![]() Where most of Canon’s competitors telephotos featured maximum apertures of f/4 or f/3.5, the Canon lenses were perfectly happy in low light. The f/2.8 maximum aperture made the 200mm a very fast telephoto for its day. These lenses are based on the newer 200mm EF lens, and match that lens’ specification, save for the lack of autofocus. All are fully compatible with both fully-manual Canon bodies, like the F-1, and automatic bodies, such as the AE-1P and A-1. Canon’s final “new” FD lens was also a 200mm an f/1.8 monster from the L series. Early versions use the silver lock ring, and the more common later versions use the updated rotating lens barrel version of the mount. There are even later versions with seven elements in six groups, and internal focusing, though these are less common than the older five element variant. Most versions of this lens offered from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s feature five lenses in five groups. It didn’t come into its own until the FD mount was revised in the late 1970s, and though the only change from the old FD to the new FD was in minimum aperture (f/32 versus the earlier lens’ f/22), its popularity skyrocketed. 200mm f/2.8 lens very early in the FD mount’s lifecycle, the lens wasn’t a big seller. ![]() These coatings reduced flaring, improved color rendition, and were generally harder and more durable than previous Canon coatings. While the even earlier FL family of glass offered good performance for the day, the new FD lenses put Canon firmly in the company of Nikon and Olympus for the first time. These new lenses featured not only improved optical designs, they also came with updated coatings known as S.S.C., or Super Spectra Coatings. When Canon moved to become a major player in the pro-level SLR market in 1971 with the launch of the FD system, they also introduced a whole range of new lenses with up-to-the-minute coatings and improved optics. Of the current big-two SLR manufacturers, Nikon and Canon, Canon is arguably better known for their telephoto lenses since the introduction of their EF system their bone white telephotos have been as ubiquitous in arenas and sports fields as overpriced player jerseys. Before Canon launched this flagship L line, however, the top of Canon’s lens hierarchy was claimed by the FD mount S.S.C. That said, the best vintage telephotos still have a lot to offer, and the fact that most modern film and legacy lens shooters overlook them means that they can still be bought at low cost. ![]() By contrast, the Super Tak 300mm F/4 is slow, unbearably soft, and overweight.Ī little time spent with a “bad” older telephoto is eye opening in just how much this category of lenses has improved over the last several decades. Pentax’s M42 mount Super Takumar 135mm f/3.5 is a compact and beautiful lens that finds its way into my bag all the time. Even within a single manufacturer’s catalog there can exist wild inconsistency in performance with telephoto lenses. Most manufacturers have been making excellent fixed length telephotos at least since the 1970s. What is surprising is how little attention is paid to telephoto primes. And while these lenses are less versatile than their standard focal length pals, they’re no less impressive when used in the right context. ![]() It’s no surprise that every world-class camera company has each produced at least a few brilliant prime lenses that legacy shooters claw over one another to buy Minolta has their 55mm f/1.2, Canon the 50mm f/1.2 L, and Pentax has the buttery smooth 7-element 50mm f/1.4, to name a few.
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