Canon FD 50mm f/1,8 with reverse ring on 20D. Does it work?

Hi,
One quick question: will a Canon FD 50mm f/1,8 with reverse ring work on a 20D for Macro pics?

Thanks!

What kind of reversing ring? Do you mean that you want to put the FD 50 reversed on top of another lens or just reversed onto the body? Reversed on top of another lens is easy, but I have not seen many reverse onto the body adapters. When it comes to reversing though, it really does not matter what kind it is, only that it has the proper front filter screw diameter. In most cases, there will be no electrical connection from the body to the lens, so in fact the older lenses (with manually selectable f-stops) are better.

That's exactly why I have chosen the FD lens. I want to use the reverse ring to connect it directly to the camera, using the manual aperture on the lens, and shutter speed on the camera. Will the 20D electronic let me do it?

Yes, with the FD lens, and with most reversing adapters, there is no electronic connection to the camera, which means you will have to set your aperture manually. The camera will be able to give you your shutter speed based on that automatically though, in any case, which adapter are you planning on using? I have been looking for a while but have not found one I like.

I was thinking to use this adapter ring:

http://cgi.ebay.it …ame=STRK%3AMEWA​%3AIT&rd=1

thanks, have seen these before. When you get it (if not already) if you could let me know how it works I would appreciate it.

I will, when I'll get it. First I need to buy the lens. The one I was looking at on ebay, I missed it 10 minutes ago, for 8 secons and 50 cents!

I'd like to know how well it works too. I was going to make one but haven't had the time yet.

Jon.

yeah, that happens a whole lot to me too, I hate it. But, the next time I saw one, I bid on that too and won, and ended up paying less anyhow.

Dont' forget about the good old local pawn shops. They always have older cheap SLR stuff.

Jon.

Thanks Jon! I'll give a try there as well.

That's the exact lens I'm using.. it's pulling double-duty between my AE-1 and A95.... I've just posted some pics to the 'ballpoint pen' thread here..

One question, though: why would one need to stop down the aperture on the reversed lens? Wouldn't that only reduce the image size and cause vignetting? I shoot with the aperture wide open with my fifty, with aperture controlled on the lens attached the body.

Well, I guess for DOF. I have never shot macro so far (I'll give a try when the adapter I have ordered will be delivered), but, even if you are shooting at a small thing like an insect or a small flower, there may be some situations in which you want a deeper area to be in focus... Anyway you gave me a good idea: first I'll try with my EF 50mm f/1.8 wide open or almost wide open, and, if I feel the need to have more DOF, I'll buy the FD lens.
Thanks!

By the way, Croesus, your pics are much behind my expectations!

But, now, I am thinking of another thing: will a longer lens, say an 85 mm or 135, work even better when reversed for macro?

Umm.. If you mean "beyond expectations," I'll take as a compliment.

I don't know how a longer lens will affect your macro - most people stick to the reversed 50mm lens. If you want a higher magnification, like the 85 or 135mm, mount that on the camera side, and place the 50mm in front.

Stopping down the aperture on the reversed lens won't affect DoF (because the aperture blades are past the focal point of the camera lens), they'll just cut down on the useable area of your image and cause vignetting. Adjust for DoF with aperture of the lens mounted to your camera.

Here's a really good article on the topic:
All You Really Need to Know About Reversed Camera Lenses