FD 50mm f/1.4 version question

<p>Hi all,<br>

I notice there are numbers of version of FD 50 f/1.4 has been poroducted. The silvery metal lock mount has 2 different style of hood mount (silver/black) and some marked ssc while some haven't. The later one version (plastic lock mount) also some have ssc while some have it being removed.<br>

So how many version of Canon FD 50mm F/1.4 exist and what is their major difference?</p>

<p>Thank you, Kevin.</p>

<p>Here is a link to the Canon Camera Museum which lists specs for all Canon lenses:</p>

<p>http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/index.html</p>

<p>Cheers! Jay</p>

<p>Kevin, all four versions of the FD 50/1.4 have the same optical formula. In fact, so does the EF 50/1.4, which shows how well Canon nailed the 50/1.4 way back in 1971. So much for "progress."</p>

<p>I have all four of the FD 50/1.4's (as well as the EF 50/1.4): the earliest, chrome nose non-SSC version, the two SSC versions, and the New FD (FDn) version. "SSC" stands for "Super Spectra Coating," which is Canon's phrase for multi-coating (a process that reduces flare, among other things). Almost all FDn lenses, including the 50/1.4, have SSC; it's just that Canon stopped labelling the lenses "SSC" when they introduced the FDn line. </p>

<p>The only differences between the FD 50/1.4 SSC and FDn 50/1.4 are that the newer lens has one more f-stop of aperture (minimum f/22 rather than f/16), has a bayonet rather than a breech lock mount, and is more compact in size and lighter in weight. I tend to use the FDn 50/1.4 more than the others for these reasons.</p>

<p>I believe that Canon's FD 50/1.4 is one of the finest general purpose "normal" lenses ever made.</p>