Canon FD Photo of the Month: December 2015

[Alex_Es]

<p>Has everyone recovered from Thanksgiving? December is here which means there is more wall-to-wall feasting to come. Okay, Canon FD (and FL and R) shooters, let's your stuff and end 2015 with a Ka-bang!</p>

<p>My first contribution is Sawako and our Thanksgiving chicken. It is a bit tricky getting a whole turkey in our part in Japan. The Chicken did just fine.</p><div></div>

[Alex_Es]

<p>Following is a shot from our balcony. Canon F-1 + two-touch FD 80-200/4. </p><div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>I've been playing around with the old Canon FD 24-35mm f/3.5 SSC Aspherical lens. Years ago it always gave great results on my FD bodies so I thought I'd give it a dance on my Sony A7. Here are a few from that combo.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Something of a rare bird, the lens was only made for one year, with a breech mount. It was released the following year, with the same optical formula, as a bayonet mount L lens.</p><div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>If I remember (always suspect), it was one of the first wide angle zooms to ever use an aspherical element in the optical formula. Hand ground, no doubt.</p><div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>While the focal range is limited, it gives some variety at the wide end with good close focusing capabilities. It does vignette a fair amount wide open but cleans up quickly one stop down. This old lens is every bit as sharp as I remember it, with stellar contrast. Distortion seems reasonably low. I'll have to keep this old boy around for further explorations.<br /> Good 'ol FD lenses. Though my bodies are long since retired, the lenses continue to keep the FD quality going for me.</p><div></div>

[jim_bielecki1]

<p>Canon F-1 (original), FD 55/1.2 aspherical, on Efke 25 film, in Rodinal.<br>

<img src="http://gallery.leica-users.org/d/420800-1/canon12_s.jpg" alt="" width="663" height="1000" /> </p>

 

[Member69643]

<p>Louis - that Canon FD 24-35mm f/3.5 SSC Aspherical lens still sells for several hundred dollars. It's not a hidden gem; everyone knows it's a wonderful piece of glass. Your photos are excellent!<br>

<br>

Now I want one. :)</p>

[jim_bielecki1]

<blockquote>

<p>If I remember (always suspect), it was one of the first wide angle zooms to ever use an aspherical element in the optical formula. Hand ground, no doubt.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Canon switched over to machine-polishing for their aspherical lenses in 1975 when they introduced the FD 24/1.4 aspherical. The FD 55/1.2 AL changed from hand to machine-polishing at this time. The FD 85/1.2 AL and FD 24-35 AL are machine-polished too. </p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Thanks for the correct info, Jim</p>

<p>Patrick-I appreciate your kind comments. I hope you find one. I just looked on the auction site and saw a mint- one for a few hundred dollars. You're right, they seem to have held their value to a degree. I bought mine back in the late eighties. I can't remember what I paid for it, though. </p>

[ashbrown]

<p>A couple more photos from Nikko Toshogu Shrine, where we were lucky enough to see preparations for a parade of various preists & warriors:</p><div></div>

[ashbrown]

<p>#2:</p><div></div>

[rick_janes]

LOVE the 24-35 Aspherical...it's "diamond-sharp" if I may say so.

[jim_bielecki1]

<p>Ashley, pic # 2 is outstanding. Great composition and use of colors. The black background really makes things pop. And i didn’t know Provia was that good.</p>

[ashbrown]

<p>Thanks very much Jim; I don't have the access to beautiful models (that you obviously do!), so my "people photos" tend to be "grab" shots; it's good to strike lucky occasionally. The FD 35-105/3.5 is a great lens to carry around when people shots are in the offing.</p>

[Bill C1664885404]

<p><strong>Canon FDn 400/4.5</strong><br>

<br /><strong>Adult Red-Shouldered Hawk on the Hunt.<br />Landed on a tree trunk presenting a few shots of a frontal view.<br /></strong><strong>Then just as I wished it would turn around, it flew to a fence post, landing with its back to me.<br />Got exactly the other view I wanted...beautiful bird...couple examples:<br /></strong></p>

<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/roundball/PHOTOGRAPHY/BIRDS/HAWKS%20and%20OWLS/2015%20RED%20SHOULDERED%20HAWK/120415_B_400mm_RS%20Hawk_Tree%20Trunk_Looking%20Right%2042_PBCon25Sat50Wrm50PBS35_zpsmlccyvcw.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/roundball/PHOTOGRAPHY/BIRDS/HAWKS%20and%20OWLS/2015%20RED%20SHOULDERED%20HAWK/120415_C_300mm_RS%20Hawk_looking%20right%20beak%20open%2013_PBCon25Sat50Wrm50PBS50_zpsuwsawt0k.jpg" alt="" width="744" height="800" /></p>

<p> </p>

[Alex_Es]

<p>So far a spectacular response. Let us see more.</p>

[ashbrown]

<p>Fantastic shots as always, Bill; you certainly bring out Nature's true beauty.</p>

[Bill C1664885404]

<p>Lucked out on this Hawk for sure.<br>

Noticed you're still putting up great images and your mention of the FDn35-105/3.5...an outstanding lens with "L" like IQ as far as I'm concerned.<br />Any more, if I take a hike along a lake or something I carry the FDn 24-35 and 35-105...get a lot of coverage out of them...and they use the same size filters.</p>

[User_4754088]

<p>Experimenting with a new lens on my A-1</p>

<p><img src="http://www.timcarrollphotography.com/Forums/ExpCanA1.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Canon A-1 w/50mm f1.4 & Tri-X, shot wide open.</p>

<p>Best,<br>

-Tim</p>

[Bill C1664885404]

<p><strong>Canon FDn 17 / 4.0 UWA</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

<strong>Hiked back in to a different cove at a local lake before dark today in hopes of some good sunset possibilities.<br />Still experimenting with the 17mm I recently picked up and managed to get this right after the sun went down.</strong></p>

<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/roundball/PHOTOGRAPHY/SCENICS/SUNSETS/2015%20SUNSETS/121315_17mm_Sunset_LR_CWB40amp0AExp0OrgSat22YelSat22-BluSat100_PBWrm50PBS75_-1M_zpsg5umb9st.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p> </p>

[Bill C1664885404]

<p><strong>Canon FDn 17/4.0 UWA</strong><br /> <br /> <strong>Really liking this 17mm.<br />Found another little cove yesterday with a dead calm surface for a great mirror effect in this Infrared shot.</strong><br /> <strong>It was almost too tight & cramped for the 17mm...would have been completely out of the question without it.</strong></p>

<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/roundball/PHOTOGRAPHY/INFRARED/121515_A_IR%20Small%20Cove%20Falls%20Lake%2017_GIMP%20AWBChSwp_PBShad50Sat100PBS50_zpswn9jbplq.jpg" alt="" /></p>

[jim_bielecki1]

<p>The IR shot is nice!</p>

[Bill C1664885404]

<p>Couldn't believe my eyes when I came upon this little cove under these perfect conditions...and my initial reaction of wow excitement & anticipation was immediately replaced with anxiety & worry that the sunlight would fade or the wind would come up while I was scrambling around through the brush at water's edge trying to find a good angle and get set up...luckily everything held fast.</p>

[grey_rogacion]

<p>Merry Christmas.............Santa taking a nap.<br>

Canon FL 50mm 1.4 II on an Ep...........</p>

<p><img src="http://i1284.photobucket.com/albums/a574/king3sparrow/010-copy_zpsbqbkf5vb.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="600" /></p>