Update: Guess I got a bit overexcited on this. The patent literature refers to 2 optical formulas for full-frame and 2 for Powershot class of cameras. While it is possible that Canon may build such a lens for FF, an application for Powershot is much more likely. However, it’s a matter of fact that Canon works on such crazy ideas.

Canon patent for an EF 40-800mm F4.5-5.6 lens. It’s suggested this Canon patent could lead to a new EF 40-800mm F4.5-5.6 lens to be announced before the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, and, well, I think this is entirely possible so I rate it CW2 CW3.

• Patent Publication No. 2016-128846
  • Published 2016.7.14
  • Filing date 2015.1.9
• Example 1
  • Zoom ratio 19.42
  • Focal length 41.09 92.80 152.20 225.00 797.99
  • F-number 4.67 4.66 4.65 4.67 5.71
  • Angle of view 27.79 13.13 8.10 5.50 1.55
  • Image height 21.65
  • Overall length of the lens 489.32
  • BF 39.28
• Canon patent
  • Inner zoom

A Canon patent for a 15-75mm F2-5.6 lens with image stabilization surfaced. Although it is suggested that the patent refers to a Powershot camera with an APS-C sensor, I couldn’t find hints pointing to that.

• Patent Publication No. 2016-126226
  • Published 2016.7.11
  • Filing date 2015.1.7
• Example
  

  embodiment

  Example	Zoom ratio	Focal length	F-number	Half angle of view	Image height	Overall length of the lens	BF	The effective diameter of the front lens	Lens constitution	Aspheric surface	UD
  One	4.72	16.27 35.14 76.80	2.47 3.61 4.82	34.88 21.24 10.09	11.34 13.66 13.66	80.00 82.60 95.00	6.28 12.78 16.54	34.00	11 12 sheets group	8 face five	One
  Two	4.72	15.60 33.30 73.60	2.06 3.91 5.76	36.01 22.30 10.51	11.34 13.66 13.66	85.91 88.09 110.00	6.28 16.31 22.07	36.02	10 12 sheets group	Six faces four
  Three	4.71	15.45 34.76 72.80	2.06 4.00 5.04	35.79 21.45 10.63	11.14 13.66 13.66	89.98 91.94 115.00	6.28 15.52 22.55	37.95	10 group 13 sheets	5-sided four
  Four	4.71	15.45 32.76 72.80	2.06 4.00 5.04	35.79 22.63 10.63	11.14 13.66 13.66	89.01 88.49 114.92	6.52 18.26 21.47	39.01	10 group 13 sheets	5-sided four	One
  Five	4.71	15.45 31.78 72.80	2.06 4.00 5.04	35.79 23.26 10.63	11.14 13.66 13.66	89.22 86.34 114.55	6.28 17.70 20.68	39.00	10 group 13 sheets	5-sided four	One
  Six	3.96	15.96 31.06 63.20	2.47 4.12 5.76	35.63 23.85 12.49	11.44 13.73 14.00	87.92 86.14 105.87	6.28 17.25 24.35	38.50	10 group 13 sheets	5-sided four	One

• Canon patent
  • Inner focus (Group 5)
  • Anti-vibration (group 4)

It appears Canon is filing one patent for EF-M lenses after the other. Here is another one for an EF-M 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens.

I can’t say if this optical formula has something to do with the already available EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens. Maybe it was a patent obn the road to the 15-45mm. However, Canon appears to be definitely commited to the EOS M system.

• Patent Publication No. 2016-118658
  • Published 2016.6.30
  • Filing date 2014.12.22
• Example
  • Zoom ratio 2.88
  • Focal length 16.51 21.00 47.49
  • F-number 3.49 3.77 5.80
  • Half angle of view (degrees) 39.61 33.04 16.05
  • Image height 13.66 13.66 13.66
  • Overall length of the lens 82.00 77.35 84.14
  • BF 10.70 10.70 13.31

Canon patent for an optical formula that appears to be for a 1″ sensor, and for a 28-500mm F2.8-4 lens. Canon makes Powershot cameras with an 1″ sensor, the patent may point to a future super-zoom Powershot camera.

• Patent Publication No. 2016-99548
  • Published 2016.5.30
  • Filing date 2014.11.25
• Example 1
  • Zoom ratio 17.50
  • Focal length 9.76 104.00 170.79
  • F-number 2.88 3.77 3.90
  • Half angle of view (degrees) 36.48 4.51 2.75
  • The image height 7.22 8.20 8.20
  • The total lens length 196.17 196.17 196.17
  • BF 7.33 7.33 7.33

A Canon patent for a 70-200mm F2.8 DO (Diffractive Optics) lens. The patent was spotted by Egami, and they suggest this lens could hit the market before 2020, as replacement for the Canon EF 70-200 F2.8L IS.

It’s also suggested that this lens is 8K ready, i.e. ready to work with an 8K DSLR.

• Patent Publication No. 2016-80877
  • Published 2016.5.16
  • Filing date 2014.10.17
• Example 1
  • Zoom ratio 2.69
  • Focal length 72.15 134.00 193.98
  • F-number 2.91 2.91 2.91
  • Angle of view 16.69 9.17 6.36
  • Image height 21.64
  • The total lens length 223.50 223.50 223.50
  • BF 45.35 45.35 45.35
• [0006] Conventional full high definition (number of pixels 1920 × 1080, pixel size number .mu.m) If image quality equivalent was sufficient in the conventional example as described in patent documents mentioned above. However, Super Hi-Vision (the number of pixels 8000 × 4000, pixel size 1μm before and after) for the future sought image quality, such as, is not sufficient in the imaging performance of conventional zoom lens. Therefore, further improvement of performance (in particular, reduction of the chromatic aberration amount) is required.
• Canon patent
  • DOE ( diffractive optical element )
  • Inner zoom (Examples 2 and 3)
  • Inner focus
  • Floating (Examples 1, 4)