Canon Nailed Autofocus...40 Years Ago! Canon FD 35-70mm ƒ/4 AF

[@Daniel_Zalman]

This feels like DigitalRev, again. Awesome.

[@thestig8029]

Yeaahh its feels like Digital Rev

[@johnger850305]

Just finished watching KAI's first appearance on DRTV back in 2009, crazy time flies

[@NB-tv4cr]

If only they bring back Alambi and the DigitalRev intro song

[@allee2445]

Yeahh...Their last appearance on DRTV was almost 5 years ago! Time flies. Hope DRTV won't take down their old videos anytime soon!

[@Daniel_Zalman]

Thanks for the acknowledgement, Kai. I've been a fan for around 10 years. Also....bring back Alamby...I keeeed.

[@RubenvanKuik]

My first thought was 'Canon had autofocus in the 60s?!' Then I realised 40 years ago it was 1981. Oof.

[@KOKOBC]

Why would you think the 60’s tho?

[@RubenvanKuik]

@@KOKOBC I'm getting older, time just sorta stopped for me in the early 2000s

[@davidwarren7279]

Same.

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

@@KOKOBC Some day, maybe when they're playing Lorde on Classic Rock stations, you'll understand. LOL

[@MilesAndHeights]

I’m the same. Everytime someone says 30 yrs ago, I think 1970s lol

[@creepyloner1979]

it's at a 45 degree angle because it works like a rangefinder, and as anyone who's used a rangefinder knows, it's difficult to focus if your subject only has horizontally oriented details to try to line up with each other, like a horizon. at 45 degrees it minimizes the chances of that happening both in portrait and landscape orientations.

[@nicholasvarner2706]

Super cool info, thanks!

[@StefanAdriaensen]

i thought maybe this , in combination with the vieuwfinder on the camera's being on the right hand side? so that when you look trough the vieuwfinder you actually see your object and not the lens rangefinder?

[@christopherfrost]

Hey Kai! Do you still have this lens? Sending you an email about it :-)

[@jonas3619]

could be sick, if you made more videos in vintage lenses

[@johnger850305]

I even forgot LOK has moved to the UK a little while ago, so nostalgic after watching the 10-year-duo re-united in different place on Earth. So good.

[@bigchimpin4215]

Kai does acid, glues a Super Nintendo to an a7 body, and talks like a robot. All this and more!

[@ilovedagreenday]

Lol. Good comment

[@NatesFilmTutorials]

"Faster than a Panasonic!" cracked me up 😆

[@tjarsun]

10:19 nice drawing on that telephone booth...

[@Biker_Gremling]

The Artist: Artwerk📈

[@richardt1792]

I remember that Vivitar made several lenses like that, battery powered autofocus with different SLR mounts available. I bought a Canon T80 with the 3 available autofocus FD lenses just as a collector's item. They were only made for one year.

[@dereknguyen3781]

Randomly stumbling across Kai's channel brought back so many memories when I used to watch DigitalRev religiously back in 2015. Glad to see he's still doing well and making great content

[@jimbeam4736]

Holy mother, not only the lens is a blast from the past. This video gave me vibes from the olden days. Wonderful!

[@pixelpeter3883]

Poor Lok, in the end he had to drag that Pelican-case too while filming!

[@piedade_illustrations]

just thinking the same hahahaha

[@dan537]

Lok is great at film wideo.

[@asfsfas2435]

me too, he used to hold the camera without gimbal back at digitalrev

[@ziginox]

Really enjoyed watching this little bit of vintage kit, I've never actually seen one of these in operation before!

[@maschwerer]

LOL I’m old. I remember drooling over that lens years ago when I was 10. Thanks for the nostalgia feels! Great to have Lok back!

[@ReclusiveEagle]

Canon in 1980: "How do we allow users to make sure the battery has charge?" Employee 1: "Why do we need to do anything? I think its obvious if the AF doesn't work change the bettery" *You're Fired* Employee 2: "We can add a battery check and a cute mouse noise!" *Employee 2 is now CEO. Be like Employee 2*

[@Rayven.of.furryswarm]

I still miss all your old funky videos with lok back in the DRTV days, you made me love photography bro, ill never thank u enough

[@jimwlouavl]

I actually remember when it came out. I was a Canon user and thought it was just a toy as AF would never be common. Yes, I was so very wrong.

[@Vinterloft]

Don't worry about it, some people think that very thing about IBIS today.

[@DixonLu]

Guessing the AF is based on rangefinder-like alignment, so the 45 degree offset is needed to avoid pure vertical or horizontal lines (e.g. buildings, waterlines) from confusing the algorithm.

[@noenken]

So it's a better built kit lens? Kinda sharp, kinda dark, little bits of chroma, flare, ghosting and so on but doesn't disintegrate at first contact.

[@kfleung9199]

Kai and Lok, Glad to see you guys making video in Kinston, I am living nearby, wish to see you in Kingston on one day, keep up the good work😇

[@JamesPetts]

Goodness me. I remember reading about these. Quite intriguing, and impressive for its day. The future of the past!

[@peterkin1010]

I remember the very first one the Rikenon 50mm F2.0 AF. I actually owned one back in 1984.

[@SatanSupimpa]

Now I kinda want this lens. I love the 80's cyberpunk look.

[@TheJadedFilmMaker]

Question for Lok is he using autofocus for this video ? on the s5 ?

[@TheLokCheung]

I was using AFC if the focus should be on Kai, S5 do focus on human very well (most of the time, especially if there's plenty of light); if I need to focus on something else (such as the very beginning of the video) it has to be MF, no way the AFC would ever get it...

[@TheLokCheung]

Also good job that it has a physical focus mode switch just next to your right thumb, so you can switch to MF very quickly when the AF fail...

[@TheJadedFilmMaker]

@@TheLokCheung awesome thanks Lok

[@frankthespank]

Not only does it focus automatically but the glass is quite nice! Look at the contrast and colors 😎

[@pauldestocki6356]

I have the Tamron Adaptall 2 AF from the early 80s. I love the concept

[@AlSuChess]

Nice lens! So does this accept filters it is the uv filter you mentioned built in?

[@estogaza1]

Is Lok recorded and edit the video? I feels like this video has "digitalrev" vibe on it.. EDIT: Yes, It was Lok who took the video after keep watching. I felt is from the begining of video.

[@Soarin8]

"The colours look rubbish on this.. that is a sony that is why" haha brutal

[@ReclusiveEagle]

I'm so used to Lok and Kai being together I forgot they couldn't make videos for over 4 years

[@Becksi666666]

Pentax every time introducing cool new stuff first but the other Brands takes the idea makes it nice and get the money. I think Konica has a auto focusing point and shoot in the late 70s but don't know how good it was. Maybe a Camera for a follow up Video. Cheers

[@MetalDEmpire]

Way cool! I actually have the Vivitar 28-70mm f/3.5-4.8 Macro, FD Mount, that uses an early phase detection auto focus system. better coverage at 28-70, more standard for today's user. it focuses quicker too

[@MarekApeman]

the last 5 sec nailed it :-D thanks! never seen this Canon actually working, always only know it from pictures

[@hgrunt100]

dude i heard lok behind the camera and now i know i want to watch this channel again, this absolutely feels like home again, damn. I jumped out of my chair when i heard him

[@AgnostosGnostos]

The special K mount SMC Pentax AF 35 mm-70 mm f/2.8 Zoom was the first full frame lens with internal autofocus system in 1981 a few months before the autofocus Canon FD 35-70mm f/4 AF lens of the video. The Pentax autofocus lens was designed for the full frame Pentax ME F camera. It is sad that Pentax wasn't mention by Kai. Pentax wasn't really successful during the digital revolution but during the film era and especially during the manual focus era it was legendary. The story is similar with the first APS-C mirrorless autofocus camera with interchangeable lenses. It was Samsung a few month before Sony that launched the first mirrorless APS-C camera in 2010 but Samsung wasn't successful with the mirrorless technology. The Canon FD 35-70mm f/4 AF lens was followed by the 50mm f/1.8 and 75-250mm f/4.5 of similar autofocus technology technology. The camera manufacturers were reluctant to abandon their successful lens mounts for new mounts more suitable for autofocus technology. Minolta took the first bold step and the autofocus revolution of film SLR cameras began in 1985 with the new α (alpha) mount cameras by Minolta. Until 1987 Nikon Canon and Pentax followed with similar autofocus technology which ended with dSLR cameras after 34 years, in 2019 after the prevailing of mirrorless cameras. Canon has a tradition of preferring the autofocus electronics and mechanisms to be inside the lenses. In 1981 Canon and Pentax selected the autofocus electronics and mechanisms to be inside each lens. While the Minolta was the the first to prefer the autofocus mechanism to be inside the camera body in 1985. In 1987 the Minolta, Nikon, Pentax preferred their autofocus lenses to be screw driven with the motors of autofocus and aperture to be inside the camera and not inside the lens. Canon in 1987 launched the EF mount autofocus lenses with the motor of autofocus and aperture inside the lens. The autofocus electro optical system was still in side the camera but it was a bold decision because it increased the cost of each lens. It proved to be right and Nikon followed much later and Minolta after 2000. Also canon today still prefers most of its RF amount lenses to have internal image stabilization system which increases the cost of each lens while Sony and Nikon rely mostly on the Image sensor stabilization.

[@MatheusPratta]

Kai and Lok making content like they used to... so glad to see you guys back!

[@ravennexusmh]

There are many good lenses from the 80. I received to day a canon 70-210 d4 EF. A mint example for £45. Truly supprised by the image quality . And much cheaper then a L 70-200 f4

[@emgee44]

Wow! I'm old enough to remember this lens in the then Canon lens brochure, which I'm sure I still have somewhere.

[@ronaldsand3000]

Very interesting video, thanks Perhaps the way it fits to the side is to allow the flash on the hot shoe to be effective

[@awless]

I feel like Lok C is the cameraman and it didn't disappoint me . You two are back, awsome !

[@guyriela]

Thanks grandpa, I got his old canon AE-1 with a 50mm and this lens. 20 years ago When nobody want it. 👌it still works till this day and yes, I take pictures with the old system, but perhaps i should also get a adapter for the digital one

[@assafrutenberg]

I'm really enjoying reading your book. Picked it up in one of my favorite bookshops. I love that you write like you speak. Great pictures as well.

[@refard5]

Canon really is remarkable, I have a canon SLR that was made in 92 and it autofocuses faster then a modern nikon DSLR

[@paddy696]

Found an Amazing Canon ProShot Bridge camera 28 -200 I recall in HCMC about 1998 was so impress tried for a 2nd one but it was the end of production.

[@japancamerahunter]

Great, now I have to go and find one...

[@frstesiste7670]

I remember when they launched that. Looked like a kludge. Still does 30 years later. I assume Canon had started planning the Eos in 1981 and wanted a stopgap lens.

[@yazidyusop]

beautiful sharp photos... nice bokay too.. it lean 45 degree probably to make unblock view for the cam viewfinder

[@StrangelyIronic]

There's a lot of gems from the FD, Minolta, Nikon, and Pentax lineup for 35mm. They're not really getting much rarer over time, but sadly the prices are going up nonetheless. I buy up Bargain/Ugly quality old vintage lenses whenever I see them for cheap to refurbish. I used to make a pretty penny doing it, machining any parts I couldn't find; but now it basically pays for itself if you want something to do as a hobby.

[@BacklTrack]

You need steady hands and an eye for detail though! Out of four broken cameras I attempted to fix if borked two and completely fixed the other two. Not easy

[@tomscameras]

Didn't know that the AF in this contraption would work so good actually! When I was young, I had a Konica C35 AF2 compact camera with a similar system and that AF often sucked. Maybe the real problem was that that camera would focus and then immediately shoot, so your subject HAD to be dead center.

[@okaro6595]

I recall that when it was launched and thought it was stupid. Later cameras had AF lock that could be used to recompose.

[@szelag]

F'ing cool. As an engineer I'm always blown away by what people could do with this early tech. Figuring out autofocus with slide rules and all that.

[@AdultsHaveToysToo]

I did enjoy the "past it's prime" pun shoved in there

[@Hichmet]

Great content and a throw back to the DRTV days. Big Fan. The background music in the first couple of minutes was painful though.

[@arthurvoirin6430]

Pentax was sort of first with their 35-70 2,8, but you're right, they were kind of boring again because you had to use it on the Pentax ME-F camera which had the sensors built-in, so no autofocus on manual focus K-Mount camera :( (the lens still looked funny with a bump to fit the motor tho). BUT Chinon did come out with an AF 50mm 1,7 similar to the Canon with everything built-in in 1982, maybe that could work on manual focus Pentax cameras as it is K-mount but I've yet to find one to try that out. edit : just saw that Ricoh did a similar thing with the AF Rikenon 50mm f/2 as well

[@AllThingsFilm1]

Fascinating video. Bringing back old tech in a new video. Very cool.

[@erichramone7812]

Kai!!!! I thought you passed. Thank god your alive. I need your channel

[@samuellee3507]

Oh! Lok capturing video for Kai!

[@Laundry_Hamper]

Similar in its weird boxy form to a pretty rare manual Minolta - a 40-80 2.8 without any helicoid. Has a gearbox bolted to it!

[@joshuaconti989]

I own a Pentax ME with their version of this autofocus lens. Its crazy how well it works.

[@krs48]

That’s a huge lens I have not ever seen that type of lens before and I am much older than 1981.

[@CraigandJane1]

Same.

[@mynameiskoro9579]

This is superb but did anyone what shoes did kai put on. It looks amazing

[@adityab2008]

Wow this is great

[@welmoepics]

Kai with the Air Jordan 5 "Oregon Ducks" Wow

[@Darknessneverfails]

5:53 is that Lok Cheung?

[@GlendaSiagian]

Smashing review 👍🏻💃🏻

[@alaricpaley6865]

"No-one remembers that brand" Ah, so it is that pentax lens I was thinking about, yeah.

[@ReclusiveEagle]

@Spinach First Camera lens was Pentax??? Ye no

[@billyshea2405]

I love your videos. c: thanks for the continued content. I miss the ones with your friend and the silly competitions too

[@jeffslade1892]

The Chinon CE-5, which was released 1982/83, laid claim to the first equipped with AF lenses. Whilst the CE-5 takes PK lenses it also has contacts for the AF lenses, which will not work on any other brand. I have the CE-5 but no AF lenses. It will take Pentax lenses, I have a couple, but the Auto-Chinon lenses seem to be a hair better glass than Asahi-Pentax of the same period. After a good clean around the shutter button and remembering to turn the self-timer off, the CE-5 works as good as new. Chinon became Kodak (Japan). I eventually retired it in favour of the lighter Samsung AF Zoom 1050, a compact with proper AF.

[@rainlesure4690]

Solid-state triangulation basically the two sensors know the distance between each other And they use that information to calculate the distance between themselves and what they’re looking at

[@rollingtroll]

45 degree angle; upwards it would have stuck in front of a flash, if any. To the right it would be in the way of a wired flash wire, to the left it would ruin your fingers and downwards the whole assembly would stand on it.

[@zegzbrutal]

Kingston in the summer.... Yea the river definitely smells

[@14dgamez]

Bro this is great! Keep it up

[@lojeda]

9:40 any body knows that song? sounds pretty cool.

[@TheMrKonov]

Thumbs up for Lok for walking and shooting handheld with one hand while dragging peli case 😀

[@AanGozall]

Kai & Lok!! 💯

[@lensman5762]

I was under the impression that the first autofocus camera was the Konica C35 AF in 1977 and the first SLR was the Polaroid SX70 Sonar in 1978. The lens in video is indeed the first dedicated AF lens for a system camera. Nikon introduced the line up of 3 dedicated AF lenses for Nikon F3 in 1983.

[@okaro6595]

Polaroid SX70 was not an SLR on the traditional sense of the word. No interchangeable lenses, instant film.

[@ricardoterrazas]

Awesome lens! Wonder how many other retro lenses like this one are out there

[@Emariess]

Can’t believe you guys are stood outside my old flat and missed the shop that’s called “knobs and knockers”!!!

[@exturkconner]

Pentax was first. Canon and Olympus both launched pretty similar options for there systems not long after.

[@astrothetic7313]

After stumbling across this, i knew had to get this lens to use on my F-1

[@NikonFM2n]

I like it. I'm going to get it for my FM2n. Thanks for the insight K&L or is it BOKEBROS?

[@mlegarth]

@10:20 Lok pulling focus on the background lol

[@jakubstrumillo]

Well it work like range finder in tanks. Its bassicaly same sytem like in early MBT's

[@allisgood60]

This is the video and gear that I needed so bad

[@artemorbid]

Another epic video!!!

[@idolog]

I noticed you guys now shoot your videos with Panasonic S5. After seeing your reviews I got one too, just did a Hong Kong harbour shoot with it, it produced great dynamic range, an amazing camera.

[@90vit]

May I introduced you to SMC Pentax-F 1.7x AF Adapter? Haha! Not as old but nice too.

[@GuusvanLienen]

Hmmm, how about the Polaroid Sonar Onestep Autofocus (1978)...

[@bohdanchychkevych948]

oh, i have this one in mint condition, will try with my Canon AE-1

[@suryowidiyanto]

miss the digitalrev man

[@dgodfrey9189]

I haven't seen one in the flesh alas, but my dad had an old copy of Lens Work from the mid 80s and this was in it. I'm rather pleased I managed to snag a couple of the more interesting lenses in there (the 200mm f4 Macro and 20mm f3.5 Macrophoto- that's a bonkers lens)

[@abrooklyngirllinda]

Anybody have any idea what brand Kai's camo shoulder bag is?? Its such a good one! Need!

[@btrdangerdan2010]

I have this lens on my collection. Very rare to find in eBay. With the original box, case, and paperwork.

[@pr01123]

Kai as whimsical as he may seem at first is powerful, what I mean is that he can make or brake the sales of a tech company not just a camera company but any tech company with a single phrase. He is one of the most if not the most recognized and influential person in internet photography. Together with his colleague Lok Cheung, they made very entertaining product information shows and simple photography education clips under the heading Digitalrev up to and untill the Hong Kong's political fermentations. It seems he is mostly independent now and his currear slown as it must follow prevailing photography trends but tech manufacturers would be wize to not take Kai lightly or dismiss him because his followers I believe are planet wide.

[@Ethaningramphoto]

Did you draw that prior Kai? 10:20

[@derekeboyd]

Could you do a video on your watch collection? You have so pretty Rolexes!

[@MarkOakleyComics]

My guess: It shoots two IR beams at a slight angle which resolve to a single dot at 30 meters or something. The camera measures the distance between the two dots, and adjusts the lens accordingly. Forty years ago. Why doesn't everybody do that today? You could put that system on a camera body and open source the standard for lens makers.

[@ReclusiveEagle]

Idk why they can't just implement polaroid's sonar focus (from the 90s) or lidar into cameras today. Like great pentapixel AF.. give me focus in low light or pitch black

[@benny9588]

Great finding

[@davidlewis1787]

Actually, a focus button with back button functionality one the side of a large lens might be a really good idea

[@LeendertCordemans]

Nice video from Kongston upon Thames.