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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Canon FD lenses stills and also Dynamic range unscientific tests

Hunter, sounds like you did well with your collection. I have the 20-35mm f/3.5, the 35-105mm f/3.5 and the 85-300mm f/4.5. Am looking to get a couple of the f/1.X primes, plus either the 14mm, 15mm, or older 17mm and- of course- the 8mm Peleng.

Like Trick, I'm also interested in learning about your lens gearing efforts.
 
Our very next project is a gearing solution for the FDs. Should have something worked out in the very near future.

The one lens that I still want to find is a 15mm or 17mm, my shortest right now is a 20mm (one of my favorites). My kit is all primes (20, 24, 28, 35, 50, 85 & 135) and one zoom (28 - 85).

It is great to see that this family of glass is getting some attention. I have performed resolution tests on a number of the primes and the measured results are very impressive.

Kevin Halverson
 
anyone care to comment on focus pulling experiences?

i have only worked with canon ef L series and do not know much about the fd. i am confident that i could pull/repeat on my 17-40L ef (if i went with the birger option) and am hoping that the same would be true with the fd. the price of fd glass is so appealing. i am excited that for a minimal price, i could have so many creative options for shooting.

many thanks for any input, and to khmuse for the mount.
 
Pulling focus with the FD's is easy all of my lenses have at least 190degrees of barrel rotation and they focus the "right" way, unlike nikon lenses. Gears can be purchased from many 3rd party companies, or you can get them press fitted. I still need to remove the click-stops though on my lenses.
 
These stills are some of the best images from Red I've seen yet, quite remarkable! I'd think anyone would be proud of these images. Also amazed to hear "no sharpening", they look perfectly crisp to me.
 
Canon fd MOUNT is so great well made but i has issue regarding to controlling Iris of the lens

FD lense in general devided to 2 main models

1- Breech lock model

3151_1212266092.jpeg



-2 the newer model

3151_1212266171.jpeg
 
This fd mount dosn't have Stop Leveler that will be used to stop

the HANDEL ON back side of the lens allowing this iris to be closed or open

3151_1212267170.jpg



3151_1212267253.jpg


This will not let you control the iris
 
BASSAM MSSALATIE said:
This fd mount dosn't have Stop Leveler that will be used to stop

the HANDEL ON back side of the lens allowing this iris to be closed or open

3151_1212267170.jpg



3151_1212267253.jpg


This will not let you control the iris
Click to expand...

Hi Bassam,

There is a spring mechanism in the FD mount that handles the stop down on the bayonet FD lenses. We had not completed this mechanism when some of the earlier mounts shipped, so yours may not have the feature.

Contact me and we can arrange to get the spring to you (its easy to self install) and you will have iris control on both styles of FD glass.

Kevin Halverson
 
i have been looking into fd lenses and have come across s.c., s.s.c, and others that are not marked with either. while i understand that they are lens coatings - should i be lookking specifically for the s.c.c for the best results or doesit really not matter so much.

again - thank you for any info.
 
Trick, as far as I know, the Canon "SSC" denomination is an indicator of the quality of the glass design and manufacture (i.e. coating formulations) in the FD mount days. More or less the equivalent of what a "L" designation would be these days.
 
Here is a link that might be helpful to those interested in the FDs. It's a nearly complete listing of all FDs produced.

http://web.mit.edu/dennis/www/canon/fd-lens-info.html

The designation S.C. references "Spectra Coating", while S.S.C. is "Super Spectra Coating" and these two designation apply only to the earlier (breech mount) FD glass. S.C. was the basic coating used on the lower priced glass, S.S.C. was the superior coating technology and reserved for the higher end lenses. Later, bayonet mount FDs no longer carrier the two designations as all have the superior coating technology.

The "L" designation is a separate family and denotes Canon's aspherical lenses. These were and are the highest performance lenses offered.

Kevin Halverson
 
Thanks, Kevin. Some older breech-lock FD mount SSC marked lenses were aspherical designs as well, like the 24mm, for example.

They're all excellent lenses in my book. Just love the output. Can't go wrong.
 
Hello Tico,

I fully agree, you really can't go wrong with the FDs. The results can be stunning and considering the prices, there is no better glass for the cost.

Kevin Halverson
 
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