The Canon FD system made them a powerhouse of the photographic industry, and allowed them to become the mass-market champion of cameras. This lens mount features some of the greatest mechanical cameras of all time as well as some innovative auto exposure models.
But where should you start your Canon FD journey? What camera should you get, and what lenses to go with it? Watch the video below for some suggestions from Nico and Nuno, or keep scrolling to read the text version.
History
Pre-FD
Canon introduced the FL mount in 1964 after it became clear that their R mount could not compete with the likes of Nikon’s F. But wait, FL? I thought we were talking about FD.
The truth is that the FD mount is a refinement of the earlier FL, and FL lenses will even fit onto FD bodies with only slight compatibility issues. Canon produced the FL system for seven years before replacing it with the more-advanced FD system.
FD
In 1971, Canon revealed their first true professional SLR, the F-1, alongside the new FD system. The main advantage was full-aperture metering, which allows the camera to measure what aperture is selected without having to actually close the aperture down. This makes framing and focusing considerably easier.
The original FD lenses were very similar to FL ones, with a breech lock system. In this system, a silver ring on the rear of the lens locks the lens to the body. This, in theory, prevents wear on the delicate parts of the lens and gives them increased longevity. Unfortunately, it also makes mounting these lenses a bit slower than others.
By 1981 Canon had moved away from the breech lock system to a more traditional bayonet, called New FD (FDn).
What is revolutionary is that Canon’s FD mount, even in 1970, was capable of fully-programmed exposure. Manufacturers like Nikon and Minolta had to modify their mounts and introduce compatibility issues in order to acquiesce to the auto-exposure trends.
The Canon A series would bring auto-exposure to a massive audience. The AE-1 in particular had the first microprocessor in a camera and sold over one million units. This abundance and reputation has led to the AE-1 becoming a cult classic of film photography.
Canon also innovated by introducing the first camera capable of shutter priority, aperture priority, and full program exposure with the
in 1978. Minolta may have beat them to both shutter and aperture priority, but the full-program mode was what made photography truly accessible to all. 1981’s
only made this more accessible by lowering costs. Truly, it was Canon that brought photography to the masses.
When autofocus became the next innovation, Canon experimented with modifying the FD mount. They even released a few lenses for use with the T80 SLR, but decided to completely scrap the FD mount and start over.
Thus came the EF mount, which still exists today and is arguably the preferred mount for professional shooters. This bold decision may not have been possible if Canon had not established themselves as a photographic powerhouse during the FD mount’s 16 year history.
Bodies
Mechanical
Canon began the FD mount with their F-1, a professional SLR in every sense of the word. The original F-1 was fully mechanical and rivaled Nikon’s F series in terms of features, accessories, customizability, and ruggedness.
The F-1 came in a number of versions over its production life, which lasted from 1971 to 1992. One version even had a transparent pellicle mirror for faster motor drive shooting. This feature would never catch on, but showed Canon’s dedication to providing photographers exactly what they need with the F-1.
Like other professional SLRs of the time, the F-1 had interchangeable backs, winders, focusing screens, and prisms to suit different tastes and use cases. There was a prism for low light metering (down to EV -3.5) and even a prism that allowed for shutter-priority auto exposure.
Five years later, Canon revised the F-1 with mainly quality-of-life upgrades, calling it the F-1n. The camera was succeeded by the electronically-controlled New F-1 in 1981, which was produced until 1992.
Aside from being electronically-controlled, the New F-1 had brighter focusing screens, more advanced metering, and other features. Canon also re-introduced the high speed pellicle model with the New F-1, getting up to 14 frames per second in 1984.
Directly below the F-1 in terms of features would be the Canon EF. The EF is noteworthy due to its dual mechanical and electronic shutter setup. Faster speeds are governed mechanically, and work without a battery, whereas slower speeds are more precisely controlled with electronics.
For a photographer, this means that the camera will not be useless without batteries, or perhaps if the batteries have the wrong voltage. Canon did, however, put a voltage regulator in many of their older FD bodies that allows for newer batteries to be used even if they don’t match the intended voltage.
Similar to the EF would be the
. This mechanical camera features simple, reliable handling and a match-needle metering system, as well as the QL quick loading system. Rather than feeding the film through a spool, the photographer only needs to pull the film to a specific location. The QL system will hold the film taut and ensure it’s taken up properly.
Auto Exposure
Canon’s FD mount was built for auto exposure, requiring no modification for shutter priority exposure, and eventually full-program as well.
The most notable auto-exposure camera was the AE-1, the first of the A series. This system was designed to be consumer-grade without sacrificing innovation, and the AE-1 was the perfect camera to start with.
This SLR was capable of shutter priority exposure while having a compact, lightweight body due to extensive use of high-quality plastic. Canon took considerable care to make the body feel like metal despite being plastic. They also launched a massive marketing campaign that helped the AE-1 become a sales machine.
As mentioned, the AE-1 sold over one million copies and left an indelible impact on the camera market. The AE-1 was the official 35mm camera of the 1980 Olympics, which helped it gain immense popularity. The shutter-priority exposure made photography quite a bit easier than it had been in the past.
It would only get easier with the A-1 a few years later, which added aperture priority and full program exposure. The A-1 also featured a metal body and higher build quality, segmenting itself between the AE-1 and F-1 as a “prosumer” option.
1981’s AE-1 Program would be the best of both worlds. The light, compact body of the AE-1 combined with the programmed exposure of the A-1, this is the camera that brought program mode to the masses. Although it couldn’t do aperture priority exposure, most people didn’t mind this.
Professional users were fine with shutter priority and program mode suited everyone else just fine. Canon’s advanced microprocessor ensured good exposure as long as the photographer focused properly.
Skip forward a few years and Canon’s T series truly embraces the 80s. These matte plastic, full-program cameras innovated in numerous ways, with multiple program modes and a flirtation with autofocus.
The T80 sold alongside several modified FD lenses with built-in autofocus motors. These lenses did not perform well, mechanically or sales-wise, and led to Canon adopting an entirely new lens mount rather than modifying the FD mount.
The last professional SLR to use the FD mount was the Canon T90. Its design language clearly suggests the direction Canon would take with future SLRs. Gone were the harsh mechanical blocks of the past, now usurped by smooth plastic lines and LCD screens.
Ironically, the only thing holding the T90 back was the thing that made Canon’s cameras successful for the past 20 years; the FD mount.
Lenses
Canon introduced over 130 lenses for the FD system during its production life. These lenses range from 7.5mm to 1200mm. Third-party manufacturers like Vivitar, Kiron, Tamron, and Tokina also produced countless lenses during this period.
FL
FL lenses look very similar to FD lenses, with a breech lock. These lenses are simpler internally, however, and can only be used on FD bodies in stop-down metering mode. Many of them will have silver aperture rings towards the front of the lens, with stop-down rings directly below them.
Breech Lock FD
Original FD lenses have a silver breech lock at the base of the lens, and mount to the camera without the lens itself rotating. Older FD lenses will have chrome filter threads, and newer ones will use an “A” for auto mode on the aperture ring, rather than the circle of older models. These lenses will have markings to indicate which coatings they received, such as SSC for Super Spectra Coating.
FDn
FDn (or New FD) lenses ditched the breech lock, and now mount similarly to other lens systems. Simply line up a dot on the lens with a dot on the body and rotate the lens until it clicks. FDn lenses do not having coating labels because all of them received Canon’s Super Spectra Coating (SSC). The only exception is the standard 50mm f1.8 lens, which only received the normal Spectra Coating (SC).
Note on Lenses
Many lenses, especially popular focal lengths, will have multiple versions in each type of the FD mount. The differences are mainly minor, aside from some coating differences. Some people prefer the early chrome nose lenses, but they are heavier and generally have worse coatings due to age. Later models may feature the same optical formula with better coatings.
Getting into FD
The FD mount has long been lauded as the ideal 35mm SLR mount to get into. This is because, frankly, Canon made an absurd number of these cameras. The sales of the AE-1 alone would justify the FD system, but with such a wide variety of bodies and lenses it’s clear why people recommend this system.
While the AE-1 may have been the gold standard for a beginner’s camera, in recent years price increases have made other models, like the EF or FTb, equally attractive. These models may be older, larger, and lack the auto-exposure capabilities of the AE-1, but they come with reliability that isn’t always there with the electronic cameras.
If auto exposure is important, other cameras from the A line are also worthy of recommendation. The AV-1 provides shutter priority auto exposure, and the AL-1 even has a handy quick-focusing system that helps the photographer ensure successful focusing. It uses an early phase-detection system and LED lights to tell the photographer which way to rotate the focus ring.
The beauty of FD bodies, however, is that despite their popularity they remain accessible and available. They may be a bit overhyped as the ideal student camera of the past 20 or 30 years, but there’s a reason they gained this reputation.
You can, however, always pay a bit more for a pro-sumer A-1 or professional F-1. The A-1 has advanced auto exposure modes in a slightly higher quality body than the AE-1 Program and sells for a similar price.
The F-1, though, is in an entirely different ballpark in terms of build quality. These cameras, especially the original mechanical F-1, will work smoothly in any situation provided they are well maintained.
This professional SLR was tested in environments from -30° to +60°C and guaranteed to fire at least 100,000 shots. For those looking for a rugged, professional camera body, the F-1 is an easy choice.
With all these options, the FD system can seem quite imposing. Before deciding on a body, perhaps you’d like to try some FD lenses on your current digital camera?
Adaptability
Canon FD is very commonly adapted, with adapters available for almost every mirrorless system as well as some SLR systems.
Finding FD lenses can be easily and relatively cheap for a number of reasons, including abundance and obsolescence. Canon FD lenses are plentiful and can't be easily used on modern DSLRs.
Canon FD lenses had a 20 year production time, multiple versions of each focal length, and widespread third party support. Because of this, there is no shortage of Canon FD glass available. It's relatively easy to develop a set of primes for the same price as one native digital lens.
These lenses, especially older models, will give a “film-ic” look to your photos that aren't possible with newer glass. Technical improvements in coatings and optical design aside, the character of older lenses is a reason people adapt FD lenses.
Conclusions
Is the FD system still the best system to get into for new photographers? Up for interpretation, but it’s hard to argue the impact that Canon had on the photographic industry in this period.
The robust FD system allowed Canon to innovate throughout the 1970s and 80s. They set sales records and decided the way the industry would develop along the way. They introduced both shutter priority and programmed auto exposure to the masses and got high quality SLRs into average hands.
Their professional SLRs may not have unseated Nikon’s F line, but they provided worthy competition for decades. They also set the baseline by which Canon would become the DSLR of choice for professionals and beginners alike. In short, you can’t go wrong picking a Canon.
This article was originally published on 3.11.2020.
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