Canon Patent Lets You Switch From DSLR To Mirrorless

If you’re tired of using your phone to snap photos and want to take things to the next level, you might be considering investing in a mirrorless or a DSLR camera. The former is obviously a more compact option and seems to herald a new wave of cameras. The latter is bulkier, but because of its mechanical system it does snap photos faster, and there are a lot more lenses available for it.

But is it possible to have the best of both worlds? Canon seems to think so. According to a patent discovered by Keith Cooper at Northlight Images (via DigitalRev), Canon has patented a camera system that allows the photographer to swap between a DSLR system and a mirrorless system at will. So why would anyone want such a camera?

According to Cooper, “Short back focus lenses such as EF-M allow you to put the sensor much closer to the lens, reducing body depth. However, unless you choose an EVF, there is no way to get a good optical reflex viewfinder. The patent allows you to swap between a focus screen or sensor close up to the lens.”

It’s an intriguing idea but there needs to be details that have to be ironed out, like how would lenses work with this system? Will photographers need to swap to mirrorless system lenses when in mirrorless mode? Because that would be highly inconvenient. However note that this is just a patent and there’s no guarantee that Canon will make it reality, but what do you guys think? Is this a system you might be interested in?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Photo-Video
Tags: Canon, Patent