Affordable FD Lenses For HDSLR Use

December 14, 2010

in Canon,Gear,Lenses,Podcast Episodes,Resources

FD lenses are old manual Canon lenses that became almost completely obsolete by the EOS mount Canon cameras. What is so great about these lenses is their crazy low price. I picked up 3 lenses (50mm F1.8, 135mm F2.8, 80-200mm F3.9) for $50 on ebay.

To use these lenses with your Canon EOS camera you will need an adaptor. I had heard bad things about the cheapo adaptors so I picked up the Fotodiox FD to EOS for $30 which works great. I have already dropped it and it took it well.


Cons:

  • Soft image when wide open
  • Loss of .6 stops of light
  • Crop factor of 1.26
  • Manual Lens

Pros:

  • Quality of lens body
  • Crop factor (can be useful)
  • Price of lenses

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QuickTime File: DSLR Video Shooter Episode #011.

Related content:

  1. Episode 009: Nikon to Canon Lens Adaptor
  2. Episode 43: Nikkor Lens Guide – Adapting Nikon to Canon and Other Camera Mounts
  3. 3 Areas to Save Big Money on HDSLR Gear
  4. Episode 019: Investing in Future Proof Lenses.
  5. Episode 013: Primes Lenses For DSLR Video

Tagged as: Adaptor, Canon, Comparison, FD, Fotodiox, Lenses, Telephoto, Test

← Older Comments
  • http://studiolax.co.uk roger

    Anyone recommend an adapter other than the fotodiox which I’m struggling to get in the UK.

    As for Philip Bloom’s comments that’s understandable as he doesn’t seem to be interested in doing stuff cheaply.

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    I believe there was one on B&H and ebay…

  • http://www.catchlightcinema.com Brian

    Got the Fotodiox today. Put it on the FD 50 1.8 that I have. It fits and seems to work on the camera, except I can’t control the aperature. Once I lock it on the lens it’s wide open. Am I missing a piece? At 8:00 you show a silver ring that you use to lock the adapter to. I don’t have that piece. Thanks!

  • Brian

    Hey Caleb, my lenses are the bayonet style. Just more info from my previous post.

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    Did you follow the instructions for using it in the video?

    1. Start by locking the lens ring (Without the adapter on it)
    2. Put on the adapter and the lens ring should unlock and you can tighten it to the adapter.

    Do note that the aperture ring should not work when it is not attached to the lens.
    A few times I have not properly locked the lens before adding the adaptor and I had this same problem.

  • Brian

    No, but even when I did I was over tightening it until it clicked and it would be wide open. If I lock the adapter, put it on an turn it the same amount I would with a cap it works like a charm!
    I showed my Father-in-law who is in town and he said he a a bag full that I could have as well. Double Score!

  • David Jon

    I was curious if anybody knows if there is a lens adapter for a Mamiya-Sekor E 28mm/2.8 lens i have laying around. I’ve been browsing the web, but can’t find anything. It would be awesome if I could use these old SLR lenses on my 7D!

  • wilson

    have u used any of the vivitar fd mount lens?
    i bought the vivitar fd 75-205 len and the same adaptor
    but unfortunately the aperture doesn’t work.
    i followed every step u said but it doesn’t work. sadface.

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    That is sad… Try following the steps from this comment: http://dslrvideoshooter.com/fd-lenses-for-hdslr-use/#comment-159557470

  • lars

    Great vid. Just wondering if that adapter would work on a manual Sigma lens? Is not, which would you recommend (if any) for Sigma lenses?

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    Just as long as the Sigma lens has an FD mount then it will work.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Paul-Lewis/1698139226 Paul Lewis

    This stuff is great. After watching this, I found a handful of pentax PK mount lenses in my house, and got a few for free from people I knew. Purchased a $10 adapter and now I’ve got 5 more lenses to add to my kit. 2 50mm f2′s, 28mm f2.8, 70mm-210mm f4.5, and a 75-200mm f4.5. All for the great low price of $0. I’ve got a handful of FD lenses on there way from Ebay.

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    Score!

  • bart

    Hey Caleb,

    I’m about to buy a Canon FD 50mm F1.8, but have one question before ordering the lens and the adapter. You have mounted a locking ring on the lens, is this locking ring also included with the adapter?

    Hope to hear from you soon!

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    The adapter I link to is all you need to mount you FD.

  • pete

    Very informative video, straight to the point.
    There are so many misinformation about this on the internet, it’s frustrating.

    I’m not interested in video shooting, I ended up in here because I’m looking for cheap alternatives to longer range lens (only have the kit lens ATM).
    I was thinking about getting one of those cheap 200 or 300mm zooms like the one in the video, but I’m starting to think that I’ll just end up with medium-low quality pictures.

    I could do a bit of bird photography, many birds hang around near by my balcony, but I’m not really thinking about spending the money a ‘proper’ long range lens. 400+ euro on a lens… I hate to sound cheap, but many simply can’t afford that.

    Caleb, you only showed the tip of the iceberg regarding photography which is natural given the purpose of this website. But could you show some samples maybe? Or maybe link to some if you know any.

  • Ivan Lietaert

    Great review!
    I own three manual lenses myself, not FD lenses, but M42 lenses, which I use for video. There are many different brands with this mound (my lenses are Auto Chinon). Most of them have great build quality and if you’re lucky, they are great optically too. Manual focus with my Auto Chinon 55mm f1.7 is so much easier than with Canon’s ‘nifty fifty’ and is cost just $30, adapter included!
    Why do I prefer M42 lenses above FD lenses? The adapter is very cheap (a couple of bucks), and there is no glass in it, so the original optical quality of the lens is not degraded.

  • http://twitter.com/Sal_Jimenez Sal Jimenez

    what is the lowest focal length you guys have seen being sold for an FD lens? Ive only seen 50mm.

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    There are wider lenses out there. But they get a little pricey. So if you need wide you might want to look for a non-FD lens.

  • Jay

    Thanks. This was a very helpful summary of the issue of adapting FD lenses to EOS cameras with the pros and cons.

  • Sheparddw

    Nice review. 
    You may already know this, but I just wanted to clarify in case not. The “Lock – Open” ring on the adapter is for stopping down the aperture of the lens; it has nothing to do with connecting the lens to the adapter. To control the aperture, twist the ring to the open position, connect the lens, then twist the ring to the lock position. Now your aperture works. Hope this helps to clarify the purpose of the locking ring on the adapter. God bless.

  • Will

    Nice – I just purchased my first FD lens and enjoying it :)

  • chris

    Fantastic post! Already using my new (old) fd 50mm on my 7d. Thanks! Quick question do know if macro lenses will work with this? I was thinking of buying a tokina 90mm 2.8 for fd canon mount. Any thoughts?

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