New Lens Patent 70-300 F4.5-5.6 with In-lens SR

https://ipforce.jp/patent-jp-A-2020-86357
(in Japanese)

A few key highlights are as follows (Google Translated):

[Name or name] Ricoh Co., Ltd.

[0008]
However, in the zoom lens system of Patent Document 1, since the second lens group 2b, which is the image blur correction lens group, is close to the stop on the long focal length end side (tele end side), the long focal length end side (tele end is set at the time of image blur correction). The eccentric coma aberration generated on the side) tends to be large. Therefore, the second b group, which is the image blur correction lens group, is composed of three or more lenses, and there remains a problem in weight reduction of the image blur correction lens group.

(Table 5)
Short focal length end Medium focal length Long focal length end
Focal length 72.2 135.0 293.2

F number 4.43 4.88 5.34

(Table 8)
Short focal length end Medium focal length Long focal length end
Focal length 72.0 135.1 293.6

F number 4.59 4.96 5.52

A list of variants of the same design gene are patented. While the focal ranges are almost the same, the maximum apertures could vary a bit but the variations are insignificant.

Possible New Optical Designs of the DA*16-50 F2.8 PLM

I recall the old post by the Pentax Rumors about the various new DA 16-50/2.8 lens designs and patent(s) for improved performance, one of which (amongst 10 nos.) would be selected by Pentax for this new lens. Which will they use finally? 16 elements in 13 groups (5 designs), 17 elements in 13 groups (3 designs), 15 elements in 12 groups (two designs)? We shall know by the next year of 2021. :-)

Review of 21mm Full Frame Lens Optical Designs

 

Pentax DA 21mm F3.2 (APS-C)

Norton 21mm F1.4

 

Skopar 21mm F4

 

 Ultron 21mm F1.8

Voigtlander 21mm F1.4

Carl Zeiss 21mm F2.8

What's Inside the Pentaprism Housing of the New APS-C Flagship?

Quick check of a few Facts:

1. Top of K-3 II, separate plastic top cover on pentaprism, with GPS button (at the left side) and function:

2. Top of K-1, integral top plastic cover, with GPS button (at the right side) and function:

3. Top of the New Flagship, looks like an integral metal top cover but without any GPS button (on any part of the body) and possibly no such function built-in:

So, what's the conclusion and my somehow wild but yet sensible guess? Something new is incorporated inside the Pentaprism housing of this new camera! :-D

And, it does quite make sense to accommodate this new facility with the large space made available:

Patent link: https://ipforce.jp/patent-jp-A-2018-151588

I believe more so it is a hybrid OVF/EVF finder with the existence of a new unmarked secret button at the rear top left (where used to be the playback button on the K-3 and K-3 II) plus a new infrared proximity sensor under the viewfinder, which is a standard design for automatic EVF/LCD on/off toggle switching for mirrorless bodies equipped with EVFs:

I hope it will happen. ;-) With this, it will be a meaningful breakthrough in truly combining a DSLR with a Mirrorless, so as to get the best of both worlds. And more importantly, old Pentax users will NOT need a new mount and the K-mount will continue! After all, we shall know before this Summer!


Last Related:

The New Sony APS-C Sensor

New Ricoh 35-80mm F4 Lens Patent

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2016-06-01

New Ricoh Patent to Improve AF Accuracy of DSLRs

https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&nv=1&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ja&u=http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2015-11-09&usg=ALkJrhgtwit9ev1jOLixWxcmE1juGLRrCg

New Ricoh SLR AF Patent

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2015-05-13 (Translated)

To improve AF sensitivity in the dark.

New Ricoh Patent - Adjustable Translucent Mirror

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2014-11-27
(in Japanese)

Light transmission rate is adjustable from 50 to 100%, i.e., reflective rate is from 50 to 0%.

New Q Lens Patents (F2.8 Tele Zoom Macro and F1.8 Tele Prime)

http://lovepentax.blogspot.com/2014/05/06-telephoto-zoom-macro.html



http://lovepentax.blogspot.com/2014/05/pentax-09-telephoto-prime-lens.html



All Q lenses are designed for 1/1.7" sensors for their image circle, of course, which seems to be the maximum size of a sensor that can be put into any Q body.

Speaking of lens patents, RP has yet got another new lens patent of an ultra-wide lens used with 43 sensors, but what 43 camera and system they have? So, this is mysterious:

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2014-08-10



N.B. All the original links above are in Japanese.

New Phase Detection Method and Patent by Using the SR System

http://dc.nphoto.net/news/2014-07/28/aee3821ee9506bf2.shtml
(in Chinese)

New Ricoh Lens Patent (24mm F2 APS-C)

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2014-02-14
(in Japanese)

Top 50 Patent Holders in US

http://ificlaims.com/index.php?page=misc_top_50_2013

As for companies with camera business, the following are extracted and ranked (although they do have other businesses as well):

Company	Ranked for Camera Makers	Overall Ranking
Samsung	1	2
Canon	2	3
Sony	3	4
Panasonic	4	6
Ricoh	5	17
Fujifilm	6	42

New Ricoh in-lens SR Lens Patents

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2013-11-16 (in Jaoanese)

Well, there is a 135 Full Frame lens, for that 60mm Macro! The sad thing is that there is no Pentax anymore, the name "Pentax" seems to have disappeared from now on and forever! :-/

Ricoh to Pay Kodak $76M to Settle Patent Fight

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/money/business/2013/10/24/ricoh-to-pay-kodak-76m-to-settle-patent-fight/3180749/

"Japanese electronics giant Ricoh Co. Ltd. has agreed to pay Eastman Kodak Co. nearly $76 million to settle a legal dispute over patent licenses and royalties.

Rochester-based Kodak sued Ricoh in April 2012, claiming that Ricoh was stiffing it on royalty payments due from its use of Kodak patents.

Among its claims were that once Ricoh bought camera maker Pentax Imaging Systems in 2011, it owed back royalties since Pentax had never signed any digital imaging licensing agreement with Kodak.

In the suit, Kodak sought unspecified dollar damages.Ricoh, for its part, argued that that it had paid Kodak everything owed by the patent license agreement for its own products, and that there's no proof Pentax ever infringed on Kodak's patents.

The case went to trial this week in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, with a jury ruling for Kodak, said company spokesman Christopher Veronda.But in a stipulation signed by the companies this week before the start of the trial, Ricoh and Kodak both agreed that regardless of the trial's outcome, Ricoh would pay Kodak $75.8 million — roughly $69 million to settle various claims, as well as $6.9 million in interest.

Kodak sold its portfolio of roughly 1,100 digital imaging patents in 2012 as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy.However, the Ricoh settlement money will go to to it and not the new owners of the patents since Kodak owned them during the nine years between Ricoh first signing a licensing agreement and its Pentax takeover, Veronda said."

Ricoh Goes Further APS-C - Three New Lens Patents! >:-o

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2013-10-10
(in Japanese)

So, possibly we would have another three new APS-C lenses and designs, namely, a 18-70mm F4-6, a 16-70mm F4 and a 25-350mm F3.5-6. Good luck, Ricoh Pentax! Hope you will not Rest in Peace too soon! :-x

Pentax' Optical Design Copied Leica's?

First, this is the Leica Tri-Elmar 28-35-50mm F4 Wide "Zoom", at 28mm:



And then, this is the Pentax FA20-35mm F4 Ultra Wide Zoom:



And then, compare the above two and then also against the Leica Summilux 21mm Prime below:



Via: http://www.dchome.net/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1215807
(in Chinese)

It is not difficult to notice that, as the OP has pointed out, the optical designs of the three lenses are quite similar, especially for the Tri-Elmar and the FA20-35. So, who copied whose optical design? :-o

I have also checked the optical formula of the DA21 F3.2 Limited lens, it can be seen that the optical design could still be similar, although it is somehow simpilfied:



(Diagram Source: http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/lenses/primes/ultra-wide/DA21f3.2.html)

Nonetheless, as Pentaxians, we are of course glad to learn that we have Leica's optical formula embedded right inside our Pentax glass! So, Pentax could really be the poor men's Leica! ;-D

Ricoh Starts to Sell Off Pentax' Old Patents? (But Yet Another New "Ricoh" Patent Submitted)

See what is recently reported in this PF thread:

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-news-rumors/231593-ricoh-selling-off-licensing-pentax-designs-patents.html

The previous Pentax Ricoh patented design now becomes a Vixen's!

If it is true, it is really too bad! And Pentax is doomed!!

Btw, Ricoh has yet submitted a new patent application for a stupid and useless design and thing like this:

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2013-07-10
(in Japanese)

So, what is this then? If I understand correctly, it is an automatic flash bounce head which will rotate by itself according to the holding position of the camera, horizontally and vertically! :-o Just imagine while the user composes the picture, the flash head has its motor moving, and driving / changing the position of the bounce head..! =_="

NEWS: Mr. Jun Hirakawa Now Works for Tamron and Mr. Blurry Cameraphone has Left Pentax China

See this latest post and thread at the Chinese Xitek Pentax Forum, these are told:-

1. It is confirmed that Mr. Jun Hirakawa, who was (forced) early retired by Hoya back to 2010, is now working for Tamron and below is the evidence:-



The above is a Japanese patent application in 2013 which shows that the inventor of the lens is Jun and the intellectual property owner company is Tamron!

Btw, for those who might not know who Mr. Hirakawa is. He was/is the optical engineer and designer of the FA28/2.8, FA35/2 and FA43 and 77 Limited lenses, FA*24/2, FA*85/1.4, FA*80-200/2.8, as well as the DA10-17 Fisheye, DA14/2.8, DA40/2.8 Limited, DA*55/1.4 and etc. (Amongst those I own nearly half of the above great Pentax lenses myself!)

2. The following quoted picture from the Japanese Pentax forum shows and summarised whereabout of many of those famous ex-Pentax optical and camera engineers. In fact, most of them had left the company and are now employed by the competitor companies like Nikon, Sony and Tamron:-



3. After years of (hard and excellent!) works for the Pentax (Shanghai) China as the marketing manager, Mr. Blurry Cameraphone (Mr. Jopy Yang) has finally left the company. :-( Via a Xitek post in the above thread here.

In fact, his fate is just like Ned Bunnell, it was widely believed by many Pentax users Ned was forced to leave the company one year after Ricoh's takeover. However, the Ricoh-core replacement of Ned is just a pure salesman who knows nothing about Pentax but seriously needed help from Pentaxians, which is utter sad afterall! >:-(

Just a few months before, I actually heard via a third person who were close to Mr. Yang about his disappointment on the latest development of the Pentax line and there was no concrete plan of any for better development of the system. Maybe that was the reason he left the company himself? Or, he was forced to do so??


Old Reference Posts:-

False Rumour - Jun Hirakawa is NOT Back!

The Very Different Fates of Two ex-AOC Top Optical Engineers

Some "Lost Stories" About the Three FA Limited Lenses

Ned Bunnell is (Forced) to Retire so Suddenly and Urgently!

New Ricoh Lens Patents for 1/1.7" Sensors

A 135 film equivalent 24-100mm F1.8-2.8 and a 21-84mm F1.8-2.8 lenses after all.

Via http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2013-04-08

Ricoh Files Patent for Their Dumb Bell Camera

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2013-02-13
(in Japanese)


Related:- 

Pentax Dumb Bell Camera is Now a Ricoh