Budget Lenses: Canon or Nikon?
- Thread starter Azmyth
- Start date
David G. Smith
Steak Knife Member
It is my understanding the the Nikon F mount is the most popular lens mount configuration in history and that their have been more lenses made for that mount than any other. So, more supply usually means lower price. Now as to the Nikon vs. Canon in regards to quality, well, that has been debated to death and I ain't going there, ya know. I am buying vintage Nikon lenses and really like them.
thisisapocalypse
Well-known member
Both are good - Nikons can be more expensive than Canon FDs however since even old ones can still be used on modern Nikon DSLRs...so yes, there are lots of them out there but they more more uses than m4/3.
Canon FD lenses have basically no other use at this time than on m4/3 or a Letus style 35mm adapter - you can't use them on EOS bodies without a seriously degrading adapter, so unless you still want to shoot on an old Canon F1 SLR or a T90 or something, there's just a lot of Canon FD lenses sitting around with not much to do.
The mid-range and higher-end Canon FD and Nikon lenses are totally comparable and I doubt you'll find much in the way of overall performance differences - they may render color a little different, but any mid-level and up Canon FD or Nikon lens is going to be pretty good and more than acceptable for m4/3. I like Canon FDs because you can get the "L" lenses for a song still and some of those, optically are still very close to what the modern EOS versions are like, but with great manual focus and maybe a tad less contrast, which ends up being a benefit on the GH13.
Another good route would be to look for Contax and Rollei mount Zeiss lenses, they aren't as cheap as Canon FDs but some of them are not *that* much more expensive.
There's really no point in buying a bunch of cheap MF primes just for the hell of acquiring lots of focal lengths - I made that mistake when I started, I'd say look for 3 fast, high end MF primes, a something in the 20-35mm range, a 50mm, and an 85mm - get good fast ones and that will cover a lot of territory.
Canon FD lenses have basically no other use at this time than on m4/3 or a Letus style 35mm adapter - you can't use them on EOS bodies without a seriously degrading adapter, so unless you still want to shoot on an old Canon F1 SLR or a T90 or something, there's just a lot of Canon FD lenses sitting around with not much to do.
The mid-range and higher-end Canon FD and Nikon lenses are totally comparable and I doubt you'll find much in the way of overall performance differences - they may render color a little different, but any mid-level and up Canon FD or Nikon lens is going to be pretty good and more than acceptable for m4/3. I like Canon FDs because you can get the "L" lenses for a song still and some of those, optically are still very close to what the modern EOS versions are like, but with great manual focus and maybe a tad less contrast, which ends up being a benefit on the GH13.
Another good route would be to look for Contax and Rollei mount Zeiss lenses, they aren't as cheap as Canon FDs but some of them are not *that* much more expensive.
There's really no point in buying a bunch of cheap MF primes just for the hell of acquiring lots of focal lengths - I made that mistake when I started, I'd say look for 3 fast, high end MF primes, a something in the 20-35mm range, a 50mm, and an 85mm - get good fast ones and that will cover a lot of territory.
I've been wondering the same thing myself, and the canon FD's seem to be a really good value right now, primarily because they will not work properly on modern canon cameras. And so are not in demand by photographers. Now in our position of wanting manual lenses for cinema use, as long as we stick to mirrorless cameras, GH1, Sony Nex, etc these may well fit the bill. I also believe they focus in the same direction as cinema glass, so good for focus pulling. If you are in a position to put together a set I say go for it, the demand may well go up when the Panasonic AF100 ships this winter. I was doing a quick eBay survey, basing on buy it now pricing and many FD's are half the price of similar nikon lenses, a big difference on a set of 5 primes. There are also some nice looking short zooms for fairly cheap.
thisisapocalypse
Well-known member
Exactly - I have a feeling these won't stay cheap forever, in the 70s Canon had a set of K-35 cinema lenses that from what I understand, at least for a few of the primes (24/50/85 I believe...) they were optically basically the same as the Canon FD L lens equivalents (24mm f/1.4 L, 50mm f/1.2 L and 85mm f/1.2 L) but in cinema housings and probably with a longer focus throw. The fact that they also focus the same way as cine lenses is a bonus, I hate that Nikons focus backwards
