Converting Canon FL glass: anyone tried it?

S

squirrel$$$bandit

Veteran
Local time
9:05 AM
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
6,249
Prosaic's thread about the Canon FL 58/1.2 got me thinking. I wonder if I could remove the lens mount from a Canon FL lens, then dremel it down far enough to mount on my Pentax ME Super or DSLR, after epoxying on an adapter. This should work in theory with FL since the aperture ring is in the front, not the back as with FD, so there's less mechanical stuff to ruin. I think the registration distance for FL is 42mm, and it's 45.46 for pentax...that's three and a half mm that would have to go.

I wouldn't try this with a nice lens like that--it's a cinch to pick up a 50/1.8 cheap though and rip it apart.

Has anyone done this?
 
Considering that a Canon FT or FTb can be bought for peanuts (See http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-FTb-SLR-5...ryZ15241QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem for example), I guess I don't see the need. I mean, sure, it could be done especially by someone like Brian Sweeney, but it's not a "drop the optics into barrel X and go" like with the Sonnar C-mount to LTM conversions.

The 1.2 lenses were interesting but honestly I've found the 50/1.4 SSC to be a far better user lens. YMWV :angel:

William
 
I suppose it could probably be done, of course the question is whether or not it is worth doing. With all that trouble, it would probably be easier to jsut buy a comparable lens for the body you already own. The plus side of picking up an old FL / FD body is that they are slimmer than most SLRs, so you can adapt many different lenses to them. I've got an M42 adapter for my A1, but so far I've only purchased one M42 lens, an Industar-50-2 pancake lens I purchased for about $20 including shipping from the former USSR.
 
I probably will pick up an FL/FD body one of these days. Perhaps an AV-1, as I like aperture priority. But I'm an inveterate tinkerer and love using old glass on new digicams.

BTW, get yourself an SMC Takumar 50/1.4 to use with your adapter. It is an amazing lens.
 
Has been done several times. I have seen Sigma, EOS and Pentax conversions. If you want to shoot film though, any of the older Canon Reflex bodies is fine. (Not so sure about the AV-1... you will need a DOF preview lever on an FD camera to use an FL lens.)

I use FL lenses on a New F1. Great camera.
 
Ebay seller Victor Chan sells converted Canon FL 58mm f1.2 to M mount.
he has sold a few like this, so someone is converting them.
 
Canon actually made a FD to Leica LTM adapter. Since it would not be coupled, I see it only useful for the 7.5 fisheye or the 14/2.8 FD's. I got one and am looking for the fisheye. Add a LTM to M-mount adaptor and one would have a nice fisheye for the M8.
 
Well, in theory all you do is attach the adapter to one end of the lens and then mount the lens as normal. However, there aren't very many C/Y to FD adapter as I have been told that the tolerences for that combination are extreamly tight. There are many such adapters for C/Y to EOS, however, so that might work well for you instead.

Another possiblity, as I think about it, would be a M42 screw mount to FD adapter on the camera and a C/Y to M42 screwmount on the lens - screw one to the other & see if you can get infinity to focus.

All of these would be in stop down mode. To go back to the OP's question, the far and away best way to use FL glass is on a T90. It remains the best SLR ever made by anyone.

William
 
Yes, it does. I have a 135/3.5 FL that I use regularly. Put it on, set the camera to Av, P or Program & push in stop-down lever on front and have at it. The camera will chose a shutter speed based on the aperture you have selected. The other option is to set it to Tv, select a shutter speed & then adjust the aperture till you get "oo" on the meter display.

Works a treat for me.

William
 
johnastovall said:
Canon actually made a FD to Leica LTM adapter. Since it would not be coupled, I see it only useful for the 7.5 fisheye or the 14/2.8 FD's. I got one and am looking for the fisheye. Add a LTM to M-mount adaptor and one would have a nice fisheye for the M8.
Click to expand...

Works a treat with the 17mm/f4 as well. Pleanty of DOF for easy scale focus with that sucker.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom