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    Patent: A new mirrorless camera body design with integrated grip with pass-through

    By Updated:129 Comments2 Mins Read Canon Patents
    gripdesignpatent - Patent: A new mirrorless camera body design with integrated grip with pass-through

    Here is an interesting patent application showcasing what appears to be new design and functionality of an integrated grip mirrorless camera body. At this time, there's no way to really know if this design is in fact one Canon is moving forward with on a camera body such as an EOS R1, or if it's just part of the design process.

    Japan Patent JP,2021-117300,A  mostly deals with a secure grip for both horizontal and vertical shooting.

    This design is quite unique in that there is an open cavity in the body that your fingers can grip through as you can see in the patent illustration below.

    JPA 503117300 i 000009 400x575 - Patent: A new mirrorless camera body design with integrated grip with pass-through

    This is definitely some out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to camera design, but I think the open space within the camera body is a lot of lost real estate for electronics. If you've ever seen a camera opened up, there is rarely enough space inside for much of anything.

    One of the applications of the pass-through design is for active cooling, which is something we will see in the future on the Canon EOS R5c, but I can't see the EOS R5c having a fully integrated grip, as it has been described to me as “slightly larger than the EOS R5”, but this design would fit as significantly larger.

    The patent also mentions touch bar functionality, which wasn't well-received on the original Canon EOS R.

    Could we see some of this design in the EOS R1? Perhaps, but it seems a bit too radical in my opinion.

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    129 comments

    1. That is a radical design. You might be able to free up the real estate with the mechanical parts removed, but I agree it will be a tight fit. Should this be to address sensor heat, wonder how warm it will be by your fingers on this new grip.
    2. If you watch the Apple rumor sites, the drawings submitted for Patent applications are rather rudimentary and don't really match the finished product. The R1 is in the pipeline and this filing may be it or another similar body in development. Like Nikon, the pro bodies all have an integrated grip why would they change now?
    4. Should this be to address sensor heat, wonder how warm it will be by your fingers on this new grip.
      An orientation sensor could be used to switch the air flow direction accordingly.
    5. If you watch the Apple rumor sites, the drawings submitted for Patent applications are rather rudimentary and don't really match the finished product. The R1 is in the pipeline and this filing may be it or another similar body in development. Like Nikon, the pro bodies all have an integrated grip why would they change now?
      It's the pass-through that is unique and doesn't scream "rudimentary". Though this could just be throwing darts at a dartboard and protecting any and all ideas.
    6. It's the pass-through that is unique and doesn't scream "rudimentary". Though this could just be throwing darts at a dartboard and protecting any and all ideas.
      Freedom To Operate and avoiding other using ideas that you've canned for sure.

      But since they've gone to the point of spending money on a patent application, they do think it has some value. Otherwise they'd just publish the idea in an obscure local newspaper with cyrrilic letters like the first insulin pen.
    7. The touch bar makes a lot of sense to me in this design.
      It is not ideal but a second joystick would be awkward for some people depending on their hand size.
      The length of a touch bar can accommodate more hand sizes.
      People would still complain about it.
    9. I would almost be willing to put money down this would go into their video line if it was ever utilized at all.
      You could be right.
      There is a segment of video that prefers variable aperture.
    11. Well... and why not simply integrate a mechanism that turns the sensor (or the whole cage of the mount) in either portrait or landscape mode (with a button to do so) or would be able to determine horizontal/vertical position by itself with a switch... or a fixed cross shape sensor... or a square sensor... round sensor, etc. ?
    12. Weird..

      Could we focus on making an R5 in an R3 body please? Hi-res, fast, mirrorless, probody with inbuilt batterygrip.

      That is what most of us are waiting for now, for the past couple of years. Would be great. Thank you!
    16. Thx for posting, Craig.....Very interesting, if they could make it work. Would eliminate the need for an auxiliary hand strap, which I love using for run and gun filming, albeit doesn't work very well when shooting in vertical position. Would make for very secure handling. I never realized how nice hand straps are until using a wedding photographer friend's EOS 5Diii body, a few yrs back, that had a strap attached. They are a game changer. Now, whenever I acquire a new body, that's one of the first accessories I purchase. This design would also make vertical shooting just as secure as current horizontal hand strap shooting. I have never cared much for neck straps, except on small bodies, like the M series or point and shoot cams.
    18. The idea of replacing the physical control wheels/dials with touch bars makes me uncomfortable, personally. The missing joystick may be a bigger problem for some, but it does appear to have that big eye-cup from he R3, so maybe the thinking is the joystick will be less necessary if they get eye AF right? I've always liked that Canon tries some weird stuff occasionally, but I guess I'd really need to try this to see if I could get by with it.
    19. I would almost be willing to put money down this would go into their video line if it was ever utilized at all.
      Yes, those video people that also shoot portrait orientation videos would really love this, I suppose. Fake phone videos, could be used in phone ads.

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