Patent: 45x Zoom for Waterproof Camera

[Canon Rumors Guy]

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<p>This patent may show where the next PowerShot D series camera is heading. Below is a patent for a 45x zoom lens that is for a waterproof/dustproof application.</p>
<ul style="color: #444444;">
<li><strong>Patent Publication No. 2014-109664 (Google Translated)</strong>
<ul>
<li>Publication date 2014.6.12</li>
<li>Filing date 2012.11.30</li>
<li>Related 2014-109665,2014-109666</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Example 1
<ul>
<li>Zoom ratio 44.41</li>
<li>Focal length f = 4.62-13.02-205.00mm</li>
<li>Fno. 3.91-6.14-9.00</li>
<li>Half angle ω = 36.14-16.58-1.08 °</li>
<li>99.33-103.38-113.64mm overall length of the lens</li>
<li>BF 12.11-10.81-4.28mm</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Source: [<a href="http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2014-07-19" target="_blank">EG</a>]</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">c</span>r</strong></p>

 

[rs]

Is that f9 at the long end?

 

[jeffreyd00]

That last thing you need if you are under water is a zoom. What you want is super-wide and stabilized and low noise.

 

[lopicma]

I thought Canon was getting out of the "point and shoot" camera business? Is this camera more a "dive and shoot" type?

 

[verysimplejason]

That last thing you need if you are under water is a zoom. What you want is super-wide and stabilized and low noise.

Waterproof doesn't mean it's only for underwater. There are lots of scenarios where it's very useful. That said, it must be as small as the D30 series...

 

[Lee Jay]

Stupid.

Want a useful underwater hyperzoom?

Full frame fisheye (180° diagonal) to 100mm.

 

[rs]

Stupid.

Want a useful underwater hyperzoom?

Full frame fisheye (180° diagonal) to 100mm.

You can get most of that right now by combining any of the current generation of waterproof compacts with a gopro

 

[Hesbehindyou]

Their current waterproof compact is a mediocre compromise

Canon D30 - 28-140mm f/3.9 – f/4.8
Pentax WG4 (and WG3) - 25-100mm f/2-4.9

who wants f/3.9 – f/4.8 underwater, camping at dusk or in the dimly lit pub?

Hopefully Canon will introduce two cameras, one with a fast lens (compromise being small optical zoom range) and a superzoom (compromise being the slow lens).

 

[Lee Jay]

Stupid.

Want a useful underwater hyperzoom?

Full frame fisheye (180° diagonal) to 100mm.

You can get most of that right now by combining any of the current generation of waterproof compacts with a gopro

It's difficult for me to imagine a reason I'd ever buy a gopro.

 

[rs]

It's difficult for me to imagine a reason I'd ever buy a gopro.

It's a very focused product aimed at a very different market to the point and shoot alternatives. And it really does depend upon what you do as to whether its way of working is of any use to you. One things for sure - it fills that void of a fisheye portable camera which is waterproof. Just no LCD without spending extra.

At the moment I find I'm using my GoPro more than my DSLR's - but that's down to what I get up to rather than it being a better traditional photographic experience.

 

[preppyak]

Waterproof doesn't mean it's only for underwater. There are lots of scenarios where it's very useful. That said, it must be as small as the D30 series...

Yep, plenty of outdoors people that will never actually take the camera underwater (unless they drop it in the river), but who need the ability to use it in the rain and need the "tough" build approach.

That said, if that f-number is correct, this thing would be DOA. It'd be a 10x zoom that becomes a 45x zoom on one the sunniest of days. The current waterproof cameras already struggle on cloudy days, can't imagine making that worse and getting people to buy it

 

[TrabimanUK]

Great. Another naff enhancement to a naff camera. The Nikon and Olympus kick the @r5e out of the D30 on image quality and fps and have closer to f2.0 lenses (Olympus TG-2 / TG-3 are f2.0), so they doesn't need to go up the ISO ladder to take the same shots that the Canon does.

I'm buying an Olympus Tough TG-3, as the D30 was a total dissapointment.

Surely creating a naff product doesn't cost much less than creating a good (not great, but good) product?

 

[Hesbehindyou]

I'm buying an Olympus Tough TG-3, as the D30 was a total dissapointment.

Surely creating a naff product doesn't cost much less than creating a good (not great, but good) product?

I'm guessing a bean counter decided they should save a few bucks by using an existing lens to keep costs down and get rid of excess stock (all their point & shoots seemed to start at 28mm a few years ago, then they moved to 24mm, so it was disappointing when the 'new' D30 didn't get the same treatment). I can see no other reason for an underwater camera to have such a slow lens other than interfering bean counters - one would normally spec a fast lens in this category.

I too didn't buy one because of the lens (spent the money on beer and women instead). Better camera phones (water resistance & IQ & handling & responsiveness) mean I'm probably not likely to buy a point n shoot in this category at all now. Instead I'm looking at Go-Pro type cameras (surprised Canon didn't target that segment too).

 

[Don Haines]

Stupid.

Want a useful underwater hyperzoom?

Full frame fisheye (180° diagonal) to 100mm.

You can get most of that right now by combining any of the current generation of waterproof compacts with a gopro

It's difficult for me to imagine a reason I'd ever buy a gopro.

For what it is designed for, it's the best camera out there. For everything else, it sucks. It all comes down to the right tool for the job..

 

[Lee Jay]

Stupid.

Want a useful underwater hyperzoom?

Full frame fisheye (180° diagonal) to 100mm.

You can get most of that right now by combining any of the current generation of waterproof compacts with a gopro

It's difficult for me to imagine a reason I'd ever buy a gopro.

For what it is designed for, it's the best camera out there. For everything else, it sucks. It all comes down to the right tool for the job..

For what it's designed for, I'd buy at least four of the other alternatives before a gopro - Panasonic HX-A500, Sony AS-100V, Polaroid XS100i, Mobius Action Cam.

 

[Don Haines]

Stupid.

Want a useful underwater hyperzoom?

Full frame fisheye (180° diagonal) to 100mm.

You can get most of that right now by combining any of the current generation of waterproof compacts with a gopro

It's difficult for me to imagine a reason I'd ever buy a gopro.

For what it is designed for, it's the best camera out there. For everything else, it sucks. It all comes down to the right tool for the job..

For what it's designed for, I'd buy at least four of the other alternatives before a gopro - Panasonic HX-A500, Sony AS-100V, Polaroid XS100i, Mobius Action Cam.

It's not so much the camera, it's the mounting system. I have mounted one onto a kayak, a bicycle, several helmets, suction cupped it to vehicle windows and bodywork, on a pole 30 feet in the air, shot video from the canoe's perspective on portages, mounted it on tracking satellite dishes, to a stunt kite, to a quadricopter, on a Siberian husky, and even on a tripod.

People buy them more for the versatility of the mounting system than the image quality. Their marketing has been superb.... you can pick up accessories darn near anywhere, where with most of the competition you have to go to camera stores and usually order in what you want. One must look at the whole package instead of just the camera to understand why it's the world's best selling camera.

 

[Lee Jay]

Stupid.

Want a useful underwater hyperzoom?

Full frame fisheye (180° diagonal) to 100mm.

You can get most of that right now by combining any of the current generation of waterproof compacts with a gopro

It's difficult for me to imagine a reason I'd ever buy a gopro.

For what it is designed for, it's the best camera out there. For everything else, it sucks. It all comes down to the right tool for the job..

For what it's designed for, I'd buy at least four of the other alternatives before a gopro - Panasonic HX-A500, Sony AS-100V, Polaroid XS100i, Mobius Action Cam.

It's not so much the camera, it's the mounting system. I have mounted one onto a kayak, a bicycle, several helmets, suction cupped it to vehicle windows and bodywork, on a pole 30 feet in the air, shot video from the canoe's perspective on portages, mounted it on tracking satellite dishes, to a stunt kite, to a quadricopter, on a Siberian husky, and even on a tripod.

People buy them more for the versatility of the mounting system than the image quality. Their marketing has been superb.... you can pick up accessories darn near anywhere, where with most of the competition you have to go to camera stores and usually order in what you want. One must look at the whole package instead of just the camera to understand why it's the world's best selling camera.

Many of those I mentioned come with mounting systems that mount them to just about anything.

I was thinking about mounting one to a high-speed model airplane, but the gopro is too boxy and unaerodynamic. In fact, it would nearly double the total profile drag of the entire airplane, thereby defeating the whole purpose.

 

[Don Haines]

Many of those I mentioned come with mounting systems that mount them to just about anything.

I was thinking about mounting one to a high-speed model airplane, but the gopro is too boxy and unaerodynamic. In fact, it would nearly double the total profile drag of the entire airplane, thereby defeating the whole purpose.

have you seen this?

http://www.mikesenese.com/DOIT/2011/07/wide-angle-hd-micro-camera-mounted-to-a-firework/

 

[Harry Muff]

Raw?

 

[Yankeedog]

Their current waterproof compact is a mediocre compromise

Canon D30 - 28-140mm f/3.9 – f/4.8
Pentax WG4 (and WG3) - 25-100mm f/2-4.9

who wants f/3.9 – f/4.8 underwater, camping at dusk or in the dimly lit pub?

Hopefully Canon will introduce two cameras, one with a fast lens (compromise being small optical zoom range) and a superzoom (compromise being the slow lens).

The primary advantage the D30 has over the WG4, TG-3 and most other waterproof/ruggedized compact point-and-shoots is that it's rated to 83 feet underwater. Most of the others are only rated to 50 feet or less. 83 feet means a recreational Open Water SCUBA diver can carry it on all dives; even beginner, casual Open Water divers often go deeper than 50 feet.

Of course, unless the light starts getting pretty dim down there below 50 feet, so debatable how useful a camera like this is down that deep. But if you don't want to spend too much money, and want a casual point-and shoot that you can also bring on your dives without worrying about overpressure breaking the seal, the D30 is one of the few choices.