Just bought these 4 FD lenses - which camera body should I get for them?

[mvejerslev]

Hello fellow photographers!

I fell upon an offer on a few nice FD lenses, knowing that I would have to invest in a new body to even use them.

I currently shoot professionally on a Canon 5D Mark II with an assortment of EF primes and L glass.

I have no intention on converting these lenses to EF mount, but rather use glassless adapters on a mirrorless body of some sort.

The lenses I bought was:

Canon FD 20mm 2.8 - serial 185xx
Canon FD 50mm 1.4 S.S.C. - serial - 5451xx
Canon FD 50mm 3.5 Macro - serial - 387xx
Canon FD 85mm 1.2L - serial 378xx

I got them all for about 430 dollars, which aint to bad! Particularly in light of their excellent condition. Ofcourse I cant really test their functionality just yet. For that I need a new body with an adapter. My job is documentary style / available light / stage photography, and I dont expect these manual lenses to do that kind of job. But I'm ok with a second toy / portrait / landscape /street body.

My hunch is to wait out for the Sony a7r replacement, hopefully with IBIS and a few other issues sorted out, but I'm dying to try out these lenses now!

Anyone shooting with these lenses and want to share their photos and experience? Which body should I get in your opinion, no budget restraints?

Mathias

[NancyP]

Pick your camera and then buy an Canon FD to (Your New Camera) adapter. It will be a dumb adapter, but that is fine. You have manual aperture control (an actual ring) on the FD lenses, unlike the EF mount lenses. You get what you pay for. If you want to try a cheap adapter, be aware that it may or may not fit well. For bayonet mount to incompatible bayonet mount adapters (eg, Nikon F to Canon EF), try to get an adapter with leaf springs in it. FotodioX Pro was the one I bought (F to EF), at about 70 bucks.

Camera body - can't help you there. I don't have mirrorless.

[scooby70]

I have FD 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.8 and they all work well on my Sony A7 via a Novoflex adapter.

On cheap adapters, it may well be a lottery but I've bought 4 cheap adapters for various lenses and bodies and all have been perfect. Be aware though that some adapters for Sony may be Nex and APS-C. I have one and it's ok at 28mm but vignettes at 24mm. The Novoflex is fine at 24mm.

I also use manual lenses on my Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras but be aware that MFT is a x2 "crop" system but even so I've taken a lot of shots with 28 and 50mm lenses on MFT.

As well as FD's I also have Olympus Zuiko and Minolta Rokkor lenses and for me at some focal lengths there's nothing in it but at 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f2/f1.8 the Rokkors look the best as they're sharper and suffer less blooming/fringing. All of these old lenses perform well enough for me for whole image shots and indeed for quite heavy crops once stopped down but none can live with the native Sony FE 55mm f1.8 for across the frame performance or when wide open.

[Paulo Bizarro]

If you mirrorless and keep the angle of view of the lenses as intended, you need a Sony A7 series camera.

[mcbroomf]

Welcome to Lula...

You got a great deal this set of lenses, the 85mm alone goes for well over that price and has a very good reputation.  I've thought about switching my EF Mk 1 for an FD (I use an A7r)
The 20mm is also very good.  Stop it down to get good x-field sharpness.  The macro I have is a little low on contrast, but I noticed the other day that the front element has a large splotch on it that I can't remove and I don't know if it was on there when I purchased it (and missed it).

SAR is reporting new bodies to be announced in May but I've always thought the next would be an A7sII with IBIS. 

There are a lot of low cost new A7II bodies on the market now (~$1400) if you are likely to use this combo handheld that's what I would go for.  If you print large and use a tripod then the A7r would be my choice.

[mvejerslev]

Thank you for your replies!

The reason I dont just get an a7II and be done with it is its shortcomings, as I perceive them:

Subpar autofocus, compared to DSLR and Sonys own a6000.
Ridiculous battery time.
Sony's compressed RAW means you wont be able to get the most out of your sensor.
- And that sensor - I'm more in love with the 36mp sensor in the a7r, than in this 24MP sensor, also because the 36mp will offer a significant upgrade over my 5DmkII (but I also want IBIS and new body design).
Video quality (sharpness) is not up to Sonys other recent offerings.
Not a lot of fast AF glass available for the system.

Still - everybody loves these cameras...

[mcbroomf]

SAR just posted a pretty high confidence rumour that an A7rII will be out in May/June.  I'm not sure the AF will be addressed if it's an A7r sensor in the A7II body. 
I've certainly never seen an issue with the compressed RAW, in fact I've only seen issues with it on the web when a file has been pushed to demonstrate it.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr4-sony-a7rii-is-coming-very-soon/