Canon has taken pointers from foldable smartphones, and designed a folding rear screen for cameras
(Image credit: Canon / US Patent Office)
Canon has designed a folding rear screen for mirrorless cameras, taking a trick out of the book of the smartphone industry and the wave of foldable devices.
This marks an interesting turn of the work from a camera manufacturer. After years of seeing traditional camera sales eroded by camera phones, as handsets have taken the best features of cameras and combined them with the advantages of phones, Canon has turned the tables and the best mirrorless cameras could now take the signature feature of the best fold phones.
That is if one or both of Canon's recently spotted designs make it to the marketplace. The manufacturer's first design features a screen with two folding hinges, which fold open like old-fashioned window shutters. Its second design features a single folding hinge, which opens like a landscape-oriented greetings card.
The two hinge / three display portions design (Image credit: Canon / US Patent Office)
"A display of an electronic apparatus includes first to third display portions that at least partially have flexibility and are integrally configured," says the first patent (20220269152, as spotted by Canon Watch).
"The display has a first bending portion at a boundary between the first display portion and the second display portion and has a second bending portion at a boundary between the second display portion and the third display portion."
The single hinge / two display portions design (Image credit: Canon / US Patent Office)
"In an electronic apparatus, a display at least partially has flexibility, includes a plurality of display portions, and includes a bending portion at each of boundaries of the display portions," reads the description of the second patent (20220272266).
"An electronic apparatus includes, near each bending portion, a hinge portion that relatively rotatably couples two display portions and is configured to be bendable at each bending portion as a start point in response to rotation of each hinge portion."
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As foldable screens become more commonplace on all manner of electronic devices, it makes sense that they should also make their way to cameras – and it's also high time that the camera industry started taking some cues from smartphones.
Now, if we could only get a decent touchscreen interface rather than these archaic menu systems…
The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera Magazine, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, Digital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.
