Would you want an APS-C camera with an RF mount?

I've mulled this over a ton. Right from 3 days prior to the RF mount announcement as a matter of fact.

I think long run having two different mounts is a bit of a problem for Canon, but I think it's more perception than reality.

I suspect that Canon feels that people that buy into the EF-M overwhelmingly don't upgrade or don't want to upgrade out of that system, thus making mount compatibility a dead issue.

I have an EOS-M system.

I will have an EOS RF system this year as well.

I don't feel cheated, ripped off or otherwise disappointed that the #($*&#$ big RF lenses won't mount onto my M5 because the damned things would be an ergonomic freaking nightmare on a diminutive M5. My M5 kit is my grab and go, take anywhere kit. The RF system cannot and will not be that.   Nor do I feel my APS-C M lenses are a big deal because they don't mount on the RF.  They would equate to 11MP lenses. I get 24MP images using them with an M5. What camera would I use these lenses on again?

I see here in the forums a few people from what appears the Sony forum mostly, are carrying the crusade that Canon is doomed because they have a different mount for APS-C and another for full frame. I just don't know. with the size of the full frame lenses we have right now, even if the EOS-M and RF had the same mount, you'd never want to try mounting those lenses onto an M.

From the tea leaves it looks like the industry on a whole is going to do a massive contraction - and APS-C, for the most part, will be the victim.

While pushing more and more upmarket is essentially dooming yourself, Canon has shown that's possible to release a cheap full frame camera body. They could probably even release the EOS RP sans EVF for $999 even.

Over time, the performance out of the various EOS RF cameras will be good enough through the line, that there's no real need for an APS-C RF mount camera, they will be limited to special cases, and probably have already migrated to m43 which offers even greater benefits to the long end telephoto shooting.

If it wasn't for perception on killing off a mount, this could be done easily and within a year for Canon with little in the way of R&D.

a) make an APS-C RF mount camera with the current M50 guts and sell it as cheap as the M50.

b) retrofit all the 61mm diamater EF-M mount lenses to 66mm to fit on the RF mount, and switch the mount to RF mount. To ease in migration leave the lens communication for version I of the lenses as EF (or EF-M same thing).

Within a year Canon would have two half decent kit lenses, telephoto kit lens, a couple of RF-S primes and a UWA. good enough for phase I and easily performed.

Phase II

a) complement the kit lenses with a couple more EF-S primes, and add in a 15-55 F2.8 RF-S high end kit lens.

b) migrate the electronic guts of the 90D to RF-S for a high performance RF-S camera body.

BUT it's lousy on perception for those that purchased EOS-M cameras. Which just happens to be one of the top selling mirrorless systems right now in at least Asia in terms of units.

Also no matter if these were just taking EF-M designs, this still requires developer time, in terms of manufacturing tool and die, and rollout, taking critical time away from the core objective of the RF full frame lenses and system.

For this last reason, I don't think it's going to happen. Canon must desperately move fast on the RF mount. WIthin 2-3 more years canon will probably have around 25-35 lenses for the system, making it a credible standalone system. They just don't have the spare time to do anything else at the moment.