Canon Patent Application: Automated Tilt Movements

[Sean C]

Very neat, I'm glad to see this idea advancing.
This is something I've always pointed out as the predictable evolution of mirrorless/live view, touch screen, subject tracking + motorized TS lenses. User selects objects on screen, TS lens tilts using in sensor focus to determine tilt + focus and it could be tracked as well if they go very far with it. It'll have normal tilt limitations (only one plane, only two effectively tracked subjects etc). All the parts already exist but for the automated TS lens and control software.

 

[Del Paso]

$5000 + ?

 

[P-visie]

$5000 + ?

That would push the prices into the Leica realm . In the Netherlands the EF TS-E lenses retail for between 2200 and 2700 euro (incl. VAT). Adding electronics and motors to the lens and your guesstimate might be accurate.

 

[EricN]

$5000 + ?

Uk pricing: £∞

 

[Del Paso]

That would push the prices into the Leica realm . In the Netherlands the EF TS-E lenses retail for between 2200 and 2700 euro (incl. VAT). Adding electronics and motors to the lens and your guesstimate might be accurate.

I based my estimate on the retail price of the Nikon 19mm TS: Euro 4199 !
A lens without AF, motors etc...

 

[Del Paso]

Uk pricing: £∞

UK pricing inducing suicidal tendencies...

 

[David - Sydney]

keystone correction is never as good as optical.

Of course, but stitching panos also involves computations for alignment and vignetting etc. My question is whether it would be sufficient for most cases or not. Not just the simplicity of using the RF10-20 vs tilt/shift setup but probably substantially cheaper as well. We have the purists for not wanting any optical corrections for lenses but I'm sure that hasn't negated the usefulness of 14mm with a 77mm filter thread in the RF14-35/4 for instance.

 

[dafrank]

This patent application (2024-025274) discusses how to automate the tilt movement given the objects that the user wants in focus, but more importantly when you want to tilt the plane of focus to something other than horizontal or vertical. I believe this is more commonly called swing. Canon is proposing setting the two focus points

See full article...

Just to clarify your terms, technically, tilt is adjusting the focus plane along the vertical axis, and swing is doing the same along the horizontal axis. However, because the original photo instruments to use this concept most effectively were typically monorail "view cameras" with very extensive independent front and back movements in multiple dimensions, vertical and horizontal swing and tilt were always relative concepts. The same is true with front movements on Canon TS lenses; you can rotate the front "standard" of the lens to make its movement either a tilt or swing or something like a diagonal tilt/swing instead. The current gen of TS lenses are great for those who understand how the Scheimpflug principle works, but for those who would not want to try to understand this for themselves, or just want the camera to do it for them because they don't want to be bothered, this new system would be very good.

 

[SwissFrank]

> Speaking of which, Canon specifically mentions these lenses as possibly having image stabilization. However, the lens embodiment shown does not particularly contain an IBIS unit. Food for future thought.

@Canon Rumors Guy note that image stabilization **IS** shift, at least in the left-right and up-down translational dimensions.

(I know you know but for others: image stabilization ideally has to correct for camera movement left-right, up-down, forward-back, but then also changes in angle up-down and left-right plus roll. Roll can't be corrected with optics but can in some situations with software. But of the other five axes, two are EXACTLY what a shift lens has to do.)