 50mm f/1.2L (shown above) optical formula are referenced.
Northlight has uncovered a lot of new lens patents from the USPTO, some of the more interesting ones include new glass types for various long lenses, including an example for a new EF 70-200mm f/2. 8L IS.
CanonNews released their weekly roundup of Canon patent applications. This week has some touch screen and sensor related improvements as well as a few other miscellaneous camera related patents. In particular, two patent applications for diffractive optical element manufacturing certainly show that Canon is continuing to push forward in advancing diffractive optics.
A patent showcasing a host of optical formulas from Canon has appeared over at Canon News. These patents deal with small focusing groups that allow for light and fast autofocus performance, perhaps more geared to STM than to USM motors being used.
Canon has applied for a patent on some apodization lenses for the EF mount. The following lens embodiments are included in the patent application; 50mm 1.4 35mm 1.4 24mm 1.4 US Patent Application 2018-0067333
A patent showing improved eye detection for viewfinder showing conserving battery life based on how and when the LCD turns off. From Canon News: This patent uses a combination of sensors to detect if the LCD is open, viewable or tucked away to determine the distance thresholds automatically. For instance, if you have the LCD Read more...
A patent showing how to improved flare control with DO elements has appeared. This goes along with some of the recent flare control patents we’ve seen for standard supertelephoto lenses. This patent notes continued flare improvement for a 70-300 DO lens according to Canon News From US Patent 20180045975: An image pickup apparatus for the long Read more...
It looks like the next version of Dual Pixel AF is being developed according to the latest patent on the subject. Canon News notes: This patent goes heavily into the “methods of manufacturing” the improvement, detailing layer by layer how the image sensor is fabricated.
A patent showing ultra wide angle optical formulas for APS-C mirrorless cameras has appeared. Optical Formulas: 18-45mm f/3.5-5.6 IS 9-18mm f/4-5.6 IS 11-30mm f/3.5-5.6 IS 10-20mm f/4-5.6 IS Canon News notes that the lens element designs look like they could be collapsible.
We posted yesterday about a utility that looks to improve the dynamic range in the EOS 5D Mark IV, but using the two DPRAW exposures to blend a single exposure. One of the issues that arises when doing this is getting parallax errors.
Update: After further translation, the drawing likely shows the in camera level and orientation switch. However, a new patent uncovered does show sensor based image stabilization. One thing this patent shows that’s interesting is what looks to be a 50mm HIS macro lens design.
A patent is making its way around the web today that shows Canon cameras being charged wirelessly, the patent application itself is from 2015 and was awarded in July of 2017. Canon already showcased wireless charging back in 2015 at the Canon EXPO.
Another set of Supertelephotos has appeared in a Japanese patent application. Japan Patent Application 2018-018101 EF 300mm f/2.8L EF 400mm f/2.8L EF 500mm f/4.0L EF 600mm f/4.0L EF 800mm f/5.6L We’re expecting new supertelephoto lenses some time in the next 12-18 months.
Canon has filed a patent at the USPTO for a new mirror box design. This new mirror box adds speeds and a reduction in bounce. There are a lot of parts to a mirror box assembly, and it’s easy to see how the remove of this complex system could greatly reduce the cost of production Read more...
Here’s an interesting patent from Canon. This patent covers fingerprint ID on your cameras and lenses that can control custom functions such as IS, AF and likely anything else you can think of.
As we dig through all of this “new camera” chatter from recent days, we continue to be reminded of patent applications over the last few months. This one is for a soft focus Canon EF-M 15-45mm f/3.
I was speaking with others about today’s article about a new type of camera coming from Canon, and it looks like this patent could be related to the new EF/EF-S > EF-M adaptor. This patent application was published back in October of 2017.
A patent showing a curved sensor equipped with DPAF has appeared, like the stacked sensor patents, curved sensors appear to be getting closer to being brought to a product. Canon News interprets Japan Patent Application 2018-014657: The sensor uses a piezoelectric device to drive the shape change of the curved sensor and has strain gauges (219) to Read more...
Northlight Images has uncovered another multi layer sensor patent from the USPTO. This one seems to show a layer of the sensor that actually emits light. Northlight translation of the image above: Light comes in through a conventional colour filter and reaches the first conversion layer, where some of it is converted to electrons. Some Read more...
Here’s a strange patent application from Canon, an optical viewfinder adaptor for a mirrorless camera. Canon News breaks down Japan Patent Application 2018-005126: This adapter would provide the half mirror assembly that would split the optical path between the image sensor and the viewfinder, and allow for simutaneous use of the image sensor and that Read more...
A new patent showing an optical formula for a new wide angle prime has appeared. The full frame lens in the application is an EF 15mm f/4, while the APS-C optical formula of a EF-M 9. 5mm f/4 shows a shorter backfocus than an EF-S lens and could actually be EF-M.
Update: Canon News has dug a bit further and come to the conclusion that these optical formulas are for a fisheye due to the lenses having a 175 degree field of view. A new patent showing an optical formula for a new wide angle prime has appeared. The full frame lens in the application is Read more...
A patent showing 4 new optical formulas for EF prime lenses has appeared. Japan Patent Application 2018-005133 shows the following: EF 50mm f/1. 8 EF 85mm f/1. 4 (Not the same as the EF 85mm f. 1. 4L IS) EF 85mm f/1.
Company claims third most U. S. Patents, placing it ahead of fellow tech giants globally. MELVILLE, N. Y. , January 10, 2018 – As part of its mission to redefine the boundaries of innovation and expand the possibilities of imaging technology, Canon U.
A new ultrawide zoom lens for APS-C EOS M cameras has appeared. This may be a replacement for the excellent EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5. 6 IS STM. The only knock against that lens is that it’s not wide enough.
Canon is clearly working on new ultra wide zoom lenses to add to the lineup, we have yesterdays patent showing a EF 17-35mm f/4-5. 6 IS STM and today we see a patent application that covers 6 different ultra wide angle zoom optical formulas for APS-C sensors.
A Canon patent application shows what looks to be expanding on ASC (air sphere coating). As you can see in the image below, ASC in fact looks like little bubbles From Japan Patent Application: 2017-167271 To provide an optical member having an anti-reflection film with high strength, uniform refractive index distribution, and low scattering, and a Read more...
We’ve heard some chatter that Canon would continue to develop it’s non-L zoom lenses for full frame camera lineup and this patent for an EF 17-35mm f/4-5. 6 IS would seem to fit into that segment.
Keith over at Northlight has uncovered more sensor related patents. The first patent uses a stacked sensor design to move AF and liveview data handling off the sensor part of the chip, to allow switching between them – faster and lower power.
A patent application showing a new mirror lens design from Canon is confusing to say the least. I figured the days of the catadioptric lens were well behind us, but here we are. Specification from the patent: Focal length: 400mm Aperture: f/5.6 2 Read more...
For the folks that love reading/translating patents, here are three new ones uncovered by Northlight that are related to autofocus technologies. Summarized by Northlight: [USPTO] Refining AF to correct for lens chromatic aberration.
Will Canon finally add illuminated buttons to the back of their prosumer DSLRs? This latest patent seems to show that they just might. Nikon and Pentax have had illuminated rear buttons for quite some time.
A patent showing a faster version of the EF-M 15-45mm has appeared in the form of three separate optical formulas. EF-M 15-45mm f/1.8-3.5 EF-M 15-45mm f/2.0-4.0 EF-M 15-45mm f/2.8-5.0 Canon News Summarizes: It also looks like it may be the first canon lens patent application that I’ve seen that specifically mentions that distortion abberation control Read more...
A patent application covering two optical formulas for both a full frame and APS-C superzoom have surfaced in Japan. Full Frame: 28-550mm f/3. 5-6. 3 APS-C: 15-300 f/3. 5-6. 3 I think it’s more likely that we see a replacement for the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.
It appears that Canon is continuing R&D into some kind of hybrid viewfinder for DSLRs. Canon News has uncovered a recent Japanese patent application from Canon for a hybrid viewfinder. Patent Summary: This one is a clever application where the EVF moves up with the mirror, to show the EVF image through the viewfinder. This Read more...
Northlight Images has uncovered another Canon patent relating to curved sensors. Japanese patent application 2017-084874: Generating of a gap of the focal position by a curvature of field, etc. are prevented, and the present invention inhibits the voltage change of the imaging signal which occurs because the impedance of each bump differs, and an object of Read more...
Northlight Images has uncovered a patent showing some curved sensor technology. The interesting part of this patent, is that the level of curvature in the sensor changes depending on the focal length.
Here’s a patent we missed that appeared in Japan and was reported by Northlight Images. This is a 18-105mm f/4-5.6 With Built-in Telconverter, which isn’t a big departure, expect that the TC is to make the wide angle, wider! At 18mm, the lens is f/4, but with the TC engaged, the lens becomes a 15mm f/3.3. Read more...
A Canon patent was found over at Northlight Images for a 50mm/1. 8, which was replaced relatively recently, and a APS-C 30mm/1. 8 lens has appeared at the Japanese patent office (No. 2017-102352 ) Full frame lens specifications: Focal length 51.
The 45mm and 90mm tilt-shift lens have yet to be replaced years after the TS-E 17mm f/4L & TS-E 24mm f/3. 5L II were released. A lot of people, myself included figured we’d be seeing new 45mm and 90mm tilt-shift lenses relatively soon, that obviously hasn’t been the case.
We continuously see new patents for diffractive optics lenses, something Canon continues to work and that we’ll see in a new EF 600mm f/4 DO IS sometime in the future (Photokina 2018 perhaps?).
A patent showing Canon continueing to improve Dual Pixel AF technology has appeared at the USPTO. A quick summary from Northlight: Offset microlenses and unequal pixel sizes improve off axis dual pixel sensor phase AF in a new Canon US patent. You can read the complete patent here.
Canon appears to be developing a new type of brighter focusing screen according to a recent patent. Keith over at Northlight appears to have done the legwork in breaking down the patent. A Canon patent looks at making less regularly spaced micro lenses for, amongst other things, a brighter view Improved brightness in a viewfinder Read more...
TOKYO, January 12, 2017—Canon Inc. again ranked first among Japanese companies and third overall for the number of U. S. patents awarded in 2016, according to the latest ranking of preliminary patent results issued by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services.
Canon has filed a patent for an EF 135mm f/2L optical formula with apodization filters. From Wikipedia (Via TDP): Apodization is an optical filtering technique, and its literal translation is “removing the foot”.
A patent over at Egami showing Canon is working on an RGBW image sensor has appeared. Patent publication number 2016-208093 (Google Translated) Release date 2016.12.8 Application date 2015.4.15 RGBW 12 array Generate resolution data and color data, synthesize resolution data and color data, up-convert, process with mosaic (Bayer conversion), demosaic in order The new patent Read more...
Another patent showing a curved sensor design from Canon has appeared. A previous patent showed how a curved sensor could help reduce vignetting. This patent shows how to electronically bend the sensor.