Modern Canon RF?

[adep]

Cosina did it. Nikon did it. Zeiss did it. How cool would it be if Canon got back into the rangefinder game? I know they won't, they're too busy with digital doo-dads. But how cool would a modern Canon RF be? Personally I'd like it to take m-mount lenses, to have the clean, classic lines of a Canon P, TTL metering, hot shoe, hybrid shutter like the Canon F1n (electronic, but if the battery is removed it's mechanical) o-ring sealed against moisture and dust, and a wide base length to better focus an m-mount re-release of a 50/0.95 😱

This thing would cost way too much I know, and there's probably not much of a market for it, but I'd sure have fun with it. Make mine black, please! 😀

edit - above should be Canon F-1N, not F-1n, those are two different cameras.

 

[back alley]

i'd sign up for a film or digital canon rangefinder.

the canon p/d 😉

joe

 

[reub2000]

Something compatible with EOS cameras would be nice. Like using E-TTL II for flash metering, the remotes and everything. Lenses might be a bigger problem.

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

I agree ...

Either a m-mount Canon digital, or some sort of M-adapter to EOS for the DSLR. wishful thinking, I know 🙂

 

[adep]

I agree that it would be cool to be able to use my EOS lenses on a Canon rangefinder, but I think that would make it a BIG thing to carry around. What I like about rangefinder lenses in general is how small they are in comparison to SLR lenses.

 

[ghost]

the f-1n has mechanical fast speeds and electronic slow speeds. it's not like the nikon fm3a.

on the cvug, bob shell mentioned that canon developed a protype rf system but digital took their attention from it. i wonder when the dslr market will saturate....

 

[Didier]

... or some sort of M-adapter to EOS for the DSLR. wishful thinking, I know 🙂

Useless. RF glass can not be used on SLRs because of the shorter flange base distance. And using SLR glass on RF would make it heavy and huge. Use EOS lenses on EOS bodies. Use real glass on RF bodies.
🙂

Didier

 

[ray_g]

i'd sign up for a film or digital canon rangefinder.

the canon p/d 😉

joe

The Canon P/D? Maybe P Diddy will start a pre-release thread too.

Personally, I would prefer a Canon P redo in film, like the Nikon SP or S3-2000. Preferably in black, with a modern 50/1.2 (with ASPH like the L lens).

 

[back alley]

canon p/digital...

i would love a modern p in black, maybe with a meter this time.

 

[anselwannab]

How do you focus EOS glass on an RF? Scale focus? Ugly, plus I would think an EOS lens may block the viewfinder window.

Canon can't keep their dSLRs up to date. The 30D (20D Mark II really) is almost old enough for an AARP card.

I could see a body, but then they'd have to bring out lenses also. I'd love to see a small 21, 28,25,50, 90 lenses, but that is a lot to take on, especially with Leica and Zeiss already in there. Canon's only real play would be to go higher tech. M-mount but with the ability for AE thru expanded electronic conections thru the mount.

Use of a FF would be great!

I think one of the electonic/digital guys will make a dRF to get more street cred. Sony thru KM and the old RF they had could update it, and they already have some lenses. Nikon has already shown that they make RFs with the S3.

Mark

 

[CleverName]

What about FD lenses? I'd line up to buy a new canon with an FD mount.

 

[adep]

the f-1n has mechanical fast speeds and electronic slow speeds. it's not like the nikon fm3a.

on the cvug, bob shell mentioned that canon developed a protype rf system but digital took their attention from it. i wonder when the dslr market will saturate....

An fm3a-like shutter would be a-ok by me. And if Canon has already developed a prototype, they should dust off the plans!

 

[David Murphy]

I'd buy a Canon RF so long as it was not 15X as expensive as a Bessa R like the Niklon RF is (was?). If it had any battery dependence at all (except for a TTL meter) that'd be a show-stopper for me. Such is the reason I'd never own a new Contax.

 

[raid]

It's the Canon F1N and not the all mechanical F1n that people talk about. I would love to have a new F1N-style Canon rangefinder camera that accepts LTM/M lenses.

Raid

 

[reub2000]

How do you focus EOS glass on an RF? Scale focus? Ugly, plus I would think an EOS lens may block the viewfinder window.

Some of the lenses report the focus distance back to the camera, so you could have a motor in the rangefinder assembly that adjusts the rf with the focusing distance from the lens. Or they could do what Contax did and make it completely AF.

 

[adep]

It's the Canon F1N and not the all mechanical F1n that people talk about. I would love to have a new F1N-style Canon rangefinder camera that accepts LTM/M lenses.

Raid

I just found out today that there were 3 different Canon F-1 SLRs, the F-1, the F-1n, and lastly, the F-1N (the one I have). I had no idea that capitalizing the "n" made it a whole new model!

 

[anselwannab]

I have an F1N and love it. I have the spot meter screen and a 85/1.8, the perfect portait set-up. There is a Canon FD website out of Malaysia that has an incredible amount if info in it. It fell out of favor between my CL and 20D. If I'm going to shot film, I use the CL, if I want an SLR, I use the 20D.

I get depressed when I look thru the F1N compared to the viewfinder in the 20D. What a difference!

My Dell computer just crashed, maybe I'll be shooting more film!

Mark

 

[Bill58]

All of us Canonphiles can dream, but it ain't gonna happen. Not enough money in it for a "big boy" like Canon.

 

[Sonnar2]

A RF camera sized like the F-1N SLR? No thanks. But a M-mounted P with TTL metering and AE would be nice.

 

[dll927]

For those few brands that produce both SLR and RF models, are the lenses really interchangeable? Certainly not in Leica's case. There are usually considerable (and quite noticeable) differences in size. Plus there might be a problem with lens-to-film (or sensor) measurements. Wide-angles, in particular, seem to call for different optical formulations between the two types. It's always nice to dream, but what are the real possibiities?