While patents are not guaranteed to result in actual products for customers to buy, some new Canon lens patents are nonetheless sure to excite photographers, especially wildlife and sports photographers.
Canon has filed a patent in Japan that shows what appears to be a compact built-in teleconverter that relies upon external controls and internal actuators to provide photographers with quick access to various focal lengths.
Canon has recently been thinking out of the box with its experimental camera lines, but a new patent filed in Japan shows the company isn't afraid to try new things with more conventional camera equipment either. The designs show an interchangeable lens with a large, circular touchpad.
According to a new report, Canon has patented 10 new fast prime lenses that run the gamut of focal lengths from 50mm through 130mm and are specifically designed for cameras using a curved sensor. As such, some of the lenses noted are extremely fast.
A new patent filed by Canon Japan shows multiple optical formulas for an RF 50mm f/1.4 and f/1.8 design as well as a new RF 35mm f/1.4. The patents deal with increasing focusing speed when using lenses with large diameter elements.
A Japanese patent from Sony hints at a future lens that would allow you to shoot first, and focus your photos later. By combining multiple smaller lenses into a single larger lens, the idea could open up a world of new imaging possibilities if it ever comes to pass.
It looks like Canon wants to get creative with the full-frame mirrorless RF mount. A new patent uncovered by Canon News shows that the brand is working on an 8mm f/4 circular fisheye lens with a whopping 182° field of view.
Canon News has uncovered a new patent out of Japan that shows some of Canon's potential plans for the RF lens mount. According to the patent, Canon is looking into releasing some more affordable RF prime lenses like an 85mm f/1.8 and a 100mm f/2.8.
A new patent uncovered by the folks over at Canon News reveals that Canon hasn't given up on improving EF-mount lenses, especially those that appeal to high-end sports and wildlife photographers.
It turns out Canon's 200-400mm f/4L with the 1.4x extender built-in wasn't just a gimmick or a one-off. The Japanese camera giant has patented another, similar lens, that will give users three focal lengths in one.
Watch out Nikon, that 105mm f/1.4 might not be such a "novel" lens forever. The latest lens in what has been called "a never ending parade of optical formulas" from Tamron is a 115mm f/1.4 VC patent that's bound to get some portrait photographers' hearts pumping.
Canon's on a roll with these crazy patents, and while they may not amount to much in the end, an editor can dream can't he? They already made headlines with their insane 40-800mm f/4.5-5.6 patent, and now Canon has developed an optical formula for not one, but two EF 28-560mm f/2.8-5.6 lenses.
In mid-April, we told you that Canon was allegedly working on a full-frame mirrorless model they could release as soon as Photokina in September. Today, that rumor gets a bit more oomph thanks to a Canon lens patent that was recently published.
Canon's got a fever, and the only prescription is more focal length. A new patent from the Japanese camera giant has surfaced that shows the formula for a monster of an EF lens: a 1000mm f/5.6 IS DO.
Although it is a niche market to say the least, the world of super telephoto lenses is a rather demanding one, with both sports and wildlife photographers depending on this massive and expensive glass to capture crisp images from far away.
Canon users seem to get a bit better treatment in this department than most, with prime glass ranging from their $11,000 400mm f/2.8L IS II to their $13,200 800mm f/5.6L IS. However, today's point of interest is going to be the glass that falls smack dab between those two, the 600mm range.
While it's not often a patent filing for new lenses can make your jaw drop, it's certainly not out of the question, as Olympus is demonstrating with two particular pieces of glass in their latest patent filings published February 20th.
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.