Diagrams of how Canon's IS works?

08/27/2005 12:57:52 AM · #1

I'm quite curious as to how exactly the IS mechanisms in canon lenses works, and having found a complete lack of information on the internet, decided to see if anyone here knows?

I'd especially love to see either block diagram type illustrations that show which elements move and how the sensors operate, or possibly an "autopsy" of a disassembled L IS lens. I'm rather loathe to put my 100-400 to the screwdriver to satisfy my curiosity :) Surely someone on the internet has some pages about this?

CorySmith

08/27/2005 01:07:37 AM · #2

here ya go

08/27/2005 01:23:33 AM · #3

Cheers, but i've seen that site before... i was hoping for something a little more technical and less vague. For instance, where do the motion sensors reside, and what sort of sensors are they? Does it only account for changes in rotation, or also lateral shake? And how exactly does it physically move the IS lens elements?

CorySmith

08/27/2005 01:25:51 AM · #4

me thinks is a gyro inside the lens and gyros are very stable if you have ever seen that technology before

i may be wrong :-/

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM

08/27/2005 02:10:17 AM · #5

It's not an actual spinny gyro if that's what you mean, i'm certain of that. They have some sort of "vibration sensor", and i'm curious to know exactly what it can sense... which then is linked up to some sort of actuator(s) that can move the elements in two dimensions. I'm sure SOMEONE's hacked apart an IS lens on the internet SOMEWHERE and posted pics??

Skip

Canon EOS-1D X

08/27/2005 07:49:35 AM · #6

Originally posted by riot:

I'm sure SOMEONE's hacked apart an IS lens on the internet SOMEWHERE and posted pics??

spot me a couple grand, and i'll be glad to open mine up ;-)

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

08/27/2005 08:18:50 AM · #7

Originally posted by skiprow:

Originally posted by riot:
I'm sure SOMEONE's hacked apart an IS lens on the internet SOMEWHERE and posted pics??

spot me a couple grand, and i'll be glad to open mine up ;-)

Thre WAS a guy that tore into his 70-200 IS, was posting pics of the progress over at DPReview. He was replacing part of the IS system.

The sensing is done with solid state accelerometers. The only thing that really matters is rotation, and that's what they measure. The IS element must move rapidly and the position must be precisely known and controlled. This kind of motion contol is never easy or cheap, thus the high cost of IS. I don't know the specifics of how they move the element or feed back position in th IS system, but the movement must be accomplished with linear motors (solenoids) or piezoelectric elements, and piezo can be ruled out since a high voltage is required, which is not available. Feedback of position is another question. I don't have a solid answer here.
I know the IS element slides in two axes on tracks. The axes are, apparently, orented at 45Â° from horizontal & vertical. I conclude this from the fact that the "funky bokeh" effect on IS lenses is oriented thus.
That's about as much reliable info as I have...

08/27/2005 09:28:27 AM · #8

Originally posted by kirbic:

The sensing is done with solid state accelerometers.

Sorry dude, but youâ��re way off! I have it on good authority that Canonâ��s IS mechanism is actually biological. Since the technology is a well protected trade secret, I canâ��t say precisely how itâ��s done, but basically they use fast twitch muscle groups taken from cloned squirrels to control the movement of the lens elements. The squirrelâ��s brain and parts of the inner ear are incorporated into the lens to provide movement sensing. It was found that squirrels have a fantastic kinesthetic sense, and their brains provide all the control needed. The real expense comes from the weeks of training that Canonâ��s technicians must give the squirrels before they are surgically dismantled. Canon also sets aside a certain amount of money for each lens squirrel to be used as a legal defense fund in the event that PETA, or some other animal rights group, discovers the process and files a lawsuit. The animal rights issues originally prompted Canon to put some effort into using rats, but it was found that rats were just too independent to be trained properly. They did have some success using monkeys, however, the larger size of the monkey parts resulted in extremely large and heavy lenses.

On a side note, much of Canonâ��s IS squirrel technology was actually developed quite some time ago, which prompted Canonâ��s marketing people to come up with the name for the new camera line. Thus the EOS (End Of Squirrel) line of cameras and lenses was born.

08/27/2005 10:03:21 AM · #9

Originally posted by micknewton:

Originally posted by kirbic:
The sensing is done with solid state accelerometers.

Sorry dude, but youâ��re way off! I have it on good authority that Canonâ��s IS mechanism is actually biological. Since the technology is a well protected trade secret, I canâ��t say precisely how itâ��s done, but basically they use fast twitch muscle groups taken from cloned squirrels to control the movement of the lens elements. The squirrelâ��s brain and parts of the inner ear are incorporated into the lens to provide movement sensing. It was found that squirrels have a fantastic kinesthetic sense, and their brains provide all the control needed. The real expense comes from the weeks of training that Canonâ��s technicians must give the squirrels before they are surgically dismantled. Canon also sets aside a certain amount of money for each lens squirrel to be used as a legal defense fund in the event that PETA, or some other animal rights group, discovers the process and files a lawsuit. The animal rights issues originally prompted Canon to put some effort into using rats, but it was found that rats were just too independent to be trained properly. They did have some success using monkeys, however, the larger size of the monkey parts resulted in extremely large and heavy lenses.

On a side note, much of Canonâ��s IS squirrel technology was actually developed quite some time ago, which prompted Canonâ��s marketing people to come up with the name for the new camera line. Thus the EOS (End Of Squirrel) line of cameras and lenses was born.

SNORT! Jaysus... So THAT'S where all the chit-lamented stuffed squirrels on this site are coming from?

R.

jansku

08/27/2005 10:24:53 AM · #10

Okay that was really funny. :D

08/27/2005 10:30:42 AM · #11

Originally posted by bear_music:

SNORT! Jaysus... So THAT'S where all the chit-lamented stuffed squirrels on this site are coming from?

Oh, absolutely! There are a lot of empty squirrel carcasses around these days.

One problem that Iâ��ve noticed with my 70-200 IS lens is I canâ��t seem to get a clear photo of anything containing nuts or grains. Try taking a photo of a bowl of Quaker 100% Natural granola cereal some time and youâ��ll see what I mean.

I donâ��t know if itâ��s true, but thereâ��s also a rumor going around that Canon is working on incorporating chipmunk IS into some of their consumer cameras. I heard that they may be naming these the CAD (Chip And Dale) line of digital cameras.

08/27/2005 10:42:44 AM · #12

The acronym CAD is unfortunately already well-entrenched as Computer Assisted Drafting in the architectural and engineering trades. I'm afraid you'll have to try again :-)

R.

08/27/2005 10:44:56 AM · #13

Wait, I got it!

I've heard that Canon is introducing a new line of consumer digital cams that incorporate neural/optical reinforcement using chipmunk brains to drive them; The first model will be the Canon CRIB-Baby; Chipmunk Reinforced Image Bolstering...

R.

08/27/2005 12:22:05 PM · #14

Originally posted by bear_music:

The acronym CAD is unfortunately already well-entrenched as Computer Assisted Drafting in the architectural and engineering trades. I'm afraid you'll have to try again :-)

Hey, I'm not just making this stuff up myself! I'm just reporting what I've heard.

If you don't believe me, check out this photo. It's an actual photo of Canon team members surgically removing IS parts from a cloned squirrel.

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

08/27/2005 12:29:38 PM · #15

Oh, I'm sure you got the SQUIRREL part right, you've just been misinformed on the CHIPMUNK technology. Look at it this way; the folks at Conon are very smart and they'd be no more likely to name a new camera line CAD (since the acronym is already in common use) than they would be to name a new dSLR after Konica/Minolta's 5D, right?

Oh, hey, wait a second...

(grin)

Robt.

ajschel

Fujifilm FinePix X100S

08/27/2005 12:55:04 PM · #16

I heard Nikon is experimenting as well, developing an ultrasonic motor driven bat's backbone controlled AI servo auto focus system (UMDBBCAISAFS).

(This post is hilarious!)

08/27/2005 01:15:32 PM · #17

Originally posted by bear_music:

D30, D60, 10D, 20D... then 5D? Seems kind of random to me. Maybe they aren't that smart after all? :)

08/27/2005 01:17:04 PM · #18

Originally posted by ajschel:

I heard Nikon is experimenting as well, developing an ultrasonic motor driven bat's backbone controlled AI servo auto focus system (UMDBBCAISAFS).

LOL! I like that one. It just rolls off the tongue.

08/27/2005 09:49:04 PM · #19

Here's another of the secret photos of Canon technicians removing IS squirrel parts.