The 5 Best Canon AE-1 Program Camera Lenses
I have always preferred the AE-1 Program over the original.
The FD-mount was discontinued in 1987. Lenses are 30-40 years old and most have not been serviced. Lens condition is important.
There were a few lenses that were popular for being small, light, and fun to use. I’m going to focus on these because they sold well enough to still be widely available today.
The first three everyone should consider are the 50mm f1.8, 28mm f2.8, and 135mm f2.8.
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Kit Lens and Standard Primes
Canon FD 50mm f/1.8
The Canon FD 50mm F/1.8 lens was the “kit Lens” often sold with the AE-1 Program. The 50mm f1.8 is plentiful, has terrific picture quality, and is cheap.
- The “classic” setup as it can be considered the original kit lens.
- Unbeatable value.
- Light and compact.
- Widely available and easy to find in good condition.
- Uses 55mm filter threads.
Check a variety of places to find the best condition and price.
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For the 50mm focal length of photography, the 50mm focal length is an excellent choice. The areas of photography encompass portraits, street, architecture, travel, casual use, and landscapes. This is the most common focal length that is combined with the AE-1 Program.
The lens is small, well balanced, and light. The lenses weigh anywhere from 170-305g, based on on the version of the lens. The new FD version, which was the last to be built, is the lightest.
Additionally, Canon produced two versions with bigger apertures for the Canon FD lens mount.
Canon FD 50mm f/1.4
At the additional cost of weight, the Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 is 2/3 of a stop faster. It is only slightly more expensive when compared to the f1.8.
- Excellent image quality.
- Optical multi-coatings.
- Fairly easy to find in good condition.
- Larger and heavier than the f/1.8.
Canon made four different versions of the 50mm f/1.4. The “new FD” variant is the newest and lightest of the bunch.
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This lens is bulky, hefty, and very hard to focus lens. Expect soft pictures when shot wide open. Stopped down, you’re not going to see a large difference between it and the f/1.8 or f/1.4.
There are two versions, both are costly. Optical quality is not why the lens is costly. People desire the lens due to rarity and collectibility.
Alternative Standard Lenses
If the 50mm focal length isn’t what you prefer, here are other possible choices. Count upon having to spend additional money than you normally would for a 50mm lens of comparable speed.
- Canon FD 35mm f/2 SSC
- Canon FD 35mm f/2.8
- Canon FD 35mm f/3.5
- Canon FD 55mm f/1.2
Wide Angle Lens
Canon FD 28mm f/3.5
A sought after focal length for street photography is 28mm. However, lenses that are wider than 28mm are typically the most popular for landscape and architectural photography.
- Great combination with a 50mm lens.
- Optical multi-coatings.
- Inexpensive and widely available.
- Small and light.
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My recommended pick is the Canon FD 28mm f/2.8 mainly because of the inexpensive price, wide availability, and terrific optics.
Alternative Wide Angle Lenses
In terms of price, the relationship is easy to understand. The larger the field of view, the less affordable the lens will likely be. Larger apertures also go for significantly more.
The weight will change based primarily on the qualities of the lens. You’ll find lenses from 170g to 500g. Faster apertures will also mean that those lenses will be bulky and cause the camera to be more difficult to handle.
- Canon FD 7.5mm f/5.6 Fisheye
- Canon FD 14mm f/2.8L
- Canon FD 15mm f/2.8
- Canon FD 17mm f/4
- Canon FD 20mm f/2.8
- Canon FD 24mm f/1.4
- Canon FD 24mm f/2
- Canon FD 24mm f/2.8
- Canon FD 28mm f/2
- Canon FD 28mm f/2.8
Portrait & Telephoto Lens
Canon FD 100mm f/2.8
The 85mm lens wasn’t as significant when the AE-1 Program was originally introduced. Rather, the 135mm focal length was a more popular lens for portraits.
- Excellent portrait lens.
- Less expensive 85mm alternative.
- Great value.
- Inexpensive.
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If you want to capture portrait photos with the AE-1 Program, there are several short telephoto lenses to choose from. The 100mm f/2.8 lens is one of the most economical selections around.
An 85mm lens will cost the most, with 135mm lenses sitting in the middle of the range of prices.
As all the Canon FD telephoto lenses are manual focus, they are much more compact than autofocus versions. Keep in mind, professional lenses like the Canon FD 85mm f/1.2L will certainly be hefty and large because of the amount of glass in the lens.
Anticipate very low prices for the Canon FD 100mm f/2.8. There’s also a 100mm f/4 macro version of the lens. It is going to be more expensive and is not the best choice for portraits as it ought to be stopped down.
Alternative Telephoto Lenses
An alternative, the Canon FD 135mm f/2.8 is just about the most inexpensive prime lenses you can acquire. You will be required to search through loads of results for third-party 135mm lenses that definitely are not anywhere near as good as a Canon lens.
You will find multiple 85mm lenses out there. The most desireable is the Canon FD f/1.2L lens. A cheaper choice is the Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 lens, but it is considerably higher priced than the numerous other telephoto lenses described.
- Canon FD 85mm f/1.2L
- Canon FD 85mm f/1.8
- Canon FD 100mm f/2
- Canon FD 135mm f/2.5
- Canon FD 200mm f/2.8
- Canon FD 200mm f/4
AE-1 Program Zoom Lenses
Canon FD 35-105mm f/3.5 & Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5
The benefits of partnering a AE-1 Program with a zoom lens is tempting. Having a range of focal lengths without having to switch a lens is nice.
Bear in mind that all of these are older zoom lenses.
- Haze and or Fungus
- Large amount of dust in the lens
- Loose or tight zoom ring
- Loose or tight focus ring
- Oil on the aperture blades
- Decentered lens elements
Additionally, you need to keep in mind the drawbacks the lenses have even when in excellent condition.
- Image quality will not be good when shot wide open.
- One or both ends of the focal range may suffer from a large amount of distortion.
- Zoom lenses are larger and generally heavier than primes.
Alternative Zoom Lenses
Regarding cost, many vintage zoom camera lenses will probably be low priced.
- Canon FD 70-210mm f/4
- Canon FD 80-200mm f/4L
- Canon FD 28-85mm f/4
Macro Lens
Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 & Vivitar 55mm f/2.8
- My favorite vintage macro lens.
- Available in multiple lens mounts.
- Incredible value.
- Sharp corner-to-corner at f/8.
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- My second favorite vintage macro lens.
- An excellent choice for close-up photography.
- It does not need an extension tube to reach 1:1 magnification.
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The 2 recommended macro camera lenses were built by Komine in Japan. The lens was also released with assorted brand names. Spiratone, Rokunar, Elicar, Quantaray, and Panagor are names you might find on a copy of the lens.
There is a Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Review and a Vivitar 55mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Review.
For capturing pictures at macro magnification (1:1), the 90mm lens is likely to be the better pick because it has a greater working distance.
The 55mm focal length lens is ideal for close-up and table-top photography.
Alternative Macro Lenses
- Canon FD 50mm f/3.5
- Canon FD 100mm f/4
- Canon FD 200mm f/4
What Lens Mount Does the Canon AE-1 Use?
The AE-1 Program takes advantage of the Canon FD lens mount. Canon used the FD mount for film cameras manufactured from 1971-1992.
The Canon FL mount was preceded by the FD mount, which was used from 1964 - 1971. FL mount lenses can be used on the AE-1 Program, but you will be required to use stopped down metering.
FD vs FL Lens Mount
The Canon FL lens mount was made before the FD lens mount. You may use FL lenses on the FD mount, and FD mount lenses can be used on the FL lens mount.
What Canon FL mount lenses do not have the technology to do auto stop-down metering. As a result the an FL lens have to be stopped down by pressing the depth-of-preview switch to enable the AE-1 Program’s light meter to show the proper value.
FD vs new FD Lenses
The entire new FD lens rotates to lock onto the AE-1 Program. Compared to original FD lenses which have a breech-lock ring at the back of the lens that has to be rotated in order to mount a lens to the camera.
New FD and FD lenses are interchangeable with one another. There are no compatibility issues.
Occasionally you will spot new FD lenses referred to as FDn lenses.
The change in the design of the breech-lock ring was attributed to complaints. A minority of users endured lenses getting stuck on a FD camera mount.
If you have not attached an FD mount lens to a camera, don’t stress out. Simply just take it slow and don’t force anything.
Telling FD and FDn Lenses Apart
It is fast and simple to tell new FD and FD lenses from one another. New FD lenses are going to have a silver button located on the barrel of the lens, where the lens mounts to the camera.
Older FD lenses have a metal ring that is required to be rotated after the lens is mounted to lock the lens into place.