[beholder3]

a half mirror like Sony A99ii,
But A99ii is fixed.
The Ricoh new patent mirror still can up-and-down movement.

I'd like to know how much light transmission change there would be.
We must remember that all AF DSLRs already run on "half-mirrors". The only real mirror in there is the secondary one which only the AF system sees.

[JPT]

In the interview with the K-3 III designers in the November issue of Nippon Camera, the interviewer asked about the possibility of pellicle mirror cameras, and got a fairly positive answer from Shigeru Wakashiro. He said that they have had this idea (evidenced now further by the patent). If they can develop the right components, it is something he would like to try in future. However, he then went on to bring the subject back to the mechanical shutter feeling of DSLRs and how they have focused on that with the K-3 III. Pellicle mirror was left as an interesting future possibility.

[ffking]

I'm not a very technically minded person, I'm much more of a driver than a mechanic, as it were, and I hang around these forums because I've always used and love Pentax cameras, not because I have much to contribute to discussions such as this - but I do get a thrill out of seeing Ricoh continuing the Pentax tradition of looking for new and different ways of doing things - and this one seems totally consistent with where they are going in refreshing DSLRs in the face of mirrorless.

[Kunzite]

Not from the patent itself, but would OSPDAF on the RGB sensor work? Since it can already aid face detection, might as well go the whole nine yards.

If the light always reach the sensor, there would be no need for a separate metering system.

[TwoUptons]

Canon EOS RT, (1989 -19920.


It used a fixed pellicle mirror. It allowed the photographer to see the image at the moment of exposure. Never really caught on as a concept back then. You could see if your flash went off!


Canon EOS RT AF SLR camera with Pellicle Mirror

I can see if the flash went off now... I just have to keep both eyes open

But the RT was very cool (and very expensive)...

-Eric

[stevebrot]

???????? (Maintenance information) | J-PlatPat/AIPN

Thank you.

This is clearly not a hybrid viewfinder since the description clearly indicates a mirror down condition during operation.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Canon EOS RT, (1989 -19920.

Canon Pellix...1965


Steve

[Serkevan]

If the light always reach the sensor, there would be no need for a separate metering system.

But then battery life would be terrible as the camera would be in LV all the time, no? Well, at that point it's effectively a MILC with an OVF so... Best of both worlds?

---------- Post added 01-07-21 at 10:53 AM ----------

Thank you.

This is clearly not a hybrid viewfinder since the description clearly indicates a mirror down condition during operation.


Steve

The important part is that the light would reach the sensor with the mirror down - so it would be potentially possible to either alternate OVF/EVF or (like the patent mentions) superimpose both optical and electronic images.

[mlt]

Canon Pellix...1965


Steve

And around the same time Konica was showing prototypes using a full transparent mirror with small flower shaped reflective sections in the center to reflect the image to the pentaprism - didn’t get far with that idea.

[MMVIII]

If the light always reach the sensor, there would be no need for a separate metering system.

Right, there is a shutter in the schematic drawing, but this is also in mirrorless system cameras, of course. I got irritated by that.

Here the drawing from the pdf with an automated translation by google lens.

@stevebrot It has a mirror and a prism and an EVF display. Why wouldn't you name it a hybrid VF?

[Kunzite]

But then battery life would be terrible as the camera would be in LV all the time, no? Well, at that point it's effectively a MILC with an OVF so... Best of both worlds?

Not worse than for a mirrorless, I guess - likely better, if the sensor is only operating for AF and metering.

[MMVIII]

I like that Ricoh is doing research in optical systems keeping the mirror and the pentaprism. Who knows, maybe the next iteration of AF will include Lidar measurements with active time of flight laser. If the mirror is then used to direct the beam TTL and you are getting a depth map of the area in front of you with 1024x768 pixels and 30fps...
LiDAR Camera L515 ? Intel® RealSense? Depth and Tracking Cameras
It's here already, just a matter of miniaturisation
Sorry for off topic, just got dragged away by a discussion with a colleague who pointed me to this and my brain wanted to think about a connection here...

[repaap]

Right, there is a shutter in the schematic drawing, but this is also in mirrorless system cameras, of course. I got irritated by that.

Here the drawing from the pdf with an automated translation by google lens.

@stevebrot It has a mirror and a prism and an EVF display. Why wouldn't you name it a hybrid VF?

This picture reminds a lot of the picture we saw with K-33...but they are just using funny pictures.

That evf layer right there would indeed bring it to be hybrid. Wonder if it is transparent then. And when mirror slaps up, it make that visible.

[BROO]

Puts into perspective
Ricoh CEO: “Some Say Pentax Should Be Mirrorless. I Cannot Do It.”

[fs999]

101X : are they using Dutch cream ?