Brief review of CANON LENS FD 85mm 1:1.8 (nFD, 1979)

According provided by lens CANON LENS FD 85mm 1: 1.8 many thanks the store FOCUSFILM. There you can find many interesting film cameras and manual lenses.

In short

CANON LENS FD 85mm 1:1.8 is a classic old manual high-aperture fix. First of all, CANON LENS FD 85mm 1:1.8 is considered a good lens for portrait shooting.

There is a whole family of similar lenses from Canon (FD, FDn, FL, R, S series), in which there are many different models. The review shows the CANON LENS FD 85mm 1: 1.8 lens, which belongs to the so-called Canon New FD series (also called Canon FDn or nFD), introduced in June 1979. CANON LENS FD 85mm 1: 1.8 - the last manual lens from Canon class 85 / 1.8, was replaced by autofocus in 1992 Canon EF 85mm 1: 1.8 USM.

Nowadays, CANON LENS FD 85mm 1: 1.8 is interesting with a large relative aperture (high aperture) that can be used for artistic purposes. At F / 1.8, the lens is quite good, there is a good resolution in the center of the frame.

CANON LENS FD 85mm 1:1.8 belongs to Canon FDn series lenses with NEW FD mount. FL and FD/FDn series lenses are the easiest to use on mirrorless cameras (original series cameras APS-C CANON EF-M, APS-C CANON RF-S, Full Frame CANON RF). On SLR cameras of the system Canon EOS EF this lens is difficult to use - in order to be able to focus on infinity, it is necessary to use an adapter with a corrective lens.

Mirrorless digital cameras have given a second life to these old lenses.

Main technical characteristics of CANON LENS FD 85mm 1:1.8:

Review Instance Name	CANON LENS FD 85mm 1:1 CANON LENS MADE IN JAPAN 64038
Basic properties	FD – Canon FD mount (nFD, FDn, NEW FD) manual focus only aperture control ring automatic iris control on respective cameras Aperture mode switch A The lens is suitable for full-frame cameras.
Front Filter Diameter	52 mm, metal thread for filters
Focal length	85 mm
Zoom ratio	1 X (this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom).
Designed by	for film cameras with a frame size of 24 x 36
Number of aperture blades	8 petals. Petals dark matte
Tags	focusing distance scale in meters and feet, there are values ​​​​in meters: 10, 5, 3, 2, 1.5, 1.2, 1, 0.85 and infinity mark depth of field scale for f / 4, 11, 22 red dot for infrared work aperture values ​​in steps from 1.8 to 22 aperture setting marks bayonet mount mark
Diaphragm	from f / 1.8 to f / 22. The lens has an aperture control ring and an aperture mode switch A. On the aperture control ring there are marks for F / 1.8, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22. The aperture control ring rotates with clicks, there are no intermediate values.
MDF	0.85 meters, maximum magnification ratio 1:8.33
The weight	345 grams
Optical design	6 elements in 4 groups An older lens CANON LENS FD 85mm 1: 1.8 SSC (1971) is built on the same scheme
Lens hood	Bayonet, Canon BT-52 Japan
Manufacturer country	LENS MADE IN JAPAN (lens made in Japan)
Period	Since May 1979. In 1992 replaced by autofocus Canon EF 85mm 1: 1.8 USM.
Price	About 200 USD for used option

The lens surprises with a very compact size. The diameter of the front filter is only 52mm.

Assembling, focusing

CANON LENS FD 85mm 1:1.8 is well built.

The focus ring is wide, rubberized, rotates approximately 180 degrees (1/2 of a full turn). The course of the ring is very smooth, oily, you can rotate the ring with one finger. During focusing, the front retractable part of the body frame does not rotate. Focusing occurs by moving the entire lens block.

The lens supports the Canon BT-52 Japan bayonet hood (a rarity for older manual lenses).

Sample photos (APS-C)

All photos in the review are shown without processing. Photos on a cropped camera were prepared by a photographer Natalia (Instagram). Camera used Sony NEX-6 (16 MP Sony Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor) and adapter FOTGA Canon FD/FDn/FL -> SONY E/FE/NEX. All photos are JPEG taken in camera. Original JPEG images can be view / download from this link (40+ files).

Appearance

How to use FL/FD/FDn mount lenses

To use a Canon FL, Canon FD, or Canon FDn mount lens on modern mirrorless cameras, you should use the appropriate adapter:

• Canon RF/RF-S: adapter FD/FDn/FL -> RF/EOS R
• Canon EF-M: adapter FD/FDn/FL -> EF-M/EOS M
• Sony NEX/ILCE/IMCE/FE/E: adapter FD/FDn/FL -> NEX/ILCE/FE/E
• Nikon Z: adapter FD/FDn/FL -> Z
• Panasonic L / Sigma L / Leica L/T/TL: adapter FD/FDn/FL -> L
• fujifilm x: adapter FD/FDn/FL -> X/FX
• Samsung NX: adapter FD/FDn/FL -> NX
• Micro 4/3 (Panasonic/Olympus): adapter FD/FDn/FL -> M4/3
• Nikon 1 : adapter FD/FDn/FL -> N1

The adapters are suitable for FL, FD and FDn mount lenses, these mounts are backwards compatible. But using lenses with a Canon FL / Canon FD / Canon FDn mount on SLR cameras is difficult due to the long working distance. In such cases, a corrective lens adapter must be used, which will degrade the image quality.

All autofocus 85s

Choosing a good 85mm portrait lens is very important for a large number of photographers. I pay a lot of attention to this issue, therefore I have prepared this list of all such autofocus lenses for full frame cameras with F <= 2 and a focal length of about 85 mm.

Nikon (F, Z mounts)

1. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8 AF Nikkor [December 1987]
2. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8D AF Nikkor [March 1994, Thailand/Japan]
3. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.4D AF Nikkor [November 1995]
4. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.4GN AF-S Nikkor SWM IF Nano Crystal Coat [August 2010]
5. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8G AF-S IF SWM Nikkor [January 2012]
6. Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm 1: 1.8 S [July 2019]
7. Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm 1: 1.2 S [January 2023]

Canon (EF, RF mounts)

1. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1:1.2 L USM [September 1989
2. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1: 1.8 USM [July 1992]
3. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1:1.2 L II USM [March 2006]
4. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1:1.4 L IS USM [November 2017]
5. Canon lens RF 85mm F1.2L USM [May 2019]
6. Canon lens RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS (DEFOCUS SMOOTHING) [October 2019]

Yongnuo/YnLens (different mounts)

1. Yongnuo YN85mm F1.8 (YN85mm F1.8) [9/6, Canon EF, February 2017]
2. Yongnuo YN85mm F1.8 (YN85mm F1.8N) [9/6, Nikon F, May 2019]
3. Ynlens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM (YN85mm F1.8S) [9/8, Sony E, August 2020]
4. Ynlens YN85mm F1.8R DF DSM (YN85mm F1.8R) [9/8, Canon RF, May 2021]
5. Ynlens YN85mm 1:1.8Z DF DSM (YN85mm F1.8Z) [9/8, Nikon Z, March 2022]
6. Yongnuo 85F1.8S DF DSM [9/8, Sony E, August 2022]

Sony / Sony Zeiss ZA / Minolta (E / FE, A mount)

1. Sony FE 1.4/85 GM (SEL85F18GM) [February 2016]
2. Sony FE 1.8/85 (SEL85F18) [February 2017]
3. Sony SAL85F14Z / Carl Zeiss Planar 1,4 / 85 ZA T* [June 2006]
4. Minolta AF 85mm 1:1.4 (22) (AF lens 85) / Minolta Maxxum / Dynax / G / G+D / G+RS / G+D+LE and other versions of the same lens, A mount [1987]

Sigma (different mounts)

1. Sigma EX 85mm 1: 1.4 DG HSM (two sub-versions with different body finishes, for Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony A, February 2010)
2. Sigma 85mm 1: 1.4 DG | A [Art] (for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sigma SA, Sony E, Leica L, September 2016)
3. Sigma 85mm 1: 1.4 DG DN | A [Art] (for Sony E, Leica L, August 2020)

Viltrox (different mounts)

1. Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm F1.8 STM (Sony E/FE + Fujifilm X, 2018)
2. Viltrox AF 85/1.8 STM ED IF (Nikon Z, Canon RF, December 2020)
3. Viltrox AF 85/1.8 II STM ED IF (Sony E/FE + Fujifilm X, July 2020, light version XNUMX)

Pentax (K mount)

1. SMC Pentax-FA* 1:1.4 85mm IF AUTO FOCUS PENTAX 85 [1992]
2. HD PENTAX-D FA * 85mm 1: 1.4 ED SDM AW [May 2020]

Samyang / Rokinon (different mounts)

1. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 EF (for Canon EF, scheme 9/7, June 2018)
2. Samyang AF 85/1.4F (for Nikon F, scheme 9/7, April 2019)
3. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 FE (for Sony E, scheme 11/8, March 2019)
4. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 RF  (for Canon RF, scheme 11/8, May 2020)
5. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 FE II (for Sony E, scheme 11/8, July 2022)

Meike (Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, Nikon Z, FujiFilm X)

1. MEIKE 85mm AF 1: 1.8 [review] (Canon EF / Canon EF-S, April 2018)
2. MEIKE 85mm AF 1: 1.8 [review] (Nikon F, Aug 2020)
3. MEIKE 85mm 1:1.8 Auto Focus Lens FF STM [review] (for Sony FE/E + Nikon Z, Canon RF, FujiFilm X, June 2022 + March 2023)
4. MEIKE 85mm 1:1.4 Auto Focus Lens FF STM (for Sony FE/E + Nikon Z, September 2023)

Zeiss (various mounts)

1. Zeiss Sonnar 1.8 / 85 T * (Batis 1.8 / 85) [April 2015, built-in stabilizer, Sony E/FE mount, 11/8]
2. Carl Zeiss Planar 1,4/85 ZA T* (Sony SAL85F14Z) ​​[June 2006, Sony A/Minolta A mount, 8/7]
3. Carl Zeiss Planar 1,4 / 85 T * [November 2002, Contax N mount, 10/9]

Tamron (different mounts)

1. Tamron SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD Model F016 (for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony A [without VC function], March 2016)

Tokina (Sony E / FE mount)

1. Tokina atx-m 85mm F1.8 FE (for Sony E, most likely a complete analog Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm F1.8 STM, January 2020)

AstrHori (Sony E/FE mount)

1. AstrHori AF 85mm 1:1.8 [December 2022]

Panasonic (L mount)

1. Panasonic LUMIX S 1: 1.8 / 85mm [November 2020]

Separately, you can still highlight non-classic 85s:

1. macro lens Canon Lens RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM [2020, RF]
2. longer LEICA APO-SUMMICRON-SL 1: 2/90 ASPH. (2018, Leica l)
3. less aperture Sony 85 / 2.8 SAM (SAL85f28) [2010, A]
4. shorter SMC PENTAX FA 1:1.8 77mm Limited (1997, K)
5. shorter HD Pentax-FA 1: 1.8 77mm Limited (2021, K)
6. shorter Samyang AF 75 / 1.8 FE (2020, E) + Samyang AF 75/1.8X (2023, X)
7. cropped Samsung Lens 1:1.4 85mm ED SSA i-Function [2011, NX]
8. cropped and longer FUJIFILM FUJINON LENS SUPER EBC XF 90mm 1: 2 R LM WR [2015, X]
9. cropped and shorter Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF STM ED IF [2022, X, E, Z]
10. cropped, less aperture, macro lens Nikon DX AF-S Micro Nikkor 85mm 1: 3.5G ED VR SWM IF Micro 1: 1 [2009, F]
11. many 90/2.8 class macro lenses

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram