I first picked up an FD lens simply because it offered a fast aperture at a relatively low cost. It doesn’t have autofocus, of course—but thankfully the α7 comes with focus peaking. Once adapted, the in-focus areas are highlighted in red, making it surprisingly easy to shoot.

With focus peaking, you just turn the focus ring slightly to lock focus. The absence of a focus confirmation beep actually makes street shooting feel more “invisible,” allowing you to blend in quietly. As an introverted, socially anxious person, what I fear most when shooting on the street is drawing attention—so the silent, unobtrusive nature of manual focus is incredibly friendly to me.

FD50 was a lens Canon introduced during the film SLR era, designed for the FD mount, with several versions released over time. The one I have is the New FD version.

Even though it’s a 40-year-old lens, its performance still holds up remarkably well. Thanks to the coatings from that era, the images carry a rich, smooth, almost buttery rendering.

📷：Sony α7R2 + FD50