A recently published US patent application (14/603,466) reveals the latest cell phone patent attempt from Nikon, who has been filing related patents for years. [Read more…]
New Nikon AF-S 800mm f/5.6 VR Lens Patent
A recent Nikon patent application reveals an update to the Nikon AF-S 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR lens with a new model. The US patent application (14/556,113) was filed in November 2014 and published earlier this spring on March 26. [Read more…]
Canon Lens Patent Shows 24-600mm f/2-3 Optics for 1″ Sensor
Canon applied for a lens patent that was published back in December and featured a number of different optical embodiments, including a high-magnification zoom lens for a 1″ sensor format.
In the patent, the true technical measurements of the lens reveals an 8-180mm zoom with an aperture range of f/2-3. Adjusting these numbers for the roughly 3x crop factor of a 1″ sensor and rounding them off for marking purposes, you get a 24-600mm f/2-3 equivalent lens. [Read more…]
Lens Patent for Nikon 1 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Lens
A recently published patent application reveals a new version of the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR lens for the Nikon 1 system. The optical formula in the patent focuses on make the lens more compact to accommodate the smaller Nikon 1 system.
Of course, the patent was just published on only filed back in October 2014, so don’t expect the lens anytime soon since the current version just started shipping a few months ago (it was announced in March 2014 alongside the Nikon 1 V3) and is still not regularly in stock (currently backordered at B&H).
[via USPTO]
Fuji Patent Reveals Optical Viewfinder with Built-in Zoom
Fuji Optical Viewfinder with Zoom Patent Drawing
Who says you can’t put an awesome optical viewfinder in a compact camera?
Certainly not Fuji, who has been knocking it out of the park with cameras like the X-T1 and X100s lately.
In a recent US patent application, Fuji seeks to patent an optical viewfinder that has optical elements inside and zooms to match the focal length of the camera’s zoom lens – or as Fuji calls it in the patent application a “Real-image zoom viewfinder.” [Read more…]
Canon is Developing a New Organic Compound for Sensor and Optics Technology
Canon’s next big move in sensor technology might be a new organic compound that maintains a high level of transparency and is uncharacteristically efficient for light transmittance as far as organic electrochromic compounds go.
Rumors have been swirling in recent weeks about Canon’s next big thing and the key feature being tossed around is that Canon has some killer new sensor technology. As I spent a good chunk of my weekend reading Canon patent applications (because I’m more than an average camera geek), I came across a trend of sensor technology and some chemical engineering patents that relate to image sensors. [Read more…]
Colbert Report Takes on Amazon’s Seamless White Background Patent
Last week, we covered Amazon‘s patent for studio photography on a white background. Stephen Colbert caught wind of the patent and had a little fun on his program yesterday. Check out the clip from last night’s show below. [Read more…]
Amazon Patents Studio Photography on Seamless White Background
Amazon has had some pretty revolutionary ideas over the years. The Kindle is awesome. Prime is a great service. And drone delivery may be on the horizon. However, Amazon has gone a bit too far with one of its latest “inventions.”
Amazon Technologies, Inc. (a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc.) has legitimately patented studio the common studio photography method of photographing subjects on a seamless white background using a cyclorama and the USPTO actually granted the patent. [Read more…]
Is Sony Making a Much Faster Lens in the RX200?
A recently published patent application reveals a new 10-36mm f/1.8-2.8 lens designed for Sony’s 1″ sensor cameras, which results in a 28-100mm equivalent zoom range. The current RX100 and RX100 II feature a 28-100mm equivalent lens; however, the variable max aperture ranges from f/1.8 at the wide end to f/4.9 at the long end. [Read more…]
Sigma Ordered to Pay Nikon 1.5 Billion Yen for VR Patent Infringement
We are finally seeing results from a lawsuit that Nikon filed against Sigma in May 2011. A judgment was issued against Sigma last month in Tokyo District court, which awarded 1.5 billion Yen to Nikon (close to $15M USD).
The dispute centers a number of Sigma lenses using vibration reduction technology. Nikon originally sought the equivalent of close to $150M USD; however, the judgment stated that the damages was equivalent to 15% of the profits of the violating products earned by Sigma, cutting damages down from the max profits of 10.1 billion Yen.
This has to be quite the blow to Sigma. The company has been a roll lately with awesome lenses like the 24-105mm f/4 OS and 18-35mm f/1.8 lenses. Hopefully, Sigma’s operations won’t be negatively affected in a manner that would delay future lens releases and Sigma’s momentum will continue to gain traction as a solid third-party lens maker.
[via Nikon Rumors]