Canon planning to replace focus rings with touch panels on the lens?
Mar 19, 2021
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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Canon has filed a pretty interesting looking patent at the Japan Patent Office. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it yet, but it replaces the focus ring on the lens with a touch panel which would let you control the lens with your thumb as you handhold it.
On the plus side, it’d make people start to hold their cameras properly, but it does seem like it’d be a bit of a pain for a lot of photographers, particularly those shooting on tripods – like landscape or product photographers. It does offer a lot of potential for cool features, though.
I have to admit, I’ve got a couple of Micro Four Thirds lenses that don’t have focus rings and they really annoy me. To the point where neither of them has been used in at least the last three years. I would get rid of them, but they’re not worth much and in an emergency, they’d be able to do the job (while I moaned and complained). But given the choice, I wouldn’t get them again.
Can a little touch panel replace a focus ring, though? Issues of tripod users notwithstanding (and I’m sure Canon would figure out a way to solve their issues), it does offer some interesting possibilities. Like, as Canon News mentions, the ability to choose your AF location.
It may potentially also allow you to control the zoom function as well as focus. After all, a number of zoom lenses out there already can have their focal length adjusted by the camera body rather than by rotating a ring, so using a touch panel on the lens itself to change the focal length isn’t much of a stretch.
It may also potentially act as an alternative to back button focus, too, when autofocusing. Instead of tapping the back button, you tap the touch panel on the lens with your thumb. Or the opposite, as an AF lock button for when you’re shooting in auto full time but occasionally want to lock the focus temporarily.
As always, it’s a patent and there’s no guarantee that Canon will ever pursue it, but the general idea of it does sound quite intriguing. What features would you want quick access to on a lens touch panel?
[via Canon News]
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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17 responses to “Canon planning to replace focus rings with touch panels on the lens?”
Might be as popular as the multi-function bar on the R camera.
Haha, you may be right! :)
Exactly my thoughts.
That won’t work as well. They should scrap this idea.
It’s a patent that may or may not even lead to a real product. There is no indication that Canon is getting rid of focus rings
Adrian Mathurin Funny, I said that in the article if you’d bothered to read it. :)
I have absolutely no experience with mirrorless, so they may have addressed some of my concerns already.
John Aldred I never read articles that have that shitty titles. Hope you are not responsible for it.
Adrian Mathurin The title is a question. Suggest you learn how language works. :)
Wow! I cannot see John Aldred’s comments from my account now. I guess I have been blocked? I can still see them if I’m not signed in because this is a public page
Yes, I have read the article. Yes, I know how language works. I wrote an honest response. It may not be what you wanted to hear, but it was also not rude, as your responses are. I would expect that kind of rudeness from random commenters, but it’s disappointing to see from a major contributor to this site
Yes the title is a question. It implies that we have reason to ask that question, but there is absolutely nothing in the article to back up the idea that replacing focus rings is a consideration for Canon or something we should be worried about. Some of us find stories about patents and possible products interesting, but clearly whoever came up with the title realized that making it seem like there is some possibility that focus rings as we know them are being done away with would get even more clicks.
Adding a question mark to the end of the title does not make it not click bait. Adding one sentence to the very end of the article to let people know there’s no real reason to worry that focus rings are going away does not make it not click bait.
Again, I am very disappointed by this response. I’ve been a longtime reader of this site and I expect better responses to feedback whether it’s positive or negative feedback
I am always open to courteous discussion even when there’s disagreement. Please forgive me if anyone else responded to me and I don’t reply. It seems that I also cannot see responses that follow John Aldred’s thread and viewing outside of my account is no longer working
trying to re-invent the wheel… why??
Adrian Mathurin Funny, I said that in the article if you’d bothered to read it. :)
Adrian Mathurin Funny, I said that in the article if you’d bothered to read it. :)
There are already digital cameras with electronic focus controls. I suspect this will replace those, not old-school lenses with rings.
Though if you’re going to make the focus control “virtual”, why would you place it on the lens, out of the camera user’s view instead on the back or top of the camera? This seems gimmicky and bad UX.
For someone shooting with their eye to the camera, the placement would work. When you shoot like that, nothing is in view so the important thing is being able to adjust controls by touch and muscle memory.
I’m not saying I think this will catch on. They’d still have to deal with the loss of tactile feedback when focusing and it seems like this might interfere with the standard way of adjusting zoom
why so complicated?