Adapt Canon FD Lens to EOS Camera
When I recently got back into macro photography, I came across the Canon Macro FD 50mm 1:3.5 after some searching on YouTube. This lens requires an FD to EOS adapter to attach it to modern cameras. Once adapted, these old lenses can be used with modern cameras, but everything must be operated manually.
During my research, I found very little information in German about this process and the results. So, I hope this article will be helpful to someone who might be interested in trying this.
FD Lens on EOS System
FD lenses don’t have the Canon EF or EF-S mount, so they can’t be easily attached to EOS cameras. According to Wikipedia, the last camera with the FD system was manufactured in 1992. I bought the 50mm Macro 1:3.5 for macro photography. Once adapted, the lens must be operated completely manually. One ring controls focus, while the other adjusts the aperture.
To adapt the lens, you need an adapter. There are adapters with and without a glass element. The ones with glass allow focusing up to infinity. The adapters without glass simply mount the lens to the EOS camera, but the close focusing distance is significantly reduced. You can get much closer to the subject but can no longer focus to infinity. Since I’m focusing on macro photography, this is not an issue for me. Additionally, adding a glass element could potentially reduce image quality and brightness. I opted for the inexpensive adapter without glass, which costs around 11€.
When the adapter is properly mounted, you can adjust the aperture using the aperture ring. The spring-loaded pin inside the lens must rest against the adapter for this to work.
The Results
On the first day, I took the lens out for a test run. The photos were taken with my EOS 5Ds R, imported via Wi-Fi to my phone, and edited in Lightroom CC. Unfortunately, the images lose resolution and quality when imported via Wi-Fi, so further below, I’ve included a JPG-converted CR2 file straight out of the camera.
A few days later, I took some more time at home to photograph products with flash. In my opinion, the results are quite good.
RAW Out of Camera
Here’s an unedited photo. The CR2 file has been converted to JPG, and the image was resized from 5792 x 8688 pixels to 1500 x 2250 pixels. Since the lens isn’t electronically connected to the camera, the aperture setting isn’t recorded in the metadata.
Final Thoughts
The image quality of this old lens surprised me. Considering this is an old lens that you can currently buy on eBay for 50-100€, it’s a fantastic deal!
