Dear Canon: Why not make a MF DSLR that uses FD lenses?

Hi Canon,
now that you've established yourself as a leader in Digital SLR technology with many outstanding innovations to advance digital photography's state-of-the art, it's surprising that you haven't taken advantage of some niche markets like producing a couple of RETRO-MODEL MANUAL FOCUS DSLR models that could fit and use the millions of Canon FD lenses that preceded your transition to Auto Focus lenses.

Why not? Canon made a lot of great glass back then, and besides that, Nikon and Pentax users have enjoyed this capability for decades. These types of MF DSLRs wouldn't require all of the latest emerging & expensive cutting-edge technologies, but instead could readily take advantage of well established technologies that potentially offer much greater profit margins!!!

Here's an opportunity to develop a new following of Canon FD lens owners that would enjoy using their FD lenses without the compromised limitations offered by even the best of of FD to EF lens adapters that enable infinity focus. In addition, you could market it as a good-willed gesture to Canon FD users and collectors that are losing out on using their lenses as film is becoming more scarce along with ever-increasing prices for film & processing costs. Besides all of that, in a round-about manner it rectifies the backwards-incompatibility inequalities experienced by Canon users vs. Nikon & Pentax users who have enjoyed using their older lenses as well as newer ones after the transition to Auto Focus technology.

Finally, it would keep the Canon brand name out there in public venues with even greater numbers as their very presence provides one of the most effective advertising means available, satisfied customers displaying and using Canon cameras and lenses everywhere you can find photographers taking pictures.

Sincerely,
BBzone28

 

Whilst not having a 'retro' appearance, Eos-M bodies will happily accept FD lenses.

 

The EF-M mount is limited to APS-C sensors and still requires an adapter with optical correction. The body is mirrorless and lacks optical focusing aids, although newer models are including focus peaking to help.

 

Here's some more details of what I specifically had in mind for a retro-model manual focus DSLRs for FD lenses. In very simplified terms they could look and feel like an updated Canon T90 and new F-1 with a digital back having a full-frame sensor that slightly exceeds the image quality of the best fine-grained 35mm films for which FD lenses were designed. Sort of like a Canon T90D and Canon F1D, or a Canon DFD-90 and Canon DFD-F1.
Generally, the classic T90 or F-1 body styling would have a retro mechanical FD lens mount and controls along with classic optical focusing aids for manual focusing. In place of a film back door it has the interface features found on, say, the back of an EOS 80D for the T90, and for the F-1 it would use the FD's classic aperture ring in combination with a shutter-speed dial to allow a form of 'exposure matching indicator' with the digital LCD screen and controls integrated in a retro styling manner suitable for the F-1 body shape. The bodies would have at least a 14-16 Mpxl FULL-FRAME sensor.
Some further retro-style enhancements could include a periscope window to view the actual lens' aperture ring f/# settings inside the viewfinder or an f/# scale inside the viewfinder with the classic F-1 round ring that tracks along with the FD lens' aperture ring movement.

 

The EF-M flange distance is 24mm shorter than the FD distance.....why would optical correction be required?

Bob

 

Looks like you're right. I looked at some of the adapters for sell on Amazon and read more info on the M cameras. I've been living too much in the Pentax world lately and somewhere got the impression that FD lenses still required optical correction on those cameras. That is definitely a step in the right direction. I would still like to see the mechanical controls and optical aids in a real viewfinder for a DSLR to take full advantage of the FD lenses with full aperture metering, etc.
I wonder if Canon limited the EF-M mount to APS-C sensors so using FD lenses wouldn't suffer as much sharpness loss in the corners?

 

The other thing about making a retro model to use the FD lenses is for a 1:1 focal length relation instead of a multiplier or crop factor.
That way the nice depth-of-field scales on the lenses are usable again and makes it easier to set focus to the hyperfocal position.

 

There are many reasons why not. Canon won't go back from EOS system just to make use of lenses that they sold long time ago. Going back means to reactivate an old system of actuating the aperture of the lenses and that require adding a lot of mechanical components that Canon got rid of when they moved to EOS. They won't cover a warranty system based on a new body with an old, obsoleted lens. They won't build such a body, not even for anniversary events. Because there is no space in a modern DSLR to cramp those mechanics. And imagine the noise when all owners of such bodies will beg Canon to make an adapter for the more modern EOS lenses . And anyway, the main reason for a FD lens is a good quality for a great price. This does not stand. When such bodies will be available, the prices of FD lenses will sky rocket. And there only the bad points will remain, the main being the inferior quality compared to EOS line.

But a fullframe mirrorless camera may be possible in the future... sky rocketing the FD lenses

 

Totally agree with Vasile. More, those mechanical systems was made with tools and assembly lines which no longer exists, and Canon will have to make them new, with a lot of expanses, to train new workers, and so on. And is a big question. Will be a success such an enterprise, or a big financial failure?

 

I hear the points you're making, yet the T90 had all the mechanicals inside of it and it became the design used for the EOS models. I would have thought it would have just added an extra wing to the assembly line to set up the mechanical parts. Taking on some daring projects typically lead to some synergistic discoveries that lead to other possibilities as well!!!
The other alternative is to create a digital film back to retro-fit the old bodies. My understanding is that the big brand name companies bought out all the start-up companies holding patents for the digital backs for the purpose of killing the technology as none of them have gone forward with development of them. I held off on mentioning the digital backs after seeing the retro-model Nikon Df DSLR they created recently.

 

Indeed. There was a lot of talk about digital film back. And the fact that none has seen the market, is a sign. A clear one

 

I'm re-posting my comment from another thread here:
Perhaps the compromise solution for FD lenses would be a full-frame mirrorless "DSLR style" larger-sized retro-looking camera body (for better balance and handling of larger FD lenses than the M series ILC) that lets you use an extension-tube style adapter not requiring the correction optic to focus at infinity???
Then it would really be awesome if the extension adapter had the mechanicals to translate the FD lens adjustments into electrical signals the digital body could understand, making a nearly smooth & trouble free interface that for all practical purposes functions as if the camera was a dedicated FD mount body.

 

So, I may have to do the same

 

BTW BBzone28, I have the same feelings for my Minolta lens, a great Rokkor of 58mm F/1,4 and for an Autofocus Yashica zoom lens.

For the Minolta, the best conversion is to make it a permanent EOS lens but I can't do that because I won't give up on film photography. My Minolta SR-T 101 still needs that lens. But, if I can't use my Rokkor for digital, I will use EOS lenses for film, and that is my "revenge"

 

I know what you're saying, I stumbled onto a great deal for a black Minolta SR-T 102 and Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 that I couldn't resist.

 

I didn't know anything about these kits. I have an extra FDn 50mm f/1.4 that might make a nice project.
Not sure I want to do that to others as I still like having them for the film cameras where you can use the lens' full features. Especially setting exposure on the new F-1 via match/ring clicking up & down the f/# scale inside the VF... one of its nicely designed and fun little pleasures!
(plus not wanting to waste an investment in those interchangeable screens and Sports Finder)
Thanks!!!

 

Vasile, this is a very usefull video. Not that I will buy an EDMIKA conversion kit tomorrow, but I know what I did wrong when I have tried to make an FD to Pentax conversion on a 200mm/2.8 lens

Thank's

 

I am prodding fantasy land here but if Canon were to convert existing T90s to digital but keep the FD mount I would be a very happy man. They could guarantee the conversion only so existing wear and tear and subsequent failure would not be covered.
The T90 is the film camera I like the most. Not used an A1 or top level Nikons and Pentaxes but they would have to be very good to be better than the T90.

 

I would be very happy to see a T90 style digital conversion body that used FD lenses! Maybe call it a T-90 D. I would equally like to see the New F-1 with a digital back conversion, maybe call it a F-1 D.