Here’s an interesting patent from Canon uncovered by Canon News. It’s a multiple lens camera system that is somewhat similar to the Light Camera L16 system. The Canon uses different focal lengths and 8 cameras to make the image.
Focal lengths in Japan Patent Application 2018-200484: (35mm equivalent)
5.2mm F2.88 (29mm)
7.5mm f2.88 (42mm)
10.50mm f2.88 (59mm)
15.00mm f2.88 (84mm)
4.4mm F2.88 (25mm)
8.1mm f2.88 (45mm)
It looks like the camera system is for 1/2.3″ sensor size as the image height is 3.88mm. There is a crop factor of 5.6, which you can see in the parenthesis of the patent focal lengths above.
We have no idea if this will ever become a consumer product, but Canon continues to R&D niche market systems like 360 cameras and multi-lens systems.
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