Using FD (and other) lenses on EOS bodies

*Edited and updated slightly aug '06

One question that comes up very often on this (and other) forums is -can old FD lenses be used on an EOS cameras -film or digital?
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to use those old lenses which are otherwise doing nothing?
Also lot of the older prime (non zoom) lenses are optically very good- allmost equal to modern lenses.
Hey,some people even prefer older manual focus lenses for their lovely focusing feel

Unfortunately the quick answer is ... no - FD lenses can't easily be used on EOS

The more complicated answer is that FD lenses can be used but either the image quality suffers or there are other drawbacks.
Canon did once make a good optical type adapter for using FD lenses on EOS but it only works on certain tele lenses plus it is VERY expensive .Figure on at least us$600 2nd hand !!!Added to that it does degrade optical quality very slightly (allthough it helps that it only fits some of the very best professional lenses)

There are cheapo adapters available on ebay (about us$40) to use allmost any FD lens on EOS but because they need to have built-in corrective optics they aren't really worth using -the image quality is not very good.

There are also simple (non optical) adapters that allow you to use FD lenses on EOS -BUT- these are only uasable for close up macro work.It's impossible to focus to any usable distance at all

Here's the good news though!!!There are brands that CAN be easily used on EOS, and there are some great ones among them!!
Common brands used on EOS via simple (non optical )adapters are:

Nikon (Except modern G type lenses *)
Zeiss (Contax/yashica mount)
Olympus
Leica R
M42 (the old pentax universal screw mount)
Pentax K mount (EF-S EOS bodies only -Normal EF bodies need slightly modified lenses)
T mount (many cheap tele lenses and mirror lenses)

Brands that can only be used with an optical adapter -and so are not worth using in my opinion- are:
Canon FD
Minolta MD/MC
Minolta AF ***

Prices:
Inexpensive Olympus ,leica ,contax/yashica, M42, T mount and Nikkor adapters are available on ebay for about us$15-50.These are quite well made for the price .
The one common 'problem' is that they are nearly allways built too thin to be on the safe side,so the focus distance scales are often inaccurate (if they are slightly too thick infinity focus would be impossible)
There are also some very good -but expensive- brand adapters available.Cameraquest seems to be the place most spoken

So -how does a manual focus lens work on EOS cameras anyway?

Well you have to focus the lens yourself of course but you knew that allready

The really great thing with EOS is that they still meter with a non EOS lens. Ok,it's not full matrix type metering but it's reasonably acurate. Even the flash works quite well !!
What you do is set the camera to 'Av' mode then choose an aperture on the lens.Now half press the shutter button and the camera will automatically select a shutter speed to suit!
You can also use 'M' mode and select the shutter speed yourself (in the viewfinder) if you like working that way

Actually the toughest part of all this is trying to get good acurate focus!
Old manual focus cameras had small prism arrays in the viewfinder that showed when something was even slightly out of focus.Autofocus cameras have none of this so getting sharp pictures is not allways easy.
I regularly take more shots than i need,resetting the focus several times to make sure i get at least one really sharp shot!
*update .. these days at least one aftermarket seller offers microprism focussing screens for the most popular Canon DSLR bodies.


The other problem (and it's a very small one) is focussing at small apertures.
Because a manual lens will make the viewfinder image quite dark when using small apertures it's easier to open up the
aperture,focus,close the aperture the right amount THEN take the picture
When using large apertures none of this is needed of course-just focus and shoot.
I imagine most old lenses used will be relatively large aperture primes chosen because they work so well wide open,so like i said this is not a serious issue at all.


Some odd rare problems:
Most EOS cameras do a great job of getting the exposure right if used in Av or M modes.The rare exceptions seem to be most of the EOS 30/33 (elan 7/7e) series which tended to get it wrong .I've read that the latest eos 30/elan 7 series have had their firmware fixed but i'm not completely sure.
The EOS 5(A2) and 50(elan II) cameras can sometimes have a dissabling switch on the lensmount.This locks up the camera when a non EOS lens is used.I have no idea why they did this and it's abit of a mystery why not all of one model type are the same.
I've heard some others mention it and have had it happen (sometimes) when i tried my EOS 5 with a non EOS lens-but never with my EOS 50
If you camera meters ok without a lens but won't with a manual lens then this could be the problem.There is a way to bypass the lensmount switch i've heard


* Nikkor G type lenses don't have an aperture ring so in theory cant be used .....but the aperture can be very easily held open (or set at certain apertures) with a small wad of paper on the lens linkage.Crude but harmless

*** Minolta AF has a shorter mount distance than EOS but only by half a millimeter so there's not enough room to make an adapter **EDIT .Actually it may be possible to make a mount as that half mm distance on the mount only has to act as a spacer-not a structural part.So far though no one has bothered trying

Here are some links to sellers of EOS adapters for other brand lenses
In no particular order:
http://www.cameraquest​.com/frames/4saleReos.​htm -this place is expensive but has a good range of quality adapters

http://www.novoflex.de​/english/html/products​.htm -these are also a good brand name,not sure on prices.Seems to currently offer only Leica R,Nikon and several medium format adapters

http://www.dslrexchang​e.com/ -This one looks like a good mid priced Contax adapter

here are two ebay sellers with good reputations that offer various inexpensive adapters-

http://feedback.ebay.c​om …&userid=fotodio​x&frm=1728 (click on lens accessories and even check his completed auctions to see what else he offers-he doesn't sell all types at any one time)
**** Great news-this seller is now offering reasonably priced leica and contax adapters.Hopefully olympus adapters will follow soon?****

http://feedback.ebay.c​om …e&iid=387141005​4&frm=1728 (same here-check past auctions to see everything he sells)

Ron:
This is excellent information.

Here is a link to a thread I started a while back regarding my experience with the Canon FD-EOS converter.
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=50629
It should be pointed out that this is a pretty rare piece, it's not cheap, loses 2/3 f-stop, corrects for the different distance to the focus plane by enlarging hte image by 26%, and only fits certain lenses. This is the list: (if your lens is not on it, you can still use the inexpensive adapter, but won't be able to focus to infinity)

FD 200mm 1.8 L
FD 200mm 2.8 RF
FD 300mm 2.8 L
FD 300mm 4
FD 300mm 4 L
FD 400mm 2.8 L
FD 400mm 4.5
FD 500mm 4.5 L
FD 600mm 4.5
FD 800mm 5.6 L
FD 50-300mm 4.5 L
FD 85-300mm 4.5
FD 150-600mm 5.6 L

Ron, great post. Good info for those who want to try "'other" lenses. You mentioned focusing screens for the drebel. I haven't tried this myself, but there is a person on the canondigicamhacking forum on Yahoo who is selling various screens for the drebel. Here is a link to some information with prices. (may have to register to view): http://groups.yahoo.co​m …gicamhacking/me​ssage/2856

Seems interesting, I looked up a mount on ebay, about 30-40 for an FD-EOS mount, also noticed folks selling things like FD 200mm f/2.8 , quite an attractive price. I am curious, are the older FDs as sharp as say the most current lens, have manufactures refined the quality of lens since then, or is it mainly features and speed.

Karl,

Why take the worry?

Of course, Canon FD lenses are great lenses, but you will have to put some kind of glass in the converter (and this means quality loss), and they will only be manual on the DSLR anyway.

If you find a Nikon 200/2.8, you'll have better results because there is no glass in the adapter (assuming the Nikon lens is as good as the Canon FD lens, which should definitely be the case).

Plus, the FD-EOS adapter you will get for 40$ will be - to use CDS' expert term - poop. Do you want to try a 40$ third-party 1.4 TCON on your EF lenses? What kind of glass element do you think will be inside?

The adapters for the other lenses, on the other hand, do not have optical elements. Basically, they are just spacer disks with the correct lens threads on either end.

Take a look at this link for further information, it also shows the kinds of lenses that can be used with the respective mount distances: http://www.bobatkins.c​om …faq/manual_focu​s_EOS.html

Ron:

Great information. As you remember, I'm currently also in the process of trying out this to see how it works.

I bought a Russian Jupiter 85/2.0 lens and a Zeiss 135/3.5 lens (both lenses reportedly in excellent condition) from eBay last week for a total of 50$ and am eagerly awaiting them. I'll post some pictures as soon as I have them. I was beaten to a 200/2.8 Zeiss lens that sold for 200$.

Just another thing ... a lens mount you did not mention that is also seen sometimes is the 'Pentacon 6' mount for medium format lenses (Russian/East German). There are some world class lenses available in that lensmount (e.g. the Zeiss Sonnar 180/2.8 or 300/4) that are used by pro medium format photographers also on Mamiya 645 cameras.
(Edit: They most likely won't work on Hasselblad, as the flange focal distance for Hasselblad is actually the longest of all MF formats)

Best regards,
Andy

And, Oh God, do I miss that prism match focusing! Do any of these focus screens I see offered for the 20D approximate the older focus system?

There are 3 minor problems with this ...

1) Canon does not offer focus screens for the 20D. Unlike the 1D, the focus screen on the 20D (and 10D, 300D, ...) can not be exchanged

2) If you want to add a new focus screen, you'll have to do this yourself. Problem is, you have to work *extremely* accurate, as a split screen will not work (and actually give you wrong results) if you do not exactly stick it to the middle of the image, and parallel to the focus pane

3) If you put an additional focus screen into your viewfinder, then you will lose some of the light ... making the viewfinder even dimmer.

Focusing ... According to what I've read about using manual lenses on digital SLRs, this could be a 'real' advantage of the D70

Both DSLRs can assist manual focusing by illuminating the sensor point in the viewfinder that is currently in focus. But while this only works with EF lenses on Canon DSLRs, according to discussions I read on other forums, the D70 also has this feature on Non-Nikon-lenses. Anybody know this for sure?

Edit: On the other hand, the Nikon mount has the longest flange offset distance ... so you won't be able to use Canon, M42 or other lenses on the Nikon system with simple adapters, leaving you only MF lenses to convert.

Best regards,
Andy

Thank you for that information! I must have misssed the fact that they were not for the 20D. . . . and I need the brightest focusing screen I can get.

Wow the server was busy last night-i couldn't get in!

Andy i mentioned in passing where one can buy several medium format adapters but that subject needs some more thought put into it for sure.I didn't really think to add much info on them.
Do you mean that pentacon mount lenses can be fitted to hasslblads and mamiyas somehow?
I'm looking forward to results from your jupiter 85/2 ! Do you have any canon prime lenses to compare it to?

Bodog,thanks for that yahoo link about focus screens.Really difficult to get to but worth it! Looks like she has succeeded at last in making good 300D manual focus screens,i'll watch that one with interest.I have made one myself but the 300D screen is actually slightly recessed ,so special techniques are needed to make them as far as i can tell.

Belmondo-I remember that test but somehow missed that it was the genuine canon extender you were using!

*** One Option i didn't mention is that some FD lenses could be modified so that the mount is completely replaced with a custom made EOS mount.This wouldn't be as involved as it sounds-the two hardest aspects would be measuring everything perfectly and having a machinist make up the part.It wouldn't even be very expensive.I have only heard of one shop that does this work but don't have any current links.I have done it myself in a crude way by glueing an EF lensmount plate to an FD lens chassis.I haven't as yet aquired a good enough FD lens that's worth doing properly.Also i want to buy my own lathe so i can do all this myself...and maybe others as well .

I wanted to convert an FD300/2.8 one day but that FD 200/1.8 would be well worth going to the effort to have changed over

KB224 -generally modern prime lenses aren't much better than the best older ones.It's zooms that have made huge optical improvements the last decade or so.
As Andy says though-the only easy way to use the FD200/2.8 on EOS is with that cheap optical converter.
You would be far better off buying a nikkor 200/2.8 and using the cheap ,high quality (no optics needed!) nikon-EOS adapter

The angle finder C is considered a good asset for manual focus, particularly with cameras that have smaller viewfinders.

OK, I just ordered it! Thanks.

Go to the Yahoo Canon Digital Camera Hacking group (http://groups.yahoo.co​m/group/canondigicamha​cking/) and search for Rachael. She is an engineer who has figured out a somewhat effecient way to fabricate split and micro-prism focusing screens for the 300D. The microprism screen has virtually no affect on metering but the split-prism screens (regular and brightness-enhanced) affect metering by 1 stop or more. However, they are excellent solutions for manually focusing the 300D.

In the files section of the group are instructions for changing the screen. It's actually rather simple, all that is needed is a steady hand, ability to work with tiny objects, and ability to read and follow instructions.

Screens cost about $100, which is steep until you consider the small production runs she is doing.

here's the link to some popular M42 lenses:


http://anusf.anu.edu.a​u …aphy/cameras/wh​atlens.htm

Morning;
No one has mentioned the Canon Magnifier S w/Adapter S

I have used one for years on the old A-1. I was digging through my A-1 camers bag a couple of weeks ago and found the Magnifier S, will it work on my 20D? Oh ya. Being old and and half blind it really works great for me.