Canon Patent: Full Frame Lenses With Front And Rear Apodised Optical Elements

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A new Canon patent application for lenses with apodised optical elements on the front and back of the lens barrel. While not 100% sure I guess these are also lenses for the RF mount.

Canon patent application 20210124182 (USA) discusses optical formulas for full frame lenses with apodised elements on the fron and back of the lens. The lenses found in the patent literature:

  • 135mm f/2
  • 130mm f/4
  • 70mm f/1.2
  • 24mm f/1.4

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

Canon Is Discontinuing Large Figures Of EF Lenses, Do They?

Ibis Canon Rumors Canon Full Frame Mirrorless Canon PowerShot G7 X Canon Eos 90d Coronavirus
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A report is going around claiming Canon is discontinuing lots of EF mount lenses in favor of upcoming RF lenses. We are not so sure about that.

According to Canon Rumors, Canon is set to discontinue many EF lenses and is planning to cease production of even more EF lenses. The list of EF lenses that allegedly have been or will soon be discontinued in 2021:

  • Canon EF-S 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 USM
  • Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L USM II
  • Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
  • Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS US
  • Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM
  • Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM
  • Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 IS STM Macro
  • Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM
  • Canon EF-S 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
  • Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM
  • Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM II
  • Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
  • Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM II
  • Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
  • Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
  • Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L USM
  • Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM
  • Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM II
  • Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM
  • Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM II
  • Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM II
  • Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM

That’s an impressing list. However, with a few exceptions most of the lenses listed above appear in stock and ready to ship at major retailers. Canon USA also lists most lenses as still available, and hasn’t released any communication regarding the discontinuation of EF lenses. PetaPixel contacted Canon about the issue but didn’t get any answer. It’s rather difficult if not impossible to verify the claim of Canon discontinuing all those EF lenses. So far there is only one source for this.

Should you be worried, or even alarmed? By no way. As we wrote above, most of the allegedly discontinued lenses are still available. Even if they get discontinued tomorrow, Canon would for sure still deliver assistance and service for long time. There is no doubt that EF mount lenses will eventually disappear in favor of Canon’s new RF mount standard. It just will not happen that soon.

Any idea about Canon discontinuing all those lenses?

Canon Patent: Various Telephoto Zoom Lenses For The RF Mount

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And here is another Canon patent application for telephoto zoom RF mount lenses. No doubt left that Canon is heavily investing in the EOS R full frame mirrorless system.

Canon patent application P2021-56407A (Japan) discusses optical formulas and designs for a bunch of telephoto zoom lenses for the RF mount. However, one of the optical designs listed below is for an APS-C sensor, so either for the EOS M (likely) or for Canon’s crop sensor DSLR lineup. The patent application was spotted by Hi Lows Note.

Embodiment 1

  • Zoom ratio 2.68
  • Focal length 72.27 135.02 193.89 mm
  • F number 4.08 4.08 4.12
  • Half angle of view（°） 16.67 9.10 6.37
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64 mm
  • Lens length 137.50 175.84 193.12 mm
  • BF 14.44 24.23 29.66 mm

Embodiment 2

  • Zoom ratio 4.82
  • Focal length 101.59 200.00 490.00 mm
  • F number 4.60 5.09 6.80
  • Half angle of view（°） 12.02 6.17 2.53
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64 mm
  • Lens length 222.29 279.43 312.29 mm
  • BF 21.06 29.20 64.12 mm

Embodiment 3

  • Zoom ratio 2.69
  • Focal length 72.13 100.00 194.06 mm
  • F number 2.89 2.89 2.91
  • Half angle of view（°） 16.70 12.21 6.36
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64 mm
  • Lens length 161.59 187.06 220.03 mm
  • BF 15.86 20.68 31.81 mm

Embodiment 4 (for APS-C sensor)

  • Zoom ratio 4.24
  • Focal length 56.90 130.00 241.30 mm
  • F number 4.68 5.88 6.55
  • Half angle of view（°） 13.50 6.00 3.24
  • Image height 13.66 13.66 13.66 mm
  • Lens length 102.01 140.24 153.08 mm
  • BF 13.47 21.19 39.32 mm

Embodiment 5

  • Zoom ratio 3.75
  • Focal length 103.39 196.91 387.69 mm
  • F number 5.77 7.10 8.24
  • Half angle of view（°） 11.82 6.27 3.19
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64 mm
  • Lens length 165.42 201.96 235.42 mm
  • BF 13.85 33.27 57.50 mm

Embodiment 6

  • Zoom ratio 3.88
  • Focal length 100.04 198.04 387.80 mm
  • F number 5.77 7.10 8.24
  • Half angle of view（°） 12.20 6.23 3.19
  • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64 mm
  • Lens length 159.40 202.97 229.40 mm
  • BF 10.02 28.12 62.23 mm

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

Three Unreleased Canon Lenses Show Up For Certification

Canon Lenses
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Three new, unreleased Canon lenses showed up at a certification authority in Russia.

So far we have no idea what these Canon lenses are about, nor for what mount type they have although it seems safe to assume the lenses are for the EOS R system.

The lenses have the following internal codes:

  • 4857C005
  • 5053C005
  • 5054C005

When gear appears at certification authorities it usually a matter of weeks or months before the announcement. Any idea what these lenses could be?

[via Nokishita]

Latest Canon Rumors: XF505 Video Camera And New Cinema Lenses, First For RF Mount

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Here are the some new Canon rumors for the video and Cinema side of things.

The Canon rumors suggest Canon will announce some new video gear for NAB 2021. Among this gear is the Canon XF505, a run-and-gun camcorder likely similar to yet more feature packed than the Canon XF405. A few rumored specifications made it to the world:

Canon XF505 Specifications:

  • Same 1″ sensor as the XF705
  • 12G-SDI output and SD cards
  • An integrated zoom lens with 15x zoom
  • BP-A batteries

Next, Canon is likely to release also a bunch of new Cinema lenses, and among them the first for the RF mount. The rumor suggests Canon is set to replace the current Compact CINE-ZOOMs with new models that cover the Super35 and the full-frame imaging sensors. This is achieved by changing the rear group of optical elements. PL and EF mount will be available as usual. The first Cinema lens for the RF mount might be a prime lens. No more to get here for the time being.

All Canon rumors are listed here.

Stay safe, stay tuned.

Source: Canon Rumors

Canon Reaches Milestone With 150 Million Interchangeable Lenses Produced

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Canon reached another important milestone for the Japanese company: They made 150 million RF and EF lenses.

Canon press release:

Canon Celebrates Significant Milestone with Production of 150 Million Interchangeable RF And EF Lenses

MELVILLE, NY, February 3, 2021– Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today that its parent company, Canon Inc., reached a new lens-manufacturing milestone with the production in January 2021, of the Company’s 150-millionth RF and EFseries interchangeable lens for EOS cameras1— an RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM telephoto zoom lens (released in November 2019).

Production of interchangeable EF lenses for Canon EOS-series AF (Autofocus) single-lens reflex film cameras began in 1987 at the Company’s Utsunomiya Plant. Over the years, EF lenses have gained support from a wide range of users and production has since expanded to a total of four manufacturing bases, including Canon Inc., Taiwan; Canon Opto (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.; and Oita Canon Inc. in southern Japan.

EF lens production passed the 10-million-unit mark in 1995 and crossed the 50-million-unit threshold in 2009. In April 2014, the Company celebrated its first-in-the-world achievement of having manufactured 100 million interchangeable lenses, and now, setting a new world record for the most interchangeable lenses produced, Canon manufactured its 150-millionth RF and EF lens in January 2021. Laid end-to-end2, all of the RF and EF lenses Canon has manufactured thus far would measure approximately 7,736 miles in length — nearly equivalent to the Earth’s diameter, which measures approximately 7,917 miles.

Canon’s proprietary EF lenses, launched in March 1987 along with the EOS SLR camera system, have continued to evolve since their introduction, leading the industry through the incorporation of a wide range of innovative technologies, including such world’s firsts3 as the Ultrasonic Motor (USM), Image Stabilizer (IS) technology, and a multilayered diffractive optical (DO) element.

In 2018, Canon introduced the EOS R system and the RF series lenses, which pursues new heights of quality under the core concept of “Speed, Comfort and High Image Quality.” Today, the Company’s extensive RF and EF lens series lineup currently comprises a total of 118 models4, expanding the possibilities for image capture. In addition, thanks to the extensive lineup of lenses, Canon has maintained the number one market share for digital interchangeable-lens cameras since 2003 — a total of 17 years5— and in September 2019, the Company celebrated the production of 100 million EOS-series interchangeable-lens cameras.

Canon will continue refining its imaging technologies centered on its RF and EF lens lineup, striving to cater to the varying needs of photographers — from first-time users to advanced amateurs and professionals — while contributing to expanding the photographic and video imaging culture.

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