Canon Patents Three-Group Lens Design for Faster Autofocus
Canon has submitted a patent for a lens design comprising three groups, aimed at enhancing autofocus speed. According to reports from Canon Rumors and PetaPixel, the patent details 21 lens configurations, featuring wide-angle primes such as 14mm f/2, 15mm f/1.4, 16mm f/1.8, and 12mm f/1.2. The design includes a fixed front group with negative refractive power, a mobile middle group for focusing, and a fixed rear group with positive refractive power. This setup minimizes the number and size of lens elements, facilitating quicker autofocus by reducing the weight that motors must handle. Noboyuki Nagaoka, a mechanical designer at Canon, highlighted the intention to create lightweight lenses, reflecting the company's ongoing innovation in fast-aperture technology.
Key facts
- Canon filed a patent for a three-group lens design.
- The patent includes 21 lens designs, such as 14mm f/2, 15mm f/1.4, 16mm f/1.8, and 12mm f/1.2.
- The design has a fixed front group with negative refractive power, a moving middle focusing group, and a fixed rear group with positive refractive power.
- The design reduces the amount of glass moved by autofocus motors, enabling faster focusing.
- Canon's VCM Series lenses use Voice Coil Motor (VCM) and Nano USM technologies.
- Noboyuki Nagaoka, a Canon mechanical designer, commented on the goal of lightweight designs.
- The patent is more about the concept than specific lenses, as some designs overlap with existing RF lenses.
- The technology aims to provide a compact optical system capable of high-speed focusing.
Entities
Artists
- Noboyuki Nagaoka
Institutions
- Canon
- Canon Rumors
- PetaPixel