canon FD lens and 35mm adapters

J

JustinT

Active member
hey guys - im looking at the 35mm adapters - and have found that the canon FD lens are the easiest to come by (i have no lens at all so if u reckon something is better please say). only thing is i keep coming across threads that mention that he FD lens stay open until a 'shot' is taken (like when the pin is depressed or seomthing) - would this be an issue with the 35mm adapters - like does that mean u always have to shoot wide open?

Also when a lens says 1:1.8 it can be still be stopped down to close the iris further than 1.8 right?

EDIT
Ok i came across some info abt the canon lens - some have a 'hole' u have to stick a tooth pick sized device in and some look like this with a slide... http://www.letus35.com/type1.JPG

not sure if u can change apperture while hole is pushed in or the mechanism is slid...

so I guess the other Q is... would it be easier/better for me to go nikkon mount?

and

If i found an OLD camera with a FD or nikkon mount - would it be easy to swap with the current mount on a letus or sg35?
 
Canon FD lenses remain fully open regardless of the aperture setting unless the preview lever is actuated. The adapter could be configured so as to depress the lever (and hence allow for a change in aperture). You might want to confirm that the supplier of the adapter has made provisions for this. A typical FD lens would have a range of 5 or 6 stops.

Here is a link to a very comprehensive listing of all the FD lenses produced:

http://web.mit.edu/dennis/www/canon/fd-lens-info.html
 
To really milk these adaptors for what they are worth, I would suggest just renting cine lenses. They are going to give you the best color representation, flare characteristics, low level of "breathing" during focus pulls etc. They are far to expensive to own (practically speaking) but will get the job done best, 10 times out of 10. Unless you want your lenses to have a little bit more of an old timey milkier look, in which case older 35 still lenses will do the trick.

Edit~> I say milk a lot in this post... Weird.
 
can any letus35a or other 35mm users with FD lenses chime in? most of the footage i have seen have a really shallow DOF, but I just thought that it was like that so people could see the effect - are most people shooting wide open?
 
ok changed the topic and such to reflect some other Qs and such so I dont mess the place up with another thread.. :)
 
Justin,

FD's are not the most common lenses. It's pretty much just as easy to find Nikon and other mounts around the same price range and focal lengths as well. Also don't forget third-party lenses (Tokina, Tamron, Sigma, Angenieux, etc) with the same mount.

Canon EF-mount lenses typically are automatic aperture but FD's and Nikons can almost always be operated manually.

Whether most people shoot wide open or not, depends on their lenses. Those of us with F1.0 and F1.2 lenses (not many of us) don't shoot wide open all the time because the depth of field is so shallow that it doesn't always suit every shot. Lots of people shoot from 1.8-2.8, with occasional forays above and below that range. Try it and see what you like!
 
not too sure about the FD mount

not too sure about the FD mount

I dont fully understand how one would use a canon fd lens with a dvx.
i have used a canon FD mount to C-mount adapter,
but what would mount the fd to the dvx lens?


thanks
james
 
jm5678 said:
I dont fully understand how one would use a canon fd lens with a dvx.
i have used a canon FD mount to C-mount adapter,
but what would mount the fd to the dvx lens?


thanks
james
Click to expand...
aaaaaaa....., a 35mm adapter maybe?
 
fIX for FD lenses

fIX for FD lenses

Hi all, just registed here at DVX,

i have recently aquired some Fd lenses

50mm 1.4
85mm 1.8
135mm 2.5

and have the Letus35A and the SG35 ( FD and EF mounts)

I tried the 'lever lock fix', that Justin posted at the beginning of this thread... and it works.. i can now manually adjust the aperture to account for light and the look of the shooting at hand.
I used a bread twisty to lock the lever in place, put the lense back on the 35mm adaptor and thne i ould use the teh f-stop ring..

Wil try and got some footage up shortly

Quinn
 
that's good to hear... phew... seems easiest to get FD lens down here...

OT question, but can i assume that when all lens can close the iris pretty much to black? like there aren't any which are 'stuck' on 1.4 right? that's just the largest openeing it can have...
 
Quinn OConnell said:
Hi all, just registed here at DVX,

i have recently aquired some Fd lenses

50mm 1.4
85mm 1.8
135mm 2.5

and have the Letus35A and the SG35 ( FD and EF mounts)

I tried the 'lever lock fix', that Justin posted at the beginning of this thread... and it works.. i can now manually adjust the aperture to account for light and the look of the shooting at hand.
I used a bread twisty to lock the lever in place, put the lense back on the 35mm adaptor and thne i ould use the teh f-stop ring..

Wil try and got some footage up shortly

Quinn
Click to expand...

How is your Letus35 working with your dvx100? I just purchased a dvx100b and am interested in the Letus but I have also seen some problems with it posted in some other forums? Any footage yet? Any problems? Do you feel the need for a rail system to support it? Thanks for any info.
 
Letus35a is a great product but watch out for the SG35.. a spinning glass adaptor, i have both units and am awaiting my SG35 upgrade to come back.. check out the dvinfo 'alternative imaging threads' for sample footage and images..

RE the letus, i would suggest getting the metal mount.. the plastic one is not that good, its functional but i forsee issues in the long run.
I am testing this adaptor now and will post results on DVinfo in the coming days.

Rail system will be good and necessary for larger lenses - but 50's and 85's will be fine.
 
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