[Leica] an alternative to the 280mm f/4 APO

[Doug Herr]

As some of you know, for some time I've been looking for an alternative to the 280mm f/4 APO for those situations where lower weight and/or higher risk of loss or damage trump highest image quality.  Recent developments in mirrorless cameras have made numerous legacy lenses attractive options; this applies to the M(240) as well, and I know of a few LUGgers who have been looking for longer lenses less costly and lower weight than the 280/4 APO.

This search has led me to the Canon FD 300mm f/4 L.  Compared with the 280 APO, it's about 600 grams lighter and about US$4000 less expensive.  Its minimum focus distance isn't as close as the 280/4 and the tripod collar doesn't rotate as smoothly (OTOH it can be removed and reversed so the lock knob may be on either side).

A few features led me to this lens instead of the comparable Nikon lenses:

The market value reflects the obsolete FD lens mount which can't be used on current-model Canon DSLR cameras, except with adapters that sacrifice either image quality or infinity focus

The focus and aperture rings turn the same direction as my current Leica lenses so no brain re-programming is required

The images I found on the internet made with this lens, unlike those made with the comparable Nikon lenses, show little or no evidence of color fringes in out-of-focus areas.

I've been testing the lens for a few days now.  The FD 300/4 has some lateral chromatic aberration which can be corrected in ACR or Photoshop.  I've found that +15 green/magenta correction is about right.  Pixel-peeping on specular highlights might still show some magenta bleeding into adjacent darker areas but it's generally manageable. Pixel-peeping in the corners isn't recommended ;) but image quality overall can be quite good after lateral chromatic correction.

One unexpected benefit of the lateral chromatic correction is reduced color moire.  The feathers of some species of birds are especially prone to this artifact, even when the camera has an AA filter.  Here's an example of the effect when using the 280 APO on the Sony a7II with a Western Scrub Jay:

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/temp/_DSC2455_moire.jpg

When using the FD 300/4 after corrections the color moire is gone and only a little aliasing is evident, and you have to look for it.

Full image made with the Canon lens on the same camera:

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/temp/_DSC2699.jpg

example of the detail possible over most of the image area:

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/temp/_DSC2699_crop.jpg

Note that there is also a non-L version of this lens.  It will not be as sharp as the L lens and will show more chromatic aberration artifacts.

M(240) owners who want a long lens without a major commitment of resources would do well to look into this lens.  It's not 280 APO quality but it's quite good and much more affordable.

Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com
http://doug-herr.fineartamerica.com