What experience do you have w/ FD lenses on EF mounts?

[mc_hudd]

I have been thinking about buying the Canon EF 50mm 1.8, but am still unsure. I was looking on Ebay for one & started finding all kinds of FD mount lenses for very cheap! Has anyone else had experience w/ these lenses on EOS bodies? I have a T2i if that helps.

TIA!

PS~ I know you lose the AF feature w/ these lenses.

 

[Big Mike]

Well, the actual mount is different. So FD lenses won't fit onto EOS bodies. You can use an adapter, and there are two main types; with lens and without. An adapter without a lens element would allow you to mount the lens, but would take away the ability to focus at infinity. So it would really only be useful for Macro or fairly close shooting. The type with a lens element corrects for the lens offset and allows normal focus range, but your image quality is now subject to the quality of the lens in the adapter....and as you can expect, the cheaper adapters have pretty cheap lenses in them.

There there is the issue of using the lens. Obviously they won't auto focus, but the camera can't stop down the aperture either, so you'd have to do that manually on the lens....and that may require that you use 'stop down metering'.

So, the general consensus that I've always heard, is that it's only really worth it, if you have some really great FD lenses. So if you were just wanting to buy an FD 50mm F1.8 for $25....just to save money...I wouldn't recommend it.

An interesting point, is that when Canon switched from FD to EF lenses and EOS cameras, they did make some FD to EOS adapters that were of good quality, but they only gave/sold them to photographers who had significantly invested in FD lenses...because they were understandably upset over the change in format. You can sometimes find those high quality adapters on E-bay etc, but I think they are fairly expensive.

I have an FD 50mm F1.2 that I'm itching to try on a digital body, so I might order an adapter....if/when I do that, I'll be sure to relate my experience here on the forum.

 

[Dao]

If it is just for 50mm f/1.8, I will not recommend. By the time you buy the adapter with focus confirmation and the lens, it will cost you close to or more than half of the cost of a NEW EF 50mm f/1.8 II.

And you have a non AF, manual settings lens with focal length longer than 50mm since the adapter (with optics) will act as a mutiplier and the max aperture will no longer be f/1.8 (it is going to be smaller, depends on the adapter) [Note: optics required for lens to focus to infinity]

More info here Canon FD to EOS lens adapters - Elefoto


So, unless you already have or planing to get some great FD lenses, I do not think it is economical to go that direction. I'd rather looking for M42 mount lens with an adapter (no optics)

 

[mc_hudd]

Yes, I know you have to have an adapter... Thought I put this in the OP. I'm not necessarily talking just about the 50mm, you can find tons of FD lenses on Ebay for next to nothing. Guess it's just something I'll have to look into more.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[djacobox372]

I think you can mount other brand manual focus lenses (nikon/pentax/minolta) to a canon with a "lensless" adapter and still have infinity focus. The FD mount is the only mount that has this problem, which is why they are so much cheaper on the used market then nikon.

 

[Dao]

Yup! Take a look at this for more information regarding using old manual focus lens with EOS body.

Canon EOS lens Adapters - Manual focus lenses on Canon EOS bodies


So basically, if I want to use old manual focus lens, I will look for lens that has lens mount listed in the green zone from the link above. As for the FD lenses, unless I locate a great lens at good price, otherwise, I do not think I will get an adapter for it.

 

[Derrel]

Yes, I know you have to have an adapter... Thought I put this in the OP. I'm not necessarily talking just about the 50mm, you can find tons of FD lenses on Ebay for next to nothing. Guess it's just something I'll have to look into more.

Thanks for the replies!

There are tons of FD lenses on eBay for next to nothing because they are useless orphans, with no current native body that they work on, and to focus to infinity on a modern Canon or Nikon or most any other current camera, the adapter would need a glass element, or two, which would function as a weak teleconverter. This is a good example of Canon well and truly screwing its loyal users,and poisoning the well as they evacuated the village...