Canon FD 50mm f1.4

     These pics are from my first walkaround with the FD 50mm f1.4.   I used an adapter on my Eos M3.   The effective focal length is 80mm.

While the relatively small size and weight of this lens makes it a good fit on a small mirrorless body, I found it a bit difficult to achieve critical focus in casual shooting.   

     It has excellent contrast at all apertures.  Color rendition is a bit cool.   Contrast in backlight is quite good with a color shift toward blue.

     There is a slight amount of fringing at f1.4.   Bokeh fringing is noticeable wide open but lessens quickly.   It is barely noticeable at f4.

     Vignetting can be seen at f1.4 on an APS-C body.   It will be quite noticeable on full frame.    Distortion is minimal.   Colors are consistent throught the f-stop range except for a cool shift at f1.4.  

     Sharpness is good at f1.4.  Since i tested on a sub frame body the corners were excellent.   It doesn't tighten up as noticeably as the FD 50mm f1.8 or other great 50's like the Planars and Takumars.   Perhaps on a full frame body the improvement with higher apertures would be more noticeable.

     Like most Canon FD lenses, the focus ring is lightly dampened and very quiet.   Aperture clicks can be heard but they are subdued.   If you plan to use it for video you should de-click it by removing the bearing.  (Make sure you save the bearing)

     Black and white tonality is excellent.   There is no surprise here.   Some of the most beautiful grayscale images that I've seen were shot with FD lenses.