We’re very pleased to offer a newly rehoused set of vintage Canon FD lenses that cover full frame / 8K sensors across the set, with PL mounts, 110mm fronts, and redesigned focus / iris systems and aluminum housings in the 5th iteration by GL Optics, ready for work with modern camera accessories.
These are rehoused lenses from the 1970s for (FD-mount) stills cameras, known for their similarities to the legendary K35s– especially so for the original donor optics in this set. We hope other lens enthusiasts and anyone who has looked into the history of this glass will appreciate this particular set as much as we do!
20mm T 2.9 SSC
24mm T1.5 SSC (asph)
35mm T2.1 SSC
45mm T1.5 (Yashica)
55mm T1.3 SSC (asph)
85mm T1.3 SSC (asph)
135mm T2.1 nFD
The set is built around the ‘big three’ 24mm f1.4, 55mm f1.2, and 85mm f1.2 SSC aspherical, which are the rarest and hardest to find versions of these lenses, featuring hand-ground elements and rare earth materials. Nowadays, it’s standard to include aspherical elements in a lens design in order to reduce aberration and distortion, but at the time of their revolutionary release the SSC asph/AL’s were among the highest performing and fastest lenses (which is still very true). For reference, the first Zeiss Superspeeds/B-Speeds released a year before the Canon K35s but only used aspherical elements in the wider focal lengths.
Accompanying the set are the corresponding 20mm T2.9 SSC and 35mm T2.1 SSC, and a 135mm T2.1 from the following nFD generation which was chosen for its superior T-stop. Rounding out the series is a 45mm T1.5 Yashica, another great example of Japanese glass from the period, often added as a beautiful match among FD’s for another high speed focal length option.
Examples courtesy of @recreationfilms!