35mm lens quality

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Can anyone tell me how is the quality of the 35/3.5 lens compared to the 35/2.8 and 35/2.0.

-- Trond Risting Kielland (tkiellan@online.no), May 03, 1999

Answers

I don't know yet, but I just got an old style FD BL 35mm f/3.5 with the silver front ring and am anxious to try it. I'll post a note after I see some results.

-- Lex Jenkins (lexjenkins@hotmail.com), June 14, 1999.

I've had a 35mm f 2.8 FD which worked fine. But I later traded in for a 35 mm f 2.0 FD which gives a brighter view finder on my A1 and F1, but this particular lens doesn't work that good under cold (lower than 15 degrees celcius) circumstances. The aperture leaves seem to stick and won't close or open properly. The camera's than block. In warm conditions no problem however!

-- Erik-Jan Stroetinga (E.J.Stroetinga@fontys.nl), June 25, 1999.

Erik-jan,

You should get the lens serviced. Most likely some lube is getting onto the aperture blades. They can be cleaned and it should work fine. You may even be able to see some wetness if you set the aperture to f22 and fire the shutter in Bulb, take a look into the lens and see if you can see anything on the blades.

-- Terry Carraway (TCarraway@compuserve.com), June 29, 1999.


It just occurred to me I never posted the promised update about my experience with the Canon FD 35/3.5 (BL). Since it's been a couple of years I've used it quite a bit.

In short, a great bargain lens. With my T70 bodies (bright, crisp viewfinders) the f/3.5 maximum aperture is no problem when composing and focusing. Not bad with my FTbn either. Since I almost never shoot wide open with wide angle lenses the f/3.5 maximum aperture has been irrelevant.

It's sharp at all f/stops with moderate contrast throughout. Excellent flare resistance for a lens of this era. No signs of coma or other aberration. Surprisingly good flat field macro results with extension tube or close-up diopters - equal to or better than results obtained using Canon FD 50/1.4 BL.

The coating has a decidedly yellow cast that may cause problems with slide films. With Fuji Astia, for example, there was a somewhat pinkish cast to landscapes taken on a day under neutral overhead sun. There was no sign of this cast with Sensia or Kodachrome. With print films there's no problem.

I'd consider it $25 well spent.

-- Lex Jenkins (lexjenkins@hotmail.com), April 15, 2001.


I haven't compared all 3, but I can say that the 35mm/f:2.0 is one of my favorite FD lenses. It's sharp as a tack and has a very smooth look in B&W and color. Fortunately, they didn't paint a red line around the rim, so it can be had for a reasonable $200-250 in good condition.

-- David Goldfarb (dgoldfarb@barnard.edu), April 16, 2001.


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