Canon FD 35mm f/2 Review

The Canon New FD 35mm f/2 shown on the Canon AV-1. Canon New FD 35mm f/2 review — The Canon New FD 35mm f/2 shown on the Canon AV-1

A Review of the Canon New FD 35mm f/2

I have been on a film photography path lately trying to recreate a setup I had for my Canon AV-1 and Canon T90 back in the eighties and early nineties. At one point I had a combination of an FD 35mm f/2.8 and an FD 85mm f/1.8 and enjoyed the two lenses for their compact nature and high-quality output.

When I found a Canon FD 35mm f/2 at my local photography dealer, Beau Photo in Vancouver, I considered it for a while as it was a bit more than I had planned to spend. As you know by now resistance was futile and this review would not have come about had I not given in to the temptation.

The Canon New FD 35mm f/2 shown on the Canon AV-1

Canon FD 35mm f/2 - Introduction

Initially, I set out to find a Canon FD 35mm f/2.8 like I used to have. It was hard to find locally and the average price on eBay hovered around $210.00. The f/2 version of the FD 35mm was around $420.00 on eBay so I figured I had found a decent deal locally and jumped at the f/2 version for $310.00.

When researching the FD 35mm f/2 most of the material I found was about the older Canon FD 35mm f/2 S.S.C. known for its concave front element, all-metal construction, and radioactive lens element, yes radioactive. It appears to be a lens that has a bit of a cult following so you may want to check it out also before settling on a Canon FD 35mm lens.

The S.S.C. version is of an older design, bulkier, and dates back to 1973. They even had a copy at Beau Photo but at double the cost of what I paid for my Canon New FD 35mm f/2 version.

A man walks by the entrance to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver, Canada. Sample image from a Canon New FD 35mm f/2 — Entrance to Waterfront Station, Vancouver, Canon AV-1, Canon FD 35mm f/2, Ilford Pan F Plus

Canon FD 35mm f/2 - Handling and Build Quality

The Canon FD 35mm f/2 was released in 1979 and despite the official lens name of Canon New FD 35mm f/2, it is not so new anymore. Yet I am still surprised when finding mint copies of these lenses as they tend to age well and can appear almost as new. The glass is pristine and the focusing ring is butter smooth and consistent on my copy.

Weighing only 0.54 lb / 245 g and with a 52mm filter diameter, this is a very compact lens. The FD 35mm f/2 features 10 elements in 8 groups, has 8 aperture blades, and the minimum focusing distance is 11.8” / 30 cm. My copy came with the BW-52A lens hood.

The FD 35mm f/2 balances perfectly on either my Canon AV-1 or Fujifilm X-Pro3 with a K&F Concept adapter.

The Canon FD 35mm f/2 in Action

From the get-go, I enjoyed shooting the Canon FD 35mm f/2 and it is well matched to my digital counterpart, the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/1.4 R.

I used the Canon FD 35mm f/2 and Canon AV-1 in an article where I compared the Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II black and white negative film and the Fujifilm film simulation. It was an interesting study and you can find the post here if you are interested:

Fujifilm Acros 100 II vs. Film Simulation

The second roll, also a black and white negative film, was an Ilford Pan F Plus, a sharp fine-grain ISO 50 film showing lots of detail. I took the FD 35mm f/2 out for some street photography on a sunny day and had plenty of light for the ISO 50 film. The 35mm focal length is ideal for street photography.

A man works in the lobby of a downtown Vancouver high rise. Sample image from Canon FD 35mm f/2 on the Fujifilm X-Pro3 — Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro3, Canon FD 35mm f/2 and K&F Concept FD-FX Adapter

Canon FD 35mm f/2 on Fujifilm X Series Camera

The Canon FD 35mm f/2 is easily adapted to any mirrorless digital camera. You just have to find an adapter that matches your camera. I have the K&F Concept FD-FX adapter and took it out for a quick street session here in Vancouver with the FD 35mm f/2.

Again it was a sunny day and for the sake of continuity, I decided to stay with black-and-white images for this post. I used the Acros film simulation from Fujifilm.

I was positively surprised by some of the images captured with the FD 35mm f/2 on my Fujifilm X-Pro3. While the photos are not perfect they do have a vintage vibe while still retaining decent quality. A different kind of quality if I may say.

A Canon New FD 35mm f/2 adapted to a Fujifilm X-Pro3 using the K&F Concept FD-FX adapter — A Canon FD 35mm f/2 shown on a Fujifilm X-Pro3 with the K&F Concept FD-FX adapter

Canon FD 35mm f/2 - Image Quality

The bar has been raised with the Canon FD 35mm f/2 and I find it a notch sharper than the FD 28mm f/2.8 that I recently tested. Keep in mind this is based on just a couple of rolls of film for each lens. A lifetime of use could certainly reveal a different result and picking your favorite focal length may be more important.

With that said I find the FD 35mm renders a desirable character, which is something I have been looking for in my pursuit of film photography.

This character, I think shines through on the digital sensor as well. With my Fujifilm X-Pro3, the images are cropped by 1.5x, and the 35mm lens becomes more like a 53mm full-frame equivalent. As usual with a manual focus lens, I missed focus on a few shots using my X-Pro3 but had acceptable results for the majority of the captures.

The Canon FD 35mm f/2 shown on the Canon AV-1 — The Canon New FD 35mm f/2 shown on the Canon AV-1

Canon FD 35mm f/2 - Conclusion

What do you get if you merge a Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 and Canon FD 28mm f/2.8? That is exactly what I did and ended up with the Canon FD 35mm f/2 after selling the other two.

I was not unhappy with the 50mm and 28mm but merely eager to try different focal lengths and also trying to match my original setup. After a couple of rolls with the AV-1 and trying it out on my X-Pro3, I feel good about the decision.

I also try to align my Canon SLR with my Nikon SLR cameras. For my Nikons, I now have the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AIS and will probably try to find a 28mm as well. These three focal lengths would be the most important for my film photography.

An old Volvo Sedan parked in the street, Vancouver, Canada. Sample image from a Canon FD 35mm f/2 — Volvo Sedan, Vancouver, Canon AV-1, Canon FD 35mm f/2, Ilford Pan F Plus

There are definitely interesting options at the 35mm focal length. For the budget-oriented photographer, the FD 35mm f/2.8 should be an excellent option. I used to have it and have wonderful recollections of it.

In the more exclusive vintage segment, we have the FD 35mm f/2 S.C.C with the concave front element. To me, the Canon FD 35mm f/2 struck a nice balance and I think it may be a keeper.

Update: I have now added a few more sample images below, this time from a roll of Fujifilm Acros 100 II.

Please see the sample images below. The negatives in this post were copied using a Fujifilm X-Pro2, an AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D lens, and Skier Sunray Copybox 3. RAW files were imported to Lightroom and I used the Negative Lab Pro plugin to convert the files.