Canon Watch found a reference to new patent from Canon where the company has put an EVF and a translucent mirror into a DSLR very much in the same way that Sony does with their cameras–except that Sony called them a DSLT. What you should know though is that Canon originally had this technology years ago way back in the film days. It was based on what’s called the Pellicle mirror system and allowed the photographer to take a photo with a DSLR without the mirror moving. The problem was that there was light loss that one needed to compensate for–it’s a problem that Sony even has today with the translucent mirror system in their camera but have managed to work with.
If Canon is indeed working on a camera like this, then it’s going to mean a big advancement in their DSLRs is on the way and it’s time to get excited all over again. What’s even better is that if the camera is a higher end one, then we can know that it’s truly weather resistant and when using the company’s weather sealed L lenses you’ll be able to get much better performance in inclement weather.
So what does this mean for the industry? An EVF in the DSLR will also make filmmaking much easier for documentary and news crews since they won’t need to use some sort of external EVF. Ergonomically, this means a lot more stability. We’ve done the same thing with Sony’s Alpha DSLRs–and it works splendidly.
We’re just going to have to see what’s in store for us from Canon.
