Canon fd mount (other lenses brands)

[Dimitris Xatzis]

Hi everybody, I am new here and I have a question!
I own a canon a1 and I am looking for some lenses. I wonder if you have some suggestions about 24mm 28mm and 50mm from other brands (except canon) with fd mount.

Thanks a lot!!!

 

[Derrel]

back in the day they were quite a few third-party lenses manufactured to fit Canon mount cameras. There were many, many brands such as Vivitar, Asanuma, Quantarary, and many others. today many of these lenses are found in pawnshops in boxes of old, junky equipment, and common lengths and speeds are available for $20 or less.

 

[Dimitris Xatzis]

Hi, thanks for your response. I found some of them on Ebay in good condition . I wonder if the quality is the same more or less good than canon

 

[ac12]

Hi, thanks for your response. I found some of them on Ebay in good condition . I wonder if the quality is the same more or less good than canon

Some are, many are not.
3rd party lenses were bought by those of us who could not afford manufacturer (Canon, Nikon, etc) lenses.

The important thing is, is it good enough for YOU?
I shot with Vivitar lenses, and it was good enough for me.

Caution on eBay.
What you see is visual condition, you have no idea if the lens has hidden damage or aging issues.

 

[dxqcanada]

The Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 is an awesome lens ... I don't think any third party made an equivalent in quality.
There were a lot of lens brands back in the days ... and many brands didn't even make their own stuff ... I would say just stick to Canon manufactured lenses if you want the IQ, otherwise just buy whatever ... though you may want to stick to brands like Vivitar, Sigma, and Tamron.

 

[stevet1]

The Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 is an awesome lens ....

dxqcanada,

I think so too. I had one for years and years that I couldn't use because the aperture ring was broken.
I got it repaired and have been very happy with it.

Steve Thomas

 

[Grandpa Ron]

I bought a Canon T6 Rebel and was able to use my Pentax film camera zoom with an adapter from eBay.

Because the zoom is for a 35 mm format and the digital sensor is smaller the Pentax lens focal length has to be multiplied by 1.6 .

Of course the focus and the f stop have to be set manually but the pictures look fine.

 

[stevet1]

I bought a Canon T6 Rebel and was able to use my Pentax film camera zoom with an adapter from eBay.

Because the zoom is for a 35 mm format and the digital sensor is smaller the Pentax lens focal length has to be multiplied by 1.6 .

Of course the focus and the f stop have to be set manually but the pictures look fine.

Ron,

I am using the same kind of setup. Can you explain the bit about the 35 mm format and the digital sensors and all?

Thanks,

Steve Thomas

 

[pendennis]

I bought a Canon T6 Rebel and was able to use my Pentax film camera zoom with an adapter from eBay.

Because the zoom is for a 35 mm format and the digital sensor is smaller the Pentax lens focal length has to be multiplied by 1.6 .

Of course the focus and the f stop have to be set manually but the pictures look fine.

The focal length doesn't change. The crop gives an apparent increase in focal length @ 1.6x. The actual image is the same size whether on a DX or FX camera. The focal length is measured from the optical center of the lens, to the sensor plane, so the magnification doesn't change.

 

[pendennis]

I bought a Canon T6 Rebel and was able to use my Pentax film camera zoom with an adapter from eBay.

Because the zoom is for a 35 mm format and the digital sensor is smaller the Pentax lens focal length has to be multiplied by 1.6 .

Of course the focus and the f stop have to be set manually but the pictures look fine.

Ron,

I am using the same kind of setup. Can you explain the bit about the 35 mm format and the digital sensors and all?

Thanks,

Steve Thomas

Steve, please see my response to Grandpa Ron.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Stevet1 and the group,

While it is true that connecting a 35 mm lens to a digital camera does not modify the lens in any way. It does affect the apparent results.

As you can see in the attachment. The image projected by the lens is designed for the area of a 35mm format camera. The digital sensor is smaller so it only capture a portion of the 35mm format area.

So when these two captured images are enlarged on your computer screen or printed to say a 5x7 format; the digital sensor image receives a higher level of magnification to cover the same area. That higher level of magnification, needed to fill the viewing area, gives the impression that it was taken with a longer lens. (Essentially the 35mm image it had been cropped, then expanded to its original size.)

In my case the camera sensor size creates the equivalent of a lens with a 1.6 times its actual focal length. Other camera sensors may require a different multiplier or in the case of the high dollar full frame sensors, no multiplier at all.

I hope this helps.

 

[stevet1]

Stevet1 and the group,

(Essentially the 35mm image it had been cropped, then expanded to its original size.)

Ron, and Dennis,

Thanks. I think I understand it.
By cropping the image, and then blowing it back up; does that result in a blurring around the edges, or do they stay sharp?

Steve Thomas

 

[ac12]

A different approach is to use magnification ratio.

First you need to know the "normal lens" for your sensor. This is approximately the diagonal measurement of your sensor.

• A full frame/35mm camera normally uses a 50mm lens.
• An APS-C camera normally uses a 35mm lens.
• A m4/3 camea normally uses a 25mm lens.

Magnification is simply divide the FL of your lens by the FL of the normal lens.
The normal lens is at 1x magnification.

• A 200mm lens on a FF camera = 200 / 50 = 4x
• The same 200mm lens on an APS-C camera = 200 / 35 = 5.7x
• The same 200mm lens on a m4/3 camera = 200 / 25 = 8x

This gets away from the "equivalent focal length" discussion, as many newer people have no connection to 35mm film or full frame cameras, so "full frame equivalent" means nothing to them.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

ac 12. Good explanation, I sometimes forget the film is not a universal as it used to be.

 

[ac12]

For film:

• 35mm, normal is a 50mm lens. The 200mm lens is 200/50 = 4x
  
• 6x6 120 film, normal is an 80mm lens. The 200mm lens is 200/80 = 2.5x
  
• 4x5 inch sheet film, normal is 135 or 150mm lens. The 200mm lens is 200/150 = 1.3x

I personally use the magnification method, as I shoot so many different formats of digital and film, that the "equivalent FL" method would drive me nuts.