The Canon Boxy-Style Cinema Camera Patent was Published in Japan
The Canon Boxy-Style Cinema Camera Patent was Published in Japan

The Canon Boxy-Style Cinema Camera Patent was Published in Japan

2023-02-21
1 min read

The mysterious Canon’s patent of a high-end boxy cinema camera (which looks identical to the RED Komodo) has just been published in Japan. This is the very same camera apparatus described in the U.S. patent published in July 2021.

Canon boxy-style cinema camera. - From the Japanese Patent database
Canon boxy-style cinema camera. – From the Japanese Patent database

A very capable boxy-style cinema camera

The Canon patent titled ‘Imaging Device’ was published first in July 2021 in the United States. The patent describes a boxy-style very capable cinema camera. We inserted the term ‘cinema’ as according to the application, the camera can potentially shoot high-frame rates, and high resolution, and will be able to own large sensors as well (CCD and CMOS). Make sure to read our article about the features described in the application.

Canon's patent application: New high-end boxy cinema camera
Canon’s patent application: New high-end boxy cinema camera

Published in Japan as well

Recently, the same application was published in the Japan Patent Office. Although the application is in Japanese, we can confirm that this is exactly the same application published by the U.S. Patent Office. The Japanese application was published 1.5 years after the U.S. application. That strengthens the fact that Canon will release this type of camera in the near future. Here’s the link to the Japanese application, which owns the same title — ‘Imaging Device’.

RED Komodo vs. Canon's patent.
RED Komodo vs. Canon’s patent.

Looks identical to the RED Komodo

One of the strangest things about this patent is the crazy similarity between the described camera (which owns an RF mount, BTW), and the Komodo which is RED Digital Cinema’s compact action camera. Everything looks the same, including the location of buttons, media, screens, and even batteries. It seems that there’s some kind of partnership here between RED and Canon. Something is going on under the hood. The release of the Komodo which incorporates the RF mount, and pioneering RF lenses in defined cinema cameras, was developed due to a complex licensing process between RED and Canon (most probably — just a logical assumption). So, basically, the question is: Did Canon allow RED to use RF, and RED allowed Canon to implement the boxy-style design?

Product List

Here’re the products mentioned in the article, and the links to purchase them from authorized dealers. 

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Yossy is a filmmaker who specializes mainly in action sports cinematography. Yossy also lectures about the art of independent filmmaking in leading educational institutes, academic programs, and festivals, and his independent films have garnered international awards and recognition.
Yossy is the founder of Y.M.Cinema Magazine.

4 Comments

  1. I appreciate a new model being able to use existing accessories, and it looks like some of the attachment points have the same pattern as on the Komodo. I wonder if Canon will launch a global shutter model to compete directly with the Red Komodo, or just start out with a more affordable C100/C200 replacement in this more easily rigable box form factor.

    It will be nice to eventually see a range of models in this same chassis, including large format sensors if they can improve the cooler designs enough. Something they really should address from the Komodo is the SATA-based CFAST card slot. I think that by now, any new camera should be using at least a PCIe memory card like CFExpress or SSD.

  2. I’d like to see a partnership between Red and Canon that involves keeping the majority of Canon cinema series functionality (pre-amps, I/O for the most part, internal ND, AF tech) while adopting a Red sensor with .R3D’s and a new color science with Canon at the helm. Similar to Panavision / Red DXL.

    As a long-time Red and Canon owner/operator, I think that Red should stop making camera bodies when it comes to usability. DSMC3 Raptor XL obviously has internal ND and decent I/O after all these years but I’m not interested in investing in Red anymore because of the endless pursuit of modularity and price-gouging on the accessories needed to complete a camera package.

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