topic Re: OLD AE1 FD LENSES on T3i,or T4i, with Adapter, T3i, or T4i Choice?? in General Discussion

OLD AE1 FD LENSES on T3i,or T4i, with Adapter, T3i, or T4i Choice??

photoman17 — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 03:32:42 GMT

OLD AE1 FD LENSES on T3i,or T4i?

I have an old PROGRAM AE1 with about five FD lenses. About 10 years ago, I bought a Canon G6,and the

tele/macro lever on the top is now frozen, but I can force it either Telephoto, or Macro, but nothing in the middle, since it won't stop. Canon told me it's not worth fixing. I may either trade it in (20% off) for a refurbished T4i, and keep my FD lenses, or keep the G6, since it can take awesome landscape photos, or portraits, so I may keep that. (besides, what else am I going to use my SanDisk 2.0 Extreme III COMPACT FLASH card for, or my battery pack and charger?) Decisions...Decisions. I also don't think the AE1 will ever become a collectors item anytime soon. What would anyone else do? Maybe keep both cameras and still buy either the T3i, or the T4i.

I was wondering if anyone here has ever used the third party "Mount Adapter for FD to EOS EF Lenses" to use in either the T3i, or the T4i Rebel cameras, and if they yield good results, or not. (I also realize that it's all manual Focus, with the FD's)

I liked the convenience of using my 7.1MP Powershot G series camera, without lugging around all the other lenses, but having HD video and 18MP camera might make me forget all that. I have to decide what I would be happier with.

Thanks!

Re: OLD AE1 FD LENSES on T3i,or T4i, with Adapter, T3i, or T4i Choice??

cicopo — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 04:22:59 GMT

Take the Loyalty deal & modernize. Only think about using Fd to EOS adapters if you have high end FD lenses.

Re: OLD AE1 FD LENSES on T3i,or T4i, with Adapter, T3i, or T4i Choice??

TCampbell — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 16:17:37 GMT

The adapters allow the lenses to attach, but FD lenses are manual focus and the ability to control aperture (f-stop) is also manually done via the aperture ring -or- automatically done by mechanical linkage to the camera.

EOS cameras have no mechanical linkage -- everything is digital. That means that while you can get an adapter to fit the lens, you will have to use it as a completely manual lens. You lose a lot of the advantages of owning an EOS camera when using it with a non-EOS lens.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that the focus screen and split-prism focusing aid on your AE1 is not there on an EOS camera because they are normally electronically focused. That means manually focusing is a bit tricker than it was with your AE1 because there is no visual focus aid.

I really would go with with the new EOS body (and the T3i and T4i are both great. The T4i has a better focusing system and the rear LCD is a touch screen.) and just get a new lens along with it.

Re: OLD AE1 FD LENSES on T3i,or T4i, with Adapter, T3i, or T4i Choice??

photoman17 — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 23:34:59 GMT

Ok, I decided that the old FD lenses are counter-productive, so I went out and bought the new SX50, for $330.00 ($100.00 cheaper than canon)

I guess I did not want to go through all the lens conversion,buying all new different lens, game, and so far, this SX50 does not dissapoint, with a 24mm-1200 Zoom lens, I love it!

What I don't like is that before buying this camera, i did not search out the canon prices for a 67mm UV protector filter for $85.00, or the 67mm PL-CB Polarizer filter for a whopping $390.00! WHAT?

So I guess I will need a FA-DC67A Adaptor in order to use the 67mm filters, and need to find cheaper than Canon, instead of screwing on just the filters, without this adaptor.

Thanks for all the replies on the FD lenes, I think I made the right choice.

Re: OLD AE1 FD LENSES on T3i,or T4i, with Adapter, T3i, or T4i Choice??

TCampbell — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 03:10:49 GMT

If you want to attach a filter, then you would need the filter adapter -- but that's only $25.

You do not need a UV filter. Using one, generally causes more problems than it solves.

As for the polarizer... that's a ludicrous price tag. A B+W brand 67mm Kaesemann Circlular Polarizer with Multi-Reistant Coating (probably one of the best filters you can buy on the market) runs about $85. A Hoya PRO1 67mm CPL (another very good polarizing filter) is about $67. The B+W filter is a little more expensive because of the Kaesemann protection which resists dirt and spotting and also makes it considerably resistant to weather. But the optical quality of the two filters is about the same.

Canon's filter will not be better (and should be embarassed for that price tag -- that's GOTTA be a typo unless they're delivering it in a 24k gold box.)