Canon Patent: RF 80-240mm f/3.5 Zoom Lens For EOS R System

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Here is another Canon patent application. This one is for a RF 80-240mm f/3.5 zoom lens. This is not the first patent we feature today.

Canon patent application 2022-29115 (Japan) discusses optical formulas for a RF 80-240mm f/3.5 zoom lens.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact and lightweight zoom lens having high optical performance in the entire zoom and the entire focus range, and an image pickup device and an image pickup system having the same.

In recent years, the image pickup device has been miniaturized, and the image pickup device used in the image pickup device has a high pixel count. Further, the optical system used in the image pickup apparatus is required to have high optical performance, and to be compact and lightweight. In order to satisfy these requirements, a zoom with positive, negative, positive, positive, and negative refractive power first to fifth lens groups arranged in order from the object side to the image side to reduce various aberrations. A lens has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

In order to reduce the size of the zoom lens, it is effective to adopt a telephoto type power arrangement and increase the positive refractive power on the object side and the negative refractive power on the image side. However, if the refractive power of each lens group is increased, the fluctuations of various aberrations due to zooming and focusing become large, and it becomes difficult to satisfactorily correct the various aberrations with a limited number of lenses. Therefore, in order to achieve both the optical performance of the zoom lens and the miniaturization, it is important to appropriately set the refractive power of each lens group, the lens configuration, and the position of the focus group.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compact and lightweight zoom lens having high optical performance in the entire zoom and the entire focus range, and an image pickup apparatus and an image pickup system having the same.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 72.00-194.00
  • F value: 2.92
  • Half angle of view: 16.72-6.36
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 185.00-255.23
  • Back focus: 16.68-70.96

Example 2

  • Focal length: 72.00-194.00
  • F value: 3.5
  • Half angle of view: 16.72-6.36
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 185.00-255.16
  • Back focus: 15.63-65.11

Example 3

  • Focal length: 80.29-232.85
  • F value: 3.5
  • Half angle of view: 15.08-5.31
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 222.75-325.37
  • Back focus: 11.49-64.12

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

[via asobinet]

Canon Patent: RF 30-600mm f/4-8 Zoom Lens For The EOS R System

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Another day, another Canon patent for an RF lens .

Canon patent application 2022-29145 (Japan) discusses optical formulas for a RF 30-600mm f/4-8 überzoom lens.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a zoom lens capable of achieving both a high zoom ratio and good optical performance while being compact, and an image pickup apparatus having the same.

However, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, although the zoom lens has a high zoom ratio and high optical performance, it does not satisfy the demand for miniaturization. In order to achieve this, it is important to properly set the zoom type and the moving lens group during zooming.

An object of the present invention is to provide a zoom lens capable of achieving both a high zoom ratio and good optical performance while being compact, and an image pickup apparatus having the same.

Embodiment

  • Focal length: 30.50-585.00
  • F value: 4.00-8.00
  • Half angle of view: 35.35-2.12
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 309.33-489.09
  • Back focus: 29.33-102.45

Is this a zoom lens like the Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3? Wonder if this lens patent will ever hit the shelves.

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

[via asobinet]

Canon Patent: Anamorphic Optical System

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A new Canon patent application for an anamorphic optical system, i.e. a lens.

Canon patent application 2022-26700 (Japan) discusses optical formulas for an anamorphic lens.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical system in which deterioration of optical performance due to a manufacturing error in a rotation direction is suppressed.

The present invention relates to an anamorphic optical system suitable for an image pickup apparatus.

In imaging through an optical system having a wide angle of view, the subject image is compressed into a horizontal cross section and recorded. Therefore, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the refractive power is obtained in the horizontal cross section and the vertical cross section. Different anamorphic optics are used. The anamorphic optical system of Patent Document 1 is configured to have as few anamorphic surfaces as possible in order to reduce the size and weight.

However, in the anamorphic optical system, the position and the number of anamorphic surfaces are appropriately adjusted in order to suppress the deterioration of the optical performance due to the manufacturing error in the rotation direction around the optical axis, which does not occur in the rotationally symmetric optical system. Need to be set.

The present invention provides an anamorphic optical system that is compact and lightweight, yet suppresses deterioration of optical performance due to manufacturing errors in the rotation direction, and an image pickup apparatus using the same.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 16.15
  • F value: 4.0
  • Image height: 6.91
  • Overall length: 222.72
  • Back focus: 46.68

The Canon 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: 200-500mm f/4 and 300-800mm f/8 Lenses For Full Frame

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A Canon patent application referring to 200-500mm f/4 and 300-800mm f/8 for full frame sensors, although it is not clear if the lenses for the RF or EF mount.

Canon patent application 2022-26392 (Japan) discusses optical formulas for 200-500mm f/4 and 300-800mm f/8 lenses.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a zoom lens which has a long focal length and a large aperture ratio, yet has both small size and light weight and high image quality.

Conventionally, a zoom lens has been proposed in which a lens group having a positive refractive power is arranged on the most object side to realize a long focal length and a large diameter ratio (see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

However, a zoom lens having a long focal length at the telephoto end and a small F-number has a large front lens diameter and increases the weight. The zoom lenses of Patent Documents 1 to 3 are insufficient in weight reduction. It is effective to reduce the number of lens components in order to reduce the weight, but if the number of lens components is reduced, it becomes difficult to achieve high image quality.

An object of the present invention is to provide a zoom lens having a long focal length and a large aperture ratio, yet having both small size and light weight and high image quality.

[via asobinet.com]

Canon Patent: Touch-enabled Lens Control Unit (adjust aperture and focus

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A new day, a new Canon patent application. What about a lens with touch controls?

Canon patent application 2022-25673 (Japan) discusses methods and technology for a touch control on a lens that allows to change aperture and focus.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform continuous smooth touch operation without visually observing an exterior portion of an optical device.

As a lens device (interchangeable lens) with improved user operability, Patent Document 1 describes focusing distance, focal length, aperture value, operation mode, and the like with a finger on any of a plurality of touch areas. Those that can be selected by touch operation are disclosed. This lens device is discretely provided with convex indexes for recognizing the touch region operated by the touch by the sense of touch without the user having to visually check the exterior portion provided with the touch region.

However, although the discrete index disclosed in Patent Document 1 is effective for touching each touch region, it guides a continuous smooth touch operation for a plurality of touch regions in focusing and the like. There is no function.

The optical device as one aspect of the present invention has an exterior portion. The optical device has an operation detection unit having a finite length for detecting the position of a touch operation on the exterior portion, and an operation guide unit provided on the exterior portion to guide a user’s finger performing a touch operation. .. The operation guide unit is characterized by having a shape that extends continuously along the operation detection unit.

This is not the first Canon patent referring to a lens with touch controls. Will the discussed technology ever hit the market?

The Canon 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: Underwater Attachment Optic For Better Performance

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Very interesting Canon patent application. If I got it right, it is for a sort of underwater attachment optic you can mount on a telephoto lens. The optical system should deliver an optical underwater performance that’s close to what you get when using the lens on the surface (i.e. in “air”).

Canon patent application 2022-24363 (Japan) discusses technology and optical formulas for an optical filter system that gets mounted on a lens and should deliver much better optical performance under water.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an attachment optical system capable of obtaining optical performance close to that in the case of use in air when used in water with a simple configuration.

Conventionally, an attachment optical system for mounting on an image pickup lens is known. In recent years, the number of users who enjoy shooting underwater is increasing, and the demand for an image pickup lens optimally designed for underwater use is increasing. Generally, as an underwater camera or an amphibious camera, a camera in which the camera is housed in an underwater housing or a camera in which the camera itself is provided with a waterproof mechanism is used. However, the refractive index and dispersion of water and salt water are different from those in air. For example, the refractive index for the d-line is about 4/3 with respect to air, and the dispersion is about 62 in Abbe number. Therefore, when an image pickup optical system whose aberration is sufficiently corrected in air is used in water, the refraction action at the interface between water and the image pickup optical system changes, and the optical performance deteriorates due to the change in aberration.

When an optical system that has been subjected to aberration correction on the assumption that it is used in air is used in water, the aberration changes as described above. Specifically, it is necessary to extend the focus lens group in order to generate curvature of field on the over side, distortion, and to shift the focus position to the rear of the image plane and return the focus to the image plane position. There is the occurrence of aberration fluctuation due to. Further, the change in aberration becomes more remarkable as the thickness of the housing mounted in front of the optical system becomes thicker when used underwater. With the attachment optical system disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, it is difficult to cope with all of the above-mentioned changes in aberration, and the optical performance when used in water is close to that when used in air. Cannot be obtained.

Therefore, the present invention presents an attachment optical system, an optical system, and a method for manufacturing an optical system, which can obtain optical performance close to that of use in air when used in water with a simple configuration. The purpose is to provide.

The attachment optical system as one aspect of the present invention has a first converter optical system that can be attached to the object side of the image pickup optical system, and the first converter optical system has a dome-shaped cover. It has one unit and a second unit composed of a plurality of lenses, and the second unit has a negative refractive power arranged at a position closest to the first unit in the second unit. The focal length fd of the first unit, the focal length ffc of the second unit, and the focal length fn of the lens having a negative refractive power in the second unit in water having a lens are predetermined conditional expressions. To be satisfied.

asobinet.com suggests this is for movie application and less for stills photography. They also suggest it is for a zoom lens for the Canon EOS Cinema system.