FD Digital?

What's wrong with Canon? Pentax and Oly have DSLR's with lens mounts

that accept and use their old lenses, why doesn't Canon? If Canon

won't, why not Cosina.... or some other camera manufacturer? The

mount is old enough and unused by Canon so it couldn't be a serious

patent problem, could it?

 

The larger form factor FD designs should be a perfect match for

larger sensors, right?

 

Something to think about. Regards.

Don't hold your breath waiting for a digital FD. It was discussed before, the market potential is probably far too low to produce such a camera. And then Canon should offer a complete system, including lenses, flash, etc. I don't see it happen.

 

BTW, I don't think Oly's DSLR system accept their OM lenses, although I might be wrong.

Jos, I believe the OM lenses attach with an adapter.

 

A Bessa for Leica lenses is simple and works. Pentax/Samsung soon will have the GX-1..... why not some other minor player coming up with an FD-1 (smile).

 

By this time Canon should understand that the remaining Canon film users are not "moving up" for various reasons. I would buy a minimally featured small sensor(5-8 Mpixies) DSLR with an FD mount for convenience. Regards.

I think you may be on to something, although a FD-only body may be too limiting.

 

How about a "universal" MF body, kind of like the Tamron Adaptall system in reverse? You'd buy the body, plus an adapter for each MF lens line (FD, M42, C/Y, etc) you want to use. Mount the adapter to the body, then mount the lenses to the adapter. Voila!

WOW Bill great idea I started talking about that idea around two years ago. I based my ideas on the marketing of Cosinas DR-1 which by the way will accept Canon FD lenses with an adapter B Zone focus only of course.

I actually believe we may see this may happen in five or ten years.

 

The cost of full-frame sensors is now pretty high (like ~$3K US for a 5D, right?) However, this will plummet, just like everything else in the computing and digital arena. I expect to see an EOS full-frame DSLR for under $1000 within a few years, although it won't be a pro-type body at that price point.

 

At that time in a few years, it may be profitable for someone like Cosina to bring out digital bodies for us peculiar eccentrics who still have weird lenses with aperture rings and focusing helices. Cosina has in the last few years brought out a new M42 body, and Contax/Nikon-mount rangefinder lenses, and you're talking about a real niche market there.

 

I guess anything's possible. Wish it was a full-frame digital F-1N, for, let's say, $500.

Why not an F1N or T90 body with an interchangable back, like Leica? I support the idea but as stated above I don't see it happen. Just a matter of market expectations. I think it is unlikely that somebody will revive a system that has been unsupported for 20 years. Remember that Canon never introduced EOS-like manual focus bodies.

Or, to take it one step further, why not even a "universal mount", with a large enough diameter to accomodate all the big 35mm format mounts, and the ability to ajust/fine tune mount to sensor distance(for those tricky lenses which won't focus to infinity when mounted at the incorect distance).

 

With Canons high performance/low noise sensors, they would make a killing on a body like this, and probably attract new customers which were previously loyal to other brands!

 

Of course, only the Canon lenses would have 100% functionality with this body, so they would no doubt sell some more glass too...

They could put a man on the moon 35 years ago, but they can't make a universal mount full-frame dSLR in 2006. (Gee, I wonder if the marketing guys have anything to do with this . . .)

 

To be optimal, any such universal camera would need a very short body mount apparatus, in order to leave room for adapters and lenses of different manufacture with different lens-to-film registration distances. This might create real problems for the geometry of the mirror box, and maybe for the sensor.

 

It would take a creative maverick company to do this. (Maybe Mr Koyabashi of Cosina is listening?) It would no doubt incur the wrath of the big manufacturers.

Don't forget all the lenses would have to be stopped down manually in order to work. The camera would not be able to move the levers in the FD lens to work, since it would be a universal camera and have no connections for that.

How about an SLR digital retro-fit. Remove the pressure plate from the film door and there should plenty of room for a CMOS sensor. And with the sensor mounted directly on the film rails the film plane distance problem goes away. The whole set-up could be used on almost any make of camera with few if any changes. Some of the electronics could fit where the film roll was and the rest could fit beneath the camera, in a, motor drive like, housing. There could be an LCD screen on that housing or even on the back. I would gladly sacrifice a camera back or 6 to have a set-up like that! Now, who want's to make me one?

Scott Pickering: <i>Don't forget all the lenses would have to be stopped down manually in order to work. The camera would not be able to move the levers in the FD lens to work, since it would be a universal camera and have no connections for that.</i><p>Shucks, that would make "photoggraphy" too much work.<br> Besides, the only one's who could use them right off the shelf would be us old codgers!

Scott,Ed,

 

Good point,

 

Having used mostly older Nikon lenses, I keep forgetting that some lenses don't have a manual aperture control! As far as I know, this would mean having to remove the lens, and put it on a body with it's original mount, then choose the aperture, and re-mount the lens together with chosen aperture on the universal mount... which would be impractical for most purposes.

 

I guess it would not be feasible to build some mechanical contacts into the adapter which enables the lens to mount on the universal mount, and permits aperture to be fully controlled !?

<i>Don't forget all the lenses would have to be stopped down manually in order to work. The camera would not be able to move the levers in the FD lens to work, since it would be a universal camera and have no connections for that.</i><br><br>

That's why I suggest a system similiar to Tamron's Adaptall - the adapters <b>do</b> contain levers to control the lens diaphram, so no manual stop-down would be required!

After all the years of FD use I'm sort of "kicking" myself now.

 

In the early 70's when the choice was Canon or Nikon I picked Canon because I thought the FD glass and breechlock was superior and Pentax was not in the same league with a screw mount.

 

Fast forward to 2006 and see what I'm stuck with. "Dead ended" with all my lenses compared to Nikon, Pentax, Oly and Leica thread mount digital options. Apparently Canon is/was a "flash in the pan".

 

Oh well, for as long as film is around I'm OK. However, my first digital purchase will not be Canon, with the "flash in the pan" system.

I think Mr. K at Cosina is our only real chance. As mentioned earlier the Epson RD-1 and perhaps even the rumored Zeiss Ikon digital RF could be made into SLRs. I think it is interesting that the new Zeiss glass is going to be in Nikon F and M42 mount.

 

The only way I see a F-1N"D" being made by Canon is if they bring out old FD-L glass. A 24, 35, 50, 85, 100, 135 lens system would allow them to sell the lenses "digital ready" and at a premium. I've heard camera companies make more on lenses than the bodies anyway.

 

On the whole compatible back thing, that would be coolest, but it will be interesting to see if the price of FF sensors falls fast enough to allow some one to fashion the back before too much of the FD body stock out there becomes inoperable, or too unpopular.

 

As to price, I think Canon's cost structure would make a F-1N"D" more expensive than its current EOS-d equivilent. Just a lot less sales, in all likelihood.

FD and EF lenses are totally different lenses system, although one can use an adaptor to use FD lens on EF body, not vice versa though, can't use EF on FD bodies.. :(

 

And it's lack of support to say that FD system is a larger form factor.

Never owned an EF or EOS lens but comparing an FD breechlock to a bayonet mount (100mm/2.8's) the breechlock glass is slightly larger. Regards.