Canon FD 200mm f2.8, any opinions?

bojan · #1 13-09-2009, 04:13 PM

Hi folks,
Does anybody have any experience with Canon 200mm f2.8 FD lens, in terms of image quality? (I am especially interested in star images at corners of the frame)
Any comment will be greatly appreciated..

Waxing_Gibbous (Peter) · #2 14-09-2009, 08:18 AM

Yes. I had one for years.
Its an excellent lens. And it changed little between the FD and the EF 'L' version. Given their current prices you might as well take a punt. Also the 135mm f2 is every bit as sharp as the modern L counterpart.
For astrophotography, I wouldn't reccomend shooting either wide open though as both will suffer a little softness around the edges.

bojan · #3 14-09-2009, 05:52 PM

Peter,
Thank you for this info. Do you have some test images of stars in corners to have a look?
I will certainly try (actually I tried already but was outbid in the last second by $2!!!)

Waxing_Gibbous (Peter) · #4 14-09-2009, 07:13 PM

Bojan,
Sorry, I've never astro-imaged with one. I can loan you a 135 f2 to try if you like. For a used 200 FD, I would suggest trying Michael's on Elizabeth St. In Melbourne. The Shutterbox on Toorak Rd also does FD lenses (I sent my 200 there on consignment about 4 years ago and forgot about it until today!!!). It could still be there!
Failing these try some of the UK camera shops: Jacobs, Jessops, London Camera Exchange. An English magazine called Photography Weekly (Border's, bigger Tatt's) is usually loaded with ads for ye olde equipment.
Another oprtion is a Macro lens. I can't remember the exact focal lengths but I think they came in 50mm f3.5 a 100 f2.8 and 180mm f3.5. At any rate they would be more likely to be corner to corner sharp, if somewhat pricier.
Give me a shout if you want to borrow the 135.
Cheers.
Peter

bojan · #5 15-09-2009, 05:56 AM

Peter,
And thank you for your kind offer.. however, to test the FD lens on my EOS, this means mechanical modification which may be irreversible :-)
So I will try to find it on one of the places you mention.
My previous experience with FD 50mm is very good, so for me the risk of modifying again is negligible :-)

Waxing_Gibbous (Peter) · #6 15-09-2009, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bojan

Peter,
And thank you for your kind offer.. however, to test the FD lens on my EOS, this means mechanical modification which may be irreversible :-)
So I will try to find it on one of the places you mention.
My previous experience with FD 50mm is very good, so for me the risk of modifying again is negligible :-)

Ah!
Unless someone has built a new type, you can't use the original FD / EOS adapter for astrophotography as you loose infinity focus. Also, the original adapter was meant for use with 300mm+ telephotos and would probably be no use anyway, giving poor results at best

Would be interested to know how you modified your 50mm tho!

bojan · #7 15-09-2009, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waxing_Gibbous

Would be interested to know how you modified your 50mm tho!

Like this:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=39293

Waxing_Gibbous (Peter) · #8 15-09-2009, 09:55 PM

VERY impressive. The minute I develop any engineering skill, I'll give it a go.

Anyway. Yes. Give some of the foreign shop a try if you have no luck here. There was literally tons of FD stuff available when I was there two years ago - all at knock down prices.

bojan · #9 15-09-2009, 09:58 PM

I just did.. on ebay... 200mm FD S.S.C., for $220 plus shipment.
I hope for the best..

Ian Robinson · #10 16-09-2009, 12:18 PM

I read some time ago , when I was looking at buying (well bidding on a FD 300mm f2.8 L on Ebay) , that Canon produced for a while a FD-EF adapter that was not made for long , the pro photographers demanded it.

I think it , unlike the adapters now available (which result in a 1.5x coversion of the focal length) , was a 1x unit.

A FD 200mm f2.8 with a FD-EF adapter will become 300mm f4.2 , you'd probably be better off buying a secondhand EF 300mm f4 , or a Tamron or Sigma equivalent to the 70-200mm f2.8 (LD or APO) with a EF bayonet.

I took a different tack , I bought a Soligor FD 135mm f2 , which becomes a 200mm f3 and produces very sharp images wide open . So I don't see any need to buy a EF 200mm f2.8 L or EF 70-200mm f2.8 L or other brand equivalents (LD or APO).

Ian Robinson · #11 16-09-2009, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waxing_Gibbous

Ah!
Unless someone has built a new type, you can't use the original FD / EOS adapter for astrophotography as you loose infinity focus. Also, the original adapter was meant for use with 300mm+ telephotos and would probably be no use anyway, giving poor results at best

Would be interested to know how you modified your 50mm tho!

Um .... that's incorrect .... I use a FD-EOS (EF) adapter and I can reach sharp focus at infinity .

Or are you talking about the Canon branded adapter (that''s as scarce as hen's teeth) and costs a fortune if you find one (on Ebay or in shop somewhere).

bojan · #12 16-09-2009, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Robinson

I took a different tack , I bought a Soligor FD 135mm f2 , which becomes a 200mm f3 and produces very sharp images wide open . So I don't see any need to buy a EF 200mm f2.8 L or EF 70-200mm f2.8 L or other brand equivalents (LD or APO).

I was not sure about Soligor, the reports on web were not helpful (artistic-poetic language used to describe basic things about lens), so I went for Canon (which I know is good.. see here: http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/sea...0f2.8%20images)

I also can not complain much about my Tair-11A, t is VERY sharp in the centre but shows a bit of coma at corners.

Ian Robinson · #13 16-09-2009, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bojan

I was not sure about Soligor, the reports on web were not helpful (artistic-poetic language used to describe basic things about lens), so I went for Canon (which I know is good.. see here: http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/sea...0f2.8%20images)

I also can not complain much about my Tair-11A, t is VERY sharp in the centre but shows a bit of coma at corners.

The one I got was quite cheap and in perfect condition .... it's an excellent fixed focal length fast telephot lens .... I'm very pleased with it , buggerall aberration even on bright objects, sharp distortion free stars edge to edge and very good mechanical actions .... I really like it , and had it been a dud .... not much money down the tube and I would have sold it to someone else via Ebay who wasn't interested in astroimaging.
They don't come up on Ebay very often .... I guess most the owners of the Soligor 135mm f2 like them heaps and don't want to part with them.

I also got a Soligor 200mm f2.8 (OM bayonet) that seems to have been dropped or had a hard hit .... no damage to the lenses (they are clean , and defect free from what I can see) , but I suspect an element may bef a tad out of collimation

.... stars have a strange aberration (I thought at first it was dew on the lens , but it's always there when I use it for astroimaging , normal photpgraphy doesn't seem to be effected , images are sharp and look OK ???

???, cost me buggerall on Ebay ,
I thought it may have been the OM-EOS(EF) adapter (but not sure now).
Not ready to ditch it yet , wouldn't mind getting hold of another and comparing . Not that I need another 200mm lens , already have the Soligor 135mm f2 (+ FD-EF adapter) .

Wouldn't mind getting a Soligor 135mm f2 with OM mount. (the adapter has no optics (so is 1x)) , that would be a nice lens.

I'm also a Tamron LD adaptall convert .... got a LD SP 300mm f2.8 adaptall and I'm extremely impressed with it , I had a custom made adaptall - EF bayonet made for it (chap in Italy) and it's proven excellent for astroimaging .... pin point stars edge to edge and no aberrations or distortions ....

Sigma APO zooms are nice too.... I've a Sigma 50-150 f2.8 APO (the earlier model for EF) and it produces pin point stars edge to edge and little distortion (I can't see it) even wide open. But I didn't really buy it astroimaging, it's in my walk about kit.

Waxing_Gibbous (Peter) · #14 16-09-2009, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Robinson

Um .... that's incorrect .... I use a FD-EOS (EF) adapter and I can reach sharp focus at infinity .

Or are you talking about the Canon branded adapter (that''s as scarce as hen's teeth) and costs a fortune if you find one (on Ebay or in shop somewhere).

Ian,
Yes its the Canon one I tried. By the way, the FD L telephotos make cheap-ish super-apo's with the addition of some Hutech stuff. Better (IMHO) than the EF IS (real Fluorite, high-lead glass, fewer elements). So you can convert your lens into a telescope and then use a T-Ring to turn it back into a lens!

Ian Robinson · #15 17-09-2009, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waxing_Gibbous

Ian,
Yes its the Canon one I tried. By the way, the FD L telephotos make cheap-ish super-apo's with the addition of some Hutech stuff. Better (IMHO) than the EF IS (real Fluorite, high-lead glass, fewer elements). So you can convert your lens into a telescope and then use a T-Ring to turn it back into a lens!

They are very hard to get .... I bid on one that came with a FD 300mm f2.8 L about 12 months ago (was a local Ebay item). Haven't seen one advertised on Ebay since.

bojan · #16 17-09-2009, 02:24 PM

This is an interesting link for you guys with Canon 300mm F4 lens (actually, you already know all this.. but it may be useful for those who still strongly think that money=quality. Not always.. fortunately .. :-) )
It came from CN, here:
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthrea...8/Main/3042361

Image (full frame, M44) taken with this lens:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3343/...509780c6_o.jpg

and the test (the one I would like to see as part of any lens review.. )
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3341/...cca1f3fd_o.jpg