The battle of the mid-range-zooms: the first candidate Canon FD 35-70 mm f/4.0

The zoom lenses between 35 and 70 mm have been sold as kit lenses since the 70s. The focal length range is short and the optical calculations for the lenses were relatively simple. For very little money you can buy many of these used lenses from the 70s and 80s. I'm going to present here on the blog three of the most famous mid-range zooms: the Canon nFD 35-70 f/4.0, the Olympus OM 35-70 f/3.6 and finally the Minolta 35-70 f/3.5. Let's start with the Canon lens.

Since 1981 there is to buy  a new (nFD) Canon 35-70 f/4.0 zoom. The legend says: It is an optical highlight and you can buy it for next to nothing. Admittedly: it is to have really cheap. In good used condition it can  get also be times of less than 10, - Euro. The main reason for this low price is a long known mechanical faults. After a while, the adjustment of the distance does not work properly. To be precise: it can no longer reach the focus at infinity. Unfortunately even with my copy this was like that. Normally this does not bother much. Unless you are viewing the photos with a 100% magnification on the screen.
Otherwise, the lens is already sharp even at full aperture and 35 mm. At 70mm, it is better to stop down one or two times. In my opinion, the best sharpness and brilliance is achieved at an aperture of about 5.6 or 6.3.
The lens is 87mm long, has a maximum diameter of 63mm and is just 305 grams. The filter diameter is 52mm, but note: the filter thread rotates with the Focus. The shortest focus is 0.5 meters and it can reach a maximum reproduction ratio of 1: 6,7.
Up to the often occurring mechanical error so a highly recommended lens. But in the next report, we compare first of all with the Olympus OM 35-70 / 3.6.

Here are a couple of photos from the last few days with the Canon nFD 35-70 f/4.0.