Canon EF-M 22-46mm f/3.5-5.6 lens patent revealed in Japan

Canon has patented a new EF-M mount lens in Japan with a focal length between 22mm and 46mm as well as a maximum aperture of f/3.5-5.6.

The mirrorless market is taking off in Japan and Asia, although it remains pretty quiet in the rest of the world. Canon has not been very successful in this area therefore it will need to improve its offering with new gear.

Although the EOS M2 has been released only in Japan along with an 11-22mm lens, Canon is working on bringing more stuff to other tables. One of these products could be the Canon EF-M 22-46mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, which has just been patented by the company in its home country.

Canon patents 22-46mm f/3.5-5.6 lens for EF-M mirrorless cameras

Canon EF-M 22-46mm patent describes a lens with a 35mm equivalent of 35-73mm and a maximum aperture of f/3.5-5.6. The lens is aimed at EOS M mirrorless cameras and has not been announced, yet.

A newly-discovered patent is describing a lens for an EF-M mirrorless cameras which features a focal length range from 22mm to 46mm. It will provide a 35mm equivalent of about 35mm to 73mm, thanks to a 1.6x crop factor of the EOS M system’s APS-C sensor.

The lens offers a 2.1x optical zoom and an image height of about 13.66mm. This new model could also be based on the retractable design found in the 11-22mm lens for EOS M cameras, as the length of the lens is said to be 66mm to 62mm to 65mm.

Its internal design may suffer some changes before it gets released, although these patents usually speak the whole truth.

Canon keeps on patenting lenses for the EF-M mount

The company has also patented an 18-40mm f/3.5-5.6 lens for EOS M cameras earlier in 2014. It is natural to test more focal length ranges, but it would be unusual for the manufacturer to launch both of these optics.

Either way, the reason why Canon may have chosen to start at the 22mm mark is because the company is offering an 11-22mm f/4-5.6 lens along with a 22mm f/2 prime lens. Naturally, it makes more sense to continue from the 22mm mark.

No Canon EOS M3 rumors, yet, but don’t rule out any possibilities

This should have been the Japanese maker’s “year of the lenses”. However, it has failed to live up to the expectations so far.

Moreover, it is very likely that the EOS M series will make a comeback to US, Europe and other markets, therefore we should not rule out the launch of a Canon EOS M3 mirrorless camera sometime this year.

Still, there is no evidence to back up such claim and photographers looking to purchase a new mirrorless camera should focus on models that are already available on the market, such as the EOS M, which costs less than $370 at Amazon.