Canon New FD 100mm f/2

kcnorthstar

I had one of these years ago and loved it. I sold it when I went digital. Now that I am back to shooting film, I had to get another copy. This lens produces outstanding
image quality and the Bokeh is awesome. This is one of my favorite FD lenses.

NIbarr

This is simply put Canon's best FD Fast portrait lens.

This is very small for an F2 100mm lens and accepts 52mm filters. It is very sharp at ALL aperture settings. Minor diffraction at F22 and lower but hardly noticeable.. The 135 F2 is just as sharp and well performing, but with a slightly longer Focal Length and much bigger. It is also more affordable than the 85 1.2L. A bit more expensive than the 135 F2, but the reasons why are stated above. It is also a bit harder to find than the 135 F2 as well. This has the size and weight edge over the 135 F2 which is probably why there are less people giving these guys up.

The only complaint is CA wide open, but it's expected of lenses from this era to have CA wide open.

twl

Amazing lens! Probably my favorite FD lens so far. Great size/performance ratio. I prefer it to my fd 135 f2 (unless I'm going for ultra thin dof). For a detailed review and image samples, check out (http://www.theweekendlens.com/canon-fd-100-f2.html) and for a video sample (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq9-6gC7TZc)

datagov

I have had this wonderful lens for a year and it is my favorite portrait lens. I use it on an Olympus OMD EM1 and it provides beautiful sharp portraits at f2 with wonderful bokeh and image separation. The colors are natural and micro contrast is excellent. No need to stop down for sharpness. Build quality is fantastic. A real gem.

beaconschris

Great lens ! Its small,light,super sharp,wonderful bokeh ....... not cheap though ! Given 8 for build as I prefer B/L build quality,but its still sturdy.

One of my top 5 lenses EVER (out of about 50-70).

TonyL

Another top prime from Canon. This lens is a bit of a surprise, so small for a fast 100. The image quality is as good as the 105mm 1.8 Nikkor, and it's half the size. Build quality is up there too, super smooth focus with nice bokeh. If your muscles aren't up to the 135mm f2 or 85mm 1.2, then this is a great walkabout portrait lens.

RWB

When the 85 1.2L or 135 2.0 don't fill the bill because of size and weight, and I have some flexibility with regard to focal length, this is the lens I'll use. Works extremely well on the Panasonic Lumix G1 (and probably GH1 and GF1).

Guest

I'm primarily an Olympus OM shooter; but the cost of a 100/2.0 lens in OM mount (and in most others) can get excessive. I actually got into the Canon FD system because lenses like this were so affordable by comparison. Buying this lens AND an AE-1 body was still significantly cheaper than a Zuiko 100/2.0.

I'm completely happy with the sharpness and the look from this lens. And as the other reviewers mention, the bokeh is a delight.

There is no breech-lock version of this lens. I actually have a preference for the look and massive solidity of the earlier style. In comparison, the aperture ring of this lens feels a bit more rough and plasticky. I do admit the New FD twist-on mounting is more convenient.

Guest

This is the lens with the highest glass / metal ratio I have.

The build is superb, the diaphragm ring makes an expensive clicking sound.

This lens is very, very sharp. I used it with extension tubes for macro work and it seriously outperformed my Canon 100 mm macro, and I thought that was a sharp lens!

Beware of portraits: every little wrinkle will show up and you may be unpleasantly surprised.

Great bokeh.

Very compact.

Dirk Dom.

Guest

From my 30 years shooting experience, I have found this to be the finest short telephoto ever made. It's optically superb. It's light and compact and the perfect portrait focal length. It's sharp, even wide open with zero distortion. It has beautiful, creamy bokeh. It's my favorite Canon FD lens.

Guest