A Parody Comparison: Sony a1 vs Nikon Z9 vs Canon EOS R3

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Here is a neat parody about the competition in the mirrorless market. It’s survival of the fittest: Sony a1, Nikon Z9 and Canon EOS R3.

The folks at DPReview TV made the little parody video below. Imagine…

A plane crash leaves the mirrorless flagships overexposed to the dynamic range of elements. Will Canon, Nikon & Sony come to their sensors and group together to weather the aberrations ahead, or will they cannibalize one another?

Which one will survive through hunger (battery), nighttime and the ever persistent menace of smartphones? See for yourself.

Canon Patent: RF 24-70mm f/4-7.3 IS Lens (compact and lightweight)

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Here is a new Canon patent application. Once more for an RF mount lens, a compact and lightweight standard zoom lens with image stabilization.

Canon patent application 2021-196449 (Japan) discusses optical formulas for a RF 24-70mm f/4-7.3 IS lens. Not the fastest lens but according to the patent literature a lens of small size and little weight.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact zoom lens which satisfactorily corrects aberration fluctuation at the time of image shake correction and can obtain high optical performance at the time of image shake correction over the entire zoom range.

In recent years, in digital still cameras and video cameras, there is a demand for a zoom lens having a compact size and high resolution (high optical performance). Further, it is required that the zoom lens is provided with a mechanism (vibration-proof mechanism) for compensating for image shake (image shake) that occurs when accidental vibration such as camera shake is transmitted. As a zoom lens that meets these demands, a negative lead type zoom lens in which a lens group having a negative refractive power is arranged on the most object side is known. In this negative lead type zoom lens, an anti-vibration mechanism that compensates for image shake by moving a part of the lens group (vibration-proof group, image shake correction group) so that it has a component in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis is provided.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 24.86-68.13
  • F value: 4.12-7.31
  • Half angle of view: 38.31-17.62
  • Image height: 19.64-21.64
  • Overall length: 102.91-104.95
  • Back focus: 13.00-37.46

Example 2

  • Focal length: 28.68-67.45
  • F value: 4.12-7.16
  • Half angle of view: 34.41-17.78
  • Image height: 19.64-21.64
  • Overall length: 105.26-115.51
  • Back focus: 13.00-36.88

The 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: RF Mount Prime Lenses With Defocus Smoothing

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A new Canon patent application. Three fast primes are discussed, all seem to have Defocus Smoothing on board.

Defocus Smoothing is an optical technology introduced first on the RF 85mm f/1.2 DS. Canon patent application 2021-196547 (Japan) discusses optical formulas for the following lenses:

  • 50mm F1.4
  • 135mm F1.4
  • 24mm F1.4

All three lenses have Defocus Smoothing. From the patent literature:

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical system having high wavelength uniformity in a pupil surface.

As an optical element used in an optical device, an ND (Neutral Density) filter for adjusting the amount of transmitted light is known. In particular, in order to improve the variation in sharpness of the contour of the out-of-focus image (blurred image) (to obtain the apodization effect), a gradation type ND filter (GND filter, apodization filter) having different transmittance for each region is used. Be done. Patent Document 1 describes a GND filter in which an apodization effect is obtained by using a film whose thickness changes for each region.

However, in Patent Document 1, the uniformity (wavelength uniformity) of the transmittance distribution on the pupil surface with respect to the wavelength when the GND filter is applied to the optical system is not considered.

The optical system as one aspect of the present invention is an optical system having an optical element including a first region in which the transmittance changes in the radial direction, and the optical element is an optical axis perpendicular to the radial direction. A substrate arranged along the direction and a first layer are provided, the maximum incident angle of an axial marginal ray with respect to an optical surface included in the optical system is θm, and the extinction coefficient of the first layer at a wavelength of 550 nm.

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

[via asobinet.com]

Canon EOS-1D X Mark III Company’s Last Flagship DSLR, Exec Says

Canon Eos-1d X Mark Iii Sensor
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Yesterday a news about Canon broke over the Internet. Not only the source of the news wasn’t cited by the usual suspects, but it was also reported in a misleading way.

asobinet.com broke the news reporting an interview with a Canon exec, Canon’s Chairman and CEO Fujio Mitarai. In the interview. Mr Fujio Mitarai states that the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III will be Canon’s last flagship DSLR. The future belongs to mirrorless:

The market needs are acceleratingly shifting to mirrorless cameras. In line with this, we are steadily shifting people

However, that does not mean Canon will no longer produce DSLRs, as some sites want you to believe. From the interview:

Demand for beginner and intermediate SLR cameras is strong overseas, so we plan to continue development and production for the time being.

It doesn’t really come to a surprise that Canon will no longer produce a flagship DSLR, given all the efforts they put into mirrorless. The next Canon flagship camera will be the Canon EOS R1.

Canon EOS R3 Review – 10 Things To Love Or Hate

Canon Eos R3 Review Canon Cameras Eos R1
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A rather comprehensive Canon EOS R3 review and walk-through.

Canon EOS R3 at a glance:

  • 24MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Sensor
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, Eye Control AF
  • 6K60 Raw and 4K120 10-Bit Internal Video
  • 30 fps E. Shutter, 12 fps Mech. Shutter
  • 5.76m-Dot EVF with 120 fps Refresh Rate
  • 3.2″ 4.2m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen LCD
  • Sensor-Shift 5-Axis Image Stabilization
  • Multi-Function Shoe, Built-In Vert. Grip
  • CFexpress & SD UHS-II Memory Card Slots
  • Wired LAN and 5 GHz Wi-Fi Support

Gerald Undone talks five features in his EOS R3 review he thinks are a big step forward for Canon and five things that in his opinion still need improvement. Enjoy.

You can download the Canon EOS R3 user manual from Canon. Or you might read it online. A technical brochure about the EOS R3 is available. You can watch the EOS R3 live-stream again here. More EOS R3 review stuff is listed here. We put together some interesting videos about the EOS R3, listed here. Be sure to check Gordon Laing’s in-depth review of the EOS R3, part 1 and part 2. Oh, and don’t forget to listen how the R3’s 30fps sound. Canon EOS R3 product description after the break.

Order in the USA ($5,999):
B&H Photo | Adorama

All Canon EOS R3 world-wide order links:

America: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE

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