Canon R1000??

SwissFrank · Nov 8, 2022

You know what would sell? A rear lens cap that is a rudimentary camera. 3MP would produce results good enough for nearly all web publishing. No card or removable battery, instead internal storage for 1000 photos. A USB slot for downloading and recharging. maybe a 60,000 pixel, 200x300 LCD the size of a stamp. Aim for a price of $50-100 or less.

The 20mm film-to-flange spec of the RF mount would set the minimum thickness, but still.

koenkooi · Nov 8, 2022

Have you asked Olympus?

SwissFrank · Nov 8, 2022

I hadn't heard of that!

I see they're like $130 used in Japan. OK, similar thinking, but imagine a stripped-down version of that! I'm thinking of something that'd be like 1/4 the price, with every dispensable feature removed, such as a memory card slot, blutooth, etc. BTW it needn't be a full-frame sensor, though I was thinking full-frame.

koenkooi · Nov 8, 2022

SwissFrank said:
I hadn't heard of that!

I see they're like $130 used in Japan. OK, similar thinking, but imagine a stripped-down version of that! I'm thinking of something that'd be like 1/4 the price, with every dispensable feature removed, such as a memory card slot, blutooth, etc. BTW it needn't be a full-frame sensor, though I was thinking full-frame.

You'll still need a sensor and a processor, so I don't see how you'd get significantly below $300 for all this. I could find a few uses for this, it would make building a camera trap a lot easier.

For mass-market appeal, Canon would need to have a few phone mounts ready on launch, that will make or break this system. Ideally using 3rd parties that have produced phone cases/mounts before.

SwissFrank · Nov 8, 2022

koenkooi said:
You'll still need a sensor and a processor, so I don't see how you'd get significantly below $300 for all this.

I was friends with a guy in finance whose firm was working on a funding deal for a new company with a camera they could make for $50... and this was in 2002.

Of course, if it costs $50 to make you have to sell it for 2-4x more to cover non-manufacturing expense, profit margin, distribution, retailer costs and profits, etc. But again, 20 years ago you could already get close.

Just for example, I'm seeing a company selling color LCDs (1.8", 128x160) to hobbyists for six bucks. I think we'd need more like 200x300 minimum but a big manufacturer like Canon could get far better pricing when buying 100k units or what have you.

koenkooi said:
For mass-market appeal, Canon would need to have a few phone mounts ready on launch

I don't follow? To be clear I'm talking about a cheapest possible camera that could take RF lenses....

koenkooi · Nov 8, 2022

SwissFrank said:
I was friends with a guy in finance whose firm was working on a funding deal for a new company with a camera they could make for $50... and this was in 2002.

Of course, if it costs $50 to make you have to sell it for 2-4x more to cover non-manufacturing expense, profit margin, distribution, retailer costs and profits, etc. But again, 20 years ago you could already get close.

Just for example, I'm seeing a company selling color LCDs (1.8", 128x160) to hobbyists for six bucks. I think we'd need more like 200x300 minimum but a big manufacturer like Canon could get far better pricing when buying 100k units or what have you.

I don't follow? To be clear I'm talking about a cheapest possible camera that could take RF lenses....

I was thinking of an AIR01 analog, so no screen, you need a latptop/phone/tablet as evf.

neuroanatomist · Nov 8, 2022

koenkooi said:
I was thinking of an AIR01 analog, so no screen, you need a latptop/phone/tablet as evf.

Reminds me of the Sony QX series.

SwissFrank · Nov 8, 2022

koenkooi said:
I was thinking of an AIR01 analog, so no screen, you need a latptop/phone/tablet as evf.

I see, yeah, that'd let you have a great display and a GUI with lots of buttons and sliders that you couldn't fit on the unit itself. I think bluetooth costs less than $10 to implement, but again, displays are super cheap too. It wouldn't be good for checking focus but would let you see the composition and field of view.

Kit. · Nov 8, 2022

SwissFrank said:
You know what would sell? A rear lens cap that is a rudimentary camera. 3MP would produce results good enough for nearly all web publishing. No card or removable battery, instead internal storage for 1000 photos. A USB slot for downloading and recharging. maybe a 60,000 pixel, 200x300 LCD the size of a stamp. Aim for a price of $50-100 or less.

For which lens?

SwissFrank · Nov 8, 2022

Kit. said:
For which lens?

Any RF lens.

Kit. · Nov 8, 2022

SwissFrank said:
Any RF lens.

Most RF lenses would be close to unusable with a body having no grip at all.

SwissFrank · Nov 8, 2022

Kit. said:
Most RF lenses would be close to unusable with a body having no grip at all.

The camera would be bigger than a traditional lenscap. Think of the smallest M body, except maybe a BIT smaller, and a lot cheaper.

Nemorino · Nov 9, 2022

SwissFrank said:
Any RF lens.

They have all focus by wire, powered by the camera.

neuroanatomist · Nov 9, 2022

Nemorino said:
They have all focus by wire, powered by the camera.

In fairness, the OP said no removable battery, rather a USB port for charging. So this hypothetical camera could still power an AF motor in the lens. One reason modern mobile devices and laptops have a smaller size than their predecessors is a non-removable battery.

Nemorino · Nov 9, 2022

Yes, but have to be strong enough to move the focus group of all lenses. The focus group of a 50 1.2 is as heavy as a EF 50 1.8.

neuroanatomist · Nov 9, 2022

Nemorino said:
Yes, but have to be strong enough to move the focus group of all lenses. The focus group of a 50 1.2 is as heavy as a EF 50 1.8.

The battery could easily have the same power cells as current ILCs, but eliminating the case/slot/door/release/etc. saves significant space.

This thing had a removable battery.

Screen Shot 2022-11-09 at 3.24.25 PM.png

This thing does not.

Screen Shot 2022-11-09 at 3.25.19 PM.png

Uneternal · Nov 10, 2022

You'd probably have to travel to the future, there is no way that this is feasible with current technology. Not with an APS-C or full frame sensor. Where would all the hardware go? Processor, screen, battery - all that needs space.

Maximilian · Dec 18, 2022

neuroanatomist said:
… but eliminating the case/slot/door/release/etc. saves significant space.

This thing had a removable battery.
...
This thing does not.
...

Sorry for the lack of beautiful photo models but IMO the example below shows that the size difference could be more by the decades between those two cellphones and the development of battery cell tech and radio receiver and antenna within that time.

Search

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Canon R1000??

SwissFrank

1N 3 1V 1Ds I II III R R5

koenkooi

SwissFrank

1N 3 1V 1Ds I II III R R5

koenkooi

SwissFrank

1N 3 1V 1Ds I II III R R5

koenkooi

neuroanatomist

SwissFrank

1N 3 1V 1Ds I II III R R5

Kit.

SwissFrank

1N 3 1V 1Ds I II III R R5

Kit.

SwissFrank

1N 3 1V 1Ds I II III R R5

Nemorino

EOS R5

neuroanatomist

Nemorino

EOS R5

neuroanatomist

Uneternal

Maximilian

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