Which camera for use with Canon FD 800 5.6 L

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One of the people in my club is getting old and retiring from nature photography and has agreed to sell me his Canon FD 800 5.6L for a steal. He gave the camera to his grandson, a T-90, that he used with it. This will be used exclusivly for birds and other wildlife. Do you feel the T-90 would be best choice or maybe other recommendations are in order. The lens is really a HOG but super sharp. My Bogen 3021 and AS B1 support it quite nicely but thinking about a Wimberly. Thanks

-- Jeff Hallett (franjeff@alltel.net), August 06, 1999

Answers

If you want a motor drive built in then the T-90 is the way to go. It is the closest camera, technology wise, to the EOS line. Also it is Canon's only MF body with TTL flash capability. If none of this is important or useful then you could go with any FD body. Another route is the FD-EOS adapter for long lenses, it will allow you to use an EOS body with the lens.

-- Dave Mitchell (mitchell@effectnet.com), August 06, 1999.

The T90 is the best FD Canon camera and the closest to the EOS line in design and operation. It's the one to get. You can't mount it on an EOS without losing either infinity focus or adding optics (a 1.2x TC in the case of the FD to EOS adaptor).

I doubt your tripod will be good enough. That's a really big, heavy lens and IMHO a 3021 isn't even up to supporting a 600/4 properly and is marginal with a 500/4.5. The 800/5.6 is almost a "two tripod" lens. I'd look into a Bogen 3051 or a 400 or 500 series Gitzo before I bought a Wimberly.

-- Bob Atkins (bobatkins@hotmail.com), August 06, 1999.


Jeff, I would have to second Bob Atkins' comments on the tripod, including his selections ...unless you're lucky enough to always shooting at speeds of 1/1000 I believe you will be disappointed in the soft images these long lenses are prone to deliver without serious support. You'll be doubting the lens when it's really the tripod, and even with heavy duty support, your technique with long glass will be tested. Now, having said all that, if you get reasonable light and hold that monster steady you'll probably knock your socks off with super images...

-- Bob Smith (glle@ptdprolog.net), August 06, 1999.

Jeff,

Don't buy it, but give me his number. :)

Actually which FD body depends on how you use it. The T90 is the penultimate FD body (I have two). It allows many different exposure modes (Shutter Speed Priority, Aperature Priority and Program), also it has three different metering schemes (center weighted, center metered, and spot meter). Built in motor drive (single, 2.5 fps and 4.5-5 fps). It uses 4 AA batteries. Used they run from about $400 - $800 depending on condition.

For less money, but with the exposure modes, but not the metering modes, the A-1 is nice. You can put a motor drive on it. They are selling for about $200 - $250, the motor drive will run another $200. Do watch out for the A series shutter squeek (actually part of the mirror system). Not a big fix, but it will run $45 - $100 depending on the shop.

Last, but surely not least in the top line FD bodies is the F-1 series. Fully manual, but with lots of available accessories, including interchangeable prisms. The older models (F-1 and F-1n) use hard to find mercury cells for the meter. The late model (new F-1 or F-1N) uses the same PX28 that the A-1 uses.

For other choices, but tending to being limited to shutter speed priority are the AE-1 and AE-1P (the P adds a full program mode) and the T70. For manual the FTb and FTbn (just like F-1 but not the changeable prisms and such). I would stay away from the T50/60/80 models and the AV1/AT-1 models for your use.

-- Terry Carraway (TCarraway@compuserve.com), August 09, 1999.


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