Lenses for Canon FD mount

lenuisible

You should look here : http://fdreview.com/

and here : http://www.photozone.de/active/survey/querylenstxt.jsp?filter=%22brand=%27Canon%20FD%27%22

I advise you the 80-200L F4 (or maybe the 300L if you really need something that long)

I think the best relatively cheap lenses are :

FD 35 SSC F2 (Concave (down to F16) or convex (down to F22), they are both excellent) : around 150 USD

FD 50 1.4 SSC around 50 USD

FD 85 1.8 SSC around 50 USD

FD 135 2.5 SC around 50 USD

I personaly use 35-105 F3.5(around 70 USD) and 80-200L F4(around 200 USD) a lot (both with a Canon F1 and Lumix GH2) during daytime, because the quality is good enough for me, and I can do most of the photo I like with them. I think they are also good enough for video, when used as "multi-fixed focal length" more then zoom lenses.

I prefer the build quality of the older breech lock lenses to the newer nFD equivalent, but they are heavier, and apparently not optically better then the more compact nFD.

Something great with FD lens is that you can test a lot of lenses for cheap, and sell them if they don't suit you for the same price you paid for

mee

@x_worpig_x Thanks, I've looked around thebay, however I have kinda boycotted them, plus I am in Japan anyways, so shipping is a bear. I actually was planning on going to Akihabara this week and doing a combo of shooting with VY Canis Majoris, and hunting down FD lenses, however it's been raining all week so the plans are on hold. I think I have an advantage here in Japan in that allot of people want the newest and best camera equipment, so older lenses can be pretty cheap at the right shop. However I think the humidity (mold) here is going to be the enemy and spoiler of many a good find.

x_worpig_x

@mee Check Ebay for cheap 50mm. There are tons.

mee

I just picked up my first FD lens today from a local antique shop. It is a 100-300mm 5.6 lens with Macro. It is the pull slide kind very light (considering it's size) and everything seems to be working extremely smooth. It looked spotless in the shop but at home I can see the slightest haze inside. I am ok with it, but out of curiosity how much does it cost to get the lens serviced/cleaned, who should I trust to do it, etc.. ? It doesn't look like mold and is about as slight as a haze gets imho. Anyways I am excited all the same. Now I just have to wait for my adapter to get here. In the mean time I am keeping my eyes open for a cheap 50mm. With that one I am aiming for pristine.

DouglasHorn

I shot my first feature on a Sony HDCAM with a lens that had strong purple/green fringing, so I feel I'm pretty sensitive to it. I don't see it on any of my FD lenses.

RebelPhoton

Hey FD owners, have you found any problems with spherochromatism? Citing Ken Rockwell "This means that outlines of out-of-focus highlights are slightly tinged with green in the background, and with magenta if you have anything out of focus in the foreground."

Fast Voigtlander lenses have it in spades, specially full wide open. Once I find it it really bugs me, and not much people seem worried about it. Everybody seems much more worried about comparing the sharpness of flat frames, which might be important for photography, but I don't think it's that critical for HD video. If I get a fast lens it's because I want a nice shallow DOF, not a greenish background and a purple-ish foreground that I need to close a couple of (expensive) stops to correct...

So... How do fast FD lenses perform on chromatic aberrations and spherochromatism? I'm mostly interested on a fast 35, 50 and 85.

Thanks.

ghkqn

I had the Canon 50/1.2 SSC Aspherical, 85/1.2 and 135/2.0. I used to shoot those fast lenses around 1.8-2.8. I also like the Vivitar Series 1 28/1.9 and 135/2.3 (as well as the Takumar 85/1.9).

rozroz

http://www.digital-photography.pl/en/artykuly/Panagor-28mm-f2_5-review.html

kanintesova

Does anybody know of Panagor lenses? I just bought one FD mount 35mm F2 for $35. I can not find much information. Is it a decent price, I think so? Maybe I will post some samples when it arrives if someone is interested.

edit UPDATE: jan 17th: (got it today. It looks brand new, in a nice leathery hard case a la 70:ties. Everything in mint condition. Original lens cap. Above what I expected. Has a nice sturdy feel to it. Focus pulling is going to be bothersome. Has long range, like canon FD 50mm 1.4). Further investigation made clear Panagor was the Kiron brand but for Europe. Some Nikon engineers decided to start their own company. I saw the same lens but for Nikon mount: 150 euro on ebay.:D Always nice to find a steal. Will wait till tomorrow to do some testing. Can upload a few clips, and a few photos.

$35 would otherwise give me (in Sweden) 1 Bic Mac Meal, 1 pizza, 1 pack of ciggies and 2 beers at the pub. :P I am happy... This lens will last me. FRAK it will even outlive me ha ha, if taken care of :D

veloci

For those who have the FD 50mm F1.4 lens, does your picture don't look much different from wide open on aperture setting between F1.4 and F2.0? Mine is practically the same as if it is still on F1.4!

lenuisible

Here a guy says "A hair less contrast than the Canon macro but just as sharp except at infinity where the Canon was better" :
http://www.fdreview.com/lens-review.php?itemid=217
I think this guy summarize also the main advantage of the Vivitar "I like this better for real macro work since it goes 1:1 mag without tubes"

tetakpatak

Hi guys! Does anybody know - or did anybody compare Canon FD 50mm Macro f/3.5 vs Vivitar 55mm Macro f/2.8 mentioned by Vitaliy before? I would really like to know the difference. I know only Canon macro of those both lenses and it is a superb lens: IQ is amazing even when widely open, contrast and colors are also great- and it is amazing sharp, really crispy. Also quite unexpensive. I use it instead of all my other (faster) 50mm lenses whenever possible. Otherwise, I own also following Canon FD lenses: 24mm/2.8, 35mm/2.8, 50mm/1.4, 100mm/2.0, 135mm/2.8. All of them are excellent, with brilliant and sharp IQ. My favourites are: 24mm/2.8, 50mm/3.5 macro and 100mm/2.0

Kihlian

Great! Works! Thanks, I´m so happy to could control so good my lenses now!

B3Guy

@Kihlian

Put your C7 adapter on your GH2. Now . . . place the lens up to the adapter, with the lens's red dot matching up with the LEFTMOST dot on the C7 adapter (as viewed from above when standing behind the camera). Next, rotate the lens to match dots with the ONTHER dot on the adapter, keeping the lens snug up to the adapter. The lens should seat down onto the adapter at this point. Finally, turn the FT lock ring (or the lens if a "new" FD lens).

There is a spring-loaded aperture control lever on the back of every FD lens. this MUST be caught and pulled back by the protrusions on the inside of your C7 adapter. Otherwise, you will not have aperture control. It may sound complex but it really is very easy. I just wanted to be sure you got detailed instructions. Try it a few times and you'll understand.

Kihlian

I have a set of FD lenses (85mm 1.8, 50mm 1.4, 17mm 4) adapt with ciecio7. Here happens SOMETHING STRANGE:
Sometime I could change the aperture directly in the lens ring, sometime it still remains on the maximum aperture. It seems that if I put the lens on the old Canon T90 body an then on the adapter i will be able to change the aperture. If i put the lens another time to the adapter it will not still works.
Any suggestions? I would be happy to could everytime control exposere on the lens ring..

AmandaNL

Took also a shot with the FD 200mm f2.8
Same settings as above but further away....
Actually it doesn't look so nice, what do think?

But it's quite sharp wide open!
It doesn't become really sharper when you stop down but picture looks cleaner.

AmandaNL

And here the Oly 45mm 1.8 @ f1.8

For both, focus on manual, 2second shutter delay and AWB

AmandaNL

For comparison, here the Canon FD 1.2 SSC Aspherical @ 1.4

rozroz

the 20mm/2.8 is great.
this and the50mm/1.4 make a perfect combo.

AmandaNL

I made a small and quick comparison between the 45mm f1.8 Oly and the FD 55mm 1.2 ssc aspherical.

At 1.2 the FD 55mm lens glows and is unsharp.
Stopped down one click (I think it's F 1.4 or F1.6) the FD 55mm comes to live, it has nice sharpness in the centre, actually it is sharper then the 45mm @ 1.8..... In the corners the 45mm Oly wins
Stopped down to f2.8 both lenses are very sharp in the centre but the Oly has a slight edge. In the corners the Oly is sharper.
Stopped down further to f5.6 it's the same story Oly is slightly sharper in the centre and sharper on the far corners, although the FD 55mm sharpened up a bit in the far corners...
At f16 there's almost no difference.

g_sadamoto

Thanks for the suggestion, but I got an FD adapter from a friend; it couples and locks fine.

B3Guy

some FD lenses have a little pin that gets in the way if it is stiff . . . just lean in with some elbow grease.

g_sadamoto

The others FD lenses fit fine, but on the AT-X TOKINA 24-40mm /2.8 FD mount it slightly couples, but the adapter is sticking out a bit; there's no way to fit the adapter and lock it into position.

itimjim

Do you have other FD lenses that do fit? I may ask because it sounds like either you've received the wrong adapter, or you're not doing something right.

When you say it doesn't fit, do you mean it won't couple at all, or it will couple but not twist into a locked position?

g_sadamoto

Hi,
Anybody knows what m43 adapter I can use for AT-X TOKINA 24-40mm /2.8 FD mount?
I tried this one, but it doesn't fit.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-FD-lens-PANASONIC-G1-GF1-GH1-micro-4-3-Adapter-/150659006175?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2313f9fedf

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