Comments on: More Nikon patents – hint for a mirrorless Nikon camera?

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:44:50 +0000

Well, just look at the market trends, Samsung’s hybrid NX on its way, like an SLR without the mirror so it is more compact, and the Olympus PEN E-P1 is out already and it is a rangefinder style.

I am hoping Nikon will come out with two camera, the more likely a rangefinder like, semi compact with a DX or FX sensor at a good solid price point.

The other less likely to happen, a medium format rangefinder, with the right plans it is not impossible for Nikon to sell it for about 9 to 10k (US dollars).

Any of these cameras I hope Nikon will offer the option the Olympus PEN E-P1 camera has on aspect ratios: 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1 — I think offering different aspect ratios is a great feature that can easily be offered.

By: Jon Paul

Jon Paul — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:26:09 +0000

Isn’t the AA filter usually very close to the focal plane, though? How do you put something between that and the AF pixels?

By: Astrophotographer

Astrophotographer — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:23:16 +0000

Not necessarily, Patent application 20090086321 publisher 4/2/09 was for a 70-200 f2.8 FX lens. Sounds familiar. The camera/projector is another. Most of the time, from what I’ve checked, Nikon submits the application shortly before product release and the USPTO publishes it a few months later, by which time the product is out. But there are exceptions.
I looked at the 85mm too. I think that patent is about a new VR with the 85 as just an example. This statement is key:
“… lens group that can move in a direction substantially vertical to an optical axis”

By: gurbally

gurbally — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:11:59 +0000

When will the 24mmG 1.4 finally see the ligth of the day?

By: Lawliet

Lawliet — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:38:40 +0000

Its not a rangefinder, its a split screen.
Those where always in the focal plane.
You need two optical pathes, but they are completly symmetrical (systematic misfocus due to lens decentering is a result of violating this), so you just use the lens. You only(manufactoring nightmare) need to replace the ground glass/microlens with a flat piece of glass at the right angle and the size of the microlens to change a image sensel to an AF one.
Thats where the difference to the rangefinder lies. Rangefinder is a nice analogy to explain how phase AF works by overlaying images, but here it breaks down.

By: Zograf

Zograf — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:00:25 +0000

Admin,
The first patent you point to is for 85mm, f/3.6 VR lens, at least all calculated examples are… This could be a specialized lens not aimed at the consumer photography.

Last year I did a lot of Nikon patent search – Nikon would never make public(or publish) an US patent before the product is out. Usually the patent is published quite a bit later.

My conclusion is, looking at Nikon’s patents to see what future products (in the consumer photography) would come out is pointless!!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:18:57 +0000

Of course. He’s 007 afterall.

By: kuri

kuri — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:07:53 +0000

So.. this patent for the ‘barrier’ when a lens is not attached on the mirror-less camera, could this be something that automatically seals the body as soon as you unlock the lens, thus preventing dust getting on the sensor?

Surely it won’t totally eradicate dust, as dust can still be introduced by attaching a lens, but it might help preventing dust on the sensor, especially if there’s no mirror in front?

Something that would aslo be very nice on a digital -interchangeable lens- rangefinder, btw.

By: Roger Moore

Roger Moore — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:17:31 +0000

Good eye, maybe, but apparently not a good calculator. The lens in question is supposed to have a FOV of roughly 82° to 9°. That corresponds to an image circle of something like 17mm, not the roughly 22mm of the 4/3″ sensor. It’s still larger than any current compact, though.

By: dave

dave — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:05:35 +0000

As someone with a number of patents in the computer industry, I can tell you that patents can and do get filed at any point in the game. Patent grants can take any where from one to five years. Once you file, you are protected. But once it goes into a product and the product is released, depending on the scope of the patent, a competitor could claim that since you released the product prior to filing, the invention is now public domain and they can copy. You generally want to file a patent before a product containing the invention is released, but not so far in advance that you telegraph what you are doing to your competitors so that they have time figure out what you are building and make one of their own or even file supplemental patents based on your patent. Filing a patent after the invention is in public domain does not help your chances of getting it granted and can even hurt your chances.

Patents may also be pre-emtive. Let’s say you come up with 5 different ways to do focusing. You do a patent search to see if any of them are patented already. You then patent the ones that aren’t already patented even if you aren’t going to implement the technology in a product. Why? To prevent your competitors from using those techniques to provide the same function as the one technique you are going to use in your product. You can then license the patent(s) to other companies, or more often, you bundle them with other patnets and trade the right to use your patents for the right to use someone else’s.

By: Roger Moore

Roger Moore — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:06:47 +0000

“So should I sell my 28 1.4 for my FX cameras yet?”

That depends on how much of a gambler you are. ISTR that a 28/1.4 in good condition can sell for well over $3000, while a new Nikon 24/1.4 is likely to sell for under $2000. If you don’t depend on it too heavily, and you’re willing to take a gamble, you might do well to sell for the premium price now and use the money to buy a 24/1.4 when it comes out. The left over money could pay for quite a bit of other stuff, too.

By: Jay A

Jay A — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:32:23 +0000

Impressive posts regarding the interpretations of these patents by previous posters. I assume those posters don’t work at Lens Crafters. So should I sell my 28 1.4 for my FX cameras yet?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:08:22 +0000

I think it has begun big time here.

By: Jon Paul

Jon Paul — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:50:48 +0000

Good eye, Roger.

By: Jon Paul

Jon Paul — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:46:09 +0000

I’m with Ernst. If there’s a way to do it, I’m not seeing it. That doesn’t mean I don’t hope they can, it just seems impossible.

By: Roger Moore

Roger Moore — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:05:43 +0000

There are some other interesting goodies in there. The thing that really caught my eye was several variants on a roughly 10.5-108mm zoom. It has enough coverage for a roughly 4/3″ sensor and a very short backfocus distance. That combination makes no sense for a Nikon interchangeable lens camera, but it would be perfect for a relatively large sensor compact.

By: Roger Moore

Roger Moore — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:14:57 +0000

If you look, there are actually two designs for 24/1.4 lenses. In addition to the one you mentioned, there’s also this older one that was published in January: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=21&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=nikon.AS.&s2=lens.TTL.&OS=AN/nikon+AND+TTL/lens&RS=AN/nikon+AND+TTL/lens. I guess that Nikon had two groups working on different designs for a 24/1.4, which implies that they’re serious about it. Interestingly, that earlier publication looks exactly like the 24/1.4 lens diagram that was posted here a few weeks ago. And the design of the 35/1.4 mentioned here looks close enough to the 35/1.4 posted in that same article that I can imagine somebody making the diagram and getting it slightly wrong.

By: WillyPete

WillyPete — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:30:03 +0000

No, a digital version of the Nikon Rangefinders.
Have alook into that subculture and you’ll see MASSIVE amounts of money still changing hands for these items.
The Nikon SP was released a relatively short while ago and it was ONLY available in Japan and completely sold out.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:54:02 +0000

the 24 2.8 isn’t very good. It’s not that sharp and has bad CA

By: Nikkorian

Nikkorian — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:20:51 +0000

well, if you measure a pixel-line, as it’s done in phase-detect af, there is, of course, light and darkness on it and thus contrast, but the information is not used as such. contrast detection measures the range of a change from 1 to 0. in phase-detect af, the shift of a maximum (or minimum) intensity is determined. it’s effectively a triangulation.