Radioacive element in my Canon FD 35 f2 lens

[hpulley]

With introduction of the FD true-bayonet lenses a 50mm/1.4 with new optics was released in 1979.

IANAP but the optical designs look the same to me. Perhaps improved.

 

[AgX]

Well, all those high-speed standard lenses are double-Gauss derivates.

That New-FD one is even lighter and smaller than its predesssors (which were only redesigned on their barrel) and has a smaller min. aperture.

 

[hpulley]

Looks more like coating, barrel and aperture redesign than the optics to me but you could be right. Guess I'll have to stop spreading rumors... nah, they're fun.

 

[AgX]

Canon themselves at introducing the true-bayonet range stated that there were not only mechanical changes but also an optical improvement with that lens, what they did not say about lenses that were just given the new barrel.
Furthermore, it became about 20% shorter, which to my understanding could only be achieved by redesigning the optics. What of course does not necessarily mean an improvement.
But, we are drifting off the original topic now.

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

Canon is producing its glass at its home and using borax glass. Borax glass was the Otto Schott invention and more than 100 years old. It is not for optics but high heat industrial thermometers .
Cheap , light weight and cheap again.
I made a mistake and bought a Canon EOS 1000 with 35 80 zoom and I sold it to garbage price. This was the only japanese camera I have ever had and big mistake.
I only liked few japanese brands , yashica which zeiss helps , minolta which leica helps , contax uses zeiss lenses , sony uses zeiss lenses , panasonic uses leitz lenses and korean samsung uses schneider lenses. But I am using Rollei 35s with a Sonnar and I am trying to decipher this lens.

Umut

 

[hpulley]

35-80 zoom? Garbage of course but don't let the cheap intro zooms poison your opinion of Canon glass entirely; they aren't made in Japan and are very poorly made. Canon has made some absolute gems and the old 35mm f/2 is one of them!

Again this 35mm f/2 SSC lens amazes me. I used it the weekend before last with HP5+ with a 8 yellow filter to further enhance the contrast. I got around to souping it in DD-X this past weekend and made some Ilford MultiGrade 11x14" prints and it is phenomenal! It is so sharp, this lens is one of the big reasons why I still haven't gone to MF, no need when you have lenses like this. It is as sharp as I could ever need for 11x14" prints, edge to edge just beautiful! Great contrast, wonderful tones, just made for film like HP5+ it seems too.

I'll take digital pictures of the 11x14" prints but they don't do them justice, you'll have to see the prints for yourselves some time. At the next "West of Toronto" meet I'll bring some prints with me so you can see them properly.

 

[benjiboy]

35-80 zoom? Garbage of course but don't let the cheap intro zooms poison your opinion of Canon glass entirely; they aren't made in Japan and are very poorly made. Canon has made some absolute gems and the old 35mm f/2 is one of them!

Again this 35mm f/2 SSC lens amazes me. I used it the weekend before last with HP5+ with a 8 yellow filter to further enhance the contrast. I got around to souping it in DD-X this past weekend and made some Ilford MultiGrade 11x14" prints and it is phenomenal! It is so sharp, this lens is one of the big reasons why I still haven't gone to MF, no need when you have lenses like this. It is as sharp as I could ever need for 11x14" prints, edge to edge just beautiful! Great contrast, wonderful tones, just made for film like HP5+ it seems too.

I'll take digital pictures of the 11x14" prints but they don't do them justice, you'll have to see the prints for yourselves some time. At the next "West of Toronto" meet I'll bring some prints with me so you can see them properly.

I'm with you Harry, they'll have to prise my Chrome nosed FD 35 f2 lens out of my cold dead hands.

 

[hpulley]

I'm with you Harry, they'll have to prise my Chrome nosed FD 35 f2 lens out of my cold dead hands.

Me too. It's a bit far to come for a pub chat but perhaps we'll have to exchange 35/2 fiber prints some day.

 

[benjiboy]

Me too. It's a bit far to come for a pub chat but perhaps we'll have to exchange 35/2 fiber prints some day.

I would love to Harry, it is a bit far though .

 

[hpulley]

I would love to Harry, it is a bit far though .

Perhaps Canada Post and Royal Mail then some day.

 

[benjiboy]

Yes, some day Harry.

 

[j-dogg]

Yes, Canon DID have some gems throughout its entire history. The 70-210 f4 EF mount has been on my bucket list for a while it has been hailed as the "Poor Man's F4L" Razor sharp optics and a cheap price pretty much the Canon equivalent to the ever-famous Minolta Beercan. Same for the ORIGINAL EF Nifty Fifty with the metal mount, not the plastic mount version. Copies of that lens regularly trade for more than they were new and more than a new 50 1.8 II. I have seen them trade for the price of a used EF 50 1.4 USM

While on the subject of yellow-tinted glass, my Nikkor 50mm f1.4 pre-AI has this tint, did they use thorium as well? It's a razor sharp lens and the background rendering is phenomenal.

 

[benjiboy]

Yes, Canon DID have some gems throughout its entire history. The 70-210 f4 EF mount has been on my bucket list for a while it has been hailed as the "Poor Man's F4L" Razor sharp optics and a cheap price pretty much the Canon equivalent to the ever-famous Minolta Beercan. Same for the ORIGINAL EF Nifty Fifty with the metal mount, not the plastic mount version. Copies of that lens regularly trade for more than they were new and more than a new 50 1.8 II. I have seen them trade for the price of a used EF 50 1.4 USM

While on the subject of yellow-tinted glass, my Nikkor 50mm f1.4 pre-AI has this tint, did they use thorium as well? It's a razor sharp lens and the background rendering is phenomenal.

I don't know about that particular lens but I do know several Japanese manufacturers in the sixties and seventys used Thorium dioxide glass in their lenses until their government stopped them because of the health and safety issues to their workforce from grinding it and breathing the dust. http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_lenses

 

[Andrew K]

I was never a big fan of the EF 70-210/4....the ones I used were never in the class of a poor mans L...

now the EF 50-200/3.5-4.5...now that came close to L optics.......and if you could find the EF50-200/3.5L then you would have L glass...at a bargain price....

Wish I'd never sold mine...........

 

[Uncle Bill]

Here are some scans shot on Legacy Pro 400 processed in Tmax 1+4. The FD 35 f2 is beast of lens and super sharp and I think I will use it for just black and white film.

 

[hpulley]

Looks good! I juse mine for B&W exclusively and for a fair amount of street work.

 

[Uncle Bill]

Agreed, I was using it almost exclusively downtown Toronto and I also packed a 100 f2.8 lens to cover off the telephoto situations.

 

[hpulley]

I have a 100 f/2.8 as well. Often with a 24mm or 20mm for even wider angle it makes a good 3 lens kit though I was glad to have the 300mm on me the other day for a chance Bald Eagle sighting.