Canon FL Lens On Canon FTb--35/2.5 FL OK?

[wjlapier]

Dumb question I think I know the answer to but was wondering if someone could give the steps to using a FL lens on the FTb camera? I read the manual but wanted to make sure. What do you see in the viewfinder when adjusting shutter speed or aperture? When proper exposure is obtain what do you see in the viewfinder?

Is the FL 35/2.5 lens any good? Shooting mostly small apertures like f/11 or f/16.

 

[sevo]

It is match needle, it never displays any value - you match up the ring and needle or vice versa. With FL lenses, the aperture is not coupled, so turning the aperture will not move the ring - you have to stop down to make the aperture immediately affect the light coming through the lens, and through that, the needle.

 

[xayraa33]

Dumb question I think I know the answer to but was wondering if someone could give the steps to using a FL lens on the FTb camera? I read the manual but wanted to make sure. What do you see in the viewfinder when adjusting shutter speed or aperture? When proper exposure is obtain what do you see in the viewfinder?

Is the FL 35/2.5 lens any good? Shooting mostly small apertures like f/11 or f/16.

The FL lenses should work plenty fine on the FTb, the FL lenses do not tell the camera meter what aperture they are set at unless the lens is stopped down.

I use a 50mm FL macro lens on my FTb with no problem.

Most Canon lenses from any era are the cat's meow, the sturdy and well built FL series lenses should be no different.

 

[pagpow]

Working from memory here. Most FL lenses work fine on FD cameras. There are some exceptions. I believe the 100mm f2 FL is one such exception on some FD cameras; can't speak to the FL 35/2.5. These exceptions are noted in the Ib of the cameras, might also be noted online somewhere.
Stopdown metering, what you must use with FL lenses on FD cameras, I believe, calls for aligning the meter with an index mark in the viewfinder, not with the ring. Don't have my FTb with me or I'd double-check. Perhaps someone can confirm.

 

[Mackinaw]

I have the Canon FL 35/2.5. Optically, it's identical to the earlier R-series 35/2.5. A bit soft wide-open, but sharpens up nicely be F4.0 or so. By F11 or F16, it will be diffraction-limited, but still very sharp.

Jim B.

 

[sevo]

I believe the 100mm f2 FL is one such exception on some FD cameras

Sure that was a FL? These are among the oldest fast Canon lenses, and date back to the R mount era.

aligning the meter with an index mark in the viewfinder, not with the ring.

Could be - it must be thirty years since I replaced the last FTb with a F. In any case, whatever solution it uses, aperture changes will only affect the needle, and that only when the lens is stopped down.

 

[Robert Lai]

There is a "meter index" towards the lower part of the meter readout. This is the post that the needle should move below if the battery check is good.
When stopping down the lens, when the needle is opposite the post, then you have the correct exposure.

These may be seen in the Canon FTb instruction manual, page 21 -23.

 

[Spavinaw]

Step by step: Mount lens on camera. Set desired shutter speed. Next you want to align the straight meter needle in the finder with the small rectangular "bump" near the bottom on the right side of the finder. There is a large "bump" below the small "bump" -- it is NOT the correct "bump". You are now ready to change the aperture so the straight needle aligns with the small "bump". There are three ways to do this. One-change the ring on the lens from A to M. Two-press and hold the stop down/self timer lever. Three-set the knob below the stop down/self timer lever to M so you don't have to hold it with your finger. You're now ready to align the straight needle with the small "bump" by changing the aperture. Once this is done, you can undo which one of the three things you did to put the aperture in manual setting. Your lens will now be at maximum aperture and ready to focus. It will stop down automatically when you take the picture.

 

[wjlapier]

Step by step: Mount lens on camera. Set desired shutter speed. Next you want to align the straight meter needle in the finder with the small rectangular "bump" near the bottom on the right side of the finder. There is a large "bump" below the small "bump" -- it is NOT the correct "bump". You are now ready to change the aperture so the straight needle aligns with the small "bump". There are three ways to do this. One-change the ring on the lens from A to M. Two-press and hold the stop down/self timer lever. Three-set the knob below the stop down/self timer lever to M so you don't have to hold it with your finger. You're now ready to align the straight needle with the small "bump" by changing the aperture. Once this is done, you can undo which one of the three things you did to put the aperture in manual setting. Your lens will now be at maximum aperture and ready to focus. It will stop down automatically when you take the picture.

OK, so once I have the exposure set I can release the stop down lever? I see I can either lock it or hold it over as I adjust the aperture ring and/or shutter speed dial.

I don't have a FL lens but do have the FD 28/2.8 and 24/2.8. I was just reading about FL lenses and decided to look at a 35mm version on eBay.

Thanks for confirming what I thought I might know. I wasn't sure about the stop down lever whether it should be locked the whole time up to the shutter release. Tough to focus with these type of screens as it is, let alone with a darker screen.

 

[Mackinaw]

OK, so once I have the exposure set I can release the stop down lever? I see I can either lock it or hold it over as I adjust the aperture ring and/or shutter speed dial.......

Yes, once you determine the proper F-stop, you can release the stop-down lever. The lens will automatically stop down to the set aperture when you hit the shutter button.

The darkened viewing screen is the reason Canon, and everybody, changed to full aperture metering. Use an FD lens and you won’t have to worry about stopping down to meter.

But FL lenses have their own charms. Optically good, with first-class construction. I have and use several on my old Canon SLR’s.

Jim B.

 

[Mackinaw]

......I believe the 100mm f2 FL is one such exception on some FD cameras........

No such FL animal, though there was an R100/2.0 lens (a remount of the superb rangefinder 100/2.0).

Jim B.

 

[peterm1]

I have a small collection of Canon FL lenses and rate all of them pretty highly including the Canon 35mm f2.5. All are built like brick outhouses and have nice optical characteristics. Best of all most are almost ridiculously inexpensive. (Even better, a few years back before m4/3 and Sony came on the scene they were practically given away as unusable - Canon lenses have a close register distance and were not usable on many if any SLR cameras other than Canon ones). Once modern interchangeable non SLR digitals became available this problem practically went away giving these lenses a new lease of life (and kicking the price up somewhat though they are still well priced due to the large number always being available on the market).

I find them a delight to use and in general I prefer them to the FD ones. The poorer coating of Fl lenses has never bothered me because I have long used lenses of this era and are willing to compromise on coating by not shooting into the sun (just like olde-timey photographers had to do before modern coatings became available).

As to the 35mm f2.5 many users rave about it. I do not much shoot with lenses wider than 50mm so have not tested it extensively but my own experience is that it is at least a good lens. And more than OK to answer your specific question. If you are of a mind to be looking for a 50mm for your FTb any of them (the f1.8, the f1.4 or either the 55mm f1.2 or older 58mm f1.2 are excellent too.)

 

[wjlapier]

Found a FL 35mm f/2.5 for a good deal and bought it. It arrived today. What a tank of a lens. Coupled with the FTb and it's a hefty combo--deadly if swung around carelessly.

First thing I notice is the ring with a white dot behind the aperture ring. I googled the ring and understand what it does. But the odd thing is this. When the lens is at f/16 and infinity focus, if I turn the ring with the white dot it'll close down the aperture like it should. But when I move the focus ring from infinity the ring with the white dot moves.

If I have the aperture ring on f/16 and focus is closer than 3 meters, and I turn the white dot ring to close down the aperture and then move the focus ring towards infinity the focus rig won't move past 3 meters. All the way down to f/4 this happens, but it won't at f/2.5 or f/2.8.

Any idea why this is?

 

[Mackinaw]

Something is wrong with your lens. I pulled out my old FL35/2.5 and the secondary ring with the white dot is the “stop-down ring.” If you want to check depth-of-field at a certain aperture, turn the ring to the white-dot and it stops down to the set aperture. The ring should stay put and not turn off the “white-dot setting” when you change focus. The white-dot ring also shouldn’t impede focusing at any aperture at any distance.

Jim B.

 

[peterm1]

Found a FL 35mm f/2.5 for a good deal and bought it. It arrived today. What a tank of a lens. Coupled with the FTb and it's a hefty combo--deadly if swung around carelessly.

First thing I notice is the ring with a white dot behind the aperture ring. I googled the ring and understand what it does. But the odd thing is this. When the lens is at f/16 and infinity focus, if I turn the ring with the white dot it'll close down the aperture like it should. But when I move the focus ring from infinity the ring with the white dot moves.

If I have the aperture ring on f/16 and focus is closer than 3 meters, and I turn the white dot ring to close down the aperture and then move the focus ring towards infinity the focus rig won't move past 3 meters. All the way down to f/4 this happens, but it won't at f/2.5 or f/2.8.

Any idea why this is?

As another post says this is the ring which manually stops down the lens to the working aperture set by the aperture ring. It is a kind of preset mechanism. So far there is nothing abnormal about that.

But the symptoms you describe sound odd. The ring should not move when lens focus distance changes. Which suggests there is some kind of issue with it.

 

[wjlapier]

Thank you both for confirming the problem. The more I look at the lens and other's on eBay I'm inclined to think someone tried to repair this one. The seller is more than willing to accept it back.