[Paul the Sunman]

The ubiquitous Tony Northrup has just released a video claiming there is a new Canon DSLR/mirrorless hybrid on the way, and postulating on how it may work. The mechanism seems to involve innovative application of chop sticks and cardboard. In any case, it seems the idea is to have the camera autodetect whether an SLR or mirrorless lens is attached, and change the sensor position accordingly. Under Tony's model, the viewfinder would operate as an OVF when using SLR lenses and as an EVF with mirrorless lenses. Purportedly, this is to ease the transition of pro Canon shooters who have resisted the mirrorless push.

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

How workable and attractive is this idea? Is it any more than a temporary transitional idea? The camera would still need to be DSLR thick for it to work, so would it be of any interest to early mirrorless adopters? Is it just a more complicated version of an adapter?

This seems to be very different from the hybrid OVF/EVF that some people think Pentax may be working on. Pentax does not have the mirrorless lens range to make this alleged Canon model relevant to them.

[zapp]

I can think of better solutions to combine of optical and digital viewfinder.

[Sandy Hancock]

Bizarre. Canon must be desperate.

[Zooland]

Is he the Sony spokesperson?

[acoufap]

Surely an intermediate step to bring another mirrorless lens adapter to market to adapt the usual DSLR lenses to the mirrorless configured hybrid DSLR camera!

[BigMackCam]

Hmmm...

A moveable sensor seems like a potential nightmare in terms of alignment - both the distance from the mount and getting it absolutely perpendicular to the lens...

[Kevin B123]

I have not watched the video, but I postulate the release date as April 1st. It would be heavy, large, expensive, unreliable and the worst of all possible worlds.

In design, you work to requirements. The spec for this would have been rejected early on, its mad.

[biz-engineer]

End 2017 marketing vlogs: a camera that doesn't record 4K video is not a camera
End 2018 marketing vlogs: the DSLR is dead, lets go all out mirrorless
End 2019 marketing vlogs: OVF has some advantages , lets go backward a bit
End 2020 marketing vlogs: Sony new camera model makes espresso, get the gold medal by DPR review?

[D1N0]

Movable sensor for AF with classic lenses. Great Idea . A moveable mount with interchangeble mount adapters would be even greater.

[biz-engineer]

There's a much more simple solution for DSLR with EVF features: replace the 86K AE sensor by a small 4K video CMOS sensor with fast frame streaming => use the AE sensor for face detection, eye AF and blinky indicator. The advantage of using a small 4K vid sensor in place of AE sensor is that power consumption is much less that running the large sensor continuously, and the smaller sensor is capable if faster frame rate for AF functionnality. No need of new lens mount, no need of new camera architecture.

[BigMackCam]

There's a much more simple solution for DSLR with EVF features: replace the 86K AE sensor by a small 4K video CMOS sensor with fast frame streaming => use the AE sensor for face detection, eye AF and blinky indicator. The advantage of using a small 4K vid sensor in place of AE sensor is that power consumption is much less that running the large sensor continuously, and the smaller sensor is capable if faster frame rate for AF functionnality. No need of new lens mount, no need of new camera architecture.

Sure... but that doesn't achieve what Northrup suggests Canon is developing - a DSLR that can use the new short-registration RF mount lenses natively. He's saying they're intending to produce a transitional body that offers a DSLR experience with EF lenses, and mirrorless experience with RF lenses, all in one body.

Seems crazy to me, but hey... maybe they're onto something...

[Fogel70]

I really doubt Canon would like to produce a complex camera like this.
This concept also have some major flaws.
- If the mirror is hinged at the bottom it would need to be larger and will probaly not be able to fit within Canon EF flange distance.
- There is no place to put a mechanical shutter. Except maybe in front of the mirror.
There are some other technical issues they need to solve, but a camera like this would be a nightmare to produce.


The Canon Hybrid camera will most likely be a mirrorless camera with an extendable mount.

[reh321]

The main advantage claimed by virtually all MILC advocates is in the EVF, so a ‘transition’ camera could be as thick as a DSLR and still have that advantage.

I believe Canon has also placed a hybrid patent. I would have to study that patent before I commented on any of the other comments here.

[aaacb]

I remembered reading about this unusual film camera, the Contax AX, which focused by moving the film plane so it'd work with manual lenses.
An early swansong? Reviewing the CONTAX AX: autofocusing manual lenses | EMULSIVE

[reh321]

Surely an intermediate step to bring another mirrorless lens adapter to market to adapt the usual DSLR lenses to the mirrorless configured hybrid DSLR camera!

I haven't heard any complaints about the adapters they already have. The lenses Canon has been using for over thirty years now are a fully Electronic mount {like Pentax eventually reached with KAF4}, which means the adapter just had to make sure the right signals got to the lens - making an adapter in that case was very easy.