NikonGear'23

Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: Zang on May 10, 2020, 21:05:35

Title: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Zang on May 10, 2020, 21:05:35
Happy Sunday everyone!

This is me turning a non-working junk into a nice lens :)

the problem I had was the aperture was not working at all. Everything inside got scrambled and the blades were full of oil.

Having experience with Nikon, I can tell that Canon FD aperture coupling is design disaster. I am not surprise they scraped FD mount completely in late 80s.

Cheers,
Zang
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 10, 2020, 21:42:42
Picture of lens still looks like "junk"?    …...not a nice working lens?
How did to adjust for infinity?     …..by marking the helicoid and try to assemble exactly like it was?
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Zang on May 10, 2020, 22:20:21
I put together everything as it was, but it missed the infinity (tested on film SLR). My guess is the infinity was wrong previously. I nailed the infinity by slightly adjusting the focus ring position as shown in the picture.

Cheers,
Zang
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Zang on May 10, 2020, 22:24:34
Picture of lens still looks like "junk"?    …...not a nice working lens?
...

It was dirty oily and stiff to the degree that no one would think trying it would be fun ;) ... beside I had no way to use FD :)
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 10, 2020, 22:28:04
But now you can use it.....on a Z-body?
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Zang on May 10, 2020, 22:32:23
I do not have Z. I have just bought NEX6 for $35 and when waiting for the Yashica mount Matt sent me from Vermont, I found an FD adapter for $3 :)
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 10, 2020, 22:38:35
That was cheap…….for both…..think there are many good FD-lenses…….
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Zang on May 10, 2020, 22:41:16
btw... someone gave me the lens with a body for free. The lens was not functioning. The camera is fully mechanical and has non-working 8s shutter speed. I used them for decoration hanging over my desk. Now, only the body is left as the decoration :)
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 10, 2020, 22:46:21
I read that Stanley Kubrick got a Canon 50/1.4 modified for use on movie camera......so must have been good.
The same with a Nikkor 180/2.8.
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Zang on May 10, 2020, 22:50:47
That was cheap…….for both…..think there are many good FD-lenses…….

Yeah, the adapter is Fotga brand that probably costs $10 new on Amazon. I burned more on gas to pick it up than for the actual adapter. The result is pretty impressive. This one was wide open at 1.8.
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 10, 2020, 23:02:14
Yes, nice wide open sharpness…..good lens for the price…..
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 11, 2020, 08:46:00
According to the information in the video:
https://petapixel.com/2015/04/01/a-look-at-the-camera-lenses-used-by-stanley-kubrick-over-his-career/

...the Canon lens Kubrick used was a FD 35/1.4     …..maybe if you can get it for a few $ you could test this lens also. It probably performs well wide open.....
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Zang on May 11, 2020, 13:16:32
According to the information in the video:
https://petapixel.com/2015/04/01/a-look-at-the-camera-lenses-used-by-stanley-kubrick-over-his-career/

...the Canon lens Kubrick used was a FD 35/1.4     …..maybe if you can get it for a few $ you could test this lens also. It probably performs well wide open.....

Thanks for sharing the interesting video! FD lenses are pretty rare here now, though.

Cheers,
Zang
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 11, 2020, 13:58:18
I can't find a picture of a FD 35/1.4   ….so I wonder if it was a 35/1.4 or maybe a 50/1.4.
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Zang on May 11, 2020, 14:03:52
I can't find a picture of a FD 35/1.4   ….so I wonder if it was a 35/1.4 or maybe a 50/1.4.

Yeah, 50/1.4 could be the one :)
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Birna Rørslett on May 11, 2020, 17:36:11
I've actually seen a Canon 35mm f/1.4 FD thus the lens does exist :)
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 11, 2020, 17:40:41
Ok....then the video must be correct…...he used a Canon FD 35/1.4   …...so a lens to find....somewhere…..
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 11, 2020, 18:00:45
They made a 24/1.4 then probably also a 35/1.4.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/CANON-LENS-FD-24-mm-1-1-4-S-S-C-ASPHERICAL-Mount-Canon-FD-TOP-Zustand/264703003731?hash=item3da1874c53:g:ZD0AAOSwKb1emVY6

…..but this one looks like a newer version......

Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: dickb on May 11, 2020, 21:11:05
The 24/1.4 Asph is a very nice lens, but I didn't use mine often enough and sold it for a substantial amount of money - it is very sought after at the moment.. I have never seen a 35/1.4 FD though, nor any mention of a production 35mm FD lens faster than 2.0. I wonder if the lens Birna saw was one of the cinema line of Canon lenses, IIRC there was a 35/1.4 in that series. One of the reasons the 24/1.4 Asph is so expensive is that these have the same glass as the cinema line (CN Series?) and are bought by cine rental businesses to rehouse in I think PL barrels.
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 11, 2020, 22:17:17
Maybe the 35/1.4 can be recognized in the video....even that it has been adapted?
What I think I could see was that the aperture ring was at the top like a preset aperture lens.

Now that these FD lenses can be used on must mirrorless cameras may have caused a price jump up. As I remember many was quite cheap years ago but of course not the rare ones.
I did not know the 24/1.4.
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Akira on May 11, 2020, 22:42:23
I don't think Canon FD or New FD 35mm f1.4 lens exists.  Here are links to Canon's own web lens museum:

FD:

https://global.canon/en/c-museum/series_search.html?t=lens&s=fd

New FD:

https://global.canon/en/c-museum/series_search.html?t=lens&s=nfd

There are 24mm f1.4 lenses (yes, I have seen ones), but no 35mm f1.4 (I've never been aware).  The fastest 35mm FD lens was of f2.0.

Here is the Canon FD mount page in the Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_FD_lens_mount
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 11, 2020, 23:02:33
There are also FL lenses. It seems the lens he has in his hands in the video has the aperture ring like this lens?

https://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/fl100.html

Looks like nice built quality.
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Zang on May 12, 2020, 04:50:16
Another sample from FD 50 f1.8
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Zang on May 12, 2020, 04:54:03
Another one taken at 1.8, almost in darkness :)
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: dickb on May 12, 2020, 19:44:41
The Canon 35mm f/1.4 wasn't produced commercially as an FD lens, there may have been prototypes though. The series of cine lenses that did include a 35/1.4 is called K35, not CN as I guessed earlier. Other lenses in that series appear to have the same optics as FD series lenses, the aspherical versions of the 24/1.4, 55/1.2 and 85/1.2, but not the 35/1.4.
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: MEPER on May 12, 2020, 22:22:13
According to the list on this site there seems to exist a 35/1.5 for the Canon Rangefinder 7?
https://www.cameraquest.com/crflen.htm

But it is not a very common lens.
Title: Re: Overhauling Canon FD 50mm f1.8
Post by: Erik Lund on May 12, 2020, 22:48:06
According to the list on this site there seems to exist a 35/1.5 for the Canon Rangefinder 7?
https://www.cameraquest.com/crflen.htm (https://www.cameraquest.com/crflen.htm)

But it is not a very common lens.
Very nice rangefinder lens the Canon LTM 35mm f/1.5 I used one on Leica M8 for a long time, very smooth lens!