Canon FD lens on Canon 7D Camera

J

Jean Dantes

Well-known member
Hey guys, I was meant to order my GH1 today, but the recent news of the Canon 7D has put me on hold...again lol

I'm new to DSLR, so to some I'm sure my questions may sound rather stupid. Anyways, I own a Canon FD 50mm f1.4 (that I specifically bought to use with a GH1), and I was just wondering, would this lens work with a Canon 7D via an adapter?

Thanks for your time!
 
Ahhh I see. Damn, that sux.

Is there cheap/fast primes (like the FD I have) that would go good with a 7D? Or will only lenses designed for the 7D fit on the 7D?

Thanks for the quick replies too!
 
The problem is the flange focal distance (the distance from the back of the lens (the mounting plane) to the film plane (sensor plane). The FD is 42mm and the EOS is 44mm. Basically you can't cut into your camera to attach a lens that requires to be closer but you can always add an adapter that adds additional space if the distance is greater. Which is why the micro4/3rds is great because it's only 20mm (because of it's mirror less design), so practically any lens can be adapted to it.
So if you want to go from FD to EOS you need an optical adapter. More than likely the glass in it will be of cheap quality and you'll lose sharpness and light and maybe add unwanted artifacts and distortions.

That being said I saw a fairly decent video with a FD 50 1.4 using this adapter on the 5Dmkii, it's only $50 so it's worth a try.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/522370-REG/Bower_ABEOS_Lens_Adapter_FD.html

Also the Canon EOS 50mm 1.8 is a really good lens, I have personally shot with it on the 5Dmkii and think it's awesome for only $100!
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12142-GREY/Canon_2514A002_Normal_EF_50mm_f_1_8.html
 
yeah I tried one of those glass adapters on my minolta 50mm and it looks like shi*, shame because it's a really nice lens. you can pick up pentax smc takumars for about the same price as FD glass, m42 mount so easily adaptable.
 
cant do it...

the Canon EF 50mm F1.4 is 95% of the way there compared to the L series for 1/5th the price.

~300$ used ones can be had for much less....
 
Thanks again to all the quick replies!

Johnny, is that Canon EOS 50mm 1.8 available with manual focus? (Sorry if that sounds n00b lol)

I think I'll def stay away from glass adapters thanks to the input from you guys!! :)

Perhaps I should just go for the GH1? In terms of cinematography, glass seems to be more important then bitrate and sensor size...
 
Jean Dantes said:
Thanks again to all the quick replies!

Johnny, is that Canon EOS 50mm 1.8 available with manual focus? (Sorry if that sounds n00b lol)

I think I'll def stay away from glass adapters thanks to the input from you guys!! :)

Perhaps I should just go for the GH1? In terms of cinematography, glass seems to be more important then bitrate and sensor size...
Click to expand...

You can set it to manual, it's not as nice to control as a manual only lens, short throw (not sure of the technical term) and thin ring but I got used to it and I'm sure there are a bunch of people using it with the 5Dmkii cause it's pretty damn cheap.
Glass is important but... I don't want to start a 7D vs GH1 war especially since the 7D isn't in the hands of anyone I trust, but my early bets are on the 7D. I could be wrong but I think 1080p on the GH1 is fubar, I don't care what anyone says. From the early clips of 720p I've seen on the 7D, there's a strong possibility the GH1 might be better there... we'll see.

BTW I have 3 shoe boxes full of FD lenses so I really want Panny to put out a good m4/3rds cam!!!!!!
 
I have 3 boxes full of Minolta lenses. It's a shame I can't put them on the 7D either except for Macro. My 35mm adapter plans fell in the mud when the 7D rumor started.

Johnny Cola said:
Y
BTW I have 3 shoe boxes full of FD lenses so I really want Panny to put out a good m4/3rds cam!!!!!!
Click to expand...
 
LOL I feel your pain, went through the exact same thing. Was gonna get a LEX for my HVX200a, then the GH1 came out, NOT REALLY and killed all my summer plans waiting for it to be in stock!!! Now that the 7D is out whyTF would I spend $1970 for magnifying glass and a vibrator motor when I can buy a bad ass camera for $1699?!

EDIT: I not crazy, mental or anything like that. There's a good reason I have 3 boxes of FD lenses and nothing to put 'em on. I was experimenting with building my own static adapters cause I like that look and wasn't gona pay some one *cough/cinemek* a crap load of money when I could build the same thing for a tenth of the price. But now if... when Panny comes with the goods I AM SO FREAKING READY!
 
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Johnny Cola said:
You can set it to manual, it's not as nice to control as a manual only lens, short throw (not sure of the technical term) and thin ring but I got used to it and I'm sure there are a bunch of people using it with the 5Dmkii cause it's pretty damn cheap.
Glass is important but... I don't want to start a 7D vs GH1 war especially since the 7D isn't in the hands of anyone I trust, but my early bets are on the 7D. I could be wrong but I think 1080p on the GH1 is fubar, I don't care what anyone says. From the early clips of 720p I've seen on the 7D, there's a strong possibility the GH1 might be better there... we'll see.

BTW I have 3 shoe boxes full of FD lenses so I really want Panny to put out a good m4/3rds cam!!!!!!
Click to expand...

any of that FD glass for sale?
 
I had some FDs laying around when I picked up my 5d. The truth is that I have had a lot of luck with them. That being said, success is different from lens to lens. I have gotten great images with a 35mm 2.8 and a 135mm 2.8, but there are definitely visual issues on two separate 50 1.4s that I have used.

You do lose about a stop of light, but I use my 135mm 2.8 all the time. It's incredibly sharp for being passed through another piece of glass - consistently impresses me. Wish I had some work to post up, but will soon. I have a bunch of footage of cheetahs I shot in Africa on that lens, turned out amazingly.
 
TimurCivan said:
any of that FD glass for sale?
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Not yet, I'm kind of a pack rat. BUT (and this is a big but, no pun intended) I'm regularly forced to get rid of crap when it starts overtaking the house and pissing of the wife. So if the FDs collect too much dust, I'll hit you up. I ususally don't sell old sh!t, I just give it away, weird habit I got from my dad. Matter of fact the most expensive thing I gave away was a 32 channel makie mixer and 3 adat machines back in '99 when I switched to music production completely in software.
When I was a kid my dad bought his first brand new car, a '78 Impala Station Wagon. Our neighbor didn't have a car at the time and asked my dad how much he would sell his old car for. My dad asked him how much money he had in his wallet. The neighbor had $24. My dad said that was it! I guess the look on our neighbor's face always stuck with me... It's late, I'm all reminiscing and sh!t over freaking out of date lenses LOL
 
Johnny Cola said:
I don't want to start a 7D vs GH1 war
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don't be a girlyman!

C'mon anyone who seriously thinks the GH1 is a match for the 7D is clearly deranged. Flip out LCD and PL mount option... big deal, who gives a fook compared to 48Mbps, SLR dynamic range and low noise. As for jello well who gives a **** if you know how to use a camera.

ok so I'm gonna piss some panny fanboys off but this is the Canon forum and I'm not talking ****.
 
dadoboy said:
I have 3 boxes full of Minolta lenses. It's a shame I can't put them on the 7D either except for Macro. My 35mm adapter plans fell in the mud when the 7D rumor started.
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Same here. I used them on the Brevis and some on my SONY A700 stillcam. I wish SONY brings a vDSLR, but that might take another year.
So now it is out to ebay to get Canon glass *sigh*
 
Jean Dantes said:
is that Canon EOS 50mm 1.8 available with manual focus?
Click to expand...

I have a Canon 50mm 1.4 and a 50mm 1.8 sitting right in front of me. I used the 1.8 for almost a year (photography only) before upgrading to the 1.4. Both are great lenses, some of the best lenses you can get for the price (1.8 is $100 brand new, 1.4 is ~$360 brand new).

Johnny is right about the focus rings. On the 1.8, the focus ring is almost exactly 1/4" wide (pretty thin) and is right on the end of the lens. It's not hard to use but it does take some getting used to. Another nice thing about a $100 lens is that you don't need to put a filter on it ('cause the filter costs as much as the lens so just replace the lens if something happens to it). You can put a filter on it, obviously, if you are aiming for a particular look. But you don't have to.

On the 1.4, the focus ring is more standard, about 1/2" wide so it feels more natural to your thumb/pointer-finger. This is an awesome lens! I haven't used the 1.2L but I've read similar accounts, that the 1.4 is so close performance-wise that it probably doesn't make sense to spend the extra $1k on the L.
 
Thanks for that in depth/first hand info coddida! Much appreciated!!

squig said:
don't be a girlyman!

C'mon anyone who seriously thinks the GH1 is a match for the 7D is clearly deranged. Flip out LCD and PL mount option... big deal, who gives a fook compared to 48Mbps, SLR dynamic range and low noise. As for jello well who gives a shi* if you know how to use a camera.

ok so I'm gonna piss some panny fanboys off but this is the Canon forum and I'm not talking shi*.
Click to expand...


I actually want a GH1 vs 7D war. And I'm not talking about a small war, I'm talking a fullscale war! Being a strapped-for-cash student, I really gotta know which horse to bet on. Every dollar counts for me; literally.

Everything about the 7D looks good, the only thing that has got me worried is rolling shutter (jello), and the interlaced looking 720P still images I've seen being posted around...
 
I'm not too worried about rolling shutter issues on the 7d. A lot of the same folks who complain about its rolling shutter issues are some of the same ones who were going to purchase a 5D Mark. I think it (7d) will end up handling that much better. I hope Phil Bloom puts out some vid soon.
 
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