EOS-MX - Canon should make this.

[mercer]

As some may know, I have the original eos-m and for all intents and purposes I really like the camera. I also have some older FL lenses, the 35mm f3.5, the non scalloped version, is one of my favorite lenses, very underrated.

Just recently I picked up a couple of the nFD lenses. The 50mm 1.4 just arrived today. I haven't had a chance to test it, but it looks like a very nice lens. I also bought a 35-70mm f4, whic I really like, sharp throughout it's range, even wide open and very contrasty. I even did an unscientific test between that zoom and a Nikkor non-ai 35mm 2.8 and it truly held it's own. So, I have been on the lookout for other FD lenses and I thought...

Canon should use the FD mount for an upcoming eos-m version. I think it could be a game changer for their mirrorless line. And since they have hinted in the past that video was important to their eos-m line, this could be that camera. Introduce a few new FD lenses with all the modern bells and whistles. Then if it records at 2K prores codec, and a global shutter, with a price tag of 1500 or under, this could be the best low budget cinema camera. 

I know, I know it won't happen but just thinking aloud on a rainy Minday morning. 

[Guest Ebrahim Saadawi]

Bad decision to introduce a new FD mount camera.

-No electronics so only manual focus (90% of sales just went off the window),

-with the nature of the FD it wouldn't be able to AF at all with any new Canon lenses.

-42mm flange distance so it wouldn't be adaptable to many lenses 

-Canon no longer produces lenses for the mount = stupid to produce a body without lenses to sell along with

So canon already went with a much better solution, the eos-m mount

-AF with all AF lenses shall you want it but also:

-Can be used with FD lenses perfectly with a cheap adapter

-Can be adapted to virtually all lenses by any manufacturer.

-18mm makes camera much smaller, a mirrorless.

Now what we need is a 4K eos-m with C-Log, Canon colour science, Dual pixel AF, and an efficient compressed codec to SD like GH4, perhaps a 100-200mbps variant of their new XF-AVC codec.

[Julian]

Why would you want an EOS M with FD mount instead of the current mount + adapter?

[mercer]

Why wouldn't I? I don't mind adapters, but I wouldn't mind using legacy lenses on a modern, digital camera in it's native mount. But I also think Canon is missing a huge opportunity to utilize a huge portion of the used lens market by offering a modern mirrorless camera with an FD mount. As of now, Panasonic and Sony is reaping the benefits of the excellent vintage Canon glass. Of course someone can use an adapter but the average consumer do not want to use adapters, they want native lenses for their camera systems. A lot of camera enthusiasts have huge collections of old FD glass and I would bet they would love to have a modern digital camera where they can use their good old lenses in a native mount.

[Nikkor]

Yes shure they are going to make a camera so a few people can use lenses for a mount that was abandoned 30 years ago. Makes total sense. They sell 2000 cameras and 0 lenses.

[mercer]

If you read the original post, you would see that I wrote that they could introduce NEW LENSES in the FD mount as well. Of course they would. That's why I stated it should be the eos-m line because neither their cameras or lenses have been great sellers.

[Nikkor]

It makes no sense at all, its so obvious.

[mercer]

Yeah, ns, obviously they're not going to make it. But, conceptually, more consumers would be excited about a new FD line, that is backwards compatible, than they are with the current eos-m line. 

[Nikkor]

But not many. The great thing about fd lenses is that nobody wants them so they are very cheap (with a few notable exceptions like the tilt/shift lens, the 85 1.2,etc) but have good quality. My grandfather still uses his ae-1, I dont think there are many left like him, so this just leaves a bunch of nerds.

The benefit of mirrorless is the short flange, if they manage to make the sensor pack and screen thin enough they would obviously go for the ef mount instead of fd and forget about ef-m (is there any notable lens for that mount?). Nikon is going to do this with the f mount if the rumors are true. A great move if we have a look at the sony lenses which are just as big as long flange distance lenses, or even worse if we go into longer focal lengths.

[Guest Ebrahim Saadawi]

There's absolutely no single down side to using an eos-m + a quality FD adapter vs an FD mount. The only downsides that come with adapters are electronics (AF). Just get a quality solid metal FD adapter, mount it onto your eos-m and there you go, a modern Canon FD camera. Use glue if you really want to sell the feeling and keep it a permanent FD camera. a New EOS M can be bought with a 22mm f/2 prime for 200 dollars now, best value for money camera on the market. 

[Guest Ebrahim Saadawi]

NEW LENSES in the FD mount as well. Of course they would. That's why I stated it should be the eos-m line because neither their cameras or lenses have been great sellers.

The current EF lens line up is the continuation of the FD line up and the technology that's built up over the FD lenses through the years, just with a slightly larger flange distance. If they would make new FD lenses, they would make the exact same current EF lenses but in FD mount, no idea why they'd do that since even the current EF lenses can be used of FD cameras with a simple flange corrector. 

I am just trying to argue that the eos-m mount is a much better decision and just makes everything better don't you agree based on this information? 

The problem with the eos-m line is not the mount, it's other things, the mount is great, actually it's the best mount Canon ever made and the can take anything from FL to FD to EF to EF-S to CN-E to Sony/panasonics/yashicas/m42s/leicas/nikonf and basically everything. 

I sometimes wonder why they didn't use the eos-m mount in their cinema line up (C100/C300/C500) and I remember they needed the large flange distance space to put 10 ND filters in there (a much larger assembly than Sonys/pannys). But I'd trade the NDs (or take slimmer weaker ones) for the ability to adapt lenses to the C line and the possibility for a speedbooster.