Patent P2026011068: Are These Full Frame Lenses or Something Else?
A new patent application (P2026011068) has surfaced, revealing optical formulas for four incredibly fast prime lenses. While the focal lengths and apertures are exciting on paper, the calculated image circle raises some serious questions about what system these are actually designed for.
The Embodiments
The patent describes the following optical designs:
- 51mm f/1.45
- 54mm f/1.48
- 56mm f/1.25
- 74mm f/1.46
Analysis: The Full Frame “No Man’s Land”
The critical detail here is the image height. Based on the optical data, these lenses appear to cast an image circle consistent with a standard 35mm Full Frame sensor (approx. 43mm diagonal). This places them in a strange position for Fujifilm:
- Too large for X-Mount: APS-C only requires a ~28mm diagonal.
- Too small for GFX: Medium Format requires a ~55mm diagonal.
- Too small for a True XPan (TX-1): A true panoramic 65x24mm frame requires a ~70mm diagonal.
The TX-3 Connection
Back in July, we discussed the possibility of a Digital TX-3 in our patent round-up. In that post, we analyzed patents for lenses covering a 50mm image circle—larger than Full Frame, but still shy of the original XPan’s massive 70mm requirement. At the time, we speculated that Fujifilm might be targeting a “crop-sensor” medium format concept for the TX-3.
However, the lenses in this new patent (P2026011068) seem to cover an even smaller circle (~43mm) than the ones we looked at last year. This leads to two potential theories:
- The “Digital TX-3” is just Full Frame: If Fujifilm decides to use a standard 36x24mm sensor for a TX-3 successor and rely on a 65:24 crop mode, these lenses would work perfectly. It would be a compact solution, but it would lack the resolution and field-of-view advantages of the larger sensor designs we saw previously.
- Cinema or Industrial Use: As we have seen before, Fujifilm often patents Full Frame optics for their cinema division (Premista) or industrial applications, which never make it to X or G mount cameras.
If these are indeed for a consumer camera, they suggest a shift towards standard Full Frame optics—something Fujifilm has historically avoided. Are we looking at a fixed-lens Full Frame camera akin to the Leica Q, or is the dream of a medium-format style TX-3 shrinking?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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