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

why go to all that expense when all you have to do is buy a cheap FD to EOS adapter and you have the very thing you wish for.

 

I did that!
After establishing that the contacts on the cheap adapter did nothing but befuddle the electronics in the camera (exposures being a little to hugely overexposed), insulating them with tape and re-trying to find I needed -2EV (or better still a bit more) to get the exposure right, I found resolution and contrast to be affected by the cheap glass lens in the adapter.
Removing the glass element might provide a much better image, just without infinity focus.
Buying a mirrorless or micro 4/3 body and FD adapter might be a better option.

 

The adapter I use does not have any contacts and was cheaper than those with the contacts.
I have not had any of the problems you are experiencing and has the glass element.
This allows for infinity focus with no problems, my suggestion is to purchase this style of adapter with no contacts as you don't need them, hope this has been of some help.

 

The photo I have sent you is one of my adapter, the lens in the background is a FL, similar to the FD 55mm F1.2, it works fine on a 60D and 10D and my 1D mark 3, so do all my other FD, FL lenses.
My adapter has had years of use and is a cheap Chinese one from Ebay.
ps. It has no contacts

 

Robert, I have just had a look on Ebay and one similar to my adapter you can buy from between 25 to 40 dollars Australian.

 

Hello Craig, having bought one adapter for FD I am not going to buy another just yet. I have borrowed a M42 to Canon adapter (and again taped up the contacts it came with). It allows use of some of my old Takumar and Helios lenses and as it has no glass element the images are better. Had to compensate -2 stops though as with the FD to EOS adapter. I might look out for one of these plus a Pentax K to EOS adapter too. If I find a FD to EOS adapter really cheap I might purchase another one.

 

I also use a cheap M42 adapter and it has no glass, the rear element of the M42 lenses (not just the Ashi lenses) must sit at a distance where the Infinity focus is unaffected.
My favorite lens is a old soligor M42 mount, f2.8, 28mm lens which I use mainly for all my landscape shots, all the best, I hope you don't have any issues with the M42 adapter.
There isn't much to give you grief with them.

 

M42 to EOS adapter on order, no contacts and a flange to hopefully depress the auto aperture lever.

 

when the lens screws into the adapter, the aperture lever which is actually a pin is depressed into the body which allows the aperture to be set, you will notice when the lens is screwed into the adapter and mounted onto the camera the aperture lineup mark is in a offset position instead of vertically up when on the film camera, a bit quirky but it is easier to read the aperture setting.

 

I have had just this in mind for very long....! Fully second this suggestion. Its a crying shame to let those wonderfully built FDn lenses made in the 70s and 80s (with a 100 yr life!) just gather dust. As for Canon's best ever auto camera - the T90 - less said the better. Although all Canon's digital Series 1 bodies seem to be styled after it.

 

Here's some ideas for a simplified solution for a T90 style inspired body that can use Canon FD lenses. Maybe an EOS digital body design could be modified with the lens mounting assembly set up for working with various adapter rings. It would be setup so as to allow FD lens adapter rings to work without requiring optical correction. I'm guessing this would require a "standard" EF adapter ring to come installed from the factory on the camera body for using EF autofocus lenses just as if it was like any other EOS digital camera body. Besides that, this camera could have the versatility and flexibility to fit different adapters for most of the other popular brands of manual focus lenses.

Some other nice EOS body features could make it easier to meter (and stop-down meter) FD lenses to set exposure and record lens setting in the image metadata.This would include the FD lens adapter ring having a mechanical coupling and "chip" to translate f/# settings made on the lens to get communicated to the EOS body. Also, the EOS body would have a choice of interchangeable focusing screens featuring manual focus aids that could be easily swapped out.
The EOS body's software would have a customizable memory list of parameters for different FD lenses to simplify presetting any adjustments the user has found to make the lens meter at full aperture or known corrections needed for exposure compensation, this all being taken care of by making a quick menu selection of the stored settings for their lens listed by name.

Does anyone else have ideas regarding this?

 

Not technically oriented but I'm sure Canon has amongst the best minds if they can resolve to do this. As I see it simplistically, all that is needed is a digital back for the T90 (like the Command Back 90) that incorporates a high quality sensor placed at film plane, micro SD and various other necessary connections/software/firmware.
Will they? Enough day dreaming...! Who then will buy their relatively trashy EF stuff!?)