What is Canon FD 85mm f/1.8?
The Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 is a manual focus telephoto lens designed for Canon’s FD mount cameras. It was released in the late 1970s and gained popularity among photographers for its excellent optical performance and versatile focal length. The lens offers a maximum aperture of f/1.8, allowing for exceptional low-light performance and beautiful background blur, also known as bokeh.
Overview and Features
The Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 boasts a high-quality construction with durable materials, making it a reliable choice for both amateur and professional photographers. Its compact and lightweight design makes it easy to carry around, ensuring that you never miss a shot. The lens features a smooth manual focus ring, enabling precise control over focus for achieving sharp and detailed images.
One of the standout features of the Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 is its large maximum aperture of f/1.8. This wide aperture allows for greater flexibility in various shooting conditions. It excels in low-light situations, enabling you to capture stunning images without the need for a flash. Additionally, the wide aperture also creates a shallow depth of field, isolating your subject and producing a pleasing separation between the subject and the background.
The optical performance of the Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 is superb. The lens incorporates multiple elements, including specialized glass elements, to minimize aberrations and ensure sharpness and clarity throughout the image. The lens produces vibrant colors, high contrast, and excellent resolution, making it suitable for a wide range of photography genres, such as portraiture, street photography, and even some telephoto landscapes.
Real-world Applications
The Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 is highly regarded by portrait photographers due to its focal length and wide aperture. When used for portraiture, the lens allows for beautiful subject isolation and smooth bokeh, resulting in stunning images with a three-dimensional feel. The 85mm focal length also provides a natural perspective, making it ideal for capturing intimate and flattering portraits.
Street photographers also favor the Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 for its versatility. Its telephoto focal length allows for discreet shooting, capturing candid moments without intruding on the scene. The wide aperture gives the photographer the ability to shoot in a variety of lighting conditions, including challenging low-light situations often encountered in street photography.
In addition to portraiture and street photography, the lens can be used for other creative purposes. Its ability to compress perspective and isolate subjects makes it suitable for capturing unique telephoto landscapes or even wildlife photography, where a longer focal length is often desired.
Conclusion
The Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 is a reliable and versatile lens that offers exceptional optical performance. Its wide aperture, durable construction, and precise manual focus make it a valuable tool for various genres of photography. Whether you are a portrait photographer, street photographer, or simply enjoy exploring creative possibilities, this lens is an excellent choice to consider for your Canon FD mount camera.
