Canon FD 50mm f/1.8

Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 is Canon's standard kit prime — the most-produced Canon FD lens, included as a kit lens with millions of AE-1 / AE-1 Program / A-1 bodies in the late 1970s and 1980s. Like Nikon's 50/1.8 AI-S, the FD 50mm f/1.8 is the price-to-performance Canon FD lens; abundant on the used market and very cheap.

Key features

• 50mm focal length on 35mm full-frame
• f/1.8 maximum aperture
• 52mm filter thread
• FD bayonet
• 6-element design
• Compact + lightweight

Use case + rendering

• Standard prime for everything from portrait to street to landscape
• Sharp wide-open at center; very sharp by f/2.8
• The "Canon 50" — abundant freezer-box used market

Compatible bodies

• All Canon FD bodies: F-1, New F-1, AE-1, AE-1 Program, A-1, T90

Related lenses

• Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 — faster, larger, more expensive alternative
• Canon FD 35mm f/2 — wider alternative