Fuji Showcase Canon FD 50mm f/1.4

[Hyubie]

I finally received the RainbowImaging adapter to mount a few of my FD lenses on my Fuji X-E1. I started with the 50 because it is my favorite manual focus lens. I love the aperture ring, and how smooth the focus ring is. I am quite excited about trying my few-but-well-loved manual focus lenses and how they pair up with the X-trans sensor.

Let me say that again I am not disappointed by the FD 50's performance. It delivers and the super clear (unless I miss the focus) rendering is there. I usually stay between f/2 and f/8, with majority of my shots at f/2.8, f/4 and f/5.6.

Here are some sample shots:

wide-open @ f/1.4

@f/2.8

Outdoor in the afternoon sun (love the colors here)

For sharpness buffs, I thought this should give you an idea:

And now the real test - how does it do for non-static subjects (or, in the words of Steve Huff, "real life")? Again note that I've already had a lot of time with the lens, but this is my first time using it on the X-E1. I love that the wheel becomes a magnification tool when in manual mode. At first I relied on it to confirm focus, but as I took shot after shot I started to get a sense of the focus via the EVF and the LCD screen. At this point I am fairly confident about getting the focus, except for those that require razor sharp focus.

Here are some of shots of my daughters in the backyard:

Again - it's fairly hard to ask this girls to give me even a few seconds to confirm focus (they're spoiled by auto-focus and have no patience for slow AF -- even the 35mm "speed" is problematic sometimes). But I think I did a nice job re: focus. Hey, I can even do a few action shots!

Overall I am very happy with the results, and how I think I can reliably use this on a lot of occasions -- and not just those times when I want to "slow down". The EVF is a wonder to use (yes, sorry I should have used the VF-2 on the Pen to compare the experience re: manual focus, but I'm not a doctor, unlike SOME people I know here ), and I think size-wise the FD + the X-E1 is a very good match -- unlike in the Pen where it gets a bit unwieldy.

I have a few other lenses to test (like compare the FD 35 with Fuji 35, the well-reviewed Rokinon 85mm, and one Sigma zoom lens I find I can't let go) but those are all for another time.

 

[wt21]

Hyubie, are you shooting mainly jpg? And if so, are you using standard, or Velvia or some other film emulation?

 

[Hyubie]

Nope - these were RAW via LR 4 (although I shoot mainly JPG with the X-E1). Recently I'm also trying to see what I'm missing from RAW, if any. Haven't decided yet.

 

[carlb]

Hi Hyubie, the FD 50mm f1.4 is a superb portrait lens. If you mean this to be a "show your Canon FD 50mm f1.4 shots here," I can certainly add a few.

 

[Hyubie]

Hi Hyubie, the FD 50mm f1.4 is a superb portrait lens. If you mean this to be a "show your Canon FD 50mm f1.4 shots here," I can certainly add a few.

Sure!! I just got the ball rolling. This is a sample thread, anyway.

 

[carlb]

These are the X-E1 with the Canon FD 50mm f1.4:

periwinkle, yellow, green, and 50mm @ f1.4 by cbmn, on Flickr

the graduate by cbmn, on Flickr

 

[Hyubie]

For some reason I am getting blurred shots in bright sunshine, instead of the very good shots I got in the shadow (see my original post). Hmmm... Methinks it could be because I might not be nailing the focus in bright light - a limitation on the LCD/EVF.

 

[carlb]

Hmmm ... Bright sunlight makes "sharp" difficult to get with this lens. You can certainly constrict the aperture to tighten things up. Take a look at my sunlight portrait at f2: The "shadowed" eye appears sharper than the eye in the bright sun. I don't think this is a depth of field thing (although I shouldn't rule that out).

If my guess is correct, the haziness with bright light may be due to a higher amount of scatter-pass with this lens than with current designs. This is a lens that could likely be helped by a hood.

With the FD f1.4, I go with what the situation dictates: bright sunlight is going to be more dreamy, normal light can lead to more sharp feeling photos. It's all good.

Your daughters are really cute, by the way! They're definitely happy, a testament to great parents.

 

[wt21]

I don't think this is a depth of field thing (although I shouldn't rule that out).

Look at the cheeks. The cheek below the "sharp" eye is in full sun, but is much sharper than the other cheek, also in full sun, so DOF is playing some role here.

 

[Bobby T]

I just got one and I'm loving it

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