DSLRs and μ4/3s are getting better and better at video recording and, if you’ve tried to actually make some movies with those, you probably had to go through the painful experience of zooming manually while recording, which can be quite ridiculous. I had been wondering why nobody had ever thought of a lens that would allow control via the camera body. Turns out they did. A while ago. The patent for this lens was published two weeks ago, but it was actually filed in June ’09.
According to NikonRumors, the lens might be designed for use with the upcoming Nikon mirrorless camera.