Canon and Fujifilm Patents Look to Up the Ante on Viewfinder Technology

As photography tech continues to improve, camera manufacturers are constantly looking for the next headline-worthy advance they can implement. And for Fuji and Canon, that means improving your viewfinder to integrate features like optical zoom and better coverage.

Both companies recently filed patents that involve putting more intricate optics in their viewfinders. FujiFilm’s patent shows off the potential for an optical-zoom viewfinder, while Canon’s shows off a 1.03x magnified APS-C viewfinder. Here’s a quick rundown of the two.

Canon’s patent seems to be a bit more straightforward, showing off an APS-C viewfinder design which some sites believe will find its way into the 7D successor. By including a number of optical elements within the viewfinder system, future cameras will more accurately frame the image as reflected through the mirror, giving a more accurate representation of what it is you’re composing.

Fuji’s patent is a bit more ambitious, showing off a unique zoom-capable viewfinder. According to the patent, the viewfinder would be able to optically zoom in synchronization with the varying focal length of a zoom lens. Fuji has given the technology a much more marketable name, calling it a “real-image zoom viewfinder.”

Each patent shows off an interesting approach to upcoming viewfinder designs. And while patents are frequently relegated to the “never gonna happen” pile, both of these seem like something we could see very soon indeed.

If you’d like to read more information of each patent, you can do so by clicking here or here for Canon or Fuji, respectively.

(via Photography Bay and Canon Rumors)