This seems a rather interesting and innovative Canon patent application. How about switching between dot-sight and electronic viewfinder?

Canon patent application 2022-23783 (Japan) discusses methods and technology for a device that allows to switch between dot-sight and electronic viewfinder. If you want to learn more about dot-sight, have a look here.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small display device capable of switching between a sight and an electronic viewfinder.

Conventionally, when a distant moving subject such as a bird or an airplane is photographed by using an image pickup device, a sighting device called a dot sight is widely used. Further, in an image pickup device equipped with a high-magnification lens, a display device such as an electronic viewfinder is widely used in order to enable stable shooting. Patent Document 1 discloses an image pickup apparatus including both an electronic viewfinder and a sighting device.

However, in the image pickup device disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the function of the sighting device and the function of the electronic viewfinder are realized by using different display devices, the size of the image pickup device becomes large.

The display device as one aspect of the present invention is arranged between the image display element, the eyepiece, the objective window, and the eyepiece and the objective window, and is displayed on the image display element. It has a reflective optical element that guides the image to the eyepiece, and the reflective optical element can switch between the first state and the second state by changing the transmission rate, and the first state. In, the image displayed on the image display element can be visually recognized through the eyepiece, and in the second state, the image from the objective window and the image through the eyepiece. It is possible to visually recognize an image in which an image displayed on the display element is superimposed.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small display device and an image pickup device capable of switching between a sighting device and an electronic viewfinder.

Is this cool? Me thinks it is.

The Canon 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:

• Automatic shutter silencing based on subject and distance
• A bunch of prime lenses for the RF mount
• An improved Electronic Viewfinder
• Patent application for RF 50mm F1.4 and an RF 35mm f/1.4 lenses
• A zoom lens that might be for an EOS R with APS-C sensor
• A smaller IBIS unit.
• A cooling adapter for the RF mount (R5 overheating?)
• A bunch of macro lenses for the RF mount.
• A 8mm f/4 circular fisheye lens for the Canon EOS R system
• A battery grip that works with differently siszed cameras
• A 100-400mm f/5.5-7.1 lens for APS-C cameras. EOS M or DSLR?
• RF 17-70mm lens for EOS R system
• IBIS coming to the EOS M and PowerShot lineup?
• Patent Application: mirrorless camera with large display and virtual control wheel
• Patent Application: IBIS and Lens IS Working Together
• Patent application for high speed mirror movement and control
• Patent application for an RF 14-28mm f/2 lens
• Patent application for an RF 50mm f/1.8 lens
• Patent application for a smart lens cap
• Patent application for celestial auto-focus
• Patent application describing a Pop-Up Flash With LED
• Patent application describing the optical formula for a RF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS lens for EOS R systems
• Patent application describing how to improve burst rate by compressing raw files
• Patent application describing a new way to review photos from a sequential shot
• Patent application that describes technology to improve wireless communication while reducing power consumption
• Patent application to spot and reduce moire artefacts in image data
• Patent application for weather sealed lens adapter
• Patent application for AI powered predictive camera control system
• Patent application for 18-55mm kit lens with LCD display
• Patent application to reduce noise in image files