After filing one last month, Apple has applied for another camera-related patent. The document an artificial muscle structure being used to replace traditional motors to control focus and aperture in a camera module. The design is interesting because it can carry relatively large and heavy optics and consumes very little power. Read more
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
It seems that Olympus might be planning to jump on the wearable camera bandwagon with a device that looks similar to Google’s ‘Glass’. A newly published Oly patent (JP2013/075623) describes a wearable device that comes with either one or two transparent screens in front of the wearer’s eye. Click through for more information on connect.dpreview.com.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
On March 18th the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent to Amazon covering a specific method to achieve the common photographic technique of capturing an image of a subject against a plain white background. Patent No.US 8,676,045 B1 describes a setup using multiple lights and a white backdrop which results in images that require no post-process retouching to remove shadows. Learn more
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Sony has patented the design of a series of bright zoom lenses, including a roughly F1.8-2.8 lens that would give 28-100mm equivalent coverage on a 1″-type sensor. The designs suggest the company intends to further develop its RX range of compacts. Such a lens would allow for a camera that made better use of its comparatively large sensor, even at the long end of the zoom. Learn more
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
If you are the kind of person who gets uncomfortable at the thought of somebody recording you on Google Glass, the search company’s latest patent application will probably make you feel even more uneasy. In January Google announced its smart contact lens project and now has filed a patent application for a micro camera module to go with the smart lenses. Learn more
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Having two distinct sensors in one camera appears to be the flavor of the week. HTC just launched the One M8, the first smartphone to feature a dual-sensor camera. At the same time Apple Insider spotted an Apple patent application that was published on Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The application is titled: ‘Electronic device with two image sensors’. Learn more
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
The Wall Street Journal has discovered a patent filing with the Korean Intellectual Property Rights Information Service that seems to indicate Samsung is experimenting with transparent displays for digital cameras. The idea behind the concept is that the photographer and their subject can maintain eye-contact while the image is being framed. Learn more
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Earlier this week, Japanese patent blog Egami reported that Olympus has patented a technology that would allow the photographer to selectively adjust exposure of different scene areas during an exposure. This might allow for a more balanced exposure of scenes where cameras might normally struggle. Click through for an explanation of what we think the patent might mean for photographers.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
The Tokyo District Court has ruled in favor of Nikon in a patent infringement case brought against Sigma. The lawsuit, filed in 2011 and settled last month alleged that six of Sigma’s interchangeable lenses infringed on certain Nikon patents relating to VR (vibration reduction) technology. Click through for more details.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Fujifilm has filed a patent for an image sensor that uses a novel layout, with green and clear rectangular pixels which are larger in area than their neighboring blue and red pixels. The idea behind it is apparently to reduce luminance noise at the expense of color noise, on the grounds that the human eye is less sensitive to the latter. Learn more
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)