Would you buy a retro-styled Canon?

[Uneternal]

Ever since the Nikon Zf and Zfc came out, I'm a little jealous that Canon doesn't offer an alternative (yet). We've seen some attempts like the EOS M6 Mark II with silver housing or the RP Gold Edition, but all of them still looked very modern compared to what Nikon or Fuji offers.

Would you be looking forward to a retro-styled Canon camera, like say an AE-1 styled camera with upgraded EOS R10 or EOS R6II specs? Or do you not care for vintage at all and you're like "f that s, I want my rounded edges"? 😄

Here's my A.I. assisted mockup design:

[LeeP]

The Nikon Zf is a nice camera. The minute I saw it I wanted a retro Canon. Now that it is going to happen, the NANOSECOND I can order the "AE1" from B&H Photo, my order will be in. I don't need another R body, but I WANT it. No rational thought...I WANT it.

Tangent alert: I only wish Pentax would license the RF mount and do retro mirrorless cameras. I'm a diehard  fan of metal-era Pentax film cameras and routinely shoot with four of them outside of my digital work. I jumped to Canon for EOS autofocus and have never looked back...but an RF mirrorless Pentax ME2...oh baby...I'd be there.

[Uneternal]

Same for me. Now, there are already some rumors floating around that we might see such a camera in late 2025, and a senior Canon executive (Manabu Kano) also mentioned the AE-1 specifically as his camera of choice when it came to a retro model. Which would totally make sense, because the AE-1 has its 50-year anniversary next year in April and it would be absolutely dope to see a digital remake.

[LeeP]

The AE1 was a brilliant surgical strike for Canon to increase its market share at the expense of others. In the day I thought the AE1 was OK but I didn't want one. The A1, however was a devastating blast for other manufacturers and I want one to this day. It was truly a game-changing camera that caught Pentax, Nikon, and Olympus flat-footed, but Canon never rested and just kept innovating thus making me enough of a believer that I jumped to EOS.

[justadude]

I would buy one only if it had some advancements (nicer controls, compatible with new lenses, better mechanics)... but still only shot 35mm film.  I would not want a digital version, but that's just me personally.  

[LeeP]

One of the interesting possibilities for the future comes from the Pentax Film Project. Because the Pentax 17 has been successful, another film camera is planned (3 more actually) and one is an SLR.

I wish I had never sold my Elan 7e, but I went digital and didn't think I needed it anymore. #Mistake.

[justadude]

It's going to be interesting to see what they come up with... but I hope it's not another half frame one like the 17.  I've never been a fan of half frame cameras, especially if I want to make large prints.  

Not sure if I actually NEED another Pentax SLR though.  Currently I use (quite often) 5 different Pentax SLRs... K1000, K1000 SE, Spotmatic, PZ-70, and a Sears KS Super ll (which is a Pentax body with the Sears name on it).

Serious question... if Pentax does come out with a nice Full Frame SLR, do you think my wife would notice if I have 28 cameras instead of 27?? 🙂 

[LeeP]

The KS Super II isn't a Pentax. It's a Ricoh.

The Pentax 17 has an astoundingly good meter and a sharp lens. I'm not a fan of half-frame, but I bought one and use it regularly. Truly a great camera.

The supposed Pentax SLR will be full frame.

Pentax thinks DSLRs are the future because they are idiotic.

The way forward would be to license the RF mount, go mirrorless, and do retro styling.

The Canon R100 is a modern equivalent of the ME.

[justadude]

Pentax/Ricoh, it's all the same now.  The part I needed for it 10 years ago came from Pentax which has been owned by Ricoh for a while now.  The salesperson said the parts even back when this was made were pretty interchangeable between the two brands, even though they were two separate companies at the time.  But yes, you are right that it was originally a Ricoh.  My copy came with a Pentax 50mm f/2 lens (said Pentax on it).  Maybe Sears had a shortage of the Ricoh lenses at the time?

Good news on the SLR... thanks for the heads up, Lee!

Personally, I like DSLRs.  I still say my Pentax K10D has the best colors of any digital camera I have ever owned.  Even after 6 years of using mostly mirrorless, I still think DSLRs have better viewfinders compared to the electronic viewfinder crap they use nowadays.  Personal taste, I know.  I like the balance of the heavier DSLR bodies as well, especially when using heavy lenses.  Again, call me crazy, but personal taste.  Might be idiotic, but I know I'm not alone on preferring them.  Not knocking all of the improvements on modern mirrorless cameras though!

You lost me on the Canon R100 being the modern equivalent of the ME.  I had the ME Super when it first came out (which I know was slightly more advanced).  You spiked my curiosity.  I'm really interested to hear what you are comparing.  Wild guess would be entry level?

[LeeP]

"The salesperson said the parts even back when this was made were pretty interchangeable between the two brands..."

Pure nonsense. When they were separate companies, only the mount was shared

[justadude]

Salesperson was the counter guy at the local camera store where they did the repairs.  I had no reason not to believe him... but then again, he wasn't the guy who does the repairs.  I lose respect for salespeople who don't say "I'm not sure" and instead take wild guesses.  Thanks for letting me know.