The 5 Best Canon TX Camera Lenses
The TX is a great film camera.
The best 5 lenses to use on the TX are going to be covered in this post.
Additional details are further down, however if you’re limited on time, here is the list:
- Kit Lens - Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 (eBay)
- Wide Angle Lens - Canon FD 28mm f/3.5 (Amazon)
- Portrait Lens - Canon FD 100mm f/2.8 (Amazon)
- Zoom Lens - Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5 (eBay)
- Macro Lens - Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 (eBay)
Kit Lens and Standard Primes
Canon FD 50mm f/1.8
If you don’t already have it, your first lens should be the original “kit lens” for the TX, the Canon FD 50mm f/1.8. The 50mm f1.8 is plentiful, has terrific image quality, and is low-priced.
- 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. Copies of the lens can be found on eBay, Amazon, KEH, and Adorama.
A 50mm camera lens is a great choice for several types of photography. The types of photography include everyday use, travel, landscapes, portraits, street, and architecture. This is the most popular focal length that is used with the TX.
In terms of size and weight, the lens is light, small, and well balanced. Depending on the version of the lens, it will weigh between 170-305g. If you want the lightest lens, buy a new FD version.
Canon also created 2 faster 50mm lenses for the Canon FD mount.
Canon FD 50mm f/1.4
The Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 is 2/3 of a stop faster, but that comes at the cost of additional weight. It costs more than the f1.8, but the difference isn’t large.
- 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 variants of the 50mm f/1.4. The “new FD” copy is the lightest and newest of the bunch.
Copies of the lens can be found on eBay, Amazon, KEH, and Adorama.A hefty, big, and tough to focus lens. Do not expect sharp images when shot wide open. If you stop the lens down to f/1.8 or f/1.4 you will not see much of a difference between it and the other lenses.
Both versions of the lens are expensive. The cost of the lens is stemming from collectibility and rarity, not optical quality.
Alternative Standard Lenses
If the 50mm focal length isn’t what you are searching for, here are some other possibilities. Expect to have to pay a greater amount than you normally would for a 50mm lens with a similar aperture.
- 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 28mm focal length lens may be used for street photography. However, lenses that are wider than 28mm are favored for architectural and landscape photography.
- Great combination with a 50mm lens.
- Optical multi-coatings.
- Inexpensive and widely available.
- Small and light.
My top pick is the Canon FD 28mm f/2.8 owing to the cheaper price, ease of finding a copy, and excellent optics.
Alternative Wide Angle Lenses
In terms of price, the relationship is easy to understand. The larger the field of view, the higher priced the lens will probably be. Larger apertures also sell for substantially more.
Weight will differ depending on the characteristics of the lens. You’ll find lenses from 170g to 500g. Faster apertures will also mean that those lenses will be large and will make the camera more difficult to control.
- 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 big of a deal when the TX was initially introduced to the market. Instead, the 135mm focal length was more popular to use as a lens for portraits.
- Excellent portrait lens.
- Less expensive 85mm alternative.
- Great value.
- Inexpensive.
For taking portrait photos with the TX, there are a bunch of short telephoto lenses to choose from. The 100mm f/2.8 lens is one of the most cost effective selections available.
An 85mm lens will cost the most, with 135mm lenses coming in the middle of the price bracket.
As all the Canon FD telephoto lenses are manual focus, they are smaller sized than modern versions. Clearly, a lens like like the Canon FD 85mm f/1.2L will certainly be huge and hefty with the amount of glass in the lens.
Count upon very affordable prices for the Canon FD 100mm f/2.8. There’s a 100mm f/4 macro version of the lens. It will probably will cost more and is not the ideal choice for portraits as it needs to be stopped down.
Alternative Telephoto Lenses
Additionally, the Canon FD 135mm f/2.8 is one of the cheapest prime lenses you can get. You will be required to look through a large amount of listings for thirdparty 135mm lenses that aren’t anywhere near as good as a Canon lens.
There are 85mm lenses to choose from. The hardest to get is the Canon FD f/1.2L lens. A less expensive option is the Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 lens, but it remains a great deal less affordable as opposed to the various other telephoto lenses mentioned.
- 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
TX Zoom Lenses
Canon FD 35-105mm f/3.5 & Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5
The advantages of partnering a TX along with a zoom lens is tempting. Being able to use a range of focal lengths with no need to swap a lens is great.
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
In regards to cost, the majority of vintage zoom lenses will be bargain 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.
- 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.
Komine made the two suggestted macro lenses in Japan. The lens was also released with several brand names. Panagor, Spiratone, Rokunar, Elicar, and Quantaray are names you can see 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 taking pictures at lifesize magnification (1:1), the 90mm lens is without a doubt the better choice due to the fact that it has a greater working distance.
The 55mm lens is very good for table-top and close-up photography.
Alternative Macro Lenses
- Canon FD 50mm f/3.5
- Canon FD 100mm f/4
- Canon FD 200mm f/4
Used FD Camera Lens Prices
Prices change continuously. For the past several years, the desireability of film photography has been rising. Subsequently, prices have gradually gone up.
To get the lowest price, obtaina number of websites. Immediately buy a good price in the event that you find one as it can be a prolonged time until another appears.
What Lens Mount Does the Canon AE-1 Use?
The TX uses the Canon FD lens mount. Canon used the FD mount for film cameras produced from 1971 through 1992.
Here is a list of all the cameras that have a Canon FD mount.
The FD mount superceded the Canon FL lens mount, which was utilized from 1964-1971. FL mount lenses can be used on the TX, but you should be prepared to use stopped down metering.
Standard Lens Cap Size
The standard lens cap and filter ring thread diameter for Canon FD lenses is 55mm.
Making use of a standardized filter thread size is nice because you are only required to obtain and bring 1 set of filters.
A handful of telephoto and zoom lenses have bigger filter ring thread diameters because they have large front lens elements.
FD vs FL Lens Mount
The Canon FL lens mount preceded the FD mount. You are able to use FL mount 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 automatically do stop-down metering. What this means is FL mount must be stopped down by pressing the depth-of-preview switch to allow the TX’s light meter to display an accurate value.
FD vs new FD Lenses
The whole body of the new FD lens rotates to lock onto the camera. Compared to original FD lenses which have a breech-lock ring at the rear of the lens that needs to be rotated to be able to secure a lens.
FD and new FD lenses are interchangeable with each other. There are no compatibility issues.
Occasionally you will see new FD lenses referred to as FDn lenses.
The difference in the design of the breech-lock ring was owing to complaints. A minority of customers experienced lenses getting stuck on a FD camera.
If you have not mounted an FD mount lens to a camera, don’t be concerned. Just take it slow and do not force anything.
Telling FD and FDn Lenses Apart
You can quickly tell FD and new FD lenses from one another. New FD lenses are going to have a silver button located on the barrel of the lens, near the mount.
Earlier FD lenses have a ring that is required to be rotated in order to lock the lens to the camera mount.
More Canon AE-1 Camera Resources
That finishes the best TX lenses. Immediately after more info on the camera is put onto Outside the Shot, it will be linked to here.