Just like Ricoh has done two weeks ago Konica Minolta has now patented a new lens for 1” sensor format, a 9-90mm f/2.8-5.6 zoom with image stabilization. Oddly enough, despite being a stop faster at the wide angle end and offering a 24mm instead of a 28mm full frame equivalent focal length, it has a much simpler lens design – 16 instead of 19 lens elements – than the Nikon 1 Nikkor 10-100mm f/4-5.6 VR zoom lens.
Image source: egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp
Looking at the schematics above published by Egami it’s hard to tell whether this is meant to be a lens for interchangeable lens cameras or a fixed lens in a compact, like say the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100/TZ100. Interestingly the said Panasonic has the same focal length range and is almost as fast – it’s only a tiny bit slower at the long end of the zoom. Considering that patents usually get published after they have been implemented in a product – in Japan there is an 18 month delay between patent application and publication, if I’m not mistaken – and that lens designs often get changed in the course of development this could very well be the ZS100/TZ100’s lens.
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