Tyson Robichaud just tested four Canon FD lenses on his Panasonic GF1!
Following lenses have been reviewed (click on the link to check the lens price on Ebay):
Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC ($250 on Ebay)Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC ($250 on Ebay)
Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC ($250 on Ebay)
Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC ($250 on Ebay)
Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC ($250 on Ebay)
Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC ($250 on Ebay)
Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC ($250 on Ebay)
Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC ($250 on Ebay)
Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC ($250 on Ebay)
Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC ($250 on Ebay)
Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC ($250 on Ebay)
Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC ($400 on Ebay)Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC ($400 on Ebay)
Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC ($400 on Ebay)
Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC ($400 on Ebay)
Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC ($400 on Ebay)
Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC ($400 on Ebay)
Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC ($400 on Ebay)
Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC ($400 on Ebay)
Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC ($400 on Ebay)
Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC ($400 on Ebay)
Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC ($400 on Ebay)
Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro ($100 on Ebay)Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 SSC ($100 on Ebay)Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 SSC ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 SSC ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 SSC ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 SSC ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 SSC ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 SSC ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 SSC ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 SSC ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 SSC ($100 on Ebay)
Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 SSC ($100 on Ebay)
On his website you can see very nice images taken with each one of the four lenses.
And what is the final statement?
“All in all, I have to say that I have been impressed with the return for such a small investment.”
Thanks Tyson!
P.S.: Two different Canon FD to microFourThirds adapters are available on amazon
5 Responses
What a coincidence – I just blew the dust off an old 50mm f/1.8 FD lens today and ordered an adapter – they’re a bit cheaper on eBay…
Those thousands not a save. It’s a price of autofocus & some more
FD lenses are amazing, but I don’t know why people clamor over the 55 f/1.2 when, if I recall, the 50 f/1.4 gives better image quality. It was good enough for Canon to reference all of its lens designs on it.
@Chris: image quality is subjective. What you consider superior image quality may not be what someone else is looking for. The 55/1.2, especially the older FL 55/1.2, have a nice creamy bokeh wide open without losing much sharpness, which is perfect for portraits. In fact, stopped down to 1.4 my FL 55/1.2 is sharper than my FD 50/1.4, so you’re getting more from the 55/1.2.
@Quan: There’s always a trade-off. AF isn’t a holy grail must-have feature for all photographers, and in fact I still do MF with my AF lenses because a lot of time I don’t trust some engineer’s judgment to have programmed the processor correctly for all situations. You can overcome the lack of IS with shutter speed to a large extent, so that’s not a huge detractor from using legacy lenses either. The major downside to legacy lenses is size and weight, but even that can be an advantage in many situations for balancing purposes. So for anyone but those who can’t live without AF, MF legacy lenses are indeed a lower cost solution.
It’s also not a tradeoff if there’s nothing comparable in a micro four thirds lens. I’ve ordered a Canon FD 50mm f1.2. The closest autofocusing solution would be the Pana/Leica 45mm f2.8. I think a lot of people would agree f1.2 and 2.8 are two different animals.
I would love to have an autofocusing f1.2 for my GF1 but it doesn’t exist. So manual focus is my only option.