Canon patent for hybrid optical viewfinder

canon patent

Canon patent for a new generation of hybrid optical viewfinder. The patent does not refer to an electronic viewfinder. If I got it right this is an LCD panel that overlays all sort of information on the image itself (i.e. the image transmitted through the mirror to your eyes), so you can look at your composition and in the same time check all the relevant settings.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-35525
    • Published 2016.3.17
    • Filing date 2014.8.4
  • Canon patent
    • During the pentagonal prism and the eyepiece optical system, providing two optical surface inclined
    • Since the light from the objective optical system is transmitted through the two optical surfaces, the photographer can observe the object
    • Since the light from the display optical system reflects the second optical surface and the first optical surface, the photographer can observe the display information
    • Display panel, display the shooting information at the time of the mirror-down, to display a live view image at the time of the mirror-up
[via Egami]

Canon patent for 28mm F1.4L and 35mm F1.4L lens with resin elements

canon patent

Canon patent referring to a 28mm F1.4L and to a 35mm F1.4L lens. The interesting point: the patent mentions “resin lenses”. Wait, what? A plastic lens on a Canon L lens?

It’s not “plastic”, obviously. It’s resin, and, according to the patent, such a lens element should have less dispersion and less aberrations.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-31414
    • Published 2016.3.7
    • Filing date 2014.7.28

I wonder if and when such a lens may go to production.

[via Egami]

 

Canon patent for 27x zoom Powershot camera (Powershot G3 X replacement?)

powershot

Canon patent for an optical formula that appears to refer to a possible Powershot camera. The patent is about a 9-240mm F2.8-5.6 lens that seems to fit a compact camera, a Canon Powershot. The optical formula resolves to a 27x zoom. 

The Canon [shoplink 30519]PowerShot G3 X[/shoplink] has a 25x zoom (24-600mm equivalent). May this patent refer to a replacement? It may be.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-31419
    • Published 2016.3.7
    • Filing date 2014.7.28
  • Example
    • Zoom ratio 25.58
    • Wide-angle intermediate telephoto
    • Focal length 9.35 31.90 239.12
    • F-number 2.88 4.93 5.76
    • Half angle of view (degrees) 35.66 13.89 1.89
    • The image height 6.71 7.89 7.89
    • Overall length of the lens 94.81 119.61 197.21
    • BF 2.97 19.89 29.86
powershot g3 x
Canon Powershot G3 X
[via Egami]

 

Canon patent to avoid image quality degradation in systems with transparent mirror

2016_25487_fig05a

tilted-mirror

Canon patent describing a solution to avoid degradation of image quality in systems featuring a translucent mirror.

The problem: when light goes through a pellicle mirror to the sensor, the tilted mirror produces a tilt in the focal plane. The Canon patent counters this by tilting the sensor. Will we ever see this technology in a Canon product that hits the market?

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-25487
    • Published 2016.2.8
    • Filing date 2014.7.22
  • Canon patent
    • Pellicle mirror
    • Imaging device suppressing the influence of aberration by tilting the
    • Pellicle mirror the characteristics of, to determine the amount of tilt by the F-number and the exit pupil position
[via Egami]

Canon patent for EF-S 18-100mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens for APS-C sensors

ef-s 18-100mm

A patent does neither mean that a company is actively working on the described product, nor it is a warranty we’ll ever see the described product. However, here is another patent for a STM lens for APS-C DSLRs filed by Canon.

The patent refers to a EF-S 18-100mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens,. 18-100mm is a sonewhat unusual focal range, even more if you consider that Canon has the excellent [shoplink 6295]EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM[/shoplink] on offer.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-1224
    • Published 2016.1.7
    • Filing date 2014.6.11
  • Example
    • Focal length 18.59 47.22 94.99
    • F-number 3.60 4.92 5.88
    • Half angle of view (degrees) 36.31 16.14 8.18
    • Image height 13.66 13.66 13.66
    • The total lens length 137.78 158.04 178.30
    • BF 35.39 52.79 64.61
[via Egami]