Canon Patent For Box-shaped Camera Body (Cinema EOS?)

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Rather interesting Canon patent application. A box-shaped interchangeable lens camera.

Canon patent application 2023024538 (Japan, published 2/16/2023) discusses methods and technology for a box-shaped camera (or a protection for a box-shaped camera?).

From the patent literature:

A camera mount protection when a lens is removed from an imaging device with a detachable lens.

Description of the Related Art

A lens-exchangeable imaging apparatus is known in which a lens device can be attached to and detached from a mount formed on the front surface of a camera body. Also, interchangeable-lens imaging devices with a very short distance from the lens mount to the image sensor have appeared, such as so-called mirrorless cameras that do not have a reflecting mirror to guide the incident light of the lens device to the optical viewfinder.

Further, some interchangeable-lens imaging apparatuses have a tripod or a seat on a plurality of side surfaces of the camera body, and are capable of vertical shooting or upside-down shooting. Patent Literature 1 discloses a camera having a mounting surface and a tripod mount on the top surface. Or you can shoot with the camera fixed upside down on the gimbal.

In Patent Document 1, the lens mount protrudes from the camera body when the camera is viewed from the front side. Therefore, if the camera is placed with the mount surface facing downward while the lens device is removed from the camera body, the mount surface may be damaged.

In addition, when a large lens device is attached to the camera body, the center of gravity of the camera as a whole is shifted forward from the tipping limit, and there is a concern that the camera may topple forward. This is especially noticeable when the camera body is made smaller and lighter, such as with a mirrorless mount.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an image pickup device capable of protecting the mount of the image pickup device when the lens is removed.

More Canon patent applications are listed here. 

[via asobinet]

Canon Patent: 18-100mm F4 And 14-60mm F4 Lenses

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Another Canon patent application today, for a 18-100mm f/4 lens and a 14-60mm f/4 lens.

Canon patent application 2023018409 (Japan, published 2/8/2023) discusses optical formulas for two lenses we think are for the RF mount, 18-100mm f/4 and a 14-60mm f/4.

From the patent literature:

To provide a zoom lens that is compatible with a short back and suppresses variations in optical performance due to focusing in a wide-angle range with a wide angle of view.

Description of the Related Art

There is a demand for a compact and lightweight zoom lens compatible with a so-called mirrorless camera without a quick return mirror. For example, it consists of a first lens group with positive refractive power, a second lens group with negative refractive power, and a subsequent group including a plurality of lens groups, arranged in order from the object side to the image side, and the second lens group is the main lens group. A zoom lens with a variable power group is known (.

Further, in recent years, in order to reduce the size of the zoom lens, an imaging apparatus has been proposed that electrically corrects distortion mainly in a wide-angle range among various aberrations of a zoom lens. However, in such an image pickup apparatus, field curvature fluctuations, in particular, become large as aberration fluctuations during focusing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a zoom lens that is compatible with shortback and suppresses fluctuations in optical performance due to focusing in a wide-angle range with a wide angle of view, and an imaging apparatus and an imaging system having the zoom lens.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 15.45-68.00
  • F-value: 4.12
  • Half angle of view: 36.92-11.36
  • Total length: 106.58-125.20
  • Back focus: 10.68-12.16

Example 2

  • Focal length: 13.40-63.10
  • F-value: 4.12
  • Half angle of view: 40.91-12.22
  • Overall length: 105.91-129.46
  • Back focus: 11.16

Example 3

  • Focal length: 18.00-88.20
  • F-value: 4.12
  • Half angle of view: 32.82-8.80
  • Total length: 108.02-127.32
  • Back focus: 11.42

More Canon patent applications are listed here.

[via asobinet]

Canon Patent: RF 100-300mm F2.8 x 1.4 Extender Lens

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A new Canon patent application for another RF mount lens. Canon patent application 2023018429 (Japan, published 2/8/2023) discusses optical formulas for an RF 100-300mm F2.8 x 1.4 extender lens.

From the patent literature:

A zoom lens having a large aperture and a long focal length is provided, in which the focal length range can be easily changed to the long focal length side by an extender, and good optical performance can be maintained even before and after the extender is inserted.

A known method is to change the focal length of the optical system by inserting an extender (magnification conversion group) separate from the main optical system.

However, since a large air gap is required to insert the extender into the optical path, if the position for inserting the extender is inappropriate, the size of the main optical system and the extender will increase. Also, in order to maintain good optical performance before and after inserting the extender, it is necessary to appropriately set the refractive powers of the lens groups before and after the extender.

In the present invention, by inserting an extender into the main optical system, the focal length range can be easily changed to the long focal length side. The purpose is to provide a long zoom lens.

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

[via Digicame-Info]

Is Canon Developing A Mirror Lens With Auto-Focus?

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That’s what a Canon patent application seems to suggest, a 300mm f/2.3 mirror lens. Read on.

Canon patent application 2023013456 (Japan, published 1/26/2023) discusses optical formulas for a 300mm f/2.3 mirror lens with autofocus. From the patent literature:

An optical system capable of sufficiently correcting curvature of field while being compact, lightweight, and having a large aperture ratio is provided.

Description of the Related Art

As a telephoto imaging optical system having a long focal length, there is a catadioptric imaging optical system having a reflective system and a refracting system. In such a catadioptric imaging optical system, Patent Literatures 1 and 2 disclose an inner focus type imaging optical system that is compact, lightweight, has a large aperture ratio, and has an autofocus function. ing. [0004]However, in the imaging optical systems disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the configuration of the reflection system cannot sufficiently correct the curvature of field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an optical system capable of sufficiently correcting curvature of field while having a small size, light weight, and large aperture ratio.

An optical system as one aspect of the present invention has a first group that does not move during focusing and a second group that moves during focusing.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 298.89
  • F-value: 2.28
  • Half angle of view: 4.14
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 177.20
  • Back focus: 65.95

Example 2

  • Focal length: 408.04
  • F-value: 5.00
  • Half angle of view: 3.04
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Total length: 189.17
  • Back focus: 47.69

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

[via asobinet]

Canon Patent: Adding Functionality To The Rear Dial By Making It Clickable

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This Canon patent shows once more that ergonomics and user interfaces are constantly researched and further deveolped.

Canon patent application 2023009898 (Japan, published 1/20/2023) discusses methods to make the rear dial clickable, e.g. to add functionality. From the patent literature:

An object of the present invention is to provide a rotary operation member capable of a compound operation that prevents an erroneous operation during a rotary operation.

Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, in an electronic device having a rotating/swiveling operation member such as a dial, there has been proposed a structure capable of performing a combined operation of a rotating operation and a swinging operation of the rotating operation member.

However, the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document requires a plurality of means for producing a rotating operation and a swinging motion, and there is a concern that the swinging operation may be erroneously performed during the rotating operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rotating and swinging operating member that performs rotating and swinging operations with a common member while preventing erroneous operation during rotating operation.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a composite operating member that is capable of rotating and swinging operations and that is excellent in immediacy while preventing erroneous operations.

Canon patent

More Canon patent applications are listed here.

[via asobinet]

Canon Patent: Shutter Button Vibrates When Focus Is Acquired

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And here is the third Canon patent application of today (see here and here), and this is a rather cool one in our opinion.

Canon patent application 2023009356 (Japan, published 1/20/2023) discusses methods to make a shutter button that vibrates when autofocus is locked. Pretty cool, isn’t it? Think of situations where silence is important, but getting to know when AF locks is too.

From the patent literature:

An optical device capable of increasing vibration transmitted to a release button with an inexpensive and compact configuration is provided.

Description of the Related Art

Conventional single-lens reflex cameras generate camera shooting sounds such as shutter sounds and mirror drive sounds when a release button is operated to take a picture. Thereby, the user can recognize by the sound that the camera has performed the photographing operation. However, in recent years, when photographing athletes, the sound of the camera being shot distracts them from their concentration. becoming a problem. As a countermeasure for this problem, mirrorless cameras have become popular and the driving sound of the mirror has been eliminated. For this reason, among mirrorless cameras, there is a silent shutter camera that significantly suppresses the camera shooting sound even when shooting in a quiet place by reducing the shutter sound.

However, since the silent shutter camera is almost silent, when the user operates the release button to take a picture, it is difficult to determine whether or not the image has been reliably recorded. In order to address this problem, a configuration has been disclosed in which the release button is vibrated so that only the user can perceive the shooting operation while suppressing the camera shooting sound.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical apparatus capable of increasing the vibration transmitted to the release button with an inexpensive and compact configuration.

More Canon patent applications are listed here.

[via asobinet]