I am going to try and use it with a Canon 5D. Thanks Rusty...I will take a look at it. I guess it will be worth a shot at buying an FD/EF adapter and seeing how well it performs. I have a lot of bird activity near my house and it might be fun to capture them with this.
The FD/EF adapter has optics in it, I believe. If you can find another option, such as mount replacement, you would probably get better quality. I don't know if the lens is worth it. Do you have a mirrorless you could try it on before you commit to larger costs?
epiphini wrote:
I am going to try and use it with a Canon 5D. Thanks Rusty...I will take a look at it. I guess it will be worth a shot at buying an FD/EF adapter and seeing how well it performs. I have a lot of bird activity near my house and it might be fun to capture them with this.
Hmmm ... not sure @ FD adapter and impact at not reaching infinity.
It goes a bit soft past 550mm, and of course is a bit of a "light hog". Shooting with it at the short end can be rather surprising ... considering that it is a 5X zoom antique tank. It doesn't have the greatest contrast/resolution in the world as a Canon "L" ... but when you need the reach, it comes in handy. Added plus ... it makes one heck of a weapon should you find the need, especially for the price.
From the other day ... not the best lighting, glaring off the water, so you can see a little fringe the underexposure ... but hey, it provides way better reach than my eyes are capable of. https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1110641
No, don't have another mirrorless. I will give it a shot with an adapter I can pick up on Amazon and then give a report back. There must be somebody out there with this lens using it on a Canon FD to EF.
You'll likely have to look elsewhere to find someone who has this lens in FD mount. I haven't heard from another FM'er that has a shared interest in this lens till your recent post (in both forums).
I have one that rarely gets used...someone asked a couple years back on mflenses.com for some distance shots at various focal lengths.
Distance across at Point Wilson & the entrance to Admiralty Inlet,is about four nautical miles from where these are shot.
I wasn't being to critical with the shots,just quick shots at the different focal lengths...focused through the viewfinder
Bit of a hurry because my grandkids were chomping at the bit wanting to explore Fort Worden.
Rather then dig through a gazillion files....figured to mount on a few different bodies this week and check the results.
Modern Canon L lenses are definitely a lot easier to shoot with,not to mention much better image quality.
These two shots were within an inch or so of minimum focus distance which is a bit less then 15'.
For me,this was a reminder why I use modern lenses for such shooting and a lesson in vexation.
Both these image are very heavy crops....
The first image is with no flash yesterday afternoon....The second image is with flash this morning.
Vivitar 120-600mm racked out to about 300mm with Vivitar Series 1 zoom collection.
Probably the most impressive thing about the lens is the build quality.
There is a 2xTC mounted on it,but would never consider using it...maybe a 1.5xTC...naw, I highly doubt it.
epiphini -- It might be worth it to buy a M4/3 body and adapter. I got an Oly E-PL1 refurb a couple weeks ago for $159 from Cameta, and saw a EP2 this week for $229. Naturally, this doubles the apparent focal length, but that might be for the good if you are shooting distant or small subjects. An FD to M4/3 adapter is pretty inexpensive -- under $20 from China, or under $40 from Fotodiox.
Optical adapters (FD to EF) are essentially mini-teleconverters. You lose slight f/stop and gain some focal length, and IQ goes down noticeably.
Anyway, it sounds like a really fun lens to own, especially if you got a deal/steal. Looking forward to some pictures.
If he's shooting minimum focusing distance,just a regular adapter rather then an optical one should work.
Rather then further degrading the resolving power of the lens,probably the most viable solution would be to convert the mount.
If someone doesn't mind degrading the image quality then an optical TC is viable as well.
I agree about getting the µ4/3 or Sony E-Mount body for around $200. I see them all the time for that and I bet you'd pay over $100 for an adapter like I showed anyway. There are cheaper no-name HK manufactured ones but I would avoid those for sure. Nex 5 or one os those Nex CS cameras at around $200 would be my first pick.
What camera do you plan to use it with, Nikon V1? 
