Canon May Be Incorporating Fingerprint ID Technology Into Their Cameras

Canon Fingerprint ID Patent

Photo: Peta Pixel

Are you a fan of fingerprint technology on your smartphone? If so, and you are a photographer, something similar may soon appear on your camera and lenses. Canon has registered a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office for a fingerprint ID system that would help identify photographers using a specific lens or camera body.

More than an anti-theft measure, the fingerprint will not only identify the user—allowing security lockout—but will allow for custom settings. This means that features like autofocus, image stabilization, and white balance could be preset according to a fingerprint. It's an interesting feature that would allow multiple users of the same camera or lens to load custom settings for each individual photographer.

Of course, just because there is a patent, doesn't mean that your Canon gear will show up with a fingerprint ID system just yet. In 2017 alone, Canon was granted over 3,000 patents, putting it number three in terms of top US patent assignees, beating out companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon. But, not all of these patents are for features that immediately come to market. If anything, the patents tell us what type of technology Canon's engineers think might be useful in the future and what trends they could see appearing in photography equipment.

Canon Fingerprint ID Patent Illustration

Camera and lens patent illustrations. (Image: Canon)

h/t: [Peta Pixel]

Related Articles:

Newly-Launched Digital Camera is Controlled by Pretend Rolls of Film

Polaroid’s First New Camera in a Decade is a Blast from the Past

Ingenious ‘Chairpod’ Is a Camera Tripod with a Built-In Chair

New Website Lets You Easily Find the Best Prices on Used Camera Gear

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content