Patents on Photo Video Gear

Canon Patent Adds a Third Coil to Steady the Linear Motors That Move Lens Groups

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Linear motors have taken over the inside of modern lenses. They are quiet and quick, which is why Canon’s recent VCM primes and so many video-friendly zooms use them. They also have a weakness that rarely gets talked about, and a Canon patent application published in the US in August 2026 goes straight at it.

The filing is US 2026/0246353, “Linear motor, linear motor system, and optical apparatus,” with a Japanese priority date of February 2025 and Kyosuke Sato as inventor. The example application is an interchangeable lens, where the motor moves focus and zoom groups along the optical axis.

Canon Patent Fixes Broken Light Trails in Multi-Shot Virtual ND Exposures

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In-camera “virtual ND” sounds like a free lunch. Instead of screwing a dark filter onto the lens for a long daytime exposure, the camera shoots a burst of short frames and averages them into one smooth picture. Moving water goes silky, crowds blur away, and no filter needed. It mostly works. A Canon patent application published in the US in August 2026 deals with the case where it doesn’t: bright moving lights.

Nikon Patent Details a 26-Contact Accessory Shoe for Digital Audio and Add-On Viewfinders

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The hot shoe on top of a camera used to have one job: fire a flash. Sony and Canon turned theirs into data ports years ago, and Nikon’s video-first ZR arrived with a digital shoe of its own. A Nikon patent application published in the US in August 2026 shows how Nikon thinks such a shoe should work, and what it might plug into next.

The filing is US 2026/0247031, “Imaging device and accessory,” from Nikon Corporation. It traces back to a Japanese application from April 6, 2023, two years before the ZR, and lists eight inventors. Whether the ZR’s shoe follows this exact layout, Nikon hasn’t said. The patent describes one way to build a smart shoe in detail.

Canon Patent Catches Focus Mismatch Between the Two Eyes of a Dual Lens

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A 3D image falls apart if your two eyes disagree. One side sharp and the other a little soft, and the picture that should pop out at you turns into a headache instead. A Canon patent application published in the US in August 2026 has the camera watch for exactly that and step in.

The filing is US 2026/0246908, plainly titled “Electronic device.” It has a Japanese priority date of February 2025, was filed in the US in December 2025, and names Hiroyuki Suzuki as inventor. The example camera carries a dual-lens VR180 unit: two fisheye optical systems side by side, each covering about 180 degrees, both projecting onto one sensor.

GoPro Patent Puts a Mirror in a Lens Adapter to Flatten Helmet-Mounted Cameras

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Bolt an action camera to a helmet and it sticks up like a fin. It catches branches, it catches wind, and it looks a bit silly. GoPro holds a US patent for a lens adapter that lets the camera lie flat while it still looks straight ahead, by folding the light path through a mirror or a prism.

The patent is US 12,699,309, “Low profile lens adapter with folded optics,” granted to GoPro on August 4, 2026. It grows out of a provisional application filed in August 2022, and the named inventor is Ian Copeland Griggs.

Canon Patent Turns Precapture On by Itself When You Reach for a Long Lens

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Precapture is one of the best things mirrorless cameras have given action shooters, and it only helps if you remember to switch it on. Canon was granted a US patent in August 2026 for a camera that makes that call for you, based on the lens on the front and what’s in the frame.

The patent is US 12,712,981, “Image pickup apparatus that reduces loss of opportunities for photographing.” It was first filed in Japan in May 2023, filed in the US in May 2024 and granted on August 18, 2026. The inventor is Kenta Ihara.

Nikon Patent Shows How the Z6III and Z8 Blend Power Zoom With Hi-Res Zoom

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Some patents predict a product. These two explain one that already shipped. A pair of Nikon applications published in the US in August 2026 lays out, step by step, the feature that lets a power zoom lens and the camera’s digital crop zoom act like one long zoom. Nikon owners already know it as Power/Hi-Res Zoom Collab.

The filings are US 2026/0235926, “Imaging apparatus,” which covers the camera side, and US 2026/0238886, “Interchangeable lens and camera body,” which covers the lens side. Both trace back to Japanese applications filed on October 6, 2023. The feature itself reached the Z6III and Z8 through firmware in February 2025, working with the NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ.

Canon Patent Targets Banding in High-Speed Sync Flash With a Smarter Inductor

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

High-speed sync has a dirty secret. Push a speedlight past your camera’s flash sync speed and every frame is quietly at risk of faint horizontal stripes. A Canon patent application published in the US this August goes after that problem at the level of a single component inside the flash: the coil that sits between the capacitor and the xenon tube.

The filing is US 2026/0235932, titled “Light-emitting device, flash device, imaging system, and imaging method.” Its Japanese priority date is February 2025 and the inventor is Yasuhiko Sano. It reads like a circuit paper, but the payoff is something any wedding or outdoor portrait shooter will recognize.