Canon FD 85mm, S.S.C. Aspherical

The Canon FD 85mm f/1.2 S.S.C. Aspherical is an exceptionally fast manual-focus portrait lens from Canon's original FD system, introduced in 1976.

Its combination of an 85mm focal length and f/1.2 maximum aperture gives you extremely shallow depth of field and strong separation between subject and background. It's a lens built for considered portrait photography, particularly when you want to work with available light or make selective focus a central part of the image.

The important word here is Aspherical. Canon developed this lens with an aspherical optical system to control aberrations at its unusually large f/1.2 aperture. Canon also incorporated a floating optical mechanism to maintain performance as the lens focuses closer.

It was a significant lens for Canon. When introduced in January 1976, Canon states that it was the brightest 85mm SLR lens available at the time. It predates the later New FD 85mm f/1.2L, making this S.S.C. Aspherical version a particularly interesting piece of Canon's fast-lens history. 

Best for

• Portrait photography
• Available-light photography
• Low-light shooting
• Shallow depth of field
• 35mm Canon FD cameras
• Canon F-1, A-1 and AE-1 system users
• Adapted mirrorless photography
• Collectors
• Photographers looking for distinctive vintage glass

What to expect

At f/1.2, depth of field can be extremely shallow. Accurate manual focusing matters, particularly when working close to a portrait subject.

Stop the lens down and you have a conventional short telephoto, but wide open is where this lens becomes particularly interesting. Canon designed its aspherical optical system specifically to better control aberrations at the maximum aperture.

This original S.S.C. version has nine aperture blades, a 1m minimum focusing distance and weighs approximately 756g. It is physically and historically distinct from the later New FD 85mm f/1.2L, which uses eight blades, focuses to 0.9m and weighs less.

It's also a substantial lens for its size. At around 756g, expect something that feels solid rather than lightweight.

Developing

This lens was designed for Canon FD-mount 35mm film SLR cameras, so developing depends on the film loaded into the camera.

Colour negative film will commonly use C-41 processing, while black and white and slide films require their respective processes.

Canon FD lenses can also be adapted to suitable digital mirrorless systems. When used digitally, no film developing is required.