Canon Patent: 200-800mm F5.6-9, 100-600mm F5.6-9 And 20-150mm F4-8

Canon Patent

A new Canon patent was spotted. Zoom lenses for full frame mirrorless cameras, i.e. the EOS R system.

Canon patent application 2023125584 (Japan, published 9/7/2023) discusses optical formulas for three zoom lenses:

  • 200-800mm F5.6-9
  • 100-600mm F5.6-9
  • 20-150mm F4-8

From the patent literature:

A zoom lens is provided that is compact and lightweight and capable of suppressing variations in optical performance over the entire zoom range.

BACKGROUND ART

As an imaging optical system used in an imaging device, there is a demand for a small and lightweight zoom lens that has a high zoom ratio (variable magnification ratio) and high optical performance over the entire zoom range. As a zoom lens that satisfies this requirement, a positive lead type zoom lens in which a lens group with a positive refractive power is arranged closest to the object side is known.

In the zoom lens disclosed in Patent Document 1, the negative second lens group as the main variable magnification group is moved toward the image side during zooming from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end. In order to obtain a higher zoom ratio with this zoom lens, it is necessary to increase the overall length of the lens in order to ensure the amount of movement of the second lens group. As the total length increases, the diameter of the first lens group increases, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of miniaturization and weight reduction.

The present invention provides a zoom lens that is small and lightweight and capable of suppressing fluctuations in optical performance over the entire zoom range, and an imaging device having the same.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 206.00-775.96
  • F-value: 5.83-9.20
  • Half angle of view: 6.00-1.60
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Total length: 330.07-392.54
  • Back focus: 38.46

Example 2

  • Focal length: 100.02-599.98
  • F-value: 5.83-9.20
  • Half angle of view: 12.21-2.07
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Total length: 300.08-373.49
  • Back focus: 77.78

Example 3

  • Focal length: 19.99-150.00
  • F value: 4.12-8.12
  • Half angle of view: 30.77-5.20
  • Image height: 11.90-13.66
  • Total length: 118.37-150.69
  • Back focus: 10.01

More Canon patents are listed here.

[via asobinet]

Are These The Canon EOS R5 Mark II Specifications?

Nab 2023 Canon Eos R5 Mark Ii Canon Eos R8 CP+ 2024 Mark Ii Canon EOS Rf 24-50mm R6 Mark Ii Rf Mount Eos R6 Mark Ii Rf 300mm Rf 35mm Canon Eos R100 Rf 24mm F/1.8 Rf-s Canon Eos R7 Eos R100 Canon High Resolution Eos R R10 Eos C5 Canon Canon Eos R1 Eos R5c Canon Rf 16mm Rf 35mm F/1.2L EF Lenses Tilt-shift Lenses Rumor

A set of alleged Canon EOS R5 Mark II specifications surface on the interweb of rumor sites.

Coming from a source with no known reliability record, these are the suggested Canon EOS R5 Mark II specifications:

  • 62mp Stacked CMOS Image Sensor
  • Variable resolution of 62mp, 31mp, 15.5mp
  • 8K recording up to 60fps internally
  • 4K recording up to 120fps internally
  • DIGIC X2s Processor
  • Dual CFexpress Type-B Card Slots
  • Eye control autofocus
  • A revised variable angle LCD panel
  • 5.76m-DOT 120fps EVF
  • Multi-function hot shoe
  • New battery, but same form as the LP-E6
  • New button layout and controls
  • Launch of new Canon camera app at the same time
  • Projected February 2024 Announcement

Besides the “DIGIC X2s” moniker for the CPU, there is nothing really new here. More an aggregation of various rumors that surfaced in the past. Also, in our experience, it is way to early for a reliable set of specifications; so take it with the necessary amount of salt, even if the source claims it comes “from an internal sales meeting […] with a large retailer”.

All Canon EOS R5 Mark II rumors are listed here.

Stay tuned.

[via TCI]

Canon EOS R50 Sample Pictures Gallery

Canon EOS R50

DPReview posted a gallery with sample pictures shot using the Canon EOS R50. Not bad image quality at all.

They say:

We’re hard at work completing our final review of Canon’s ultra-compact EOS R50 mirrorless camera. While those of us with larger fingers have found the R50’s tight controls challenging to use, the camera delivers when it comes to the most important thing: image quality. A fresh set of samples with a production camera are now available for your perusal.

Click here to see the Canon EOS R50 sample photo gallery.

Canon EOS R50:

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

DxO announces landmark moment for Nik Collection with version 6.3

Nik Collection

Download the new Nik Collection 6.3 here, trial version available.

Press release:

DxO announces landmark moment for Nik Collection with version 6.3

It is a big day for Nik Collection. Today’s release of the world’s favorite set of photo-editing plugins for Photoshop and Lightroom Classic marks the culmination of a six-year project to entirely rebuild the software inherited from Google in 2017. Available now, version 6.3 is faster and more reliable than ever before, and features comprehensive updates to Nik Sharpener and Nik HDR Efex.

Nik Collection Completely Redesigned by DxO Labs

In October 2017 DxO Labs acquired the Nik Collection from Google. Six years later, the huge task of re- authoring is complete, with every line of code rewritten for the latest technology. The release of Nik Collection 6.3, the suite is fully compatible with Windows, MacOS, and Apple Silicon, it works harmoniously within Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom Classic, DxO PhotoLab, and Affinity Photo, and is faster and more reliable than ever before.

“We are hugely proud of this achievement. With this work complete, we can now focus solely on adding exciting new features and technology. Our talented engineers are committed to making Nik Collection the indispensable creative companion to every passionate photographer’s workflow.” (Jérôme Ménière, CEO of DxO Labs)

The new editions of Nik Sharpener and Nik HDR Efex include a host of updates making them more powerful and easier to use. Both feature a new interface with a clearer, cleaner look that matches the other Nik Collection plugins. Also, you can now choose where sliders for local adjustments appear on-screen: controls can be either kept in a sidebar to tidy the image area, or overlaid in traditional style.

And as with Nik Collection 6.3’s other plugins, the U PointTM technology in Nik HDR Efex and Nik Sharpener now features: NEW Control Lines add flexibility when making broad adjustments, letting you harness the power of Control Points

  • NEW Control Lines add flexibility when making broad adjustments, letting you harness the power of Control Points when sharpening across linear gradients
  • NEW Control Point diffusion lets you regulate the strength and style of sharpening adjustments more easily
  • NEW Control Points and Control Lines can now be inverted, giving you huge flexibility when sharpening specific areas of an image
  • NEW Color Selectivity sliders allow Control Point and Control Line editing to be tied to specific colors and tones in an image
  • NEW Renamable Local Adjustments let you stay on top of complex edits, and local adjustments can now be saved as Presets, giving you quick access to frequently used sharpening recipes.
  • NEW Call on any of your last 15 Nik Collection edits and apply them with a single click
  • NEW Presets can now be searched for by name, so you can instantly find your favorite edits
  • NEW HiDPI & Multiscreen support lets you work with all screen configurations
  • NEW Affinity Photo is now automatically detected as part of installation.

Canon, Reuters And Starling Lab Are Developing Image Authentication Technology

Canon Firmware Updates Viltrox Eos R7 Eos R10 Reuters Canon Cameras Europe Canon Eos R1 Eos R Rf 14-35mm Olympic Games Ef-mount Rudy Winston

Canon press release:

Reuters new proof of concept employs authentication system to securely capture, store and verify photographs

TOKYO, August 31, 2023—Thomson Reuters, a global content and technology company, Canon Inc., and Canon Europe Ltd., a world-leading provider of imaging and information technology solutions, and Starling Lab, an academic research lab based at Stanford and USC innovating with the latest cryptographic methods and decentralized web protocols, announced today the completion of a pilot program demonstrating how news organizations could certify the authenticity of an image and ease concerns about content’s legitimacy.

In collaboration with Canon, global news organization Reuters proved its ability to embed trust into a photograph from its source by preserving a picture’s data provenance chain of integrity – the image’s metadata – from the point of capture to publication. Reuters also successfully integrated Starling Lab’s authentication framework into its picture desk workflow. One of the first practical news-gathering applications of the technology, this pilot comes at a time when consumers are increasingly worried about their ability to distinguish between real and fake news on the internet, and recent advancements in generative AI technologies which are making it easier for anyone to create visuals to deceive or misinform viewers.

“Trust in news is critical. However, recent technological advancements in image generation and manipulation are causing more people to question what is real, and what is not. Reuters continues to explore new technologies to guarantee that the content we deliver to the world be factual and trusted,” said Rickey Rogers, Global Editor, Reuters Pictures. “Our collaboration with Canon demonstrates the potential for new technology in image verification to increase consumers’ confidence that what they see is genuine. We look forward to sharing the encouraging findings from the project with our customers and applying them to protect our photojournalism. Our goal is to remain one of the most trusted global news sources.”

The pilot project saw Reuters photojournalist Violeta Santos Moura capture pictures using a prototype Canon camera that digitally assigns each photograph and its corresponding time, date and location with a unique identifier (hash value) and then cryptographically signs them to establish a root of trust for their authenticity. The photos are then registered into a public blockchain and updated after each modification by the Reuters pictures desk. This process continues until the photo is distributed with its metadata, edit history and blockchain registration embedded in the photograph using the new C2PA standard. To verify the picture’s authenticity, news customers can compare its unique identifier (hash value) on the public ledger.

“Many photojournalists rely on Canon technologies. We understand the role that images play in society and recognize the importance of preserving image authenticity”, said Richard Shepherd, Product Marketing and Marketing Strategy Senior Manager, Canon Europe Ltd. “Working as part of the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), Canon wants to take meaningful measures to protect image outputs that serve the news community worldwide.”