# Canon FD 28mm-85mm F4 Zoom Lens



## drindrin (Feb 14, 2012)

hey guys just wondering what you guys think about this lens? I'm new to the camera world, and just want a wide lens to take some cool photos is this a good lens, i have a 600d. 

thanks


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## ghosh9691 (Feb 14, 2012)

drindrin said:


> hey guys just wondering what you guys think about this lens? I'm new to the camera world, and just want a wide lens to take some cool photos is this a good lens, i have a 600d.
> 
> thanks



This is an FD lens - i.e. for old Canon manual SLR cameras, pre-EOS. These lenses will not work with the EOS cameras.

You should purchase an EF-S lens that starts around 18mm to get that wide-angle look that you are wanting. Example: EF-S 15-85mm, EF-S 18-55mm, EF-S 17-55mm, etc.


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## cx1 (Feb 14, 2012)

drindrin said:


> hey guys just wondering what you guys think about this lens? I'm new to the camera world, and just want a wide lens to take some cool photos is this a good lens, i have a 600d.
> 
> thanks



You would need an FD to EF adapter http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=FD+to+EF+adapter

But as ghosh9691 said it would not be that wide on your camera.


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## ghosh9691 (Feb 14, 2012)

cx1 said:


> drindrin said:
> 
> 
> > hey guys just wondering what you guys think about this lens? I'm new to the camera world, and just want a wide lens to take some cool photos is this a good lens, i have a 600d.
> ...



Yes, with the adapter you could make it work. There are two types of adapters - with glass or without glass. Without glass, you will not be able to focus most of the FD lenses to infinity. With glass, depending on the quality of the adapter, you will most likely get image degradation.

Also, with all FD lenses on EOS cameras via adapters:

You will need to focus manually. This will be difficult because the EOS cameras are not setup for easy focus determination. There are techniques that can be used to focus manually, but most take time to achieve.
You will need to set aperture manually. You will have to focus with a wide open aperture, and then just before pressing the shutter, you will need to close the aperture down to your selected aperture
Metering will need to done in stopped down mode - i.e. with the aperture set to what you want.

Overall, I would recommend that you purchase one of the EF-S lenses that start around 18mm based on your budget.


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## Tijn (Feb 14, 2012)

The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM will give you the same short tele range, but it will give you the wide range as well (15mm is very wide) that you mentioned you were looking for. 28mm is not wide on a crop sensor camera (such as the 600D or 60D or 7D). This 15-85 lens also has image stabilisation and is also very sharp. I think it is the best all-round main lens for a Canon crop sensor camera, with the single exception of the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens for those that require a large constant aperture, for example to shoot in low light conditions.

For anything else, the Canon EF-S 15-85 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is the most versatile option with the best image quality on a crop body in that zoom range.


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## Finn M (Mar 8, 2015)

drindrin said:


> hey guys just wondering what you guys think about this lens? I'm new to the camera world, and just want a wide lens to take some cool photos is this a good lens, i have a 600d.
> 
> thanks



This was my dream-lens back in 1985.... But it won't work on a EOS camera. 
And 28mm is not a wide lens on a crop camera.
My advice: *buy the EF-S 15-85mm IS instead!*


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## LDS (Mar 8, 2015)

drindrin said:


> hey guys just wondering what you guys think about this lens? I'm new to the camera world, and just want a wide lens to take some cool photos is this a good lens, i have a 600d.



I have one, but never tried to mount it on my EF camera, it's still used only on the (film) FD cameras it was designed for. It is a decent lens, but not a stellar performer. Back then, zooms didn't achieve yet the performance they reached in the past years thanks to improved computer design and process making special glasses less expensive.

Moreover as other explained, the design of the new EF mount makes impossible to use the older FD lenses without an adapter using an optical element and still achieve infinity focus (because they were designed to be mounted closer to the focal plane) - and an optical element means 1) magnification - making the lens even less "wide" (and on a "crop" body a 28mm is not wide at all) 2) image degradation, especially if the optical element is not "perfect". Also, FD lenses used mechanical couplings to set the aperture, while EF use a electric couplings. If you're new to photography, it means a much more complex procedure to meter exposure and focus. You will spend more time fighting with the camera/lens combo than learning photography.

And all those lenses are, after so many years, getting "old", it could be difficult to find one still in good working conditions (and some collector-quality lens can be expensive) - and that specific lens was one of the first using extensively plastic instead of metal in its construction, it was light but not regarded very "sturdy".

My suggestion is to buy one of the wide angle zoom designed for the EF cameras, there are non-Canon branded ones as well, in the used market should not be difficult to find one without spending too much, and it would even be easier to re-sell it later if you want to move to something else.


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