It's Friday - time for another Nikon patents update. First, a new patent application for a 10mm f/2 wide angle lens with a 155° angle of view:
Next patent application 20110080659 is for a 18mm f/2.8 DX format (28mm equivalent). This lens is not designed for F-mount (back focus is 19mm) and is compact (58mm from image plane to front element) - probably for Nikon's upcoming mirrorless system:
Japanese patent application 2010-283422 is for a sensor in the camera that will keep track if the camera was dropped or mishandled:
... a user cannot easily confirm the carefulness of the way of handling a digital camera corresponding to the history of the way of handling the digital camera.
Solution: Based on the number of times of determining that a pressure applied to a camera body 2, which is detected by a pressure sensor 32 exceeds a first threshold ...
Multiple patents (2010-276744 - 2010-276747) were filed again in Japan for the 80-400mm lens:
Japanese patent application 2010-271418 describes Nikon's mirrorless mount:
"To provide an optical unit, a camera body, a coupling structure of camera body and optical unit, and a camera, preventing looseness of the optical unit to the camera body even when the optical unit detachably mounted to the camera body is heavy."
Nikon patent application 20070248345 is for a camera/system hat detecting faces in an image wherein it uses the detected face locations/areas to determine which phase-detection AF point to use (that is, instead of using gruelingly slow contrast AF to focus the faces it will detect the face then use the nearest phase-detection AF point).
Related posts:
43 Comments
No way…
Sony just released a flash which does the same thing:
http://presscentre.sony.eu/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=6636&NewsAreaID=2
which is a smaller version of the F58aM that has been out since 2008 …
Patent 7715705 is actually a Sony patent (see first page “assignee”). Probably the same flash.
weird, not sure how this Sony patent ended up in my patent queue, I removed it from the post
Darn! I wish Nikon would add that side-swivel to their flashes.
or I wish Sony made cameras competitive with Nikon’s good stuff… 
WTF is “F4″ in the 10mm f/2???
“FIG. 20 has a wide-angle lens same as the one according to Example 1 (wide-angle lens WL1) similar to FIG. 19, but a protecting member F3 disposed to the object side of the lens has a slight curvature. A plane parallel member F4 provided between the last lens surface and the image plane IM is tilted so as to avoid an effect of internal reflection of the lens or reflection between the lens and the imaging surface. In this manner, when a weak refractive power member having a focal length of |10f| or more is added to the wide-angle lens having a focal length of f, the focal length or aberration characteristic scarcely changes.”
looks like it reduces flare. im not sure what the second portion means though.. something about additions to the lens not affecting aberation characteristics.
Normally when you tilt a lens, it makes aberrations worse, much like decentering flaws. Because F4 is so weak- it looks like it’s just a flat plate, which has no effect on anything but CA- you can tilt it a bit like that without having much effect on aberrations. It should help quite a bit with flare, though, because it avoids having parallel surfaces.
Ive searched for the mirrorless patents (the lens ones) and didnt find it..does anyone remember if there was a 35mm lens (EQ)?thanks
Here’s NR’s report. The 14mm would be equivalent to a 35.
http://nikonrumors.com/2009/11/11/will-dr-evil-knock-on-nikons-door-nikon-evil-camera-recap.aspx
THANKS!!! but now you got me thinking…how the 14mm is 35mm and the18mm (above) is supposed to be 28mm EQ?…
There are 2 likely options for sensor size in a new mirrorless from nikon – a 14mm (2.5x crop) sensor or a DX (24mm – 1.5x crop). The patent for the 18mm says it is for DX, so it would be a 28mm equiv (actually 27mm). The 14mm lens would be for the smaller sensor so it would be a 35mm equiv.
Remember the interchangeable Sensor?
That 10mm looks neat, and since it has an angle of view of 155 degrees, it will cover FX too. I think this angle of view is greater than anything possible on any other format (including 48mm on 4×5, the 12mm full frame lenses by Voigtlander and Sigma, and the crop frame 8-16), so this would be quite the lens.
I wonder if they will ever release it though (many designs get patented but never manufactured).
The 10mm would be cool but from reading the patent, it looks like it is designed to be very small and be used on security cameras and car bumpers.
“and since it has an angle of view of 155 degrees, it will cover FX too.”
that bit’s nonsense. Angle of view isn’t the same as the angle of the image projected on the sensor.
Angle of view is not the same as image circle you mean?
is the 10mm in F mount? or is that for the upcoming mirrorless too?
The back focus is too short for an F-mount lens. It’s an oddity, the patent refers to “surveillance purpose electronic imaging device” so it may not be meant for regular camera.
155° angle view !
Cool, now I can take pictures and watch my kids at the same time !
So, just one thing. Nikon, you better make that 18 2.8 a real DX lens. Not for the mirrorless. And make the mirrorless a F-mount camera.
The mirrorless camera will not be a f-mount camera. It just does not make sense. An adaptor will probably be available though to use f-mount lenses.
What is very interesting is the rear focus distance because it means it is intended for a new mount and that new mount could be based around a DX sensor…so entirely speculation, but maybe we’ll see Nikon’s version of the Sony NEX soon ? I’d certainly be interested, whereas if it is a larger crop than I’d definitely not give it a second look. Any new cam must have f-mount compatibility and no more than a 1.75x crop so DX lenses will still be useful on it.
I’d definitely buy a 10mm f/2 and would probably pick up the 18mm 2.8 if the price was right, too.
If the 18mm 2.8 was FX, I’d buy it. When we’re talking about wide angle lenses with a 2.8 f-stop, is there really that big a difference in the cost to produce the lens and the size/weight of the lens?
nikon already made an 18mm 2.8 FX lens. we definitely need a dx one
Isn’t it discontinued?
Yes, it is discontinued because nobody was buying it anymore with the 17-35 mm f/2.8 having been released (and later the 14-24 mm) and because during DX-only phase it was a very expensive lens for a moderate wide-angle (and even the 18-xx kit zooms beat these film-era extreme-wide angle lenses optically).
Would love to see that 18mm 2.8! I just hope it’s for DX. =)
I don’t understand this logic. Do you mean you hope that it’s light and affordable?
It won’t matter if it’s for DX or FX – it will look the same on DX, possibly better if made for FX cameras as the DX frame would be ‘sweet spot’. Of course, if made for FX, there will have to be more glass in it, and therefore, it will be more expensive. DX lenses only have the advantage of price going for them, and sometimes, size. But there is no other advantage to them at all.
I’d love an 18mm for FX that …. if possible, was reasonably priced and had great optics. But, I’d prefer a manual aperture ring and I know that won’t happen.
The 18-55 kit zoom is just a hint of how small and light an 18mm DX prime could be. The 18-55 VR zoom also is a testament to how well inexpensive hybrid aspherical elements can work.
An 18mm f/2.8 DX prime could easily be a $200 lens, metal mount included, if Nikon cared. No way it could be close to that in FX, either size or price wise.
DX needs a 24/28 eqiuv prime. Marketed well this would be an awesome paring with the 35 f/1.8.
Just clarifying, patent US7715705 is a Sony patent, not Nikon. neat nonetheless
I’d buy the f2 for sure
You guys are sick. Stricken by lens collecting disease…:-/
That “profesional” mirrorless better use a 4-6MP sensor with at least d7000 low light cababilities, IBIS, operating speed and, 3Mil dot EVF add-on, or better yet built in EVF!
Hopefully it will have at least 3 of those things I mentioned when they release it.
I dont think the can afford to mess this one up… They arent being to buyer friendly. If the were they would go 2x crop and/or m4/3 lens mount. But they know nobody would wait fkr them to release Nikon lenses!
“Next patent application 20110080659 is for a 18mm f/2.8 DX format (28mm equivalent). This lens is not designed for F-mount (back focus is 19mm) and is compact (58mm from image plane to front element”
So more than double the size of the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 (40mm eq), Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 (28mm eq), or the Olympus 17mm f/2.8 (34mm eq)? If so, this doesn’t speak to the new system being overly compact.
Is that 37 elements in that 80-400? That’s some serious correction going on if that’s the case. It also has the look of an internal zoom lens to me (just a hunch really), so this would be a big, heavy lens if it was made. For comparison, the current 80-400 has 17 elements.
Though I’d rather see an AF-S/VRII version of the current 80-400, as a cheap(ish), small(ish), light(ish) travelable supertelezoom, alongside a “best we could make without it costing the earth and weighing as much” 100-500/4-5.6.
Admin, I don’t suppose you have a link to that 80-400 patent, or any more info? Aperture, internal/external zoom, overall length, etc.?
Unfortunately I cannot add direct links to the the Japanese Patent website, they are using some weird old technology that doesn’t’ allow trackbacks.
Here are some of my old posts on that lens:
http://nikonrumors.com/2010/06/02/patent-for-a-new-nikon-af-s-80-400mm-f4-5-5-6-lens.aspx
http://nikonrumors.com/2010/09/01/nikon-files-patents-for-a-new-80-400-f3-5-5-6-lens-and-back-illuminated-sensor-possibly-for-their-evil-camera.aspx
http://nikonrumors.com/2010/11/15/nikon-files-a-patent-applications-for-an-interchangeable-sensor-and-80-200mm-f4-6-5-4-lens.aspx
“Is that 37 elements in that 80-400? ”
no, it’s 37 surfaces. I count to 21 elements.
I’m disappointed with so much focus on DX and not FX.
10mm on FX is has a 130 degrees angle of view. On DX, it would be even narrower.
Either it’s for a rather large sensor, which I don’t think is likely for a security camera, or there’s something else. Note the rectangular element marked as F4 is not parallel to either IM or the straight back of the element in front of it. Possibly this element is moving to allow changing the angle of view, giving a total of 155 degrees ?