Nikon Files a Patent for a 100mm Medium Format Lens

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Recent rumors have hinted that Canon might be making a move into medium format — be that by investing heavily in a medium format manufacturer or building its own camera — but a new patent seems to indicate that Nikon is at least thinking about it as well.

According to Nikon Rumors, the new patent is the first of its kind from the Japanese camera giant, who hasn’t in recent memory made any moves towards the format. The patent (translated here) shows a 100mm f/2.5 medium format lens.

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For those who would love to see both Nikon and Canon jump into the medium format game, the bad news is that this is only a patent, which means it could easily disappear and never be heard from again. On the other hand, if Canon is indeed going to jump into the market, it’s not unreasonable that Nikon would follow.

In addition to the medium format lens, Nikon has also filed a patent for a mirrorless 10mm f/2.0 lens for its 1-Series, a new RGBW (or RGBY) sensor that uses the White/Yellow pixel to measure brightness for better low light shooting, and a “transparent organic EL” layer that, according to NR, will lay on top of the sensor and act as either a shutter or ND filter.

Patents are notoriously fickle when it comes to becoming real-life tech, but be sure to check back often and we’ll keep you updated as more substantial news comes in.


Update: As commenter Monteraz pointed out, Nikon has actually made medium format lenses in the past. We’ve corrected the text and title to correspond with this update.

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