The 5 Best Canon TX Lenses

The Canon TX is an outstanding film camera. This page will go over the best 5 lenses to use on the Canon TX.

More details are below, but if you are in a rush, here's the list of the lenses:

1. Kit Lens - Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 (eBay)
2. Wide Angle Lens - Canon FD 28mm f/3.5 (Amazon)
3. Portrait Lens - Canon FD 100mm f/2.8 (Amazon)
4. Zoom Lens - Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5 (eBay)
5. Macro Lens - Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 (eBay)

Listed below the best Canon FD camera lenses, are split up by focal length and cost. Loads of wonderful lenses available used, a few are collectible.

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 TX. The 50mm f1.8 is plentiful, has wonderful picture quality, and is inexpensive.

Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 Lens

• The "classic" setup as it can be considered the original kit lens.
• Phenomenal value.
• Light and compact.
• Widely available in good condition.
• 55mm filter threads.

Check prices at: Amazon, eBay, KEH, Adorama

The 50mm focal length is a fantastic choice for several kinds of photography. The areas of photography comprise landscapes, portraits, street, architecture, casual use, and travel. This is the most common focal length that is paired with the Canon TX.

The lens is well balanced, small, and light. Depending on the version of the lens, it will weigh between 170-305g. The new FD version, which was the last to be manufactured, is the lightest.

In addition, there are two faster versions of the 50mm lens in a Canon FD mount.

Canon FD 50mm f/1.4

Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 Lens

• Outstanding optics.
• Optical multi-coatings.
• Widely available.
• Be on the lookout for condition issues.

Check prices at: Amazon, eBay, KEH, Adorama

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 than the f1.8.

You'll be able to find 4 different copies of the 50mm f/1.4. The "new FD" version is the newest and lightest of the bunch.

Canon FD 50mm f/1.2

Canon FD 50mm f/1.2 Lens

• Has a large maximum aperture.
• Large and heavy.
• Not a good value.
• Hard to find in good condition.

Check prices at: Amazon, eBay, KEH, Adorama

This lens is bulky, hefty, and challenging to focus lens. Shot wide open, photographs will not be sharp. Stopped down, you are not going to notice a big difference between it and the f/1.8 or f/1.4.

There are a couple of versions, both are high-priced. Optical superiority is not the driver of price. People desire the lens as a result of rarity and collectibility.

Alternative Standard Lenses

If you want other focal lengths, here are some other possible choices. Expect to have to pay additional money than you normally would for a 50mm lens with an equivalent aperture.

Wide Angle Lens

Canon FD 28mm f/3.5

Canon FD 28mm f/3.5 Lens

• Great combination with a 50mm lens.
• Available in good condition.
• Reasonably priced.

Check prices at: Amazon, eBay, KEH, Adorama

A sought after focal length for street photography is 28mm. However, lenses that have a larger field of view than 28mm are favored for architectural and landscape photography.

My recommended pick is the Canon FD 28mm f/3.5 due to the inexpensive price, ease of finding a copy, and excellent optics.

Alternative Wide Angle Lenses

In terms of price, the correlation is simple. The wider the field of view, the pricier the lens will be. Faster versions also sell for substantially more.

The weight will differ based on the qualities of the lens. You can 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 hold.

Portrait & Telephoto Lens

Canon FD 100mm f/2.8

Canon FD 100mm f/2.8 Lens

• 85mm alternative.
• Great value.
• Inexpensive and easy to find.
• Light and compact.

Check prices at: Amazon, eBay, KEH, Adorama

The 85mm lens wasn't as widely used in 1974 when the TX was first introduced. Instead, the 135mm focal length was the first choice for a lens for portraits.

For taking portrait photos with the Canon TX, there are a bunch of short telephoto lenses to select among. The 100mm f/2.8 lens is one of the cheapest possibilities around.

An 85mm lens will be the most expensive, with 135mm lenses making up the middle of the range of prices.

As all of the Canon FD telephoto lenses will be manual focus, they are smaller than EF versions. It goes without saying, professional lenses like the Canon FD 85mm f/1.2L will be huge and hefty due to the amount of glass in the lens.

Expect affordable prices for the Canon FD 100mm f/2.8. Additionally, there is a 100mm f/4 macro version of the lens. It is going to be more expensive and is not a good selection for portraits as it ought to be stopped down.

Alternative Telephoto Lenses

An alternative, the Canon FD 135mm f/2.8 is among the cheapest prime lenses you can find. You will be required to look through loads of listings for third-party 135mm lenses that won't be anywhere near as good as a Canon lens.

There are a bunch of 85mm lenses to choose from. The most desirable is the Canon FD f/1.2L lens. A lower-priced substitute is the Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 lens, but it will be noticeably higher priced as opposed to the numerous other telephoto lenses described.

Canon TX Zoom Lenses

Canon FD 35-105mm f/3.5 & Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5

Canon FD 35-105mm f/3.5 Zoom Lens

• Ideal focal length range for most photography.
• Excellent value.
• Physically large.
• Hard to find in good condition.

Check prices at: Amazon, eBay, KEH, Adorama

Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5 Zoom Lens

• Covers a popular focal range.
• Great for portrait or wildlife photography.
• A rare time when a third-party lens is the best.

Check prices at: eBay, KEH, Adorama

The benefits of combining a Canon TX with a zoom lens is enticing. Having access to a range of focal lengths without having to swap a lens is wonderful.

Note that these are vintage zoom lenses.

1. Photo results will most likely not be good when shot wide open.
2. There can be a considerable amount of distortion at both or one ends of the focal range.
3. Zoom lenses contain many more parts than prime lenses, so they are more vulnerable to damage.
4. Zooms will usually weigh more and are bigger than prime camera lenses.

Alternative Zoom Lenses

In terms of prices, many older zoom lenses are going to be low cost.

Macro Lens

Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 & Vivitar 55mm f/2.8

Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

• My favorite vintage macro lens.
• Available in multiple lens mounts.
• Incredible value.

Check prices at: eBay, KEH, Adorama

Vivitar 55mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

• 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.

Check prices at: eBay, KEH, Adorama

Komine produced both of the recommended macro lenses in Japan. The lens was also sold with several brand names. Elicar, Quantaray, Panagor, Spiratone, and Rokunar are names you may 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 photographing at lifesize magnification (1:1), the 90mm lens is without a doubt the better choice since it has a larger working distance.

The 55mm lens is good for close-up and table-top photography.

Alternative Macro Lenses

Used FD Camera Lens Prices

Price ranges change on a regular basis. For the past several years, the desirability of film photography has been growing. Due to this fact, prices have steadily increased.

To end up with the best price, view several online stores. Promptly snap up a fantastic price the moment you come across one mainly because it can be a prolonged time until more comes up.

What Lens Mount Does the Canon TX Use?

The Canon TX features the Canon FD lens mount. Canon used the FD mount for film cameras released starting in 1971 and ending in 1992.

Here is a page of all the cameras that have a Canon FD mount.

The FD lens mount replaced the Canon FL lens mount, which was utilized from 1964-1971. FL mount lenses will work with the TX, but you will have 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 good because you just need to obtain and carry just one set of filters.

Several zoom and telephoto lenses have bigger filter ring thread diameters since they have huge front lens elements.

FD vs FL Lens Mount

The Canon FL mount was made before the FD lens mount. You are able to use FL mount lenses on the FD lens mount, and FD lenses can be used on the FL mount.

What Canon FL mount lenses lack is the ability to automatically do stop-down metering. As a consequence, an FL lens needs to be stopped down with the depth-of-preview switch in order for the TX's light meter to display a correct value.

FD vs new FD Lenses

The 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 has to be tightened in order to secure a lens to the camera.

New FD and FD lenses are interchangeable with each other. There will be no compatibility issues.

Frequently you will see new FD lenses referred to as FDn lenses.

The change in the design of the breech-lock ring was owing to complaints. A minority of camera owners suffered from lenses getting stuck on a camera mount.

If you are unfamiliar with putting on an FD mount lens to a camera, don't be anxious. Simply take the process slow and don't force anything.

Telling FD and FDn Lenses Apart

You can quickly tell new FD and FD lenses apart. New FD lenses have a silver button located on the outside of the lens, where the lens mounts to the TX.

Older FD lenses have a metal ring that is required to be rotated after the lens is mounted to lock the lens into place.

More Canon TX Resources

That is it for the best Canon TX lenses. As soon more info on the camera is published on the website, you will be able to find links here.