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Canon FL 2.5/35mm
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2011 8:15 am    Post subject: Canon FL 2.5/35mm Reply with quote
Hi folks

Picked this lens up for the grand total of 7.19ukp inc shipping.

It's a huge thing for a 35mm focal length lens.

I found this info:

Quote:
FL 35mm F 2.5

A retrofocus type wide-angle lens with a large aperture, passing a large quantity of marginal light because of the two large elements in the front group. This lens has very flexible characteristics in that soft delineation. And it is possible at maximum aperture while very sharp pictures are available when the aperture is closed down.



The elimination ,of spherical and other aberrations, minimization of flare and highly faithful reproduction of colors are the outstanding features of this lens.

Name: Canon Lens FL 35mm F 2.5
Focal Length: f=35mm Aperture Ratio: 1:2.5
Construction: 5 components, 7 elements Coating: Magenta
Diaphragm: Automatic/ Manual preset type Min. Aperture: 16
Distance Scale: 0.4-3 oo in meters,1.5-10 oo in feet
Angle of View: Diagonal 64°, Horizontal 54°, Vertical 38°
Focusing System:Straight drive double helicoid
Hood: W-60-A Filter Size: 58mm (2-5/16") Length x Max. Dia: 55 x 65mm (2-3/16" x 2-9/16") Weight: 352 grams (12-7/16 oz.)






PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2011 8:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this lens and would it be worth converting it to EOS mount?


PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2011 6:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nobody ever used this lens then?


PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Not crowded, here ; Perhaps, you can give a try to the lens pressed against the body ; I would be pleased to see sample of this legacy lens (It was impossible for Canon to miss such a classic during the sixties)


PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 11:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Phenix jc wrote:
Not crowded, here ; Perhaps, you can give a try to the lens pressed against the body ; I would be pleased to see sample of this legacy lens (It was impossible for Canon to miss such a classic during the sixties)


I will try this as soon as it arrives...


PostPosted: Tue May 24, 2011 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lens arrived today and I've spent most of the day machining metal from the back of it.

First I undid the set screw holding the mount ring in place then unscrewed the mount ring. I then removed three grub screws holding in place a central collar and removed the collar. Under this was the aperture linkage machanism - a pair of spring loaded curved arms connected to a pin that connects to the body. I removed this mechanism then ground a mm or so from the metal plate forming the back of the lens body.

I also ground about 0.5mm from the thickness of an M42-EOS adapter I'm going to use as the mount for this lens.

Then I mounted the adapter on my EOS and held the trimmed lens against it.

No infinity, sadly:



Undeterred, I removed another 3-4mm of metal from the rear of the lens body, this is the maximum possible, I trimmed it right upto the back of the helicoid. It's too dark now to try it again for infinity but I will in the morning. If it still won't hit infinity I don't think I can shorten it any further...


PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2011 4:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I tried the lens again today and it still doesn't hit infinity, it's not far off, but close isn't good enough, obviously...



I'll have to thin down the adapter I'm using as a mount and see if that works, there really is no more metal to remove from the lens body, I've trimmed it right back to the base of the helicoid, just behind the aperture.


PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2011 5:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, I've trimmed the lens down now to the shortest it can possibly be and it still doesn't hit infinity, judging by this test shot i just took...



So it looks like this lens is now useless unless I use it for close ups or macro shots...


PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2011 6:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
****So it looks like this lens is now useless unless I use it for close ups or macro shots...***

erm you should have checked that FL/FD lenses are difficult to convert for digital camera use, so a nice lens has been ruined for a film camera user Crying or Very sad


PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2011 7:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, a couple more hours grinding and filing and it looks like I might have finally have got this lens to hit infinity!

Two days of metalwork, this was a very tricky job and required the removal of large parts of the lens...

f8:





f16:





PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2011 7:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
It seems to be that the lens delivers very nice images.

but do not get me wrong; was it necessary to remove so much from the lens? Rolling Eyes

tf


PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2011 8:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The 35mm f/2.5 is my favorite Canon-mount 35mm lens. I used to have one when I shot Canon exclusively back in the 80s and early 90s, and I just loved the pics it rendered.

Fortunately, they are still rather plentiful on eBay so I do plan to pick up another someday for the FD outfit I am in the process of reassembling. But I will not convert it to use on my EOS. I have a Nikkor 35mm f/2 that'll have to do for my EOS.

I'm glad to read that your perseverance has appeared to have paid off for you. I think you will enjoy the lens.


PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2011 9:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I had to remove so much due to the retrofocus design, I reckon other FL/FD lenses would not need so much removed.

It does look sharp from that quick test shot so glad I did covert it, 7.19ukp for the lens, 2.35ukp for the M42-EOS adapter I used as a mount so cost me less than a tenner.

cooltouch wrote:
The 35mm f/2.5 is my favorite Canon-mount 35mm lens. I used to have one when I shot Canon exclusively back in the 80s and early 90s, and I just loved the pics it rendered.


Wow, that's all the recommendation I heed to hear!

They are plentiful and cheap on ebay, I could have bought another one in good dondition for 7ukp the same time I bought mine.

Had a mishap with it today though, the metal swarf from the filing back got into the helicoid and jammed it so I had to take it apart to clean and relube it.

Now I got it apart I cannot get it to screw back together, the threads refuse to engage.

I'll persevere with it and hopefully get it back together. If I can't get it back together I can always remount the optical block in a new mount, but i would prefer to reassemble it as it was.

I'm keeping my eye out for S.C. and S.S.C. Canon lenses now, they often can be had very cheap and now I've had a go at converting one, I fancy trying some others.


PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 8:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, finally I have this little beauty of a lens working great on my EOS, it hits infinity (just!) and is a joy to use - feels so solidly metallic.



I love the colours and contrast of this lens. I don't have a hood to fit it so there is a little flare on some of these pics, but I think it handles flare very well and with the addition of a hood will be great in thsi regard.

I think it's pretty sharp and there is something about the images it produces that I really like.












PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 8:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
A few more, each followed by a 100% crop:

















This one was wide open, pretty sharp imho:




PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 12:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Brilliant!

Makes me want to go out and get me another. Hope no eBay sellers of this lens have seen your shots, Ian. Cool


PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 1:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Cheers Michael. I hope I can grab a few more FL lenses before the prices get silly. I did see another 2.5/35 go for a song just after I bought mine.

It was definitely worth all the metalwork to convert it, with a lathe and the right tools it wouldn't have been so hard but I did it sat at my desk with a hacksaw, a file and some emery paper. Total cost is about 10ukp for the project so I'm happy with it.

I made some mistakes with the conversion but I feel I learnt a lot and the next FL lens I take the hacksaw to should go much more smoothly with the benefit of experience.

Here's a panorama I shot handheld today, I really like the vibrance of the colours of this lens, no PP here, just stitched em together in PS.



PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 1:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oh, I forgot to say many thanks to Martyn for helping me put the damn thing back together again!

It was like this after all my hacking away at it:



Thanks to Martyn who worked out how to screw it all back together it now looks like this:



I bought an engraver at a car boot sale for a fiver and to try it out I engraved my initials into the lens, that's why it say's 'I.G.' on it...


PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 1:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just bid on one of thes to try on my a7ii. Hoping I get as nice of images! Just a bit worried about sensor smear due to the retrofocus design. Oh well they are still really inexpensive.


PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 2:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
It should work just fine on your A7II, I've used mine on my A7r a few times, it's definitely sharp.
If your adapter has a pin that engages the aperture lever on FD lenses, it will likely have to be removed to mount the lens, it's not needed on FL lenses, FD lenses can be tricked into acting like an FL by pushing the aperture lever all the way till it locks into the engaged position, sadly, this feature is not present on the nFD lenses, so if you use nFD lenses, I'd recommend you get a second adapter.


PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 2:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I wouldn't worry about sensor smear with a 35mm. 20mm or 17mm, maybe, but not a 35mm.

Since the last time I posted in this thread, I picked up a minty FL 35mm f/2.5, but I haven't used it much because I found out after receiving it that the aperture iris is stuck open. I bought it at the goodwill auction site, so a return wasn't possible, but the good news from the purchase was I picked it up for a really good price. So, one of these days when I'm at loose ends, I'll tear into it and clean the iris blades.

Here's a Kodachrome shot I took the day I bought my first FL 35mm f/2.5 -- some 31 years ago. It was late in the afternoon but there was still sufficient light for me to get good depth of field, plus the lateness added a richness to the landscape's colors.


PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 4:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
jamaeolus wrote:
Just bid on one of thes to try on my a7ii. Hoping I get as nice of images! Just a bit worried about sensor smear due to the retrofocus design. Oh well they are still really inexpensive.


The corner smearing with the A7 affects generally RF wide angles . RF stands for rangefinder not for retrofocus. Nevertheless, the performance in the corners of many old retrofocus designs from the 60s and 70s can be not satisfactory. Later generations are usually better.
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