Canon Working To Improve Electronic Viewfinder Optics, Patent Suggests

Electronic Viewfinder
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Since Canon’s commitment to mirrorless technology we can expect the company to improve the technology itself. For instance the Electronic Viewfinder.

An Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) is the only mean to give mirrorless camera users an experience that somewhat resembles the classic viewfinder, plus the added bonuses of information that can be shown in the EVF.

Canon patent application 2021-005111 (Japan) discusses how to improve the optical part of an EVF, in particular high magnification and long eye relief. This refers to the optical eyepiece (part of the EVF) used to look at the magnified image on the built-in display.Some people, me included, do not go along well with EVF. The technology discuses in the paper could make the experience better.

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

[via Canon News]

You Can Shoot Photos From Space With Canon’s Imaging Satellite

Canon's Imaging Satellite CE-SAT
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For CES 2021 Canon made something rather cool stuff. How about taking pictures from space using Canon’s imaging satellite?

We reported extensively about Canon’s efforts in outer space. The Canon CE-SAT-1 earth-imaging satellite is one of the micro-satellites Canon put into orbit to take imaging data of the earth. For CES 2021 Canon made an interactive showcase, hosted by astronaut Marsha Ivins, of this technology. And the best part is you can take pictures with the cameras on the satellite.

The Canon CE-SAT-1 is equipped with a slightly modified EOS 5D Mark III camera, capable of imaging a ground area of 6 by 4 Kilometers at a resolution of around one meter. Also on board are a 40cm diameter Canon Cassegrain telescope with 3720 mm focal length and a Canon PowerShot S110 for wide-angle pictures.

You can not freely roam, obviously. You can shoot some selected locations, zoom in and out, frame the image, shot your picture. You even get metadata with your photo (coordinates).

To start shooting pictures from space with Canon’s imaging satellite visit Canon’s dedicated microsite.

  • Canon's Imaging Satellite
  • Canon's Imaging Satellite

[via Digital Camera World]

Sigma CEO Says Canon RF Mount Lenses Are A Possibility (but for the time being too much demand)

Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 DG HSM Art Kazuto Yamaki
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Sigma’s CEO Kazuto Yamaki revealed somewhat what his company’s plans are in regard to the Canon RF and Nikon Z mounts.

In an article he wrote for ICAN Management Review, Kazuto Yamaki talks about Sigma and how the company evolved over the years. He also reveals some bits about future Sigma lenses for the Canon RF mount and the Nikon Z mount. In a paragraph titled “The future lies in passion“, he writes:

It’s true that the photography market has been systematically shrinking for years – in keeping with more and more people simply using smartphones to make photos and videos. Less cameras sold also means less potential customers interested in buying a lens, which is why our short‑term strategy indeed involves a possibility of introducing lenses with new mounts – to such photography systems as Nikon Z or Canon EOS R. So far, however, the number of orders for our lenses is still above our manufacturing capacities, and especially the capabilities of our R&D department.

To me the statement above means “we will make RF mount lenses for sure but we can’t barely hold up with demand for our other lenses”. Hopefully they can start soon because Sigma lenses are a lot of bang for the bucks.

About the photography market:

Photography market is indeed getting smaller – but it won’t be getting smaller infinitely. According to our estimations, it will reach its minimal size next year, in 2021 – and since then it will stay pretty stable. I would compare the ultimate size of this market to the level of camera sales in times of traditional photography, before the great digital revolution. The true number of passionate people, who want to make photos with high‑quality cameras and lenses is now – and was then – probably very similar.

Mr. Kazuto Yamaki is a remarkable personality, and we recommend you read his thoughts in the article at ICAN Management Review.

[via DPReview]

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021 Deal – $59.99 (reg. $99.99, Mac/Windows, today only)

Photoshop Elements 2021 Deal
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Today only (01/14/21) B&H Photo DealZone has a very good Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021 deal with 40% discount, DVD and download, Mac and Windows.

At a glance:

  • Photo Editing and Organization Software
  • Adobe Sensei AI Technology
  • Intuitive Home Screen and Auto Creations
  • Add Motion to Still Images
  • Face-Tilt and Facial Feature Adjustments
  • Quote Graphics and 58 Guided Edits
  • Smart Tags and Facial Recognition
  • Automatic Catalog Structure Backups
  • Built-In Prints and Gifts Service
  • For macOS 10.14/10.15 & Windows 10

Get the Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021 deal at $59.99. Compare at $99.99. All versions are discounted.

Hand-picked deals are listed here.

Deal pages:

Refurbished lenses and DSLRs at Canon Store (best deals to be found here)

Save $10 on Luminar 4 and/or Aurora HDR 2019 and/or Luminar AI using our code “WATCH” at checkout.

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Canon In Top Five For Number Of Patents Granted For 35 Consecutive Years

Canon Patents
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Canon is very prolific when it comes to patent applications.

Canon press release:

Canon Ranked 3rd in the 2020 IFI CLAIMS U.S. Patent Rankings

Canon has Now Ranked in the Top Five for Number of Patents Granted for 35 Consecutive Years

MELVILLE, NY, January 13, 2021 – Continuing its mission of empowering innovation, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is proud to announce that its parent company, Canon Inc., ranked third for the number of U.S. patents awarded in 2020 with 3,226 patents.1 With this year’s ranking, Canon has now ranked in the top five for number of patents granted for 35 consecutive years, according to the latest ranking of preliminary patent results issued by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. Additionally, Canon once again ranked first in patents among Japanese companies for the 16th consecutive year.

“As the world continues to shift and the needs of our customers evolve, we too will continue exploring new areas and future opportunities for innovation that will benefit our customers,” said Seymour Liebman, executive vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel of Canon U.S.A. Inc and senior managing executive officer of Canon Inc. “Canon is proud to be in the top three patent holders as it further demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative ideas and solutions that meet market and customer demands.”

Canon actively promotes the globalization of its business and places great value on obtaining patents overseas. Among these, the United States, with its many high-tech companies and large-market scale, represents a particularly important region in terms of business expansion and technology alliances.

Canon promotes the acquisition and utilization of intellectual property rights, not only for fundamental technologies required for next-generation products, but also for such technologies as wireless communication and image-compression shared by the next-generation social infrastructure.

For more information on Canon and its products, please visit www.usa.canon.com.

Canon RF 600mm f/11 Review (delivers some incredible images, SLR Lounge)

Canon Rf 600mm F/11 Review
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Here is a new Canon RF 600mm f/11 Lens review. The RF 600mm f/11 and RF 800mm f/11 made quite a splash when they were announced. Initially seen with skepticism, they are now getting many positive reviews.

This Canon RF 600mm f/11 review comes from SLR Lounge, the Canon RF 600mm f/11 Lens review says the “lens packs a punch despite its weight […] and delivered some incredible images”. From their conclusion:

1) The lens has a tendency to front and back focus, and 2) the f/11 comes with limitations, meaning you’ll want to pair this lens with a solid camera body, like an EOS R5 or R6 or better. The EOS R, in my opinion, was the baseline minimum that you would want. I would also remind you that this is a 600mm fixed focal length lens, a specialist lens, so you really have limited compositional control beyond simply moving closer or farther away on your own two feet, and you may be limited, depending on the kind of scenes/locations that you’re shooting in.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “Well, I would really love to have this lens to go traveling with,” then you might reconsider. For those of you that like to travel and you still want telephoto capability, I would recommend something like a 70-200mm, or a 100-300mm lens, where you still have range. If you’re shooting birds or animals, where distance is a common issue, then the 600mm lens is going to be perfect for you.

Read the review at SLR Lounge…

And if you prefer, here is the 13 minutes video review.

If you are interested there is an interview with the engineers who developed these lens. Also, Canon already said there will be more such lenses. For more Canon RF 800mm f/11 and RF 600mm f/11 review stuff have a look here.

Canon RF 600mm f/11

America: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon CA, KEH Camera, BestBuy, Canon CA, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Wex Photo Video, Park Cameras, Canon DE, Canon UK, Canon IT, Canon FR

Canon RF 800mm f/11

America: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon CA, KEH Camera, BestBuy, Canon CA, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Wex Photo Video, Park Cameras, Canon DE, Canon UK, Canon IT, Canon FR

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