Ancient Optics Canon FD 35-105mm f/3.5 Multi-Format Zoom Introduced

Lens News

by Francesco AndreolaJanuary 9^th, 2024

Ancient Optics has kicked off the new year by unveiling their latest vintage lens project. Their new multi-format cine lens is a rehoused version of the Canon FD 35-105mm f/3.5 full-frame photographic zoom and can be transformed into a 24-75mm f/2.6 for Super 35 in minutes.

Ancient Optics is an LA-based company that specializes in rehousing vintage lenses. Their philosophy consists of preserving the core look of the donor glass while improving some aspects of the optical performance and overall mechanics.

The company already has many vintage lens projects in their arsenal, including a rehoused version of the Canon FD 50-300mm f/4.5L zoom. This is now joined by a new Canon FD standard zoom lens that can be set up to achieve both full-frame or Super 35 coverage. Let’s take a look!

Ancient Optics Canon FD 35-105mm f/3.5 multi-format zoom – features

The original Canon FD 35-105mm f/3.5 photographic zoom dates back to the early 80s and was initially conceived for 35mm still photography. 40+ years after its launch, Ancient Optics is giving it a new life with modern mechanics and a few optical improvements.

The revisited lens still covers full-frame, but can also be optimized for the Super 35mm format by swapping its focus, zoom, and iris scales, and installing an ARRI LPL hard mount with a built-in speed booster that turns it into a 24-75mm f/2.6. According to Ancient Optics, a screwdriver is all it takes to perform this 10-minute swap. Light transmission is measured at T3.7 for the full-frame setup and T2.9 for Super 35.

In its full-frame mode, the lens features an all-black anodized finish and weighs 2.75kg. The Super 35 setup weighs 250 grams more and can be visually distinguished by some sleek silver parts on the lens barrel.

According to Ancient Optics, the lens can be easily mixed and matched with its full-frame prime counterparts as it retains the legendary Canon FD/K35 look. This means it should produce images that are sharp in the center, have a gentle fall-off moving toward the edges of the frame, and showcase a pleasing bokeh.

The zoom maintains the original Super Spectra Coatings (S.S.C.) which are known to produce gold and purple flares, while still handling backlight and high-contrast scenes reasonably well. The 5-blade iris design also remains unchanged.

The lens has no macro capabilities, but the minimum focus distance has been considerably improved from the original 137cm/4’6” to 83.8cm/2’9”. Moreover, the lens is perfectly parfocal from 35 up to 85mm. This capability is lost in the rest of the zoom range, but this is only really noticeable when testing the lens on a projector, according to Ancient Optics. Lastly, the lens has a long 330° focus throw in both full-frame/S35 modes.

Price and availability

There’s currently no official word on the price of the rehoused Ancient Optics Canon FD 35-105mm f/3.5 multi-format zoom. The lens should soon become available to test and rent from Old Fast Glass rentals in California. If you’re interested in this project, you can email Ancient Optics at [email protected]

How do you like the look of Canon FD and K35 lenses? What do you think of this new vintage lens project from Ancient Optics? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!