Canon Announces World’s First Ultra-High-Sensitivity Interchangeable-Lens SPAD Sensor Camera

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Canon press release:

Canon Launches MS-500 – The World’s First Ultra-High-Sensitivity Interchangeable-Lens SPAD Sensor Camera

The Camera Supports Advanced Surveillance, Enabling Color Video Capture of Subjects Several Miles Away, Even at Night

MELVILLE, NY, August 1, 2023 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today that the company is launching the Canon MS-500, an ultra-high-sensitivity interchangeable-lens camera (ILC). The MS-500 is not only the world’s first1 ultra-high-sensitivity camera equipped with a SPAD sensor but also features the world’s highest pixel count2 on its 1” Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) sensor of 3.2 megapixels. The company announced the development of the camera in April 2023, and visitors to the Canon booth at NAB 2023 saw a working sample of the camera in action firsthand.

In areas with extremely high-security levels, such as seaports, public infrastructure facilities, and national borders, high-precision monitoring systems are required to surveil targets both day and night accurately. The new MS-500 camera is the world’s first ultra-high-sensitivity camera equipped with a SPAD sensor, achieving a minimum subject illumination of 0.001 lux3. When combined with ultra-telephoto broadcast lenses, it may be possible to capture clear color videos of subjects at a distance of several miles, even at night. The new MS-500 helps to strengthen Canon’s ultra-high-sensitivity camera lineup, which also includes the ME20, and ML Series4, allowing the company to meet a variety of customer needs in the advanced surveillance market.

Combination of SPAD Sensor and Broadcast Lenses Enable Long Range Surveillance at Night

The SPAD sensor uses a technology known as “photon counting,” which counts light particles (photons) that enter a pixel. When incoming photons are converted to an electric charge, they are amplified approximately one million times and extracted as digital signals, making detecting even small amounts of light possible. In addition, every single one of these photons is digitally counted, prohibiting the introduction of additional noise during signal readout—a key advantage of SPAD sensors. This enables clear color video shooting even under a 0.001 lux low-light environment.

The MS-500 camera has a built-in, industry-standard B4 bayonet lens mount (based on BTA S-1005B standards), a widely used mount for 2/3-inch broadcast lenses. The lens mount allows operators to utilize Canon’s extensive lineup of broadcast lenses.

Custom Picture Functions Help Improve Visibility, Including Noise and Haze Reduction

The effect of noise and atmospheric turbulence, particularly in dark environments, may cause issues with video resolution, especially in long-range surveillance applications. To help mitigate this occurrence, CrispImg2, a Custom Picture preset mode that optimizes resolution and contrast while suppressing image noise, is a standard setting in the custom picture menu. Users can also create their own custom picture profiles to adjust and save image quality settings according to various shooting environments. This feature enables users to shoot high-visibility videos at virtually any time of day or night. The MS-500 camera also includes Haze Compensation, and Smart Shade Control features that help reduce the effects of haze and mist while automatically adjusting contrast and image brightness.

Pricing and Availability
The Canon MS-500 SPAD Sensor Camera is scheduled to be available in September 2023 for an estimated retail price of $25,200.00*. For more information, please visit usa.canon.com.

Canon Might Announce The RF 200-500mm f/4L IS In Q4 2023, And For $15,999, Rumor

RF 200-500mm
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Canon might be set to release the long rumored (!) RF 200-500mm f/4L IS lens sometimes during Q4 2023, i.e. soon.

The RF 200-500mm f/4L IS will come with hefty price tag, though. The rumored price is $15.999 – not everyone’s budget. Says the source of the rumor:

[RF 200-500mm f/4L IS] the will be the RF replacement for the highly-regarded EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM 1.4x. There will not be a built-in teleconverter in the RF version, which will help reduce weight, size and complexity, sadly its omission won’t reduce the price.

Do not waste time on rumors, use your time to go out and take pictures.

Source: Canon Rumors

Canon Patent: 800mm f/5.6 IS, 1000mm f/8 IS And 1200mm f/8 IS Lenses

Canon Patent
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A new Canon patent application. Canon patent application 2023107573 (Japan, published 8/3/2023) discusses optical formulas for three telephoto lenses:

  • 800mm f/5.6 IS
  • 1000mm f/8 IS
  • 1200mm f/8 IS

From the patent literature:

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical system in which various aberrations are satisfactorily corrected while being compact and lightweight, and an imaging apparatus having the optical system.

Description of the Related Art

A telescopic optical system used in an imaging apparatus is required to have a long focal length and a small F-number (large aperture). Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a first lens group with positive refractive power, a second lens group with positive or negative refractive power, and a third lens group with positive or negative refractive power, which are arranged in order from the object side to the image side. An optical system is disclosed, consisting of lens groups, with a second lens group moving during focusing.

Here, it is also desired that the telescopic optical system be compact and lightweight, and that various aberrations such as chromatic aberration and spherical aberration are well corrected. However, when trying to increase the aperture of a telescopic optical system, the effective diameter of the lens arranged on the object side becomes particularly large, making it difficult to reduce the size and weight of the entire system. Therefore, in order to realize the above-mentioned demands, it is important to appropriately set the optical arrangement of each lens group that constitutes the optical system, and the refractive power and arrangement of each lens that constitutes each lens group.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical system in which
various aberrations are satisfactorily corrected while being compact and lightweight, and an imaging apparatus having the optical system.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 820.00
  • F-value: 5.90
  • Half angle of view: 1.51
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Total length: 437.08
  • Back focus: 88.12

Example 2

  • Focal length: 1180.10
  • F-value: 8.00
  • Half angle of view: 1.05
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Total length: 550.00
  • Back focus: 140.36

Example 3

  • Focal length: 1000.0
  • F-value: 8.00
  • Half angle of view: 1.24
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Total length: 477.48
  • Back focus: 115.01

More Canon patents are listed here.

[via asobinet]

Canon Patent: RF 24-300mm f/2.8-5.6 IS, RF 24-240mm f/2-5.6 IS And RF 40-350mm f/2.8-5.6 IS

Canon Patent
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And another Canon patent for lenses for the RF mount.

Canon patent application 2023104137 (Japan, published 7/28/2023) discusses optical formulas for three zoom lenses for the RF mount:

  • RF 24-300mm f/2.8-5.6 IS
  • RF 24-240mm f/2-5.6 IS
  • RF 40-350mm f/2.8-5.6 IS

From the patent literature:

A zoom lens, an imaging device having the same, and an imaging system

To provide a zoom lens that is compact as a whole, has a high zoom ratio, and has high optical performance over the entire zoom range.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, there has been a demand for a zoom lens used in an imaging apparatus having an imaging device to have a compact overall system, a high zoom ratio, and high resolution (high optical performance). . In particular, zoom lenses are required to have high optical performance with substantially uniform resolving power from the center of the screen to the periphery of the screen.

However, in the zoom lenses disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the relationship between the refractive powers of the lens groups is not appropriate, the lens size increases when the zoom ratio is increased, and astigmatism at the wide-angle end and coma at the telephoto end gets worse.

The present invention provides a zoom lens that is compact overall, has a high zoom ratio, and has high optical performance over the entire zoom range.

More Canon patents are listed here.

[via asobinet]

Canon Patent: RF 300mm f/2.8 IS And RF 400mm f/2.8 IS

Canon Patent
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And yet another Canon patent application: two telephoto fast primes for the RF mount.

Canon patent application 2023104022 (Japan, published 7/28/2023) discusses optical formulas for two fast telephoto prime lenses for the RF mount: RF 300mm f/2.8 IS and RF 400mm f/2.8 IS.

From the patent literature:

Optical System and Imaging Device Having the Same

Description of the Related Art

An optical system used in an imaging apparatus is required to be compact and lightweight as a whole, and to have high optical performance capable of satisfactorily correcting various aberrations including chromatic aberration. As a compact optical system, a so-called telephoto type optical system is known in which a lens group with positive refractive power is arranged on the object side and a lens group with negative refractive power is arranged on the image side. However, in the telephoto type optical system, the longer the focal length, the larger the entire system, and the use of a lens with a large diameter or a heavy lens tends to increase the weight of the entire optical system.

Example 1

  • Focal length: 294.99
  • F-value: 2.90
  • Half angle of view: 4.19
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 280.25
  • Back focus: 37.47

Example 2

  • Focal length: 390.00
  • F-value: 2.90
  • Half angle of view: 3.18
  • Image height: 21.64
  • Overall length: 370.50
  • Back focus: 37.00

More Canon patents are listed here.

[via asobinet]