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Which is the Least Worst FD > EOS Adapter
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 12:52 pm    Post subject: Which is the Least Worst FD > EOS Adapter Reply with quote
I have a few FD lenses for my T90 & AE-1. I want to get an adapter for simply testing the performance of FD lenses, but wondering which has the least negative impact?


PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Get a glassless adapter, they don't have any negative impact. All the infinity adapters have elements that degrade the image, and what you'll be testing is not the performance of the FD lens but the performance of the FD lens combined with whatever 1.2 converter you choose. There may be combinations that work reasonably well, but you'll lose about 2/3 stop of light or more when combined with very fast lenses.

The original Canon 1.26x converter is deemed to be very good, but scarce and expensive and only works with certain telephoto lenses. I've read about a Kenko 1.4x which should be quite decent. There are many infinity adapters that claim to use better glass than the cheapest ones, but I haven't seen great results from those either.


PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 4:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I am after the adapter with glass in as I want to test for normal shooting. I know it will have a negative impact but that's fine for comparing lenses.

I'm not sure why you mentioned a tele converter? I do already have a Kenko 2x that I was given.


PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 6:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Kipon is supposed to be the best.
Also someone on this forum tested the Japan made one with Hoya glass.
I will try to find the thread.


PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
So is there a glassless adapter? I don't care about infinity.


PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
martinsmith99 wrote:
I am after the adapter with glass in as I want to test for normal shooting. I know it will have a negative impact but that's fine for comparing lenses.


I disagree with you there. When you compare lenses using an adapter with glass in it, you compare not the lenses but the lens/adapter combination. If f.i. you compare a 55mm f/1.2 with a 50mm f/1.8 this way, you're likely to see very little difference between these two at large apertures because the diameter of the adapter is too small and it'll act as another aperture. So the negative impact varies between lenses and your comparison will be flawed.

martinsmith99 wrote:
I'm not sure why you mentioned a tele converter? I do already have a Kenko 2x that I was given.


An adapter with glass in it is a teleconverter. Most seem to be about 1.2x teleconverters. Sellers are very good at not mentioning this fact. In the early days of these adapters one seller was adamant his adapter was only 1.05x or something like that, but unsatisfied customers proved it was 1.2x, just like all the other ebay brands.

So for using your FD lenses, infinity adapters may a reasonable option, but since you stated you wanted to test your lenses, they are a less reasonable option.

Anyway, if your question is whether there are any infinity adapters with better glass than others, I don't know. There are some that claim to use better glass, but all the examples I've seen suggest that you need to stop down considerably before you get anything close to reasonable IQ.

Last edited by dickb on Sun Sep 18, 2011 10:38 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 10:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Kram wrote:
So is there a glassless adapter? I don't care about infinity.


Yes, there are several options. There are the original Canon macro adapters and their cheap ebay counterparts, which are about 10mm thick and easy to use. Then there are thinner ones on eBay, Indian 3mm ones, Chinese 1mm and a Canadian 0.75mm one. Before these became available I even made one myself, search this forum..


PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I bought one of the thin adapters. I bought it from a USA seller so I don't know if it's the China or India one.
I was happy to begin with, there is about a 1/4 " slop in the adapter. It dosen't lock tight, but I was okay with that.
Then I tried it on my 3rd party, Soligor FD lenses, and it wouldn't fit them right at all. Thought the lens would fall off.
Also they are a poor design. There is a good 1/8" or more between the lens and the adapter.
I will post pics of my adapter later today.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
dickb, thanks for that.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Kram, you're welcome. I forgot to mention that I've got three glassless FD eos adapters, the homemade one, a thick Chinese one for macro purposes and recently the 0.75mm Canadian one from EdMika. It appears to be very well made, but I haven't tested it properly yet.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 2:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
dickb wrote:
Kram, you're welcome. I forgot to mention that I've got three glassless FD eos adapters, the homemade one, a thick Chinese one for macro purposes and recently the 0.75mm Canadian one from EdMika. It appears to be very well made, but I haven't tested it properly yet.


Does your macro adapter work properly, and does it fit right.I haven't bought the FD EOS macro adapter yet, but I have the MD EOS macro adapter and it's one of the best adapters I own.

Let us know how good the EdMika one is. Please. Smile

One thing I forgot to mention on my thin adapeter is besides bad fit and poor design, is you can't stop the lenses down.The lenses stay wide open. Twisted Evil
For my adapter to work properly on EOS you need to block the appeture pin.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 2:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hey Martin,

I think I'm the guy that Walter referred to. I posted a thread on this topic back in April. You can see it here:

http://forum.mflenses.com/canon-fd-to-eos-infinity-adapters-are-they-really-that-bad-t38661.html

Just to briefly reiterate, I have found that the adapter with the glass element -- made by Hoya in my case -- does not handle fast lens openings very well. Anything faster than about f/4 will begin to show a sort of blooming flare, and it becomes progressively worse the wider open the aperture is, such that by about f/1.4, it's really unusable. But at f/4 and slower, I have found that my adapter does not degrade the image at all. So this is good news if you want to use a slower lens, especially a long telephoto.

My adapter's element also unscrews from the housing, so it can be used with or without the element. This doesn't allow for much more than macro work, however, unless you have a long telephoto that focuses well past infinity.

Like you, I bought my adapter because I already had a selection of FD mount lenses, but I didn't want to convert them because I still use them with my FD cameras. As for how well one of these adapters will work for you, it's gonna depend on the FD lenses you have, what your intended uses are for them. and whether you can be content with operating the lenses at f/4 and slower.

Last edited by cooltouch on Sun Sep 25, 2011 3:11 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 11:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
walter g wrote:
Let us know how good the EdMika one is. Please. Smile


Since you asked so nicely.. It is a very good adapter, well crafted and it blocks the automatic aperture lever so you can change aperture on the lens, it is very thin (to the point that putting the adapter on an nFD lens is a bit tricky - I use on rear lens cap to get a better grip on the adapter). The chip seems to work well - I hardly ever use focus confirmation chips on adapters but it is practical to avoid problems with EF teleconverters. The adapter works well with all my FD and nFD lenses on my 40D and with nFD lenses with my 5DmkII. The older breechlock FD lenses appear to have a slightly longer aperture lever that can connect with the electronics bezel of the 5DmkII. Filing the lever down a mm solves this. I've spoken to Ed and now he's designing yet a newer/improved model with the lens rotated at a 90 degrees angle to move the aperture lever out of harm's way, even on 5D. Only on the 5D and the 5DmkII does the lever of breechlock lenses collide with the plastic bezel, on the 1D series and crop cameras it won't.

To see whether the adapter makes sense for you, put your FD lenses against the EF mount of your camera and check what the maximum focus distance is. Allow for the minimal further reduction caused by the added 0.75mm extension and if the resulting focus range of your lenses is still useful to you, this adapter is a good deal. If you only want extremely close focus, or mount your EF camera to an FD bellows, the cheaper 10mm thick chinese macro adapter may be a better bet.

In combination with a nFD 400/2.8 and nFD 300/2.8 the adapter works perfectly. If I am brave enough to adjust the infinity stop on these lenses, as outlined by Ed in a youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytgt1d1Ts8I I even get infinity focus.
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