Need help with Canon FL lens

Anyone knowledgeable in Canon FL lenses? I cant seem to put my 35mm 2.5 in auto mode, I also have a 55mm 1.2 which clearly had a lever marked A and M. My 35mm on the other hand just has a ring behind the aperture ring, but it doesn't say which way to turn to be in the auto mode(might not even have an auto mode for all I know).

Trying to use it on a Canon FT(also have a AV).

anyone? flickr wont let me log in anymore for some reason so I cant ask on the SLR groups there.

Do you have a manual? If not, Canon has a "search" function for older gear -- you should be able to find a manual there, and it should have the info you need!

If you set one of the smaller f/numbers on the lens you are having issues with, and turn the ring that you think is for Auto/Manual diaphragm operation, in one that aperture diaphragm should remain fully open in the auto position, and be stopped down in the manual position. Just about every mechanical lens system I have looked at uses the mechanism to close the aperture diaphragm down, not to hold it open. Otherwise just mount it on a body, without film, and operate the camera, again with the lens stopped well down, and just look in the front of the lens, so see which position keeps the lens stopped down, and which has the diaphragm work automatically. As long as the control ring moves freely you should not have any issues. Actually with the lens manually stopped down, you should see the viewfinder get significantly darker with the lens diaphragm set to manual, as you stop the lens down.

If you are not seeing any movement of the diaphragm with the control in either position, then I would suggest that there is something significantly wrong with the lens.

Alan

tonylong wrote in post #18102059
Do you have a manual? If not, Canon has a "search" function for older gear -- you should be able to find a manual there, and it should have the info you need!

I do have the manual, it does not have this lens in there. Just covered the kit 50mm 1.8.

BigAl007 wrote in post #18102074
If you set one of the smaller f/numbers on the lens you are having issues with, and turn the ring that you think is for Auto/Manual diaphragm operation, in one that aperture diaphragm should remain fully open in the auto position, and be stopped down in the manual position. Just about every mechanical lens system I have looked at uses the mechanism to close the aperture diaphragm down, not to hold it open. Otherwise just mount it on a body, without film, and operate the camera, again with the lens stopped well down, and just look in the front of the lens, so see which position keeps the lens stopped down, and which has the diaphragm work automatically. As long as the control ring moves freely you should not have any issues. Actually with the lens manually stopped down, you should see the viewfinder get significantly darker with the lens diaphragm set to manual, as you stop the lens down.

If you are not seeing any movement of the diaphragm with the control in either position, then I would suggest that there is something significantly wrong with the lens.

Alan

it's just working as an OFF/ON switch basically. One set the aperture wide open, the other steps it down.

I've owed a bunch of older M42 non auto glass and it's the same way one way for fully open, another to step it down. Just figured by the 60s this lens should have the auto feature.

The thing about FL lenses though it that they were just rangefinder lenses converted to SLR, externally they look identical to the lenses Canon had on their rangefinders.

FD lenses on the other hand look like SLR designs.

FL lenses have no "Auto" mode. They didn't even support wide open metering.

Both of these lens look familiar. Did you get these for free with the Canon FT QL? I put them on this board a few years ago to give a way to someone who was just starting out in photography. I was told I was crazy to give the away, but I was more interested in seeing someone get some use out of them. My memory is not good enough to recall the A & M setting, but I think the gentleman above has it correct. Set your f stop and when in auto, it stays wide open until shutter is released. In M, it should darken as you go to the higher number f stop. It is not an auto exposure setting.

I purchased the 1.2 with a FT QL off ebay, the 35mm was purchased separately .

The 1.2 works as you say the 35 does not step down unless I step down the ring manually.
Just wondered if it was normal or odd.