The Canon FD lenses were manufactured in the 1970s, and in recent years, they have been reconditioned by TLS and have become some of the most coveted prime lenses of today. By now the secret is out that they are a perfect fit either in Super 35 or Full Frame cinematography. The 24mm f1.4, 55mm f1.2, and 85mm f1.2 aspherical lenses are siblings of the legendary K35s. The 14mm, 100mm and 135mm are actually the lenses used to complete the K35s` set.
TLS replaced the original 8-blade irises with new 16-blade irises. So not only does your bokeh stay circular when stopped down, they also make the set more consistent from lens to lens. In the original FDs the 8-blade iris gives your bokeh a stop-sign shape to pin-point highlights.
The 18mm T1.5, 35mm T1.6 and the 45mm T1.5 in our set are part of our new FD-X lenses (the X meaning eXtended), which are additional focal lengths TLS made to fill in some of the gaps in the original FD lineup. Since only the 24mm, 55mm, and 85mm were available in high-speed aspherical versions, we wanted to fill out these amazing lenses with focal lengths that match their look and performance.
The TLS 18mm consists of Canon FD aspherical elements, with some additional optics used to create a wider angle vintage lens, that covers Full Frame sensors, even RED Monstro. The 35mm is a Minolta lens from the 1980s. It’s also a Japanese-made, aspherical lens, with performance, bokeh, and flare character very similar to the 24mm, 55mm, and 85mm FDs.
The TLS FD-X 45mm T1.5 lens is based on a Yashica lens, but it has the characteristic warm flares and look that the Canon K35’s and FD’s have. For that reason it is a great fit for either of those lens sets. It is a nice gap filler between the K35 35mm and 55mm.
With these three FD-X primes, you have a complete set of vintage, high-speed, in a very complete set: 18mm, 24mm, 35mm, 45mm, 55mm, 85mm.
All the lenses have Full Frame coverage.
