April 19, 2017

Canon FD lenses on modern cameras

I have used these lenses on my Canon DSLR cameras (with EOS lens mounts) with indifferent results. This is difficult because a simple mechanical mount will not focus at infinity. Once you address this issue you find that the viewfinder makes it very hard to judge focus. You can read the ugly story on the link below. My advice is to not waste your time.

Later I acquired a Sony mirrorless camera (the A6000) and the game is totally different. It is trivial to make a cheap adapter that works perfectly and focuses at infinity. On top of that the EVF (electronic viewfinder) is almost custom made for using manual focus lenses. The magnifier allows precise focusing, and the camera has a mode to place red highlights on in-focus details. All of this works fabulously, so if you are eager to use your old lenses you should just cut to the chase and buy a mirrorless camera and forget about using them on a DSLR.

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Tom's Digital Photography Info / [email protected]