Canon FD mount lenses

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jimmyb

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I've noticed allot of FD mount lenses in second hand camera shops for relatively cheap prices.

I know the FD mount is from the 70s and 80s and now obsolete but are these lenses good lenses as adapters are available to mount on EOS bodies. The adapters I've seen look like they have glass in them so does this reduce the quality of the image?

What I'm getting at is is it worth buying these old lenses or is it false economy?
 
yes and yes.

whilst it's possible you'll be able to pick up an older version of a lens where the contemporary version sells for hundreds of quid normally, the extra glass in the adapter certainly does add some softness to the final image and bare in mind you'll be in manual focus only territory... something which isn't easy with the viewfinder in cameras like the 350d and it's even harder without liveview.

save your cash and get the ef version.
 
Thanks for the info... I may think twice then!

Have a MF lens (helios) and find focusing tricky through the view finder.
 
There are two types of adaptors for FD to EF mounts.

One type is a simple mechanical link allowing you to fasten the FD lens onto the camera. Downside is that because the fd has a shorter register distance (distance from back of lens to sensor/film plain) than the EF mount, the non-glass adaptor will not focus to infinity. This may not be a problem if you are buying a lens for macro or closeup shooting, as effectively the adaptor becomes a short extension tube.

The other type is an adaptor with a lens built in. This allows focus to infinity (or a little beyond in some of the less well designed examples :gag:) but not only introduces a possibility for distortion if the lens is not well designed/mounted, but also effectively turns the adaptor into a type of teleconverter. As with all teleconverters, you gain a multiplication in focal length (mine came out at about 1.3x) and lose a little in aperture (again, mine's worth around a stop)
 
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If you're using it on the eos30, with a lens-equipped adaptor it'd be an effective 71.5mm f1.8 completely manual focus and aperture lens - if that's of use to you on a cropped sensor then it'd definitely work.

The lens equipped adaptor is actually the one I bought - though it was pressed into use on a few lenses...
 
jimmyb said:
A great looking collection.
Click to expand...

Cheers - there is also a breechlock 50mm f1.4 SSC II which is out on (extended) loan with a mate at the moment, absolute stunner, but it seems a bit churlish to ask him to bring it back so I can swap him for the f1.8 when it's his only lens :shrug:
 
michael23 said:
I have been thinking about 1 of these too, I already have a collection of lenses, I was thinking of using my 55 f1.2 on my 30d, would it be worth it do you think? As I already have the lenses?
Click to expand...

I'd sell it to someone who can use it on a film body, or on a micro 4/3rds camera (Olympus, Panasonic) or NEX. Then go out and buy an old Nikon 55/1.2 which will mount on your 30D with no probs at all :)

Here's mine:

nikon_55_1.2.jpg
 
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