Canon Patent: RF 100mm f/2 Macro Lens (EOS R system)

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And yet another Canon patent application for an RF mount lens. A new macro lens might be in the works.

Canon patent application 2022-16822 discusses optical formulas for a RF 100mm f/2 Macro lens.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical system which is small in size, suppresses aberration fluctuation due to focusing, and can obtain high optical performance over an entire object distance from infinity to a close distance, and an image pickup apparatus having the same.

A macro lens whose main purpose is to shoot a short-range object is configured to be capable of shooting from an infinite object having a shooting magnification of 0 times to a short-range object having a shooting magnification of about 1x. desirable. Further, the macro lens is required to have low aberration fluctuation and high optical performance over the entire object distance at the time of focusing, and the focus lens group is small and lightweight in order to perform focusing at high speed. When the inner focus method and the floating method are used, it becomes easy to perform focusing at high speed, reduce aberration fluctuations due to focusing, and obtain high optical performance over all object distances from infinity to close range.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 97.00
  • F value: 2.06
  • Half angle of view: 12.57
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 159.46
  • Back focus: 19.70
  • Shooting magnification: -1.0

The patent application was spotted by asobinet.com. More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Canon Patent: Quad Pixel Dual Cross Autofocus

Drawing From The Patent Literature
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For once a Canon patent application that is not for an RF mount lens. It’s for what could be a future generation of autofocus.

Canon patent application 2022-2383 (Japan) discusses methods and technology for a Quad Pixel Dual Cross autofocus system which one day might well be featured on a Canon mirrorless camera.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase the division direction of a pupil region while suppressing variation in sensitivity of an image signal.

As one of the focus detection methods of an image pickup device, a so-called image pickup surface phase difference method, in which a pupil division signal is acquired by using a focus detection pixel formed in an image pickup device and focus detection is performed by a phase difference method, is used. Are known. As a focus detection pixel, a configuration in which one microlens and a plurality of sensitivity regions are formed in each pixel is known, and each of the plurality of sensitivity regions is light that has passed through different pupil regions of the photographing optical system. The pupil division signal can be acquired by receiving light.

The patent application was spotted by asobinet.com. More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Canon Patent: RF 24-70mm f/4-7.3 IS Lens (compact and lightweight)

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Here is a new Canon patent application. Once more for an RF mount lens, a compact and lightweight standard zoom lens with image stabilization.

Canon patent application 2021-196449 (Japan) discusses optical formulas for a RF 24-70mm f/4-7.3 IS lens. Not the fastest lens but according to the patent literature a lens of small size and little weight.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact zoom lens which satisfactorily corrects aberration fluctuation at the time of image shake correction and can obtain high optical performance at the time of image shake correction over the entire zoom range.

In recent years, in digital still cameras and video cameras, there is a demand for a zoom lens having a compact size and high resolution (high optical performance). Further, it is required that the zoom lens is provided with a mechanism (vibration-proof mechanism) for compensating for image shake (image shake) that occurs when accidental vibration such as camera shake is transmitted. As a zoom lens that meets these demands, a negative lead type zoom lens in which a lens group having a negative refractive power is arranged on the most object side is known. In this negative lead type zoom lens, an anti-vibration mechanism that compensates for image shake by moving a part of the lens group (vibration-proof group, image shake correction group) so that it has a component in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis is provided.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 24.86-68.13
  • F value: 4.12-7.31
  • Half angle of view: 38.31-17.62
  • Image height: 19.64-21.64
  • Overall length: 102.91-104.95
  • Back focus: 13.00-37.46

Example 2

  • Focal length: 28.68-67.45
  • F value: 4.12-7.16
  • Half angle of view: 34.41-17.78
  • Image height: 19.64-21.64
  • Overall length: 105.26-115.51
  • Back focus: 13.00-36.88

The patent application was spotted by asobinet.com. More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Canon Patent: RF Mount Prime Lenses With Defocus Smoothing

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A new Canon patent application. Three fast primes are discussed, all seem to have Defocus Smoothing on board.

Defocus Smoothing is an optical technology introduced first on the RF 85mm f/1.2 DS. Canon patent application 2021-196547 (Japan) discusses optical formulas for the following lenses:

  • 50mm F1.4
  • 135mm F1.4
  • 24mm F1.4

All three lenses have Defocus Smoothing. From the patent literature:

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical system having high wavelength uniformity in a pupil surface.

As an optical element used in an optical device, an ND (Neutral Density) filter for adjusting the amount of transmitted light is known. In particular, in order to improve the variation in sharpness of the contour of the out-of-focus image (blurred image) (to obtain the apodization effect), a gradation type ND filter (GND filter, apodization filter) having different transmittance for each region is used. Be done. Patent Document 1 describes a GND filter in which an apodization effect is obtained by using a film whose thickness changes for each region.

However, in Patent Document 1, the uniformity (wavelength uniformity) of the transmittance distribution on the pupil surface with respect to the wavelength when the GND filter is applied to the optical system is not considered.

The optical system as one aspect of the present invention is an optical system having an optical element including a first region in which the transmittance changes in the radial direction, and the optical element is an optical axis perpendicular to the radial direction. A substrate arranged along the direction and a first layer are provided, the maximum incident angle of an axial marginal ray with respect to an optical surface included in the optical system is θm, and the extinction coefficient of the first layer at a wavelength of 550 nm.

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

[via asobinet.com]

Canon Patent: More Fast Prime Lenses For The RF Mount

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And yet another Canon patent application for a bunch of fast prime lenses for the RF mount, i.e. for the EOS R full frame mirrorless camera system.

Canon patent application 2021-193406 (Japan) aims to

[…] provide an optical system having high optical performance and less aberration fluctuation due to focusing.

and discusses optical formulas for these lenses:

  • RF 18mm F1.8
    • Focal length 18.54
    • F number 1.85
    • Half angle of view (°) 49.41
    • Image height 21.64
    • Lens total length 107.66
    • BF 14.09
  • RF 20mm F1.4
    • Focal length 20.48
    • F number 1.44
    • Half angle of view (°) 46.56
    • Image height 21.64
    • Lens total length 124.66
    • BF 13.16
  • RF 24mm F1.8
    • Focal length 23.83
    • F number 1.85
    • Half angle of view (°) 42.24
    • Image height 21.64
    • Lens total length 104.66
    • BF 15.90
  • RF 28mm F1.8
    • Focal length 28.08
    • F number 1.85
    • Half angle of view (°) 37.61
    • Image height 21.64
    • Lens total length 92.66
    • BF 12.16

Keep in mind that the mere existence of a patent application doesn’t necessarily entail the described item will ever hit the market. Time will tell.

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

[via asobinet.com]

Canon Patent: 35-600mm f/4-7.2 Zoom Lens For The RF Mount

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Here is a new Canon patent application. As so often lately, this one too refers to an RF mount lens.

Canon patent application 2021-193435 (Japan) discusses optical formulas for what could be a very interesting zoom lens for EOS R photographers. Indeed, it could be the mother of all zoom lenses. A RF 35-600mm f/4-7.2 zoom lens (example 4, below) is discussed in the patent literature (along with a 24-300mm lens).

Example 1:

  • Focus focal length 24.74 76.74 387.90
  • F number 3.60 5.30 6.50
  • Half angle of view 39.51 15.75 3.19
  • Image height 20.40 21.64 21.64
  • Lens total length 194.51 241.18 287.86
  • BF 13.32 48.47 46.4

Example 2:

  • Focal length 24.72 69.39 289.87
  • F number 3.60 5.30 5.88
  • Half angle of view 39.53 17.32 4.27
  • Image height 20.40 21.64 21.64
  • Lens total length 168.78 202.25 235.73
  • BF 13.34 39.12 36.81

Example 3:

  • Focal length 28.81 94.89 484.70
  • F number 3.60 5.30 7.20
  • Half angle of view 35.30 12.84 2.56
  • Image height 20.40 21.64 21.64
  • Lens total length 194.00 240.17 286.34
  • BF 13.85 43.81 39.37

Example 4:

  • Focal length 33.05 140.67 581.87
  • F number 4.10 5.90 7.20
  • Half angle of view 31.69 8.74 2.13
  • Image height 20.40 21.64 21.64
  • Lens total length 218.72 276.34 333.97
  • BF 14.32 39.28 46.78

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

[via asobinet.com]