Canon FD 200/4 (non-macro) and CA?

[joachim]

<p>Hi,<br>

I got a AE-1 P given by a friend and am attracted by the light weight of the FD200/4. I appreciate that due to age (designed in the 70ies or 80ies) this is not an APO lens and some chromatic aberration problems are to be expected. Also how is it with respect to pin-cushion distortion?<br>

I own a Tamron 200/3.5, which I have used in the past on Minolta MD and Pentax K. This lens, while having good centre contrast (clear step up from from the Tokina 70-210/4 I also own), produces an amasing level of colour fringing, clearly noticeable on a 6x4 print. Not a bad performance for how little I paid though.<br>

Anyone likes to comment on this one? Any samples to show?<br>

Thanks<br>

Joachim</p>

[SCL]

<p>Here's the data on the FD and a gazillion others for comparison: http://www.photozone.de/active/survey/querylens.jsp.<br>

It looks pretty good stopped down.</p>

[jtk]

<p>Mine is more than one would hope for from a slow 200mm prime lens. Dirt cheap today.<br>

Build quality is/was perfect. No other way to put that. Top tier, even among Canon FD lenses.<br>

Not quite as sharp as the ultimate sharpest (100/2.8 or 50/1.4 for example). I've seen no color anomalies whatsoever at 12X18. It's evenly contrasty and sharp across the field even at f/4.<br>

About like Nikon's equivalent. It was less prone to flare than my FD 200/2.8. Hell of a good lens.</p>

[jeffrey_knight1]

<p>This lens is one of my favorites. Good chunk of my work is shot with it.<br>

Jeff Knight<br>

http://www.cavesalamander.com/photos/</p><div></div>

[joachim]

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>thanks guys. Seems that this lens would be a step forward from what I have at present.</p>

<p>Jeffrey, I like the chain picture.</p>

<p>Joachim</p>

[User_4136860]

<p>I have the FD 200mm f4, (the one with internal focusing) I bought it new about twenty years ago, and I find it lightweight, compact, tack sharpe, and free from chromatic aberation, and unless you really need a faster lens for some special purpose, I would highly recommend this optic for general photography.</p>

<p> </p>

[andy_game]

<p>I got my 200mm f4 FDn a year ago and use it often for street shots. I find it sharper than my 135mm f2.8, even wide open at f4 it´s not bad. I recommend it too, it´s the best value for money FD lens I own.</p>

[joachim]

<p>Hi,<br>

me again. I managed to buy a 200/4 on ebay and had my first roll back. There are some slight hints of CA when printing on European A4 size (8x11.5 approx), though my scanner (nikon IV driven by vuescan) could have a fair share here. Distortion is also very acceptable. The lens is a clear improvement over what I used to own.<br>

Thanks again to everyone for your time.</p>