Canon FD lens adapter recommendation for kite aerial photography?

[tribal-warrior]

I'm getting into kite aerial photography - starting with cheap simple cameras while I learn the craft and then progressing to more serious cameras with larger sensors later down the track after I get more experience. Though even with lots of practise, there's always the chance of a kite crashing to the ground and potentially damaging an attached camera. So when I do get to that point of using a larger sensor camera on a kite line, it would very likely be older equipment rather than anything new. I think I might use my Panasonic G2 for the task. And regarding lenses, I would like to use an old manual film lens which I can get for cheap (so it's not the end of the world if it plummets to earth.) I am considering a Canon FD 28mm f2.8 for this kind of photography.

I already have a Canon FD to MFT adapter which I paid quite a bit of money for (about $100.) Actually, it's my second one. The first one got damaged when my tripod-mounted camera fell to the ground after a truck drove close by. So I had to fork out $100 again for another one which I wasn't happy about. And I'm reluctant to take this adapter into the sky with a kite because a similar kind of thing could happen again (minus the truck.)

So could anyone recommend a reasonably good quality Canon FD to MFT lens adapter that is a lot more affordable? Ideally, I would want an adapter that allows infinity focus and aperture adjustments at all stops from maximum to minimum. I do admit that I am weary of cheap lens adapters. I have tried some in the past on my M4/3 cameras and I have had a lot of trouble removing them. They seem to get stuck on the lens mounts and refuse to come off.

Though even with my $100 Canon FD lens adapter, there is an annoying issue. With the newer FD mounts, the adapter must be set a little loose in order to adjust the aperture. And even then, you don't have access to all aperture settings. With a bit of a twist of the adapter, you can use large apertures. But you have to twist it some more if you want to use small apertures. Different levels of looseness with each twist. And having a somewhat loose lens adapter on your camera up high in the sky on a kite line is a worrying thought.

Though no issues with the older breech lock FD mounts. I can rotate the adapter all the way to fully closed and use any aperture I want. And that's something I would also want in a cheaper adapter.

 

[Bugleone]

I have two FD adeaptors which both came from Ebay and were extremely cheap,...less than £20 each, in fact nearer to a tenner a piece. One is for Sony e to FD and the other m43. Both work very well provided you observe correct usage. A feature of FD lenses is that the activation lever/slider MUST be ativated by the pin in the adaptor for the apertures to be useable. There are two types of FD lens,..ie the 'silver locking ring' earlier lenses and the 'new' type which have no ring but a release button. As for setting apertures they are all the same since all(?) FD lenses have aperture rings with click settings at stops and half stops.

It is vital that the pin in the adaptor is set to the correct position,....have a play with the adaptor and an FD lens foir a few moments and you can easily see the right way to postion the pin by means of it's ring and you will find that the lens aperture ring will then give a complete range of settings from completely openn to f22 or whatever. Make a note of the correct positon on the adaptor, if neccessary mark the ring/adaptor. Fit lens and adaptor to the camera and select aperture using the lens aperture ring ONLY. If you are worried about the aperture being moved during the excitement of kite flying then use a piece of sticky tape to lock the aperture ring,...and, of course, the aperture ring must NOT be set to 'A' or the little round ring mark on earlier FD lenses as these are for AE with the FD camera bodies.

When using mirrorless cameras set the aperture ring to, say, f8 and the camera will do the rest and supply a nice bright viewfinder view....you must have checked 'use camera without lens' or similar in the menu. If your particular adaptor has a 'aperture operaring ring' you might like to ignore this complication as changing the aperture using the lens ring itself is hardly difficult and is more certain.

 

[jdphoto]

Good points. I have the Novoflex FD to EOSr adapter. The red mounting dots are slightly off, so if you mount the adapter as instructed, it won't engage the aperture pin. This drove me nuts because I couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting aperture inputs.

 

[tribal-warrior]

Gosh, I didn't realise that there some replies to this post. Sorry it took so long to respond. I am getting closer to making my first start in kite aerial photography.

Bugleone: "I have two FD adeaptors which both came from Ebay and were extremely cheap,...less than £20 each, in fact nearer to a tenner a piece. One is for Sony e to FD and the other m43."

Would those particular adapters have visible brand names on them?

Bugleone: "A feature of FD lenses is that the activation lever/slider MUST be ativated by the pin in the adaptor for the apertures to be useable."

With my Canon to MFT adapter, I don't think Ive noticed any kind of pin in there. I might have to have a closer look next time.

Bugleone: "...select aperture using the lens aperture ring ONLY."

Why would I use anything else?

Bugleone: "If you are worried about the aperture being moved during the excitement of kite flying then use a piece of sticky tape to lock the aperture ring"

I'm not worried at all about the aperture ring moving on it's own while the camera is shaking on a kite line. The click stops would keep any aperture setting firmly in place. Though I would be concerned about having a slightly loose adapter on the camera while it's in the air (something that I would definitely avoid at all costs.) There could be a very slight chance of the focus ring changing position with excessive movement. Though I had already planned to apply duct tape to the focus ring before sending the camera into the air.

Bugleone: "the 'silver locking ring' earlier lenses"

Yes, the breech lock mount. I prefer these older ones because generally, I can use any aperture I want freely without any restriction. And there is no pin on the adapter that I need to put into a certain position to set the aperture. However, with some breech lock mount FD lenses, there are some little metal protrusions on the back of the lens that need to be adjusted in order to set the aperture. But with other breech lock FD lenses, there is no adjustment necessary with the back of the lens. The aperture can be stopped down straight away while it's mounted to the adapter.

Bugleone: "the aperture ring must NOT be set to 'A' "

The 'A' on the aperture ring of Canon FD lenses is for automatic aperture selection on later Canon 35mm SLRs - pre EOS (shutter speed priority.) The photographer sets the shutter speed and the camera selects the aperture. This is a feature that I used occasionally with my Canon AE1 and Canon T70 cameras. Of course I wouldn't dream of using the 'A' setting on a digital camera body with an adapter because obviously, there's no way it would work.

Bugleone: "If your particular adaptor has a 'aperture operaring ring' you might like to ignore this"

I'm not familiar with an 'aperture operating ring' on an adapter. Ive owned a small number of lens adapters and I don't think Ive come across anything like that on any of them. It does sound like a bit of a strange and unnecessary feature to have since all you need to do is adjust the aperture ring on the lens.


JDPhoto: "I have the Novoflex FD to EOSr adapter. The red mounting dots are slightly off, so if you mount the adapter as instructed, it won't engage the aperture pin. This drove me nuts because I couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting aperture inputs."

Gosh, that sounds frustrating. Unusual design flaw with the placement of the red mounting dots.