Magnification factor with canon fd lenses?

C

corycross

Well-known member
Do the adapters used for canon fd to nex (fs100) have a magnification factor to them? Are their some adapters that do and some that don't?

I am finally buying a fs100 and want to use the canon fd lenses. But a little concerned about being a magnifying factor or using an adapter that has a lens in it that could lessen the quality or the picture. All the help would be appreciated! Thanks
 
corycross said:
Are their some adapters that do and some that don't?
Click to expand...

+1 to Kyle.

The issue is the flange focal distance (FFD) -- the distance from the back of the lens to the sensor. If the flange focal distance of the lens is greater than that of the camera, then the adapter is just a tube that holds the lens in front of the camera. If the lens's FFD is less than that of the camera, then the lens can't get close enough to the sensor -- so an additional lens in the adapter is needed to correct.

The NEX E-mount has an FFD of 18mm; most SLRs are much longer than this, since they need to make room for the mirror. Hence the NEX cameras can use most SLR lenses. (The Canon FD lens mount has an FFD of 42mm, which is about the shortest of the SLRs. Works great on a NEX.)

Note that with non-SLR lenses, like micro 4/3, the size of the image circle the lens makes is also an issue. Micro 4/3 sensors are smaller than the FS100 sensor, so a micro 4/3 lens may produce vignetting on an FS100.

I use the Fotodiox adapter, BTW; cheap enough to have one per lens, and it works great for me.
 
Thanks everyone!

I am going from a 7D and t3i with ef lenses.. To a fs100 with fd lenses and am just making sure that this is a good idea. I see other peoples work with the same set up and I am blown away by how awesome it is and how inexpensive the lenses are.

My other question is (and I read this in other places) The crop factor with the Sony fs100 and the FD lenses will be exactly like the aps-c cameras?



Thanks Kyle and Atticus
 
You won't be let down by the FD lenses, I have slowly started investing in other lenses (ZF,EF,etc.) and I still find myself picking up the FD's because they are simply too good. especially the longer zoom's (70-210mm for eg.) having the one ring for focus and zoom is such an advantage over two different rings (like the 28-85mm FD) I find myself grabbing the longer one and moving back from the subject more because it's that much of a better lens, I just wish they had of made it faster (2.8 would be amazing, rather than 4.)
 
Just to chime in with a sort of repeat of what's gone before:

FD lenses work great with the FS100, assuming you're happy with the crop factor that's the same as all other lenses.

It's great in some respects - for example, the Tokina 80-200 2.8 FD is a great lens except wide open, the edges are soft. Hey, guess what, the FS100 crops the edges! So you get tack sharp wide open.

IMHO, when you find a good FD lens, consider the following:

1) Getting it serviced (deffo) and declicked (nice, but...)

2) Buying an FD mount dedicated to this lens

Number two is important. The FD mount is more fiddly than the other mounts I use. The lock ring is dangerously close to the iris ring, so I'm always in fear of fumbling around and twisting the wrong ring (it's never happened, but...). I have one each for a few of my favourite lenses, and that's really helped. When trying to change lenses in the field, the FS100 is in a special category that you could be changing from Canon to Nikon to FD to E-mount, and fiddling with end caps is the last thing you need to worry about. Bite the bullet, buy an adaptor and an endcap for each, and be happy.
 
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