Old lenses for G6 - tight budget

[andy lee]

I dont use full frame so Im not quote full frame equivilants Im quoting actual focal lenths the speedbooster creates

it is a very very good lens - a hidden gem - Canon got the glass on this lens just right

 

 

with a speedbooster is the Full frame approx equivilant of 50-100 @ f2.8 which is a steller range to work in , 50mm being a 'standard lens and 100 range is right through to portait - this lens has little or no distortion suberb rich colours and nice solid blacks - and is sharp !!

win win win !!

 

see Ken Rockwell review here

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/fd/35-70mm-f4.htm

 

quote from Ken Rockwell

 

The 35-70mm f/4 is unusually sharp right out to the corners, even wide-open, and has little or no distortion throughout most of the zoom range.

The Canon FD 35-70/4 is also built tough; it's almost all-metal.

[Jodan]

I guess I was wrong - the lens does not have an aperture ring... so it's of no use for me.

[andy lee]

of course it has an apperture ring - its a fully manual lens

[fuzzynormal]

its a fully manual lens

 

...And fully metal.  For what it's worth, the smaller M43 bodies are more... I don't know... how about: reassuring.  When they have the hefty older glass on them that's my sensation anyway.

 

Maybe it's legacy of muscle memory from my younger days.  My GX7 with an old Nikkon 24mm on it feels a lot more "real."

 

Also, I shoot FD glass from time to time with a colleague's FS700 and they're always tack sharp and clean across the frame.

[Pascal Garnier]

the FD 35-70 is a great allround lens, BUT you can't attach a (Vari) ND to it, unless you rig it up with a mattebox.

so the only options when shooting in sunlight are raising your shutter speed or closing down the aperture.

[andy lee]

I shot a job for client last week outside with it , you can attach NDs to it , I used Tiffens on it outside ND16 , 8 , 4, 2 combinations of - stacked to get the exposure I want - I just dont ever use Vari NDs as I dont like the artifacts they produce - its all hard NDs on my lenses.

[rak_heri]

the panasonic 20mm pancake would do everything you are looking for (street, astrophotography, portraits, etc.). Best lens for the money

[utsira]

the panasonic 20mm pancake would do everything you are looking for (street, astrophotography, portraits, etc.). Best lens for the money

+1 for the 20mm 1.7, one of my favourites. I have version 1, should be quite cheap second hand since v2 came out. 

 

I completely understand the appeal of old manual lenses: lovely direct focus throw, all metal construction (sometimes), massive front element etc; ergonomically they're a joy to use for video, and can be incredibly cheap second hand. Sometimes I look at a photo taken with my Ai-S 24mm 2.8 and it looks like a photo from the early 80s, because of the rendering.

 

But to go wide on m43 you do need a speedbooster, and IMO the cheaper imitations (lens turbo etc) don't cut it. This is an unpopular opinion, but I'm not even 100% sold on the speedbooster

 

So don't overlook native glass, some good deals can be had second hand, and the lenses are fantastic, lovely detail and rendering. The assumption that modern glass="sterile" is complete nonsense IMO. 3 panny primes might work out cheaper than, eg 3 Ai-S + speedbooster

[JazzBox]

Ciao,

 

I shot this music video with my trusty G6 and two Canon FD lenses with a 29,90 € mechanical adapter. 

The lenses where 28 f2.8 and 50 f/1.4: on G6 they become 56 and 100mm, thank the 2x crop.

 

I think they are very nice lenses and I just completed the kit with a nice 35-105 f/3.5 Macro :)

[JazzBox]

Now this one sounds quite interesting as it's still big enough for when I upgrade to a speedbooster. There's none available for that little money so I had to buy one for at least 60€ or get one form overseas, pay extra shipping and taxes and end up with about the same amount, but it's affordable and it even has the aparture ring as far as I know.

 

Maybe I got the crop factor stuff not completely right, but with a speedbooster, shouldn't it be back to about the same as on FF - instead of being even shorter and faster? I mean, on the G6 with just a basic adapter it's equivalent to 70-140 on FF, right?

 

Anyways, I could use it for portraits and the family stuff... and have still money left for other lenses.

You could buy a nice Canon FD 28 f/2.8 and use it as a "normal" lens (it's a 56 on G6), and then use the Tele function to have a 112mm (in video).