Quick answer
Manual-focus 50mm f/1.4 for Canon FD cameras. It is a film-era normal lens widely used on adapted mirrorless bodies.
Pros
- Compact
- Metal construction
- Easy to adapt to mirrorless
Cons
- FD adapters on EOS DSLRs need corrective optics
- Manual focus only
Verdict
It is a vintage standard lens. Best used with a mirrorless adapter.
About this lens
Canon New FD 50mm f/1.4: a fast manual-focus standard prime lens with a 50mm focal length and a maximum aperture of f/1.4, made for Canon FD mount cameras. The natural field of view suits street, documentary and everyday photography.
Canon New FD 50mm f/1.4 specifications
- Brand
- Canon
- Mount
- Canon FD
- Focal length
- 50mm
- Maximum aperture
- f/1.4
- Lens type
- Prime
- Format coverage
- full-frame
- Released
- 1979
- Optical construction
- 7 elements in 6 groups
- Autofocus motor
- none
- Minimum focus distance
- 0.45 m
- Maximum magnification
- 0.15x
- Filter thread
- 52 mm
- Weight
- 235 g
- Length
- 41 mm
- Diameter
- 63 mm
Specification source: en.wikipedia.org
What can you shoot with the Canon New FD 50mm f/1.4?
- Film SLR use
- Adapted mirrorless shooting
- Vintage portraits
Its very wide maximum aperture suits low light and shallow depth of field with strong background blur.
Full-frame equivalent and field of view
Calculated from the focal length and crop factor (adapted mount, so sensor size depends on your camera). Not measured.
| Sensor | Crop | Equivalent | Horizontal FOV | Diagonal FOV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full frame | 1.0x | 50mm | 39.6° | 46.8° |
| APS-C | 1.6x | 80mm | 25.4° | 30.3° |
| Micro Four Thirds | 2.0x | 100mm | 20.4° | 24.4° |
Frequently asked questions
Can I mount FD lenses on Canon EOS cameras?
Not natively. Adapting to EOS DSLRs requires glass that can reduce quality, while mirrorless cameras adapt cleanly.
What is the difference between FD and New FD?
New FD has a fixed mount design without the breech-lock ring.
Is the Canon New FD 50mm f/1.4 sharp?
It is good stopped down, with softer results wide open as is typical for lenses of this era.
Alternatives for Canon FD from other brands
All Canon FD lensesSame mount, overlapping focal range, closest maximum aperture first.
