| Year | 1979 |
| Lens Groups | 5 |
| Lens Element | 6 |
| Aperature Blades | 8 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/32 |
| Closest Focusing | 3. m |
| Max. Magnifcation | 1:9.1 (0.11x) |
| Filter Size | 58 mm |
| Diameter x Length | 65 x 198.5 mm |
| Weight | 635 gr (1.4 lb) |
| Hood | - |
My copy of this lens just came in. Feels much nicer on a Sony A7 II than a lot of other 300mm lenses. Okay: not a wonder in 'light sucking', but what a delight that the lens feels immediately appropriate on the A7 body (with Novoflex adapter). Color rendering seems to be much more genuine than with some new (expensive) lenses. Rather sharp in the focus area.
Given its average specifications, this lens doesn't seem to garner interest on the part of mirror less digital camera users. Thus the very low prices on the second hand market. But it would be wrong to discount it since it has quite a lot of qualities in the field and especially for photography genres with "patient" subjects such as architecture and landscape photography. The Canon nFD 300 mm f/5,6 is very light (635 g) and short (200 mm) for its focal length and it even could be operated without tripod or monopod. The use of a tripod adapter is not yet necessary and focusing is surprisingly light and smooth, thanks to the rear group focusing system. The lens doesn't change its length when focusing and at the minimum focussing distance of 3meters the optical performance is not altered.
In terms of optical performance, the lens performs very well, with good sharpness obtained thoughout the entire image area even at f/5,6. Closing the aperture helps to ccontrol vignetting and depth of field while resolution and contrast only benefits slightly. Since the lens doesn't integrate low dispersion glass, there is some chromatic aberration and purple fringing, but it can be easily hold at bay during raw conversion. Personnally, i often use this lens with very good results for landscape and urban photography and i appreciate its small size and weight.