Patent: Canon appears to be continuing development of EF mount optical formulas

Canon Rumors Guy

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Jul 20, 2010
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A patent showing continued development in EF mount optical formulas has appeared at the Japan Patent Office this past week.
This patent covers two optical formulas, one being an EF 20mm f/1.4 and the other being an EF 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6.
I don’t feel either of these optical formulas will become new products and this is more about the development of lens technologies than the optical formulas themselves.
Canon EF 20mm f/1.4

Focal length: 20.50mm
FNo: 1.44
Image height: 21.64mm
Lens length: 134.70mm
Back focus: 36.81mm

Canon EF 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6

Focal length: 12.40-18.00-23.64mm
FNo: 4.35-4.96-5.60
Image height: 21.64mm
Lens length: 142.18-132.82-131.14mm
Back focus: 36.14-44.23 -52.29mm

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Jul 21, 2010
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How is this possible? 'Forum wisdom' is that EF is dead. :rolleyes:

I wouldn't mind a 20/1.4, but probably only if Canon finally decides to address coma and astigmatism in their lens designs (something they have a history of ignoring). With those aberrations well controlled, a 20/1.4 would be an amazing astro lens.
 
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Mar 26, 2014
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I wouldn't fall out of my chair if Canon released an EF 20mm f/1.4L USM, as

* Sigma makes one, which seems to sell well. Nikon released a 20mm f/1.8 ~5 years ago as well.

* The amateur market is shrinking, but there's still money in pro equipment.

* Canon has improved it's ultra wide lenses in the past few years.

* The 20mm & 135mm are the only primes not to get a new lens this millennium.

* The 20mm f/2.8 has poor IQ, and is older than the 135mm f/2.0L.

* Releasing a 20mm f/1.4L would be a great way to show the EF line isn't dead.
 
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I wouldn't mind a 20/1.4, but probably only if Canon finally decides to address coma and astigmatism in their lens designs (something they have a history of ignoring). With those aberrations well controlled, a 20/1.4 would be an amazing astro lens.

My 35 1.4 II handes coma just fine. So if they did update this lens, I'm sure it would be addressed. I'd love to seem them do a lens like this. I see that Sony 24 1.4 (super sharp, bright, AND small) and get really gear envious for any who own it...
 
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Dec 25, 2012
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* The amateur market is shrinking, but there's still money in pro equipment.
The market is shrinking but the money is still in premium lenses that are bought by the amateur market which has always been the largest sector of purchasers. Just like Porsches are bought by old men and not racers. ;)
 
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unfocused

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Jul 20, 2010
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Why does no one want to assume that the EF mount can be saved for MILC cameras?
Well, it wouldn't make much sense to keep making lenses in one mount, if all the cameras were in a different mount.

But, I don't buy the inevitability of DSLRs disappearing. From today's vantage point, both form factors have their own advantages and disadvantages. Mirrorless may eventually do everything as well or better than DSLRs, but I don't think that can be known for certain today.
 
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SecureGSM

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Sigma's 20mm f1.4 Art is a fantastic lens at $899.
Sure it has Coma issues at the edges, but a lens that controls/eliminates both coma and astigmatism would be fantastically expensive no?
Not so much fantastic as it suffers from a strong focus shift. Stop it down and your focus is shifted behind your subject. Sigma 12-24/4 is the same. Not sure about the 14-24/2.8 lens though.
 
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Mar 2, 2012
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Well, it wouldn't make much sense to keep making lenses in one mount, if all the cameras were in a different mount.

But, I don't buy the inevitability of DSLRs disappearing. From today's vantage point, both form factors have their own advantages and disadvantages. Mirrorless may eventually do everything as well or better than DSLRs, but I don't think that can be known for certain today.

I believe it’s a certainty that SLR will always outperform mirrorless in two areas:
1. Power consumption, all else being equal;
2. Not requiring an illuminated screen for TTL composing.
 
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Maybe EF will stay alive because not everyone wants mirrorless cameras, I for one will stay with my 1 Series cameras.

My experience is that I wanted to stay with such a lot things but (1) they weren't available after a certain point of time and (2) they have been replaced by better solutions, while I myself needed some time to be convinced by the facts.

At the moment series 1 cameras are not assimilated by the EOS R series, just not the 5D series at least the 5Ds models. But bodies go, lenses stay. And the next wave of EOS R cameras will be close to the 1D and 5D series - not because Canon wants to replace the DSLR models but because they have strong competition from Sony and Nikon. Maybe these cameras are essentially not better but if they are more attractive compared to Canon cameras Canon has to do something to support its camera sector.

In my - much lower end - case I was absolutely surprised how much better the M50 suits my style of photography compared to 40D, 5D mark i, 200D . I never believed that I would like such a thing better than DSLRs - I bought it primarily to make some "functional" video (for physics and math lessons) with an electronic viewfinder which works much better in bright light / with telephoto lenses. But it also worked better in photography (especially precise AF for slow moving subjects, no potential eye damage in contralight scenarios) for me. Finally I am convinced by the mirrorless concept despite the fact I like my 100 year old manually operated coffee grinder much more than the electric version ! :)
 
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