Canon DLSR Camera Questions

[Wendelspanswick]

I've treated myself to a 2nd hand Canon EOS 50D and an 18-55mm EFS lens and I've got a few questions, maybe @Kayos can help?

I've got a few old FD mount lenses about and I was going to buy an adaptor but there seems to be 2 types, a plain one for about £10 or a glass one for £30. What's the advantage, if any, of the more expensive one?

Any hurdles to overcome using FD mount lenses?

Is it possible to fit an SD card (via an adaptor) instead of the Compact Flash card?

I see you can connect the camera to an android phone using a USB host cable and an app, anyone tried it?

I imagine I will have a few more questions once I start playing.

Cheers

 

[Wozzaaah]

Any glass you put between the lens and body will probably have an effect on the image quality.
The drawback of FD lenses is you’re limited to manual focus.
To be honest some EF/EF-S lenses are pretty cheap 2nd hand, an 18-55 IS and a 55-250 IS is a good setup which covers most situations.
Add in a “Nifty 50” 50mm 1.8 too.
Yes you can get SD/CF adapters, I haven’t used one personally but apparently they work fine.

 

[Kayos]

All fd adaptors are horrible, can’t use a wide aperture and they ruin the pictures. I have a very spendy one but can’t go wider than f5.6, even then it’s poor

If you have some nice or rare fd glass you can get it converted, it will shoot in aperture mode fine, I have a Chinese split screen in my 550d for manual stuff

I actually switched to an Eos M as my walkabout so I could use FD lenses, different flange depth

 

[slim_boy_fat]

All fd adaptors are horrible, can’t use a wide aperture and they ruin the pictures. I have a very spendy one but can’t go wider than f5.6, even then it’s poor

If you have some nice or rare fd glass you can get it converted, it will shoot in aperture mode fine, I have a Chinese split screen in my 550d for manual stuff

I actually switched to an Eos M as my walkabout so I could use FD lenses, different flange depth

Agree, you just can't beat a prime lens. I used to have Bronica Sq-am and Olympus systems and the optics [esp the Oly f1.2 lens] were brilliant! [literally ]

 

[GW8IZR]

Yes ( I know OT ) the fast Olympus lenses were incredible performers.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Yes ( I know OT ) the fast Olympus lenses were incredible performers.

And the Bronica was in yet another league.

 

[Kayos]

And the Bronica was in yet another league.

I still want a Bronica, love medium format

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I still want a Bronica, love medium format

I was very sorry to sell mine when I moved house and had much more limited space. Traded all my photo stuff, inc studio + colour & B&W darkroom set-ups for a Nikon digital outfit. Which paradoxically I tend to use less now I have a decent[ish] phone camera, and discovered welding, lathery, plasma etc etc

As a very fftopic: aside , I did the deal with these folk [usual disclaimers], very fair to deal with - always accepting they have to operate profitably too.

http://www.ffordes.com/

They even deal on the internet so distance is no bar, although I was close enough to roll up at their premises following a phone discussion when I detailed my gear [just remembered I also had the OM-fit Sigma extreme w/angle lens with built-in filters, which gave very little barrel distortion (you had to watch for your feet/tripod getting in the frame )]

Anway, we digress [apologies to @Wendelspanswick ]

 

[the black box]

I run a 40d. I would definitely keep with the CF cards they are cheap enough. I mostly use either a 50mm/24mm prime both efs lenses 24mm has just set me back £90 think the 50mm is even cheaper (depending on spec)

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I have a Sanderson 1/4 plate camera and 5 ebony double sided film holders but I'm ashamed to say I've never used it, it lives in a glass display case along with a few other bellows cameras.

 

[zx9]

I see you can connect the camera to an android phone using a USB host cable and an app, anyone tried it?

Not exactly that set up but I experimented with a 40D on a long Cat5 USB extender using the Canon PC utility, it was a long time ago and I can not remember what the software was called or still have the laptop it was installed on.

 

[zx9]

Any glass you put between the lens and body will probably have an effect on the image quality.

The FD lenses will not focus to infinity on an EOS adapter without the elements, good for close up work but no use for 'normal' photography.
FWIW I used to run an EOS5D (Mk1) with Contax C/Y lenses which focus to infinity and are very good, this was a cheep option for me as I had built up a collection of C/Y Zeiss lenses for my Contax 137ma and RTS.

 

[Kayos]

EOS m with FD 50mm f1.4

I use magic lantern firmware for the focus aids, usually fully manual or Av mode

Also have a 35-105 and a 70-210 I use on the m, the latter mostly for it’s stunning 70mm macro

 

[Ian James]

Ok interesting thread as I have a cannon 350D with two cannon lenses one EFS 18-55 and one EFS 55-250 but allso acquired from my dad a vivitar3x21MC tele converter and a Tokina SD 35-200 lense obviously it can only be used on manual focus but I have never been able to get a good picture with it yet just to add I mount it using a standard converter ring

 

[zx9]

View attachment 135289

EOS m with FD 50mm f1.4

I use magic lantern firmware for the focus aids, usually fully manual or Av mode

Also have a 35-105 and a 70-210 I use on the m, the latter mostly for it’s stunning 70mm macro

Yer I quite like my M mind you had I paid the then new list price I would have been very disappointed, my only complaint is it chews through batteries.

 

[outofthefire]

Which paradoxically I tend to use less now I have a decent[ish] phone camera, and discovered welding, lathery, plasma etc etc

I'm the other way round, I went to Athens last year and realised my phone cam wasn't up to it so I bought a bridge camera. I always seem to get the winter blues and rarely do any of my own metalwork through the winter months, I do get a bit of a fix at work. This winter though i've spent a lot of time taking pics still allowing me to be creative. Now i've really started to get into photography i'm looking at stepping up to DSLR but the cost of lenses are a bit prohibitive at the moment. So back on topic is it worth buying a decent DSLR body and using old SLR lenses until I can afford a good DSLR lens or are they more trouble than they're worth?

 

[slim_boy_fat]

@Wendelspanswick Just in case you haven't already, get yourself a good, sturdy tripod - one of the most useful accessories you can acquire. Search on Google for brands like Manfrotto & Gitzo.

I had a Manfrotto which was brilliant, actually a video one with fluid pan & tilt head. Sorry, can't recall the model now .

 

[Kayos]

I'm the other way round, I went to Athens last year and realised my phone cam wasn't up to it so I bought a bridge camera. I always seem to get the winter blues and rarely do any of my own metalwork through the winter months, I do get a bit of a fix at work. This winter though i've spent a lot of time taking pics still allowing me to be creative. Now i've really started to get into photography i'm looking at stepping up to DSLR but the cost of lenses are a bit prohibitive at the moment. So back on topic is it worth buying a decent DSLR body and using old SLR lenses until I can afford a good DSLR lens or are they more trouble than they're worth?

Depends what you want, I think FD not working on EF mount was deliberate, so people had to buy new cameras and lenses. Nikon tried to keep compatability but it can be hit and miss.

I use a lot of manual lenses on my cameras, I have split screens in both my DSLR’s and a shelf of adaptors but every now and then I just take the canon 50mm f1.8 and my 550d in program mode and enjoy shooting, simple as it gets and always great results. I can get better results using a manual lens and/or my 5d (the m is comparable imo) but it’s big and complicated and worth a lot of money so tend to be on edge anywhere busy

 

[Kayos]

Yer I quite like my M mind you had I paid the then new list price I would have been very disappointed, my only complaint is it chews through batteries.

Using manual lenses and magic lantern it’s greatly improved, I think it’s the focus motors because my big EF lenses drain the batteries for fun

 

[Kayos]

@Wendelspanswick I have been having a play today, best thing to buy is the 50mm f1.8, don't buy the Yongnuo version as they are rubbish

And if you have any nice/unusual FD glass, sell it me and buy another lens. I like the 28-135, its old, big, clunky and film era, but pretty indestructable