Where can I find good FD mount L series lenses?

CanonGrunt

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Jan 28, 2012
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Hi all,

I'm currently trying to find good copies of FD L series glass. I have the 50 f/1.2L, and it is wonderful. It seems the 85 f/1.2 L shows up the most often, but the FD 14mm f/2.8 L, and the FD 24mm f/1.4 L seem to be the most elusive. Does anyone know good places to look? I scour eBay, Adorama, and B&H regularly, but they don't really seem to turn up.

I have never seen the FD 200mm f/1.8 L turn up. The FD 300mm f/4 L pops up fairly often, and the zooms are readily found in many cases. I guess they didn't produce as many of the wide primes or the 200?

If anyone knows where I can find them, best places to look, or you know someone who is selling them please let me know.

Thanks!!!
 
D

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Don't know where you live so I do not know if this is of any use but I picked up a nice FD 50 F1.4 at sensible money there a while back - they did have a lot of FD toys there at the time! I was on holiday at the time (UK Resident) so I do not know what they are like now.

Classic Camera Exchange, 12518 118 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5L 2K6, Canada.
 
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Ozarker

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Keep scouring E-bay. I am a vintage lens aficionado (I own more than 40), but I avoid the Canon FD lenses because adapting them to my Canon DSLR requires an adapter with an added piece of glass that really hurts image quality. I've attached a current link to a FD 200mm f/1.8L listing from e-bay. I think I would buy the modern EF 200mm f/2 before ever shelling out the same cash for that old FD lens. $5,500 + $125 shipping. No way. Of course, a collector would pay. I get the old vintage lenses for the novelty and cheap price... not because they are superior optical quality. Sometimes the deficiencies in IQ are what is appealing. I also buy oddities found in the Takumar lines... especially the 50mm f/1.4 varieties in that brand. I have two pre-production prototype lenses that made their way to Ebay. By the way, at that price there will be import duties. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mint-Canon...h=item2f2b3230e5:g:hbAAAOSwbKdb-mHy:rk:2:pf:0

Here's another for $2,900: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-200mm-1-8-Ultrasonic-EF-Lens/233091679072?_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIM.MBE&ao=2&asc=20160323102634&meid=dd3e2dc4395e411a900825134364a353&pid=100623&rk=2&rkt=6&sd=202588172517&itm=233091679072&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1

There are several listed on Ebay right now. Of course, all manual focus.
 
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Ozarker

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You can adapt FD lenses without glass, but the good adapters are expensive. Ed Mika used to post here a lot.

https://edmika.com/

True, but then one loses infinity focus without the added glass (flange distance related). For the 300mm+ focal lengths, infinity focus can be preserved somewhat because they are designed to focus past infinity to allow for expansion and contraction.

Canon actually made adapters for a very short while. They had 4 more elements providing a 1.26x multiplier for the more expensive L lenses. Again, due to flange distance.

FD flange distance is 42mm. EF is 44mm.

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/reviews/canon_fd_eos_adapters.html
Capture.JPG
 
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True, but then one loses infinity focus without the added glass (flange distance related). For the 300mm+ focal lengths, infinity focus can be preserved somewhat because they are designed to focus past infinity to allow for expansion and contraction.

Canon actually made adapters for a very short while. They had 4 more elements providing a 1.26x multiplier for the more expensive L lenses. Again, due to flange distance.

FD flange distance is 42mm. EF is 44mm.

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/reviews/canon_fd_eos_adapters.html
View attachment 183038
I may have mislead you with my wording. They are not adapters in the sense that you mount them between the lens and the body, they are conversion kits, and retain infinity focus. You get a EF mount that is designed to be mounted on the lens inplace of the FD mount, so there are dofferent kits for different lenses. You do not have to permanently modify the lens, but you do remove the old mount and attach the new one. You can reverse the process.

They do have a limitation of which lenses they work with.

The kits are really only a solution for fairly rare and valuable lenses, it makes no sense to pay $75 to convert a $25 consumer grade lens.
 
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Ozarker

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I may have mislead you with my wording. They are not adapters in the sense that you mount them between the lens and the body, they are conversion kits, and retain infinity focus. You get a EF mount that is designed to be mounted on the lens inplace of the FD mount, so there are dofferent kits for different lenses. You do not have to permanently modify the lens, but you do remove the old mount and attach the new one. You can reverse the process.

They do have a limitation of which lenses they work with.

The kits are really only a solution for fairly rare and valuable lenses, it makes no sense to pay $75 to convert a $25 consumer grade lens.

I see. :) I stick to M42 screw mounts for this very reason.
 
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I see. :) I stick to M42 screw mounts for this very reason.
I have a ton of M42, Nikon, OM, as well as lots of adapters. I also have one FD - EF glassless adapter, but I don't recall ever using it.

I have tested some of the old lenses on my R, I just use the appropriate EF adapter and attach them to the EF-RF adapter that came with my R. That works fine. I have sold a number of my old Nikon glass, but still have 6 or so old lenses and one 50mm f/1.8D that I keep in case I get a Nikon digital body to test out. I have a AF film body for it.

I need to get rid of that old stuff, I have boxes and boxes, each one dedicated to one brand.
 
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Ozarker

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I have a ton of M42, Nikon, OM, as well as lots of adapters. I also have one FD - EF glassless adapter, but I don't recall ever using it.

I have tested some of the old lenses on my R, I just use the appropriate EF adapter and attach them to the EF-RF adapter that came with my R. That works fine. I have sold a number of my old Nikon glass, but still have 6 or so old lenses and one 50mm f/1.8D that I keep in case I get a Nikon digital body to test out. I have a AF film body for it.

I need to get rid of that old stuff, I have boxes and boxes, each one dedicated to one brand.
It is amazing what we can accumulate over the years. For me to consider my Takumar collection complete I still need a 20, 24, and 85mm. I have the hoods and cases. The problem is always the price for good condition with no haze or fungus. Love that old M42 stuff and don't really care what brand they are at all. Sometimes it's just fun to mount one and use it. Nostalgia for old things is what grabs me. I never owned any of that back then, I just like the idea of preserving it. It will be a lot of fun (hopefully) to share with my grandson one day. Hoping the focus peaking works well on one of the R cameras. Works great on my Olympus, but the crop is murder. :)
 
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