Canon has published patents for five new lenses in Japan. The patents were first submitted to the Japanese Patent Office in January 2023 and officially published this week.
Wide-angle zooms
Two of Canon’s newly published patents are for what are described as compact wide-angle zoom lenses. The lenses cover the zoom ranges of 15-28 mm and 17-30 mm. Both lenses also have a constant wide maximum aperture of f/2.8. Canon already makes 14-35 mm f/4 IS and 15-35 mm f/2.8 IS lenses in its L-Series with similar focal length ranges. Given Canon’s use of the term “compact” to describe these lenses, it could be that the patents will deliver smaller or lighter lenses.
Telephoto zooms
Canon’s three other new patents all relate to telephoto zoom lenses. The patents cover lenses with the focal length ranges of 70-300 mm, 300-600 mm and 400-600 mm. As with the wide-angle zoom patents, the telephoto zoom lenses are designed to have a compact design. The 70-300 mm lens has a constant maximum aperture of f/4. However, the other two lenses are shown as having variable f/2.8-4.5 maximum apertures.
Lens mounts
The patents cover the optical design of the lenses and don’t indicate the lens mount. However, the most likely option would be Canon’s RF mount. In addition, Kengo Iezuka, who oversees planning lenses at Canon, gave an interview about RF lenses recently. During the interview, Iezuka said, “There are still many lenses that have not been released to the world. I can’t talk about the specifics, but there are lenses with basic specifications, and lenses with specifications that have never been seen before and that no one can imagine yet.”
What we think
Until recently, Canon has prevented other manufacturers from making RF mount lenses. Now the company is beginning to open the market to other lens makers, Canon needs to keep innovating. The new patents show that Canon is working hard to develop exciting new lenses for its RF mount cameras. However, as always, where patents are concerned, it’s also important to remember that the process is done primarily to protect technological development. The registration of a patent doesn’t always result in a product coming to market.
