Looking for advice/opinions on Canon FD for GH13

T

tbirdparis

Member
Hi all,

I found an offer on eBay here in France (not a private seller, a retailer) for a Canon FD 1.4 50mm S.C.C lens including an adapter ring for M 4/3 for 175€ (around $US230). In the description the seller does seem to say the adapter ring allows you to adjust the aperture but I'd obviously confirm this by contacting them before selling. They claim it's in excellent nick with no scratches, zero fungus and perfectly clean.

I'd love to hear from anyone who uses/has used this particular lens on a GH1 or GH2. I'm not a pro and far from an expert, so from my research I've pretty much understood that a lot of people really like the combination of Micro 4/3 bodies with classic lenses such as the Canon FDs. I'm not sure what the "S.C.C" refers to, is it a particular series or does it have something different about it to other FD 1.4 50mms?

The reason I'm attracted to this lens is because I'm looking for something way faster than the kit lens that came with my camera (the 14-140) which is the only lens I own. It's fine for shooting outside in parks on a summer's day and whatever, but that's totally not the kind of shooting I'm interested in. I want to be able to shoot in as low light as possible, and also (yes I know, not very original) I want to be able to get a very reduced depth of field for nice subject isolation and blurred backgrounds using an ND filter. Also I've found that with my GH1 (hacked), ISO's from 800 upwards are pretty much useless for video because I get awful FPN and noise. So a fast lens seems to be what I need. Also I don't care about things like autofocus, nor in-lens stabilization. Am more interested in getting a nice vintage look, am happy to focus manually and I am able to get stable enough stuff using tripods (and some stabilization correction in FCP X as needed).

I've used a Voitgländer Nokton 50mm before, which I hired for a weekend. I really loved it and would buy one in a flash. However, it seems that the waiting list is long, and also I find it hard to justify spending over 700€ on a lens like that when I'm definitely not a pro. How do you think this Canon would compare to the Nokton? Obviously it's slightly slower so it won't be quite so crazy bright in low light, but for the price it seems like a decent compromise for someone like me.

Last question. I'm not sure I really understand exactly how the crop factor thing comes into it when you use a non M 4/3 lens with an adaptor. I've read explanations about this around the place, but because I don't have any real training in photography I'm unclear on what it actually boils down to. The seller says that on a M 4/3 body, this lens becomes a 100mm equivalent. So does this mean in practical terms, it will be wider angle or more narrow than what the Nokton was? This isn't of huge importance to me because I'm pretty much just looking to mess around with experimental imagery - again I'm not a pro looking to make actual films where you know when you need a prime or a pancake or macro or whatever for particular things. For me it's just the low-light performance I need and as far as field of view goes, I'll just make do with what it does. But I'd like to understand it a bit better anyway.

So, any opinions and input will be warmly welcomed. Is this lens and adaptor combo a reasonable deal, price-wise? I'll be wanting to get a vari ND filter to go with it - I really got used to having that extra ring of variable ND when I used the Nokton (as opposed to switchable fixed NDs), so that's an additional cost I need to factor in. If anyone can suggest a good vari ND that fits this lens, I'd appreciate any recommendations!

Cheers!

oh yeah last thing: Obviously I'm looking at this lens/adaptor combo primarily for video use, mostly 720p AVCHD @50fps (using lpowell hacks) and almost never for photos. But I'm also into timelapse/stop motion so it would probably get a bit of use set up with a tripod and intervalometer shooting the streets of Paris at night. So if you guys think there's a wiser choice for me in this price range, don't hold back!
 
The adapter is only used to connect the lens to the body (different mounts - m4/3 to FD)... I bought mine off eBay from ciecio7 (very good quality) for about $75 USD - that was over 2 years ago, I'm sure they are much cheaper and more vendors.

On Canon FDs you control the aperture on the lens. They are manual focus and aperture. Excellent glass - especially the old ones - built like tanks. SCC is the type of coating on the glass.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_FD_lens_mount

I have 3 40-year-old chrome nose FDs I bought off eBay - 24mmf2/8 for $100.00, 35mmf/2 for $90.00, 50mmf1.4 for $58.00. I bought the 50 first and was amazed at the feel of it - solid - immediately wanted more of them. Bought the 24 last and you can see the price increase for wider even though it was slower glass. I still watch eBay and prices have increased - especially the wide/fast ones.

Fader ND by LCW works great (don't have any experience with other vari-NDs) - be sure to get a larger one (77mm?) if you ever get a really fast wide (like a 12mm SLR Magic)

Crop factor is x2 (the 50mm becomes a 100mm, a 24mm becomes 48mm, etc.) - I'm waiting for the SLR Magic 12mm

I think the price is too much... you could do better on eBay. I've seen 50mm f1.4's for less than $100.00...
Canon FDs are perfect for the GH1/2, also (I believe) for the AF100, FS100... but one thing you should know - you shouldn't buy them if you ever plan to switch to an EOS body. There are adapters that can do this, but they use a glass element, and you will take a hit on quality (just my opinion).

Hope this helps,

Danny
 
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Hey thanks for the reply!

So, given your experience, do you think the price this guy is selling for on eBay (175€) for this particular model of the Canon FD series + the appropriate adapter for my GH1 is a good deal? Or should I look elsewhere?

Thanks for the suggestion on the vari ND. Just off hand, do you happen to know the physical diameter size of the Canon FD 1.4 that I'm looking at? I can't find that spec anywhere and I need to know it in order to get the right sized ND filter. What width is the vari ND you use with your FD 50mm?

Thanks again for the input. I'm putting some stuff up on my vimeo account to show the kinds of things I shot when I had the Nokton. I'll share the link when it's up so people can tell me if they think the Canon FD will give results in a similar vein.

Cheers!
 
I was just editing my post about the price/dimensions (yes, too much)... don't know what adapters are going for - just checked and they are cheap. See a bunch for $13-20...
 
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OK thanks for that. I'll see if I can find one at a better price, I just figured that if it was coming from a retailer it might be a bit of a safer bet that it's actually in the good condition they say it is. But that said, there are loads of camera stores in Paris filled to bursting point with second hand lenses, so I might take a look and see what I can find locally.

Any other suggestions of lenses of this type I could consider? Old Nikons?
 
It could be in excellent condition - are there lots of photos of it? I never would buy a lens without good images/description, and I will also contact them to verify any info that was missing - "working condition" does not equal smooth focus and aperture action - and make sure the famous "blades are snappy" is in there as well ;)

Nikons are going to cost more - there are those who swear by them, but I have never used one. Those work on EOS bodys. Just got a Vivitar/Komine FD 28mm f2 for $35 in excellent condition - a total steal. Vitaliy over at Personal View highly recommended it and he was right - great lens. Vivitar has lots of versions... look at the serial numbers that start with 28 (for Komine), serials with 22 are Kiron which are also praised but have issues with oil on blades, 37 are Tokina made - just google them. Pentax-M SMC K-mount is also good option and they are very cheap and fast (50mm f1.7 for about $50)

People on eBay know that the vintage glass is now in demand and the prices reflect it - check locally (that's how I found the Vivitar 28)

Good luck :)
 
Yep there are a few photos of it on the listing and if they are genuine photos of the actual lens being sold, it looks pretty much flawless. I'll look into it, it's probably going to be a xmas present for me so it's 175€ that won't be coming out of my own pocket anyway :)

I'll look into the fader ND you recommended. Can't remember the one that came with my hire package for with the Voigt Nokton, but it was apparently a very expensive one. Hopefully the LCWs aren't too pricey.

Thanks for the advice!
 
Another related question: Has anyone had experience of using both the FD 1.4 50mm and the Voigtländer Nokton 50mm? I'm curious how they compare in terms of practical use as well as look. The Nokton felt very sturdy, the size and weight of it balanced well with the GH1 body so it was easy to get good handheld shots without it feeling like it wanted to tip over. The focus ring however felt a tiny bit on the sticky side, so you needed to have a certain amount of momentum to get a nice smooth focus pull. It was by no means bad, but a little smooth and less resistant would have been better. With an old second hand FD, is something like the smoothness of the focus ring just the luck of the draw depending on how well the lens has held up over the years, or was it never any good to start off with?
 
I think the price you quoted is way too much. With patience you should be able to find a mint condition FD 50mm F1.4 s.s.c. for under $100 U.S.. They made 100s of thousands of these. $60 to $90 depending on condition, if it was in the box with all the caps, hood and paperwork I might go over $100. I avoid the chrome-nose versions because of the obvious reflection issues if you don't use a filter or the Canon hood. In good shape the focus on a FD series will be smooth as butter, never tight.
 
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