canon FD 20mm 2.8 or Flek 2.8/20 ?

[crm-114]

Hi, just new to posting (like many, lurked for a while), and the title says it all.

Seems the Flek are getting more expensive by the minute, and Canon has a solid reputation, so which is best value?

Any opinions, I would be pleased to here, thanks

[tkbslc]

[bob955i]

Don't have any Canon 20mm primes but I do have a Flek 2.8/20 and 4/20.

Pros and cons:

Flek 2.8/20 is a bit sharper than the 4/20 but the 4/20 is better corrected - virtually zero distortion at normal distances. That said, the 2.8 is still very good in this respect and for most images you probably won't notice any real distortion issues.

Flek 2.8/20 is multi-coated while the 4/20 is single coated - the 2.8 will perform better in bright sunlight but don't expect it to be quite as good as Oberkochen Zeiss glass. The 2.8 will be more contrasty as a result of the more modern coating than the 4/20.

Flek 2.8/20 will be more expensive than the 4/20.

Flek 2.8/20 not quite as easy to get as the 4/20.

Both are good lenses and if you get a good copy of either, you will likely be very happy. If not, Flek 20s are always in demand and can be resold very quickly and at minimal loss.

[crm-114]

Thank you for your informative replies, I did wonder what the difference between the Fleks was, and that would have been the next obvious question.



As with which camera, either mount will be OK, though the M42 is clearly what I have been favouring so far. I have a Praktica VLC3 for the M42, and – via various adaptors - can use a Pentax K200, Minolta MD and Fujica AX. (The Fujica is particularly interesting as it has the open aperture metering M42 adaptor, so I don’t have to go for the ‘electric’ version of the flek). I would prefer using all this old film gear, so ‘full frame’ performance is important. For the Canon I have an (old) F1…this is a recent ‘happy’ find with a couple of lenses, and so the whole FD deal came into focus…so too speak;-)



I have also read that the EF version of the Canon was ordinary, but that Canon people rated the FD as superior. Possibly this is just nostalgia, or it could be an indication of a different formula, I could not discern that from the postings I found. I find it interesting that both the Flek and Canon have the same numbers and, in a way look similar, with the large front element, so suspected a common origin – though I have no facts on that conjecture , and given my recent intro into ‘cheap’ FD’s I wondered about the 20mm as an alternative.

So there you have it, the whole catastrophe.

[cooltouch]

Regarding Canon, something of a sleeper used to be the FL 19mm f/3.5. I owned one of these lenses years ago, and liked it a lot. At the time it was quite affordable compared to current Canon ultra wides (back in the mid 80s). But nowadays, it's as pricey as all the other ultra-wides, it seems like.

Anyway, if you happen across one at a good price, don't reject it just cuz it's an FL. It's a very nice lens.