FD 28mm and 24mm F 2.8

[25asa]

I already have a rounded off lens collection for the old Canon FD

mount. And I will be upgrading to EOS in the near future. But I saw

these 2 lenses for not a bad price, so Im wondering if they're worth

picking up. Both are F2.8 versions.

 

I have a Vivitar 28-90 Series 1 lens plus a Vivitar 17-28. I know the

latter lens is not the best and am told its not that sharp. And the

prime vs zoom arguement. The 28mm is going for $130 Canadian and the

24mm is going for $230 Canadian. Its higher then Ebay, but still not

bad. How sharp are these lenses? And are they worth picking up

compared to the lenses I already own?

[25asa]

As a side note they also had 2 off brand 28mm- a Unitax and a Kitstar. The Kitstar was a Kits Cameras lens now owned by Blacks. They were listed at $49 each Canadian. But Im kinda leary about getting lenses that may be actually worse then what I already have.

[awahlster]

i have had both the 24mm f2.8 and currently have the 24mm f2.0 Both are excellent lenses. I have had the 28mm f2.8 in nFD mount as well as the FD (breach ring) mount both were/are good lenses but I rarely used the lenght. IMHO the 24 is a better lens optically then the 28. But both will give great prints up to 16X20 if your other technic is up to it. STAY AWAY FROM unknow third party lenses unless you are just buying them as a toy.

[gregory_nicholson]

Not if your going to get an EOS camera in the near future. If you are planning on keeping the FD system the only FD lenses you should be looking at are the ones that are prohibitively expensive in the EOS mount. Otherwise you should be buy the consumer types in EOS mount, especially when they are near the same cost. You'll get a newer lens, auto focus and if bought new you'll get a warrantee.

 

The Fd lenses you might look at are the 17 f/4 and 24 f/2 because you can�t get those in EOS mount. Also the 50 f/1.4 is about 1/3 the price in FD mount. The 135 f/2 and 200 f/2.8 are also half price in the FD mount. In the EOS mount I�d look at the 20-35 f/3.5-4.5 which is 1/3 the price over the FD 20-35 f/3.5L. The EOS 70-200 f/2.8L is obviously faster and the 300 f/4L which is slightly more than the FD 300 f/4L but it�s auto focus. There are many more examples but my point is made with those. Wadda ya tink?

[steven_clark]

I got the 28 f2.8 for $40 (roughly after shipping) of of Ebay. $130 may be significantly overcharging.

[John Crowe]

I agree with Gregory's points. Here are a few of my own. Although those are good prices for the two f2.8's, they are double what you can find on eBay. In my opinion you do not need both. Pooling your resources and waiting to get an autofocus one is not a bad idea. However, I find autofocus superfluous for many photographs especially the type that a wideangle is generally used for, landscapes and architecture. If you are using a wideangle for those full family portraits, indoors for parties, or for street scenes, then the autofocus may help speed things up. Good luck!

[25asa]

Please keep in mind these are Canadian prices guys, not US. Prices up here will always be 1/2 more to double the amount. I may not be getting many lenses for my EOS for quite some time because of cost. I plan on getting a 50mm f1.8 for starters and stopping there. Later on I may get the 28-135, but its fairly expensive for me at the time being. The only reason Im getting into EOS is because of my T-90 that became unusable and sold it for parts. I only have an AE-1 now. Elan 7 is my upgrade. Prices for FD camera stuff is so cheap its hard to pass up. I want to make sure my FD system is well rounded. It still may be my main use camera system. The Elan 7 will more likely be used for point and shoot type work, especially since its faster to use and has a better exposure system then the AE-1.

 

Now getting back to my original question. I may ditch the 28mm idea, but the 24mm looks like I may want to consider it. How does the 24mm compare in sharpness to my series 1 lens, even if it is 28mm? I know it will kill my 17-28 lens for sure. By the way this lens is the last newFD mount.

[25asa]

As an aside I have way more stuff for FD as well. I have 2 50mm FD 1.8s, a FD 50mm 1.4, Im getting a FL bellows with slide copier, a 28-200 (but its hooped), and a winder attachment for the A series bodies. So the only thing Im really missing using the AE-1 is a better metering system- that is for what I do. I have a P67 I also need to get at least one lens for. Lots to do.

[peter_white2]

I bought the the first version 24mm f:2.8 in 1973 and used it for about 15 years before selling it and getting the New FD f:2 version. Neither show any barrel distortion or significant flare. I haven't used the Vivitar lenses you mention but I would be concerned about both flare and distortion in any zoom lens. Try before you buy.

 

PJW

[awahlster]

Scott the 24mm f2.8 Canon will noticably out perform your 28-90 (I have owned two of these Vivitar Vari Focal lens) It's a very good lens but still not a prime. And as such a good prime will be sharper with better color correction and contrast. I fI were to reduce the 40+ FD lenses I have to just a few they would be 24mm f2.8 or 2.0 35mm f2.0 Concave front element 50mm f1.4 or 50mm f1.2L 100mm f2.8 or 2.0 200mm f2.8 and 500mm f4.5L IMHO

[jimvanson]

Scott..I'm in Vancouver...I think the prices may be highish unless they're in very good shape and come with a warranty. I'd say $100 max for the 28 and $150-175 for the 24 sounds better. I own both these lenses. I shoot them on my T90's. The 24 is superb. The 28 just doesn't get used much as I'll mount a 17, 24, 50, 85 on the tanks instead. I tend to use FD's of 85mm or less. I use EOS's for 50mm and over.

[John Crowe]

I am in Toronto and unfortunately the Canadian camera retailers are still asking top dollar for Canon FD equipment, even though they will give you next to nothing on trade-ins. The prices you have quoted are not bad for retailers but you can find lenses with insignificant problems on eBay for much less. In the spring I paid $55 Canadian, including shipping, for a 24mm f2.8 SSC with minor cleaning marks on the front element and it works just fine. I would not pay more than $65 US for a 28mm f2.8 in excellent condition which means about $100 Cdn. including shipping. So the price of $130 for the 28mm may be worth it if you can actually see and feel it!

 

I think that the 24mm focal length is too much wider than the 50mm, but you have the zooms to help point you in the right direction. What focal length in the zooms do you think you use the most? As I mentioned earlier I do not see the point in having both a 24 and a 28.

 

Good luck!

[chris_waller]

That seems very expensive but then I only know UK prices. Anyway, I have a 28 mm lens and find it useful. I did have a 24mm lens but found it was just a little too wide.

[andrew_gough]

Scott,

 

Good day eh, from a fellow Canadian. My advice is to get the 24mm F2.0 (I am looking for one myself!) I currently own the 28 F2.8 and it is a good lens, although it is slightly soft in the corners wide open. Don't pay more that $100 CAD for the 28mm.

 

The 24mm will be much more useful when travelling or for those extra wide landscapes etc... The 24mm is the superior lens optically.

 

I currently have the 28mm, 50mm 1.4, 75-150mm f4.5, and I just purchased a 80-200mm F4L. I will replace the 28 with a 24mm or even a 20mm if I can find one at the right price!

 

Don't get rid of the FD system, it makes a light weight system that is great for any kind of photography. The EOS system can get quite heavy when you get into the faster lenses etc..

 

Cheers

 

Andy

[andrei_lau1]

Andrew,

You are right. FD system is more light weight and compact, and the lens are much cheaper too and optically no difference (may be EOS wins for the super tele). The metering for current EOS models may be a bit better, but this won't be much problem after some practice and I believe most FD user has the experience. If you are still shooting film there is really not much reason to moving up to EOS.