Need help selecting Canon Fd lens...

rundavids

rundavids

Well-known member
Hi guys, I'm in market for some Canon FD lens, but am very confused.

!) Is SSC with the chrome older than the regular FD? Thorium coating not good for color work? Should I just stick with regular FD's?

2) Breech lock...? I would be picking up a Ciecio7 adaptor. How do I tell if the FD is either a breech lock or a bayonet lock? The sellers on eBay don't seem to know.

3) Most of the Canon FD's I'm looking at are 24 f2, 28 f2, 50 f1.4, 85 1.8... they are pretty expensive, but do you think it's work the price vs just buying one with f2.8? Good enough for indoor with like three to five hundred watts of light?
 
FD = the older version with the chrome ring breach lock. All metal construction.

FDn = the newer all black version with bayonet lock. When those came about the practice of coating were standard so they don't have any SSC denominations. They are easier to get on and off my ciecio7 adapter but have some plastic parts that can deteriorate with age. I bought one that was a bit loose in the focus ring due to this, thankfully the one remaining repair shop had a broken FDn laying around they could take parts from.

The f/2.0s generally has better sharper glass than the f/2.8, not sure how much that will would be visible when image is pushed through the video encoding, on stills you'll see a difference for sure. I went for the 2.0 versions nonetheless for that extra step of light and shorter DOF.

The one focal length that I use most is 35mm - so much I got two of them, one with lens gears mounted and one without for bara minimum 'street photography' filming.
 
I just purchased the 50 1.4...

Not sure weather to go with 35mm or 28mm f2.0 next... 35mm wide enough?
 
Thanks for reply Martti. So the newer FD lens that's all black will work with the cieco7 adapter?
 
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All of them do, even the older FL mount has the same mechanic design but miss the aperture lever which we don't use anyway.

I find 35mm the most versatile lens of all I got, gives good close-up portraits but still wide enough when stepping back a couple of meters while still being able to knock backgrounds out of focus. After I got hold of a 24mm I hardly use my 28, it's either the 35 or the 24 that's on.
 
Thanks for clearing things up for me, Martti. I was so confused. I totally agree with you. I was looking into getting the 28mm, but now I think about it, I am definitely looking into getting a 24mm, 35mm, and a 50mm.

I'm also very curious, if you think the Canon Fd's image would match up well with the Panasonic 20mm?
 
i've just shot a music video with the panasonic 20mm and the FDs and have to say they cut pretty well. The only issues with cutting between the shots are when i've got lens flares on the FDs from sunlight, as the FDs have a really diffuse nostalgic look when hit by sunlight but the panasonic stays pretty sharp, with only a hint of flare. Still works pretty well though.
 
I don't have the Pana 20mm, I'm not that keen on wide angles for moving images, so can't really say. You'll probably need to tweak overall colour temp slightly in post as both old FDs and Nikons have 'warm' glass, modern lenses are bit more cold or neutral.
 
I'm glad to hear that the 20mm can match it with some post.
Do you guys think 300.00 is way too expensive for a 24mm fd lens with f2?
 
Just won an auction for a Canon FD SSC 35mm f2 for $140.00 with shipping. Good deal? I'm guessing it's going to cost me a pretty penny to buy a set. =-[
 
Nice deal. Dang sucks for me. What's worst is I'm still deciding if I should fork out $250.00 for a 24mm f2 or go for much cheaper 24mm f2.8.
 
Get the 2.0, it's a much better lens overall, hence the price difference. It may sting in your wallet now but in the long run you'll be happy for it.
 
You are right. I think after the 24mm, I'll go for a 50mm 1.4 or 50mm 1.8. Do you think the 1.4 is too shallow?
 
Ahhh... You're killing me Martti. =-]

24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm... Nice set for filming? Any other lengths I should consider?
 
That should cover most situations. I think my 100mm f/2.8 has come to use once. Mostly I'm using the 35, then the 24 with the 50 and 85 in equal amounts.
 
Crap on me... Has anyone purchased from keh.com? What do you think of the "bargin" item vs. excellent items?
 
keh.com came highly recommended to me from an associate at Calumet Photo. problem was, i was going to purchase a used lense hood for my FD's, but the shipping cost the same as the product. maybe that's normal, but i didn't make the purchase.
 
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