received today Canon lens: FD 55/1.2 SSC

TheToadMen · Feb 27, 2015

Last year I bought a Canon AE-1 with a 28 and 50 mm lens and a Canon T70 with 50/1.8 lens. I never used Canon (somehow always Nikon) and I just wanted to see what Canon was about (+ GAS). Both are nice cameras to use. Since I knew nothing about the Canon system I tried to read up on it and checked the work of other analogue Canon photographers. Several times the FD 55/1.2 lens was mentioned as an excellent and special lens and I saw some nice images made with this lens. When this lens came up in a local online auction I dropped in a bid an to my surprise I won.

The lens arrived today and is in very good condition and it came with a nice Canon FD booklet. The booklet mentioned that there is an aspherical and a non-aspherical version of this lens. I was curious what the difference between these two is?

I'll stick my lens to my T70 tomorrow and take it out for a test run, to see if it is as good as its reputation - even in my hands.

gone · Feb 27, 2015

I'm not familiar w/ that lens, but this site has pretty much everything you need to know on Canon lenses, cameras, etc. Wonderful website.

http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/lens/fd/fisheye.html

This one says you should have an "AL" on the front for an aspherical breech lock lens. In terms of real world imaging, I wouldn't expect that much difference. You wouldn't expect a 1.2 lens to be super sharp until stopped down anyway, at which point any differences should be small.

https://www.google.com/search?q=can...2Ffdresources%2Ffdlenses%2Findex4.htm;216;232

Kirks518 · Feb 27, 2015

I have the FL 55/1.2, and if you have never shot a 1.2 before, just be prepared for some oof shots (at 1.2). Even oof, the shots can have a special look.

TheToadMen · Feb 27, 2015

i just found this website (in German) showing 3 types of the 55 mm lens: http://olypedia.de/Canon_FD_1:1,2/55_mm_S.S.C._Aspherical

Mackinaw · Feb 27, 2015

There's a major difference between the FD 55mm F1.2 Aspherical and the more conventional spherical version of this lens. Having owned both, and still owning the aspherical version, I can speak from experience. The ordinary, spherical FD 55/1.2 will be soft wide-open because of spherical aberration, coma and other uncorrected lens faults. It begins to sharpen up by F2.0 and by F2.8 performs like any other normal lens at this aperture.

The FD 55/1.2 Aspherical is sharp at F1.2 and only gets better as one stops down. The aspherical element flat out works, eliminating or reducing spherical aberration, coma and a host of other lens faults. Of course, such performance doesn't come cheap. The lens was premium-priced in its day and still costs a lot today. I use mine on my old F-1 and on my Olympus OM-D (with an adaptor).

Erwin Puts, of Leica fame, tested the FD 55/1.2 Aspherical lens several years back and call it one of the finest 50mm - 55mm lenses ever made. Many photographers agree.

Jim B.

TheToadMen · Feb 28, 2015

Mackinaw said:
There's a major difference between the FD 55mm F1.2 Aspherical and the more conventional spherical version of this lens. Having owned both, and still owning the aspherical version, I can speak from experience. The ordinary, spherical FD 55/1.2 will be soft wide-open because of spherical aberration, coma and other uncorrected lens faults. It begins to sharpen up by F2.0 and by F2.8 performs like any other normal lens at this aperture.

The FD 55/1.2 Aspherical is sharp at F1.2 and only gets better as one stops down. The aspherical element flat out works, eliminating or reducing spherical aberration, coma and a host of other lens faults. Of course, such performance doesn't come cheap. The lens was premium-priced in its day and still costs a lot today. I use mine on my old F-1 and on my Olympus OM-D (with an adaptor).

Erwin Puts, of Leica fame, tested the FD 55/1.2 Aspherical lens several years back and call it one of the finest 50mm - 55mm lenses ever made. Many photographers agree.

Jim B.

Now GAS will have me look for an aspherical one as well ....

Mackinaw · Feb 28, 2015

TheToadMen said:
Now GAS will have me look for an aspherical one as well ....

You can pick one up at KEH, in bargain shape, for only $850.00 USD.

The downside to the Aspherical FD 55/1.2 is its size and weight. Its a big, heavy lens. Also, its rendition is on the warm side. No big deal if you mainly shoot B&W, but color pics will be warmish (though easily correctable in PhotoShop). Still, my favorite high-speed lens.

Jim B.

received today Canon lens: FD 55/1.2 SSC

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received today Canon lens: FD 55/1.2 SSC

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