Using FD (and other) lenses on EOS bodies

I got a couple of free (yes, free) FD Mount lenses and a broken T70 body...

Niow I'm trying to find a cheap T-series body as a backup to my DReb ...

I'd love a T90, but that wont happen for less than 200 dollars...

I guess I could just try to find some of the mentioned lenses...

Great info!

Another great source: Ken's very informative M42 lens test thread

Test with equal image size and 100% images.

Best regards,
Andy

Ron, thanks for the good summary.

I would say this about even the cheap optical adapters: I've used one for special needs and it worked. Near as I could tell, it had no more effect on the image quality than a teleconverter. It's not something I'd want to use routinely, but if I had a really expensive and specialized FD L-series lens, I'd use it in a heartbeat. I'm thinking of lenses like the old flourite telephotos, such as the 300/2.8 with extender, that would be expensive to replace today. Those lenses utterly pushed the state of the art and were Canon's entry into the sports photo market that they now dominate.

I would not, of course, buy the optical adaptor as a step in collecting old FD lenses. It only has value for those who have the lenses already and want to keep using them for a while.

Rick "who has a range of FD lenses, but no flourite telephoto, heh, heh" Denney

Of course, the ever-more-popular 'Zeiss Jena lenses and how to buy them' thread should not be missing from the links given here

Best regards,
Andy

EOS Lens Adapters....

Non-EF Lenses, lenses designed for other cameras, can sucessfully be adapted to work, with fantastic results, on EOS cameras....

These adapters are avialible in varrious mounts from $10-$300 depending on the mount and where you buy from...

You will lose many automatic features with adapted lenses. This includes autofocus, auto diaphram, electronic focus point confirmition, and some of the basic modes don't meter the light properly.

For some the loss of automation seems crazy, but for those of us who remember the joy of using manual cameras it can bee rather nice. For me comming from a Leica M6 Rangefinder, manual lenses and the creative camera modes are very enjoyable. For those who only shoot in the basic modes and have only known todays electronic wonder-cams it is not worth it.

As I mentioned recently, about the old Nikon, Nikkor lenses...
The build quality alone is in a different class than todays plastic and electronic marvels. They are fun just to hold and marvel at the engineering that went into them. Of course the Nikkor glass even in my (all pre-ai) lenses never fails to please. In fact I like my Nikkor lenses so much that I have adapted them to work on my EOS. Since Nikon bodies are thinner than EOS all it takes is an adapter ring to make up the spacing difference. Of course you lose much of your automation, but you still get metering! (you dont even get that using your old nikon lenses on new nikon bodies!).

If you already have a colection of adaptable lenses like I do then it is really a no-brainer, go get the adapter.... If not then you should still expirement. Some of the worlds most legendary 35mm lenses are not made for the canon EOS but are still worth using. Here is a quick list of world class lenses adaptable to the EOS...

In order of price (I think):

Pentax-Takumar...............​50mm/1.4 Beautiful low light portraits
Nikon-Nikkor...............1​05mm/2.5 (AKA "the lens from outter-space"!:p)
Contax-Carl Ziess............ 45mm/2.0 Plannar
Leica-Leitz............... 50mm/2.0 Summicron-R

One of my shots with a 50mm/1.4 Pentax-Takumar
https://photography-on-the.net/forum...ead.ph​p?t=74208

One of my shots with a 50mm/2.8 CZJ Tessar:
https://photography-on-the.net/forum...ead.ph​p?t=76647

I too am abit of an adapted lens adict
In fact i've even converted non adaptable lenses so that they can be used on EOS!

What about using pre-EF Canon lenses on the 20D?

Unfortunately Canon manual focus (FD) lenses are actually one of the hardest to use.
No great loss though when there are such great lenses that can be used -Leica,nikkor,contax,pe​ntax screwmount,etc

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=57023

Andy, the main problem using Pentacon Six lenses on 500-series Hasselblads is the lack of a shutter. The Hasselblad camera does not have a shutter and the lenses are built around their own leaf shutters. The 180mm Sonnar is well enough regarded to have had custom mounts made to replace the factory mount so that it can be used on the Hasseblad 2000 series cameras (which have a focal-plane shutter).

Most folks buying medium-format cameras to use with Pentacon Six cameras are using Pentax or Mamiya 645 cameras that have focal-plane shutters. Of course, an Exakta 66 (which is just the post-unification version of the Pentacon Six, with some nice improvements) will do very well and maintain the auto diaphragm. Those lenses will also work directly on the Kiev 60 and Kiev 88CM cameras for the adventurous.

The 180 and 300 Sonnars and the 500mm Pentacon Prakticar are the only lenses I would use on my 10D without reservation. Many of the lenses in the P-6 mount are silly cheap, though not as cheap as M42 lenses that are possibly better in this format.

Rick "who adapts P-6 lenses for Canon only because he already has them" Denney

I will try and look up the reference, I think it was on FredMiranda, but people have been reporting very good results with FD lenses using the Kiev adapter. It does have a corrective lens and allows focus at infinity, which I understand is an issue for other FD adapters. To be honest, at least in the posts I have seen, the pics look pretty good. I have been mulling over buying one from their ebay store for the last 2 months so I can use my FD SSC lenses on my 10D. Not much of a risk, at $30-40 but... Just to reiterate, I haven't used the adapter myself!

Like many others I have a host of Nikkor A1 lenses that need a DSLR body to call home. I realise I need an adapter to connect to a Canon body but would the 350D be a good choice???

I don't know what "A1" means, but if you mean "Ai", then they will work fine on any Canon DSLR body with an adaptor. They will be stop-down lenses, so there will be no connection to the aperture ring, and you'll have to stop the lens down manually once you focus the image. A Canon camera in Av mode will meter correctly through the stopped-down lens. The only Nikon lenses that won't work are those that don't have manual aperture controls. I haven't tested any of my wife's electronic Nikon lenses with my adaptor.

Rick "only marginally informed on Nikon lenses" Denney

Just to make sure I read this right, all I need is a adapter
and I will be able to use my (m42-mount) 55mm F/1.7 lens?
I think its the default one for the "Chinon CS" SLR if that makes any difference.

Jonathan, that is correct. If it's an M42 lens, it will work with the adapter on your EOS camera in A mode (setting aperture manual on lens).

Back to the original issue of using FD lenses on an EOS SLR:

Take a look here, nothing like some sample images (FD 50/1.8 + optical adapter vs. EF 85/1.8 ).

Best regards,
Andy

Conon/Maxum/Sony lense mating

I've seen the new Sony Alpha and must say that having the anit-shake feature in the camera is the way to go. Assuming, that is, that it works as well as the IS lenses.
Does anyone know if my Canon "L" lenses can mate with the Sony? I believe the Sony mates with Minolta Maxum lenses.
Thanks.