| Year | 1979 |
| Lens Groups | 7 |
| Lens Element | 7 |
| Aperature Blades | 5 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Closest Focusing | 0.3 m |
| Max. Magnifcation | 1:7.7 (0.13x) |
| Filter Size | 52 mm |
| Diameter x Length | 63 x 40 mm |
| Weight | 170 gr (0.37 lb) |
| Hood | BW-52B |
I've owned this lens for a while now, and I can say it is really good even by today's standarts. I have compared it to sony fe 28mm. Distorsion is way more controled on the canon, sharpness is always better in center and midframe, but the sony is better on the extreme corners, is less prone to flare, and has a softer bokeh.
I have several copies of this lens. Not any of them really is a friend. They have all been serviced, but all stay mediocre.
The build for me is just acceptable, but in terms of 'influence' on image quality there is something wrong with the design. Every copy that I have is too loose in build (shake it, and you feel it). Just think about that: lens groups that aren't stiff calibrated.
In my humble opinion: mostly over-rated by Canon FD-lovers.
Similar to the Canon New FD 50mm F1.4, this lens shows good performance. Sharp wide open @f2.8 and very vibrant, punchy colors. Contrast is very good, surpassing the 50 f1.4 even. Minimum focusing distance is at a close 0.3 meters and it can get quite close to objects given it a 3-D pop to them. 7 floating elements gives this a great close-up qualities.
The downside is the flaring due to the bulbous front element and the 5 blade aperture giving stopped down bokeh a very define pentagon shape.
Due to its weight, This lens is the second lightest nFD lens and it balances well with small mirrorless cameras.
I got this lens for my Panasonic G6 (MFT). With Speedbooster I become like a 40mm f2.0 lens, the image quality good, nice lens, perhaps not very bright.
I love this one. When going out for some landscape photos this is the one to carry with you. For street candids it is even better. Focus at infinity and everything beyond 3-4 meters will be tack sharp.
The polycarbonate make is durable. Not quite as the older FD lenses, but providing you will not hammer any nails with it, it will serve you more than enough.
Overall, an unspectacular but perfectly usable 28mm lens. Contrast is better than many manual focus 28mm lenses, but this isn't a lens to go out of your way to get unless the low weight and small size matter a lot. Build is solid enough, but typical FDn plastic in feel.
I have had this lens about a year, and I am really satisfied with it for my wide angle needs. It is really sharp from the center to the corners from f/5.6 and up.
It has only a five blade aperture, so the bokah is a little polygon shaped. 28mm is the widest lens I have ever used, with this 28mm f/2.8 slightly distorting barrel at the edge. Unless you have a close to infinity frame, distortion is mostly minimal.
If you are using a hood or UV lens, there is some small vignetting, especially at the top left corner of the frame. I would avoid using any hood or filter unless necessary. If you do, try not to stack multiple filters or a hood on top.
Being a small prime, this 28mm f/2.8 is light, small and quick to focus on manual. Another benefit is that the filter thread is 52mm, being a common size, it is also cheep to buy filters for this lens.
I had one of these lenses for many years and used it for a number of shots that went into a few exhibitions. The results when used in favourable conditions are really excellent. As with most wide-angle lenses you will naturally get your best results by using middlish aperture settings, and by avoiding direct sun - and by having some sort of subject of interest somewhere in the picture that is not a million miles from the camera (wide angle lenses really are not often ideal for wide-open subjects!) - hope that doesn't leave you thinking this is a limited lens.
Even if you are shooting into the sun, a lens hood makes all the difference, and I've seen some beautiful results with this lens bringing out fabulous colour from the sky when using a polarizer filter on bright sunny days at high noon (I've also seen my share of ghosts from this lens in the same conditions - maybe you want ghosts though).
Really excellent samples of this lens are so cheap on eBay that there just isn't a reason not to have one. Feel free to forget about the f/2 version which is at time of writing going for easily six to eight times the price of the f/2.8 - unless you are really obsessive or just have the cash burning a hole in your pocket and want the better lens regardless.
This was my first ever FD wide, and the only one I could afford when I was 15. It gave me years of oustanding service and produced some stunning pictures. I still don't know what made me sell it.
Purchased this lens second hand for a song. Because of the price I paid for it I did not pay it much mind. Once I used the lens, I discovered how sharp it is. Very pleased.
A good, reliable, basic 28mm lens that I have got some very sharp results from (30x45cm enlargements). Difficult to say how the image quality compares with other FD 28mm lenses ´cos this is the only one I´ve got, but I´m happy with it. I had to buy the petal shaped lens hood separately and it wasn´t so much cheaper to buy secondhand than the lens itself! Nice hood though.