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Canon FD 35-105mm converted to EF

Peter Majtan

Peter Majtan

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Hey guys! Just wanted to share this...

Living here in Japan has its fringe benefits -one of which is easy access to older photographic equipment at extremely reasonable prices - lenses in particular.
You all know how much I love modern Canon EF glass - especially the "L" series. Amazing build and superb optical performance (especially given its cost) are the two main characteristics I adore.
There is however one that is rather cumbersome for cinematography - the electronic iris.
Canon has addressed this with the new generation of cinema glass - the CN-E's - however at around $5~6K per lens (primes) they are not cheap.
There is however another option - the older "pre-EF" lens system - the FD's...
They feature amazing all-metal build quality and also the now-prohibited lead glass (which gives higher contrast). But more importantly - they feature manual iris...
There are however two issues - the iris is mechanically stepped by "clicks" to correspond to various aperture settings. The other is the FD mount itself.
While there are number of adapters allowing the use of FD glass on EF mounts - they all feature additional optical element (unless you want to be limited to macro :reddevil:) which introduces loss of both light and IQ...

Enter The Lens Doctor... http://www.thelensdoctor.co.uk

Eddie Houston used to work for Canon during the FD era as Technical Manager repairing and overseeing the run of the photographic department (amongst other things).
He has since retired from Canon and runs the above linked business based in UK specialising in repair and modifications of Canon FD glass.
He has designed and manufactured the first (and as far as I know the only) FD-to-EF conversions of the L-series FD primes (including the extremely difficult 85mm f/1.2L) that clear the mirrors in full-frame EOS bodies - including the newest 5D-mk-III...!
This is no adapter - he actually physically removes the FD mount from the lens and replaces it with precisely machined EF mount that encompasses the internal FD mechanics.
Furthermore - he also has a custom chips that allow the lens to be recognised by Canon EOS bodies as if they were EF lenses in manual mode.
He has also designed and manufactured what he calls "Fluid Variable Aperture" - a modification to the original mechanical iris inside the FD lenses.
It is relatively easy to de-click these irises, but that usually results in loose aperture that can easily move. Eddie added fluid dampening that allows for smooth iris movement, but keeps it locked in the position you leave it at...

After a lot of research and communication with other FD users - I have decided to build a vintage set of FD primes converted to EF mount.
But before going all out I wanted to do a quick test of what Eddie is capable off.
So I went out and found FD 35-105mm f/3.5 zoom in pristine conditions for only $50 USD!!!
According to Eddie...:
This lens came from a time when Canon were experimenting with aspherical glass. There were 3 lenses that were introduced with aspherical glass this being one of them. The lens on digital is Brutally sharp with inky black colour and contrast.. This lens will not disappoint even the stringent scrutinising photographer.
Click to expand...

I sent the lens to him and £ 193 later (including shipping between UK and Japan) I have just received the converted lens...:

IMG_3897.jpg


This zoom is really compact - barely larger then standard 1.8" REDMAG, but it weighs in at 600g - this is due its solid metallic construction.

IMG_3889.jpg


The range this lens covers is IMHO the most versatile for everyday use covering pretty much everything one would need aside of wide angles - but this is easily complemented by its wider cousin - the FDn 20-35 f/3.5L (which is the next one on my list before I get to the primes!).
It features widest aperture of f/3.5 (a bit slower then the f/2.8 of the modern EF zooms), but it holds this aperture through out its entire zoom range.
One very nice thing is that it also features a macro mode. This is only available at the wide 35mm setting and while in the macro mode - the zoom ring actually works as focus, while the actual focus has minuscule effect - allowing a very precise fine-tunning...

The machining quality of Eddie's EF mount is superb...:

IMG_3890.jpg


IMG_3896.jpg


I can't wait to go out and properly test this lens, but for now here are two 4K finished frames - one in normal mode and the other in macro mode - both wide open at f/3.5...!
(right-click the links bellow the images and download the linked 4K files)

FD_35-105_LR.jpg

http://www.derylgroup.com/downloads/CANON/FD_35-105_EF/FD_35-105.jpg

FD_35-105_macro_LR.jpg

http://www.derylgroup.com/downloads/CANON/FD_35-105_EF/FD_35-105_macro.jpg

Video test to follow soon...

Needless to say - I am extremely happy with Eddie's conversion and highly recommend his services for anyone interested in vintage FD glass...

:sifone: Peter
 
Ed Mika out of Canada (check out EdMika store on Ebay) also sells user-replaceable FD-EF kits made of a high-quality composite material (he used to use brass but claims this material is stronger). Lens chips are optional. I just converted a 35-105 and it works really well and unlike many modern EF mounts, there is zero play in the mount itself, so actually is more snug on my camera than my brand new EF-L series glass. He sells kits for a huge range of FD glass and they are all $99. The conversions are quite easy to do yourself, with a couple that apparently require a bit more fiddling. I didn't have to do any fluid dampening to the iris, just declicked it and left as-is because there is plenty of resistance already (may not be the case for all FD lenses, I'm not sure??) lensdoctor is a great resource as well if you don't want to do these yourself!
 
Great thing about Eddie doing this is that he gives the whole lens a once over - cleaning and lubricating where needed.
I have better things to do with my time then fiddle with lens parts - it would certainly take me few hours to do this properly (providing I could do it properly) and that's worth a lot more then the few pounds I would save by buying a kit...
But if you have lots of spare time and know what you are doing - by all means...

What would be great is to combine someone like Eddie with someone like Matthew Ducclos and get the lenses geared and front-adapted at the same time...

Ultimately FD glass IMHO is one of the last undiscovered treasures for digital cinematography. Easy to find, affordable and beautifully made. Never mind the legendary optical performance...

:sifone: Peter
 
Peter Majtan said:
Great thing about Eddie doing this is that he gives the whole lens a once over - cleaning and lubricating where needed.
I have better things to do with my time then fiddle with lens parts - it would certainly take me few hours to do this properly (providing I could do it properly) and that's worth a lot more then the few pounds I would save by buying a kit...
But if you have lots of spare time and know what you are doing - by all means...

What would be great is to combine someone like Eddie with someone like Matthew Ducclos and get the lenses geared and front-adapted at the same time...

Ultimately FD glass IMHO is one of the last undiscovered treasures for digital cinematography. Easy to find, affordable and beautifully made. Never mind the legendary optical performance...

:sifone: Peter
Click to expand...

Yup, I'm sending my 35-105 to RP lens to add gears and fronts. Also needs a bit more grease for the declick!

But yes, you can tell its been completely overhauled. Mechanics smooth as butter, and most importantly, the zoom arrived PARFOCAL (which I requested when I bought it)! I was shocked, as I know not all of these zooms hold focus. My assumption is Eddie adjusted elements to help make this happen. Very cool. The macro function isn't that robust, but not a big deal. The zoom range is GREAT. Very useful. Has a nice look to it, with good flares. Great little lens to have in the "kit" when you need you whip out a zoom quickly - that covers Full Frame and all Dragon formats!!
 
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Yes, all good points and it is a nice little lens for sure. Mine is parfocal as well, super smooth with no adjustment needed and it took all of 20 minutes max to convert it myself having never attempted one before. Only downside is that the fronts move (rotate I mean) when focusing if you can live with that.
 
Just to clarify, I agree with Nick that generally some adjustment would usually need to take place to make them parfocal, just wasn't needed in my case so that would be a HUGE plus to sending it to a technician (if they could do that) vs doing anything like this yourself even if it is pretty straightforward. Love the build and feel of FD and also a fan of the 50-300 as far as a versatile, quality zoom.
 
Yeah we use it here and there for wildlife work where lens changes aren't as practical. A lot of folks also use the pl converted 150-600s. They are versatile lenses, not as sharp as say a Canon 30-300, but have the benefit of being more portable for what we do. I would say the 50-300 FD is pretty much right on par with Nikkor 50-300 ed if you are familiar with that lens although I can't say I've ever shot them side-by-side.
 
My fav long lens by far is the 800mm. The FD one is amazing as well, however the 4-stop equivalent IS in the EF one makes all the difference. Canon's IS is top of the class - because of that I won't be getting anything longer then the 400 in the FD family...
I wish I could have both - the manual controls and the IS...

Ah well...

:reddevil: Peter
 
Dawson L. Dunning said:
Yeah we use it here and there for wildlife work where lens changes aren't as practical. A lot of folks also use the pl converted 150-600s. They are versatile lenses, not as sharp as say a Canon 30-300, but have the benefit of being more portable for what we do. I would say the 50-300 FD is pretty much right on par with Nikkor 50-300 ed if you are familiar with that lens although I can't say I've ever shot them side-by-side.
Click to expand...

Very intrigued by the Canon FD 50-300!!!
 
I bid (and lost) on a very good example of the FD 35-105 and it went for over US$200. I have seen a few for less, of course, but this one was super clean. I think I will buy one soon. At worst, I get my money back if I end up not using it. :-)

I would not be surprised if FD lenses were often better than EF lenses, but I have no data.
 
Karim D. Ghantous said:
I bid (and lost) on a very good example of the FD 35-105 and it went for over US$200. I have seen a few for less, of course, but this one was super clean. I think I will buy one soon. At worst, I get my money back if I end up not using it. :-)

I would not be surprised if FD lenses were often better than EF lenses, but I have no data.
Click to expand...

In many instances they are actually better optically due to the lead glass used (which is now banned due to environmental concerns).
All the FD zooms I have tried are parfocal as well.
The only shortcoming is the lack of IS on the longer lenses.
I love how I can keep my camera setup and power it down (during break or transport), then power it back up and the lens is set exactly as I have left it. The EF lenses cycle through their focal range every time you power up the camera...

:sifone: Peter
 
I've been looking into get a set of Canon FD, but I would like to have the opportunity to take a look of some clips with these bad boys. By chance do you have some links to share?




Also, what about the breathing factor with these lenses?
Thank you.
 
Tried to get in touch with Eddie via email and his website but no luck... Too bad I would have loved to send him some lenses.
 
Vincent-

I just bought a 35-105 beauty from Eddie. His email from the webpage seems to be having issues forwarding, so he gave me another email to reach him which I'll PM you.

vincent kardasik said:
Tried to get in touch with Eddie via email and his website but no luck... Too bad I would have loved to send him some lenses.
Click to expand...
 
Marcos Montenegro said:
Vincent-

I just bought a 35-105 beauty from Eddie. His email from the webpage seems to be having issues forwarding, so he gave me another email to reach him which I'll PM you.
Click to expand...

Got it! Thanks Marcos.
 
This whole FD thing is interesting, and new to me. Is there any shorthand advice to offer about what one might or might not want in an FD lens?
 
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