jscown

<p>Mark,<br>

Others have provided excellent feedback. I own this lens and the 35mm f1.4L, and find the 35mm to be much more usable for general landscape shots. I find the 14mm to be a specialty lens that I tend to use for artistic perspective work.<br>

Cheers, Jack</p>

<p> </p>

WT,

A Canon Prototype FDD Digital you say? Impressive! I especially like the retro fil m sprockets and opening back... :)

Strange looking thing... It almost looks like a cross between an F1 and an A1. The motordrive piece looks very much like my A1 drive. Shutter release button looks like an A1 too... The pentaprism and rear eyepiece are quite different...

Jack

For film, Canon New F1. Outside I like to use the FD 35mm f2.0 where I can and in the studio I absolutely love the FD 85mm f1.2L. I've also got a T90, A1, and AE1, but for ultimate creative control and manual operation I don't think you can beat the New F1.

For digital, Canon 5D with EF 24-70 f2.8L, but my banker and I are afraid that I am going to love the new EF 85mm f1.2L...

Hi Bill,

I feel your pain... (I always wanted to say that...)

I have an extensive collection of FD gear too. I wrestled with the decision as to which DSLR to go with and spent a fair amount of time shooting what to me were the two leading contenders, The D200 and the 5D. I liked both. Ultimately for me, it came down to what I could get, as the D200 was heavily backordered here in Canada at the store I choose to deal with. So, I bought the 5D with the 24-70L and have since acquired a 17-40L. I'm very happy with the choice.

There are some interesting things that I am learning about the 5D. Someone in an earlier response spoke of the picture quality at high ISO settings, and this is an area where the 5D excels, and was a revelation to me compared to the FD film world. I am astonished at the quality, and the flexibility that this allows. Autofocus is nice, but I could live without it. The flash technology advances while a bit bewildering, result in great images once you understand it. The ergonomics of the 5D are very nice, although I find I still have New F1 tendencies. By comparison, EF "L" lenses seem to cost an arm and a leg, but the two that I have seem to have the quality that I'm looking for.

I still like my FD gear and while I will continue to use it, it will be mostly because of the hobby and fun of using film. I can see that digital has opened up many more possibilities, and having both will be enjoyable to me. However, the majority of my shooting will be digital.

Good luck in your decision!

Jack

Hi Josh,

You might try these guys...

http://www.thecamerastore.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=31792

Great store, by the way.

Jack

Hi Kerry,

Stofen is a brand name for a series of on flash diffusers. You can find them at http://www.stofen.com/

Regards, Jack

Hi Mike,

I think the answers that you are looking for really depend on what you shoot, but having said that...

I have a nFD 35mm f2.0 that I really like. It's a great focal length, fast, relatively compact, and very sharp. It's on my cameras a great deal of the time.

Since I shoot portraits and do studio work, I use my 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.2L a great deal. Both are excellent in the studio and for low light portraits, and limited DOF work. One caution is that the 85mm is heavy. You don't want to pack it around if your not going to use it...

Another lens that I wouldn't be without is my nFD 300mm f4.0L with the 1.4 and 2.0X converters. It's big and heavy, but not as painful as the f2.8L version to carry. It has sufficient speed for me, comes with a tripod mount, and a lens shade. The downside is that it uses 34mm drop in filters that are getting scarce and expensive. This lens is tack sharp, gives great color and contrast renditions, and is fairly flexible with the converters.

There are some other lenses that I use from time to time, but these are the ones that I seem to keep going back to for photographing the things I like to shoot. The FD system is still a great system, and when you consider the value against today's autofocus prices, how could anyone not love them???

Good luck in your quest...

Cheers, Jack

Hi Ben,

I love my 35mm f2. It's very sharp, and provides contrast that is accurate to my eye. It's a lens that I have no qualms about using at any time. In image quality, I think that it may be the forgotten little brother to the vaunted "L" series in many respects. I'd really like to try some B&W shots with the Thorium version of this lens to see if it's as good as I have heard for that medium.

Cheers!

Hi,

There is plenty of good advice listed here so far. In my experience, F1 is probably the most difficult racing series to photograph, mostly because getting a decent unobstructed viewpoint is difficult. At the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, you are required to have photo accreditation to get close enough to the track to get the kind of shots that really stand out. Getting into the pits is difficult too, although I managed to do it by becoming a part of a support racer's pit crew in the 1998 race.

I didn't find this to be the case when I photographed the Champ Car series and have attended the Laguna Seca race 3 times. You can get a paddock pass easily, and walking around the track is easy to do and provided a number of good photo points.

Generally, (and especially with F1) I prefer to try to photograph in areas of the track where braking is highest. Firstly, watching the F1 carbon brake disks turn bright orange with the heat of braking is spectacular, the cars are moving as slow as they typically will giving the best chance to shoot them artistically, and braking zones are likely places to find the cars passing, or getting loose.

My last bit of advice - take plenty of earplugs... You can't beleive the shrieking wail of a normally aspirated V10 at 18000 rpm...

Good luck!<div></div>

To my tired eyes, my F1N's viewfinder is far superior to the 20D's and 1DMkII's I have looked through in a camera shop, especially with a fast lens like the FD 85mm f1.2L. My viewfinder is much larger, and you can get the laser matte focusing screens, xJ and xK, as I recall.

I get claustrophobic when I look through those new ones. But then, I guess that your not really supposed to look too carefully through a viewfinder when you have that new fangled automatic focusing...

>AM I INSANE?

As I don't really know you, I don't feel qualified to comment... :)

As to your other points, I understand what you are saying. I too love the feel of my F1N and A1. I am absolutely giddy when I attach any of my favorite lenses to them in anticipation of the great shots I hope to take. There is a very solid feel to the FD lenses and the F1N in particular. Using it and my FD 85mm f1.2L in the studio is a quick reminder to get back to my weight training regime.

For my hands at least, the ergonomics are very good. I had occaission to borrow my sister's new Nikon D70, and while it is a great camera by any measure, it doesn't fit my hands. I found that I was always accidently changing the aperture with the little wheel control in the grip.

I think you have a point. There must be a reason that we all continue to use this prematurely retired system...

Jon said> So if you don't want to pay for our "foreign adventures" anymore, Canada may very well welcome you with open arms...

Yes, we welcome our US friends to visit or stay, however if you stay, there is a test. You must be able to count past two... That is, in the number of political parties vying for your vote... In Canada, politics is not so binary in nature. We support 64K shades of gray...

Cheers all, Jack

Hi Jaselyn,

I have had an A1 since 1978 and have always thought highly of it. You might start by checking out this link http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/SLRs/a1/index.htm

Cheers, Jack

Hey Tim! Good to see you here again...

I think that I have to agree with Tim. My favorite FD lens is the 85mm f1.2L. It's heavy, but it's a blast to use, especially in the studio or at night with available light. It's easy to focus in dark situations and razor sharp.

There are so many great FD lenses though. I love my 50mm f1.4, my 100mm f2.0, and my 35mm f2.0 almost as much... Tough question!