Canon Patent: 28-70mm f/2.8 And 28-60mm f/4 Lenses For RF Mount

Canon Patent

And yet another Canon patent application for lenses for the RF mount (EOS R).

Canon patent application 2021-179550A (Japan, spotted by Hi Lows Note) discusses optical formulas for a 28-70mm f/2.8 and a 28-60mm f/4 lens, both for full frame mirrorless cameras (hence for the RF mount on the EOS R).

Embodiment 1

  • Zoom ratio: 2.35
  • Focal length (mm): 28.84 39.89 67.90
  • F number: 2.91 2.91 2.91
  • Half angle of view (degree): 32.65 28.06 17.67
  • Image height (mm): 21.64 21.64 21.64
  • Lens length (mm): 149.46 133.18 115.94
  • Back focus (mm): 13.48 19.38 27.78

Embodiment 2

  • Zoom ratio: 2.35
  • Focal length (mm): 28.84 39.96 67.90
  • F number: 2.91 2.91 2.91
  • Half angle of view (degree): 32.68 27.27 17.67
  • Image height (mm): 18.50 20.60 21.64
  • Lens length (mm): 152.91 136.27 115.98
  • Back focus (mm): 13.50 19.41 26.94


Embodiment 3

  • Zoom ratio: 2.08
  • Focal length (mm): 28.84 33.20 60.00
  • F number: 4.12 4.12 4.12
  • Half angle of view (degree): 32.68 31.82 19.83
  • Image height (mm): 18.50 20.60 21.64
  • Lens length (mm): 141.33 130.27 104.61
  • Back focus (mm): 19.70 21.65 35.51

Embodiment 4

  • Zoom ratio: 2.35
  • Focal length (mm): 28.84 37.16 67.90
  • F number: 2.91 2.91 2.91
  • Half angle of view (degree): 32.68 29.00 17.67
  • Image height (mm): 18.50 20.60 21.64
  • Lens length (mm): 121.04 110.42 101.92
  • Back focus (mm): 9.97 13.25 25.53

Embodiment 5

  • Zoom ratio: 2.35
  • Focal length (mm): 28.84 39.87 67.90
  • F number: 2.91 2.91 2.91
  • Half angle of view (degree): 32.65 28.07 17.67
  • Image height (mm): 21.64 21.64 21.64
  • Lens length (mm): 146.19 132.32 116.42
  • Back focus (mm): 14.84 20.01 28.77

Canon Patent To Recognize Vertical Mode Through Eye Sensor

Canon Patent

Not sure I get how this Canon patent application might be useful. But who am I to tell? Patent application to recognize vertical use mode through the eye sensor.

Canon patent application 2021-180437 (Japan, spotted by asobinet.com) discusses methods to recognize the vertical use mode through data delivered by the eye sensor in addition to the gyro sensor, to avoid false detection. If I got it right, this should work to change the orientation in live view. From the patent literature:

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image pickup device having excellent operability, which can perform suitable control when a user looks into an electronic viewfinder and takes a picture.

Conventionally, there are known image pickup devices that detect the position of a user’s face and perform various functions based on the detected position of the face. For example, in Patent Document 1, the position information of a face element is detected from a face image taken by an in-camera, the vertical direction of the face image is determined, and the display direction of the image information in the display unit is determined according to the vertical direction of the face image. A portable terminal device to be controlled has been proposed.

However, in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1, in a camera provided with an electronic viewfinder, when a user looks into the electronic viewfinder and takes a picture, a face image cannot be acquired and the face cannot be acquired.The vertical direction of the image cannot be determined.

Therefore, when the direction in which the user holds the camera or the direction of the user’s face with respect to the camera is changed, the image information is displayed in the display unit in a display direction different from the direction desired by the user. Operability is reduced. Further, other controls such as control according to a voice input for instructing a direction cannot be suitably performed, and control is performed in a direction different from the direction intended by the user, resulting in poor operability.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup device having excellent operability, which can perform suitable control when a user looks into an electronic viewfinder and takes a picture.

The image pickup apparatus of the present invention includes an electronic viewfinder that displays an captured image, a detection means that detects the posture of the image pickup device, and an acquisition means that acquires information on the eyes of a user who sees the electronic viewfinder. Based on the information acquired by the acquisition means, the determination means for determining the orientation of the user’s face with respect to the image pickup device, the detection result of the detection means, and the determination result of the determination means. It is characterized by having a control means for changing the control of the image pickup apparatus.

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

Canon EOS RP Price Now Down To $899

Canon Eos Rp Best Mirrorless

The Canon EOS RP has got a $100 instant rebate almost everywhere and is now sold at $899 for the body only.

At a glance:

  • 26.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 8 Image Processor
  • UHD 4K and Full HD 1080 Video
  • 2.36m-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
  • 3″ 1.04m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen LCD
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF, 4779 AF Points
  • ISO 100-40000, Up to 5 fps Shooting
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Connectivity

You can check the world wide EOS RP prices through the links below. It’s $899 in the US.

Canon EOS RP:

America: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE

More Canon EOS RP review stuff is listed here.

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Canon Patent: Zoom Lens That Shrinks When Zooming To Telephoto

Canon Patent

A new Canon patent application. A lens that becomes shorter when you zoom to the telephoto end. Usually it is the opposite.

asobinet.com spotted this Canon patent application. The lens seems to have f2.8/f4 and covers the standard focal length. Interesting lens but I don’t think it will ever go into production.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY: A zoom lens and an image pickup device having the same.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a zoom lens having a large aperture ratio and a small size but having high optical performance, and an image pickup apparatus having the same.

In recent years, with the increasing functionality of image pickup devices, there is a demand for a compact and lightweight zoom lens having a large aperture ratio. As a zoom lens that satisfies this requirement, 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.

An object of the present invention is to provide a zoom lens having a large aperture ratio and a small size but having high optical performance, and an image pickup apparatus having the same.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 28.84-67.90
  • F value: 2.91
  • Half angle of view: 32.65-17.67
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 149.46-115.94
  • Back focus: 13.48-27.78

Example 3

  • Focal length: 28.84-60.00
  • F value: 4.12
  • Half angle of view: 32.68-19.83
  • Image height: 18.50-21.64
  • Overall length: 141.33-104.61
  • Back focus: 19.70-35.51

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

Industry News: Zeiss Celebrates 175 Years Since Its Founding

Zeiss

Could this be the oldest optics brand of the planet. Any expert out there?

Zeiss celebrates the 175 years anniversary of he company foundation. Lotsa years. Zeiss makes some fine lenses for Canon mounts but they are not inexpensive.

Zeiss press release:

ZEISS Celebrates 175 Years of Innovation, Passion and the Courage to Develop

ZEISS ran a virtual celebration to mark its 175th anniversary at its founding site in Jena.

  • German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: “Its interplay of entrepreneurial spirit, drive to research, and inventiveness make the ZEISS Group a pioneer of modern industry.”
  • After a 5-million-euro donation to the Deutsches Museum, the global initiative “A Heart for Science” will serve as inspiration for tomorrow’s discoveries

Jena/ Oberkochen, Germany | 17 November | ZEISS Group

175 years ago, on 17 November 1846, young mechanic Carl Zeiss opened his workshop for precision mechanics and optics in Jena, thus laying the foundation for what would become ZEISS.

To mark this special day, the company ran a celebration event, the highlight of a jam-packed anniversary year. The virtual event took place on 16 November 2021 at the Volkshaus, in the company’s founding city Jena. During the virtual event, Dr. Karl Lamprecht, President and CEO of the ZEISS Group, praised the company’s successful past, celebrated its present and shared his outlook on the future.

“ZEISS’ unique history and its exceptional achievements make it a truly extraordinary company. Its 175 years also demonstrate the company’s high level of resilience and its willingness to accept change. And, above all, ZEISS’ tremendous passion, coupled with its pioneering spirit and its pragmatism in challenging and pushing the limits of the technically feasible,” said Dr. Lamprecht. “175 years of ZEISS are more than just a historical milestone in our corporate history. It’s also what motivates us to look ahead and help contribute to a bright future shaped by technological innovations.”

In a video message, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier congratulated all ZEISS employees around the world: “175 years of ZEISS is much more than an anniversary. Its interplay of entrepreneurial spirit, drive to research, and inventiveness make the ZEISS Group a pioneer of modern industry.” The President underlined ZEISS’ responsibility as a foundation-owned company: “Thanks to Ernst Abbe’s visionary realization that economic success, scientific progress and social cohesion all go together, he set up the Carl Zeiss Foundation and thus paved the way for the company to take entrepreneurial responsibility for the common good.” He also expressed his conviction that we most definitely need this collaboration between science and industry to achieve goals like climate neutrality as well as to safeguard jobs and ensure social welfare.

“As ZEISS’ sole shareholder, the Carl Zeiss Foundation benefits in particular from the economic success of its foundation company,” said Minister Theresia Bauer, Chair of the Carl Zeiss Foundation Administration, adding: “Upwards of 300 million euros have been invested in more than 700 research projects since 2007 alone. This makes it one of the largest private foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science. I’d like to thank all our employees for enabling us to promote science through their innovative power,” said Dr. Dieter Kurz, Chairman of the Carl Zeiss Foundation Council and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG and SCHOTT AG. He analyzed the reasons behind ZEISS’s success: “ZEISS 175 is the fascinating story of an evolution from a small workshop with just one employee in Jena to a global market leader for the optics industry that employs 35,000 people. However, it’s a success story that’s not as straightforward as it looks today. In fact, it’s a story packed with twists and turns, ups and downs. Its long-term success has been possible because core virtues, values and skills have always been protected, while plenty of other aspects have been reinvented time and again. This is part of ZEISS’ innovation culture.”

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Vehicle AF Coming To Canon EOS R5 and R6 With Next Firmware Update

Canon Firmware Canon EOS R6 Review Camera Sales

It seems that Canon might add a new autofocus mode to the Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6 through a firmware update.

Canon latest press release tells the company will release a firmware update for the EOS R5 and EOS R6. Besides receiving updates to eye and face detection AF, both cameras will also get “vehicle AF”. Both cameras will also get “SMOOTH EVF”, a special mode for when you are shooting in dark settings. The firmware update is expected for the end of November or the beginning of December. All new features coming with the firmware update are described below.

Canon press release:

Canon brings the precision and simplicity of the EOS R3 to its range of professional cameras

London, United Kingdom, 16ᵗʰ November 2021 – Canon Europe today announces firmware updates for the EOS R5 (firmware v1.50), EOS R6 (firmware v1.50) and EOS-1D X Mark III (firmware v1.60). Following the recent launch of the EOS R3, a powerhouse for sport and reportage photography, Canon bolsters its professional range of cameras with enhanced detection, seamless file transfer and optimized support for lenses.

Unrivalled detection for subject tracking

Across both the EOS R5 and EOS R6, this update delivers enhanced recognition of subjects. Users of these cameras are now able to select “vehicles” as the main subject. Inheriting this abilty from the  EOS R3, the cameras can track racing cars and bikes. The update also enhances the overall AF tracking of people, with improved eye and face detection even when the subject is wearing a mask, as well as adding body detection. Strengthening detection within the EOS-1D X Mark III for winter sports, the firmware provides improved head detection for subjects wearing goggles and helmets.

Simplified operation for streamlined workflows

For professional photographers, their camera needs to operate as an extension of them, with seamless and intuitive functionality to help them capture the shot. This upgrade gives EOS R5 and EOS R6 owners the ability to set a custom white balance in Live View, streamlining manual white balance control. Across all models, the firmware ensures that photographers aren’t able to mistakenly transfer files by pressing the multi-controller when “Transfer with SET” is set for FTP transfer. Previously, the EOS-1D X Mark III employed separate buttons for voice memo and image rating, but with newly added settings users can use one button to do both functions simultaneously.

Enhanced support for lenses

As the RF lens range continues to grow, photographers are able to unlock new possibilities with their cameras. Thanks to this latest update, the EOS R5 is now compatible with Canon’s EOS VR SYSTEM and the RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE lens, enabling content creators to easily capture immersive footage for virtual reality. The update also offers full-time manual support for the RF 70-200mm F4L IS USM¹, even if AF is selected.

Firmware update summary:

No.UpdateEOS R5EOS R6EOS-1D X Mark III
1Change the settings for “simultaneous recording” and “current drive” during remote operationXXX
2Disable the multi-controller for FTP transferXXX
3Change the default from Active to Passive with the FTP Server Passive Mode SettingXXX
4Enhanced recognition of subjects, including vehicle and body detectionXX 
5Improved Face/ Eye Detection with masksXX 
6Added White Capture Mode in Live View (Manual White Balance)XX 
7Added EVF Smooth to suppress lower frame rates in low lightXX 
8Full-time manual focus support for RF 70-200 mm F4L IS USMXX 
9RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE supportX  
10Added settings to enable image rating and voice memo to be set at the same time  X
11Change the Default Power Saving Settings for FTP Transfers from “use” to “not use”  X
12Enhanced Head Detection for winter sports athletes wearing goggles  X