The Optical Viewfinder Is Not Dead, Canon Patent Suggests

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This Canon patent suggests that despite all the mirrorless hype, and even now that Canon announced the development of a new industry game changer, the EOS R5, there is sill need for an OVF (Optical ViewFinder).

Canon patent application 2020-27113A (Japan, spotted by Hi Lows Note) shows that a big company like Canon is still doing R&D on optical viewfinder implementations.

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

Canon Patent: 100-400mm f/5.5-7.1 Lens For APS-C Camera

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Here is an inetersting Canon patent for a 100-40mm lens.

Canon Patent Application 2020-027156 (Japan) discusses optical formulas for a 100-400mm f/5.5-7.1 lens. The interesting fact is that this 100-400mm f/5.5-7.1 is for APS-C cameras. For the EOS-M system? We think rather not but it is possible. For sure it seems to be consumer lens.

  • Focal length:        119.97 218.00 360.96  
  • F-Number:             5.50   6.50   7.10  
  • Half angle of view:  6.50   3.59   2.17  
  • Image height:         13.66  13.66  13.66  
  • Total lens length:   179.62 192.93 233.56  
  • BF:                   15.03  15.03  15.04

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

Canon Patent: RF 17-70mm Lens For EOS R Camera System

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Might this Canon patent application lead to a product that will actually hit the shelves? We’ve not made up our mind so far.

Canon patent application 2020-012922 (Japan) discusses optical formulas of what might become a future kit lens for the Canon EOS R full frame mirrorless system. The patent literature discusses formulas for two 17-70mm and a 16-60mm lens, and for both the EF and the RF mount. We think the RF mount lens is the one to have an eye on. The discussed lenses:

Canon EF mount:

  • Focal length 17.40 35.00 68.00  
  • F-number 3.33 4.09 5.88  
  • Half-field angle (degree) 51.19 31.72 17.65  
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64  
  • Total lens length 168.42 153.33 168.42  
  • BF 38.32 53.44 84.11  
  • Focal length 16.30 35.00 60.00  
  • F-number 3.31 4.22 5.88  
  • Half angle of view (degrees) 53.01 31.72 19.83  
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64  
  • Total lens length 68.46 153.33 168.42  
  • BF 38.35 56.15 83.82 

Canon RF mount:

  • Focal length 17.40 34.99 67.97  
  • F-number 3.31 4.12 5.88  
  • Half angle of view (degrees) 51.20 31.73 17.66  
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64  
  • Total lens length 168.41 154.99 168.39  
  • BF 8.36 52.48 81.91 

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

Canon Patent: IBIS Might Come To The Canon EOS M and PowerShot Lineup Too

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We have no doubts that Canon will feature IBIS (In Body Image Stabilisation) on future cameras, given the remarkable collection of patent applications dealing with it and the fact that a Canon exec told the world about. And it’s very likely that the first Canon camera to feature it will be mirrorless.

Never the less, Canon patent application 2019-219650 (Japan) discusses how to feature IBIS on what seem to clearly be cameras in the Canon EOS M and Canon PowerShot lineup. So, IBIS coming to the m ore entry level oriented Canon cameras? Maybe not soon, but maybe sometime.

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

Canon Patent: Canon RF 135mm f/1.4L USM Lens (EOS R System)

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And yet another Canon patent application for yet another RF lens.

Canon patent application discusses the optical formula for an RF 135mm f/1.4L USM for the Canon EOS R full frame mirrorless system.

  • Focal length: 131.00mm
  • F-Number: 1.41
  • Half angle of view: 9.38°
  • Image height: 21.64mm
  • Total lens length:  182.28mm
  • BF: 13.87mm

We think this Canon patent application has a good chance to hit the market. In other words: we might see such a lens sooner or later.

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

Canon Patent: RF 24-100mm f/2.8 & RF 24-85mm f/2.8 Lenses For The EOS R System

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Here is very interesting Canon patent application (2020-8773A, Japan) for two zoom lenses for the EOS R full frame mirrorless camera system. Might be a patent application that hits the market sooner or later.

The lenses described in the patent application appear to be for the RF lens mount, i.e. for the Canon EOS. Optical formulas for an RF 24-100mm f/2.8 and an RF 24-85mm f/2.8 lens are discussed in the patent application.

Embodiment 1: 24-85mm f/2.8

  • Focal length: 24.70 50.00 85.00 mm
  • F number; 2.90 2.90 2.90
  • Half angle of view: 41.22 23.40 14.28
  • Image height: 21.64 21.64 21.64 mm
  • Lens length; 153.30 173.51 198.31 mm
  • Back focus: 12.00 26.12 43.44 mm

Embodiment 2: 24-100mm f/2.8

  • Focal length: 24.70 50.00 101.85 mm
  • F number: 2.91 2.91 2.91
  • Half angle of view: 41.22 23.40 11.99
  • Image height: 21.64 21.64 21.64 mm
  • Lens length: 158.52 176.33 218.42 mm
  • Back focus: 10.00 26.38 43.15 mm

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

[via Hi Lows Note]