Canon 300mm F5.6 FD: Any good?

<p>Is the Canon 300mm 5.6 a good lens? They sure seem to be inexpensive.</p>

<p>It's an ok lens. See the test results: www.photozone.de/active/survey/querylens.jsp</p>

<p>There were at least three versions of this lens. There was a 300/5.6 FD with an attached tripod mounting collar and regular helical focusing. There was a later 300/5.6 FD SSC with internal focusing and later a New FD version of this same lens. I have the second version and find it quite good. Focusing a lens as long as 300mm and as slow as f/5.6 is not easy for everyone. I would use it with a L D screen so I could focus anywhere in the finder. Any screen with a split image focusing aid will black out in the center with a lens this slow if you are not in very broght light and of your eye isn't perfectly centered when you look through the finder. The 300 which is more affordable than an f/2.8 model, not as huge and still considered very good is the 300/4L.</p>

<p>Canon Museum lists four versions: the early FD 300/5.6, FD 300/56 S.C., FD 300/5.6 S.S.C., and the New FD 300/5.6. Versions number three and four are MUCH lighter than their predecessors, on the order of 400 or more grams less then their predecessors' 1100g+, I'm a bit skeptical about those figures. Version three received optical upgrades and a closer minimum focus distance too, along with a filter size reduction from 58 to 55mm.<br>

I'd like to see some pictures of 'em posted up here...</p>

<p>I'll second Jeff's endorsement of the FD 300/4 L. With image quality almost as good as that of the 300/2.8 L, and costing a small fraction of the price, I wouldn't even consider the 300/5.6.</p>

<p>In terms of the optical formulas, there were two FD 300mm f/5.6 lenses, with two minor variations of each:</p>

 

<ul>

<li>The first design was only made with the old breech lock mount. The FD 300mm f/5.6 was one of the original, first-generation FD lenses released in 1971. The FD 300mm f/5.6 S.C. released in 1973 had minor cosmetic updates. Optically, these lenses are identical.</li>

<li>The second FD 300mm f/5.6 was a totally new design with internal focusing. It was originally released with the old FD breech lock mount and S.S.C. lens coating, and was later updated to the New FD breech-bayonet mount.</li>

</ul>

<p>The first design is old school, built like a tank for heavy duty use. The second design incorporates more plastics and lighter construction.</p>

<p>When the subject of 300mm FD lenses is discussed, the common suggestion is to buy the FD 300mm f/4L or, for the budget minded, the non-L version. However, I think the f/5.6 versions are very good lenses if you only need this focal length for occasional use and can live with the darker viewfinder. The lighter weight of the second design makes it easier to use hand held and is slightly better optically. However, the first design has an excellent adjustable tripod collar.</p>

<p>My New FD mount version weighs in at exactly the weight specified in my 1983 lens brochure: 1 lb. 6 ozs., or 635 grams. I don't have a breech 300mm, but based on the weight of some of the smaller breech lenses, I wouldn't be surprised if it weighed twice as much. </p>