Canon lenses

MartinCrabtree · Mar 16, 2013

I've been looking around and you can find Canon glass at very reasonable prices nowdays. What 3 lenses would you recommend for general use? I know that's a lot of glass to cover but there must be three outstanding lenses that cover a great deal of ground without breaking the bank. Any suggestions?

I guess it should say FD. FL stuff will work on my manual focus cameras also won't it?

Mainecoonmaniac · Mar 16, 2013

Canon fd glass is cheap and good.

elcabezagrande · Mar 16, 2013

You can't find a better bargain on a very good all-purpose 50mm lens than the venerable FD 50/1.8.

BMbikerider · Mar 16, 2013

3 lenses - 28/2.8, 50/1.8 and 135/3.5. They will cover most of what you want to do

Les Sarile · Mar 16, 2013

MartinCrabtree said:
I've been looking around and you can find Canon glass at very reasonable prices nowdays. What 3 lenses would you recommend for general use? I know that's a lot of glass to cover but there must be three outstanding lenses that cover a great deal of ground without breaking the bank. Any suggestions?

I guess it should say FD. FL stuff will work on my manual focus cameras also won't it?

Unless the lenses were mishandled by the previous owner, all Canon prime lenses are very good and usually available for a reasonable price.

But as far as outstanding lenses are concerned, Canon's - just like the other brand's outstanding lenses, do not come cheap. So what is your limit of breaking the bank?

If you don't have an idea what you're looking for, then perhaps a little research would help. Here are a couple of useful links:

Link to -> Canon FL lenses
Link to -> Canon FD lenses

Fotoguy20d · Mar 16, 2013

The 35-105 f3.5 is a great walk around zoom. Don't confuse it with the f3.5-4.5 though.

DWThomas · Mar 16, 2013

Fotoguy20d said:
The 35-105 f3.5 is a great walk around zoom. Don't confuse it with the f3.5-4.5 though.

I'll second that (even if it does weigh as much as the camera!)

Fotoguy20d · Mar 16, 2013

DWThomas said:
I'll second that (even if it does weigh as much as the camera!)

Nah. Only about half as much (maybe 3/4 as much) as my A-1 with Motor Drive.

Dennis S · Mar 17, 2013

Definitely look for an f/1.4 50mm in FD or the FL model. The MA power winder has them all beat with 12 AA batteries

Vonder · Mar 17, 2013

If I had just a little dough for 3 Canon FD lenses they'd be the 35-105 mentioned several times ( great lens but lousy non-macro close focusing distance ) and a 50mm (1.4, 1.8, both are great) and then I'd save up my pennies for the 400mm f4.5 one of the best 400mm lenses ever made. Heavy, sharp, useful as a club in hand-to-hand combat.

Mainecoonmaniac · Mar 17, 2013

Of the 30 plus years using Canon FD lenses, I've owned all prime lenses. When I started my Canon system, I was told by my photo mentor that zooms aren't as sharp as primes back then. I can't verify that fact. However, I own a Canon DSLR with newer zoom lenses are very sharp. Yes I occasionally shoot digital.

benjiboy · Mar 17, 2013

elcabezagrande said:
You can't find a better bargain on a very good all-purpose 50mm lens than the venerable FD 50/1.8.

The Canon FD 50mm f1.4 is aperture for aperture a much better than the 1.8 version, and I own both of them, I would also recommend the FD 35mm f2 and the FD 100mm f2.8 as a very useful three lens outfit.

DWThomas · Mar 17, 2013

Fotoguy20d said:
Nah. Only about half as much (maybe 3/4 as much) as my A-1 with Motor Drive.

Ya -- you piqued my curiosity. The lens w/o filter, shade or caps weighed 600 grams on my kitchen scale , and the A-1 body with a bit of nylon strap included, but no battery or grip battery cover, weighed about 620. So my original comment, which was a guess, was pretty accurate. It was my most used lens after I got it. (And also the most expensive lens I ever bought at the time -- I've since surpassed that!)

MartinCrabtree · Mar 17, 2013

Thanks everyone. Especially for those links Les Sarlie,they really cleared up a few things.

Now another more specific question. The links do not cover the 55MM f1.2 SSC lens. I already have a couple 50MM f1.8 but this lens has always caught my eye. Do not know why but I'm interested. KEH has one for $349 in EX condition. Would it be a worthwhile purchase?

It's amazing what good glass can be had for now. Is eBay worth the effort? It seems as if the sellers are getting more and more sketchy as time goes on. That place use to be the online flea market but now not so much.

benjiboy · Mar 17, 2013

MartinCrabtree said:
Thanks everyone. Especially for those links Les Sarlie,they really cleared up a few things.

Now another more specific question. The links do not cover the 55MM f1.2 SSC lens. I already have a couple 50MM f1.8 but this lens has always caught my eye. Do not know why but I'm interested. KEH has one for $349 in EX condition. Would it be a worthwhile purchase?

It's amazing what good glass can be had for now. Is eBay worth the effort? It seems as if the sellers are getting more and more sketchy as time goes on. That place use to be the online flea market but now not so much.

At the risk of repeating myself Martin the best bang for your buck in the Canon FD 50mm lenses is the 1.4 which was the industry standard that aperture for aperture outperforms the rest of the range, anyway nobody needs a f1.2 lens unless they photograph black cats in coal cellars

Mackinaw · Mar 17, 2013

MartinCrabtree said:
.....Now another more specific question. The links do not cover the 55MM f1.2 SSC lens. I already have a couple 50MM f1.8 but this lens has always caught my eye. Do not know why but I'm interested. KEH has one for $349 in EX condition. Would it be a worthwhile purchase?..........

The FD 55/1.2 is a beast, meaning it's big and heavy. Build quality though, is top-notch. Optically, because it uses ordinary spherical elements, it's soft wide-open. You'll need to stop down to about F2.8 to get a razor-sharp picture. Still, there's something undeniably cool in having this lens mounted on the front of a Canon FD camera.

Jim B.

benjiboy · Mar 17, 2013

Mackinaw said:
The FD 55/1.2 is a beast, meaning it's big and heavy. Build quality though, is top-notch. Optically, because it uses ordinary spherical elements, it's soft wide-open. You'll need to stop down to about F2.8 to get a razor-sharp picture. Still, there's something undeniably cool in having this lens mounted on the front of a Canon FD camera.

Jim B.

It depends if you want to improve your photography or your street cred. then.

Les Sarile · Mar 17, 2013

MartinCrabtree said:
Thanks everyone. Especially for those links Les Sarlie,they really cleared up a few things.

Now another more specific question. The links do not cover the 55MM f1.2 SSC lens. I already have a couple 50MM f1.8 but this lens has always caught my eye. Do not know why but I'm interested. KEH has one for $349 in EX condition. Would it be a worthwhile purchase?

It's amazing what good glass can be had for now. Is eBay worth the effort? It seems as if the sellers are getting more and more sketchy as time goes on. That place use to be the online flea market but now not so much.

As f1.2 lenses go, it would seem that the Canon's have the best value going. I only have this in a Pentax and Minolta lens but I would anticipate the quality of their build and their outstanding results compared to their f1.8 & f1.4 stablemates will be the same for Canon. That being said, they provide unmatched ability to isolate subject matter and typically better bokeh.

KEH's warranty makes any purchase worry free and it has been my experience that they usually underrate their items.

Jeff Kubach · Mar 17, 2013

I would look up KEH also.

Jeff

Dennis S · Mar 17, 2013

I currently own and use the 55mm f/1.2 lens. A good lens it is but I have found a few that are quite worth having and using as well. The Canon FL 50mm f/1.4 is one of my favorites as well as the FD 50mm f/1.4 SSC lens. Investing your money in a superior (?) lens might not be a good investment when their is other Canon glass to be had for less. My next investment would be the 85mm FD lens but it is out of my budget limitation for now.

Mainecoonmaniac · Mar 17, 2013

The 85mm f/1.8 is a gorgeous lens. The shots are amazing wide open. Beautiful bokeh. A bit heavy though.

MartinCrabtree · Mar 18, 2013

KEH has the 85MM f 1.8 for $205 in EX and $159 BGN condition if that works for you.

I guess I'll stick with the 50MM f1.8 for now and puck up a wide angle and big tele. I can see this going like the motorcycle obsession. Got 4 of those that run and parts enough to build a few more.

Mainecoonmaniac · Mar 18, 2013

Most Canon FD glass is affordable. Fluorite glass still fetches high prices. I still can't afford one though they sell for a fraction since the 80's. But Some day ....

Mackinaw · Mar 18, 2013

Mainecoonmaniac said:
Most Canon FD glass is affordable. Fluorite glass still fetches high prices. I still can't afford one though they sell for a fraction since the 80's. But Some day ....

The FD aspherical lenses still go for top-dollar too.

Jim B.

benjiboy · Mar 18, 2013

Mackinaw said:
The FD aspherical lenses still go for top-dollar too.

Jim B.

I don't think in the final analysis of ones work the viewer gives a shit if the image was shot with a Fluorite,aspheric lens, or a bottle bottom, they care more about if your pictures "say" anything to them, the worship of equipment for it's own sake is futile, photography is about pictures.

Canon lenses

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