Which Canon FD 35 f2?

[User_502260]

 

<p>"You can shoot "automatically" with the older lenses, but you have to set the aperture <em>manually</em> if you're not using lenses with the 'green A' on them, right?<br />I personally wouldn't call that fully automatic, but whatever pleases you."<br>

I am looking at a 35/3.5 FD SC. It has a green O instead of the later A. It should work in Shutter Priority automatic at the O setting as well as any New FD lens. Even the earliest chrome front FD lenses have an O setting but no lock pin. My chrome front 24/2.8 FD SSC has the spring loaded mounting ring but no lock pin. If you are looking at a lens which fits a Canon manual focus camera but which has no O or A setting then it's not an FD mount lens. The first Konica Hexanon lenses for the Autoreflex series cameras had an EE setting but no lock pin. The lock pin came later. When set to EE they are no less automatic than the later Hexanons or Hexars. </p>

 

[mark_pierlot]

<blockquote>

<p>FD and FDn are not actually different lens mounts; the only difference is in the way the breechlock is locked and unlocked on the lens...</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>This is, in effect, what I said in the opening line of my post, which reads:</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>James, FD and New FD (FDn) lenses have the same mount but different mounting mechanisms.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Clearly, I neither said nor implied that they had different mounts, but perhaps I should have said that they have different locking rather than mounting mechanisms.</p>

[craigd]

<blockquote>

<p>I am looking at a 35/3.5 FD SC. It has a green O instead of the later A. It should work in Shutter Priority automatic at the O setting as well as any New FD lens. Even the earliest chrome front FD lenses have an O setting but no lock pin. My chrome front 24/2.8 FD SSC has the spring loaded mounting ring but no lock pin. If you are looking at a lens which fits a Canon manual focus camera but which has no O or A setting then it's not an FD mount lens.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>My experience agrees with this. My FD 35mm f/2 has a chrome nose, a green O and no lock pin (along with, weirdly, a January 1976 date code). It works just fine on my A-1 in any mode.</p>

<p>As far as I can tell, it makes no difference whether an FD lens has a green O or a green A. The O lenses are generally older, but functionally they seem to be identical.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Uncle.</p>

[philip_wilson]

The new 35 F2 is a great lens - very sharp and with no downside. I should also add that the 24 F2 is also a great lens

[doug_nelson3]

<p>See<br>

<a href="http://www.dougnelsonphoto.com/-/dougnelsonphoto/detail.asp?LID=&photoID=1302189&cat=108">http://www.dougnelsonphoto.com/-/dougnelsonphoto/detail.asp?LID=&photoID=1302189&cat=108</a><br>

for photo of both old (chrome nose) and new FD 35's.<br>

I didn't mind Canon's switch to EOS, except that the 35's and 24's are decidedly inferior optically to the new FD 35 f2 and 24 f2. The "L' versions of the fast 35 and 24, although f 1.4's, are huge, heavy and ridiculously expensive. Why they didn't do autofocus versions of the excellent f2 35 and 24 FD's I don't know.</p>

[jeff_guthrie]

I have had several of the old concave lenses (8 or 9) and some were discolored, but not a single one suffered from

discoloring of the glue. When the glue goes bad it looks like haze, similar to what you might see in the rear elements

of old Canon LTM lenses. The glass looks cloudy along the edges, and there is sometimes a slight "rainbow" effect.

As I have never seen discolored glue in the concave lenses I have owned or repaired, I think tis effect is a myth.

Others may correct me if I am wrong.

 

In the discolored lenses, long exposure to sunlight or UV light cleared them up nicely.

 

The 35mm concave is simply one of the best lenses Canon ever produced, if you can find one, don't pass it up.

[philip_wilson]

Doug my experience is like your my EF 35 F2 is worse than my FD model and has pretty crappy build. I find that the

build quality really suffered going from FD to EF. Perhaps the EF 15mm fisheye is the worst example but it sells for

less than the FD one did in the mid 1980s. Optically the EF fisheye is very good however.

[User_4136860]

<p>The FD 35mm f2 concave Thorium lens was an L lens before Canon invented them, mine is forty years old and it's such a good lens they'll have to prise it out of my cold dead hands.</p>