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Dreamy Then, Now, and Forever: Canon K35
- Author: Sam Jorgensen
True Lens Services, Canon, and Cine Visuals Present: TLS Vintage Canon K35, FD, FD-X Lenses
Cinematic Heritage
A powerhouse classic set of lenses, the Canon K35s have been proven for over 50 years in the industry. Groundbreaking films from the past such as “Barry Lyndon” (1975) and “Aliens” (1986) alongside more recent films like “American Hustle” (2013) and “Perfect Days” (2023) with cinematic tv shows like “The Handmaid’s Tale” (2017) have all used these K35s. These lenses have found great success from independent filmmaking to studio blockbuster and from big budget action horror to gentle arthouse drama. They won the Academy Award in 1977 for their excellent optical design. Truly a workhorse of a lens.
In the early ‘70s, the original Zeiss Super Speeds (now often coined as the Zeiss B-Speeds) were exploding in popularity due to their natural sharpening texture on film stock (a time when a race to the sharpest lens was the key) while still containing an artful appearance. While Zeiss was re-birthing their domination over cinema, Canon was beginning their illustrious fame in the photography world with their well-known Canon FD mount lenses. In response to Zeiss, Canon took their beautiful and beloved FD mount glass and started a whole new housing project from scratch. In doing so, the Canon K35s were born. While the base glass of the Canon K35s were the Canon FD lenses, the optical design was modified and fine-tuned to the needs of cinema both in the glass and in the housing. They became an instant hit.
Flash forward, while the housing design was revolutionary in its day, True Lens Services (TLS) took the original glass and rehoused them to bring them up to speed with modern-day standards. TLS have maintained the beautiful quality of the lenses while giving them new life.
Speaking of Canon FD mount lenses, TLS also went ahead and rehoused various models of the photography-oriented FD glass, reworking them for cinema, just as Canon did in the ‘70s. Canon released the first FD mount lenses in 1971 alongside the Canon F-1, their first high end professional photography camera. Canon sought to compete in the photography market with Nikon, especially the famous Nikon F. Investing deeply into mechanical design, and optics, they brought about 13 focal lengths upon the FD mount launch and would eventually release over 120 FD mount focal lengths from extreme wides to long telephoto lenses, of which many would be part of the FD-X line – simply meaning the extended range of FD lenses. One of the secret sauces that Canon cooked is their Super Spectra Coating that gives the glass that beautiful level of contrast and balanced flare control. No wonder they used the same glass for their cinema line. As such, TLS’s rehoused FD lenses match perfectly with the K35s, as their base glass comes from the same stock.
Image Fidelity & Focus
As mentioned earlier, the Super Spectra Coatings of these lenses brought about a contrast and color rendition that was considered unbelievably sharp wide open for its day, and yet a smoothness that was gentle. Modern optics typically have a stronger, cleaner, and more precise approach to their coatings due to differing demands in the various optics-based industries (film is just one of these) and the aid of computers. Vintage glass has become desirable in an era when digital sensors and technically perfect glass create a sharpness that feels like drinking hard water or a paper cut. The Super Spectra Coatings of the Canon K35s and FD lenses brings that nostalgic, organic gentleness that feels so human. Their visual familiarity, perhaps, is the reason why their popularity has never waned.
Early optical innovations led to the K35s incredible aspherical designs that allow for wider lenses with incredible rectilinear performance and unbelievably minimal edge distortion even on wide focal lengths. Often cited as the “dream lens” the 55mm FD lens was groundbreaking as the first large aperture aspherical lens for a 35mm SLR. All that same technology was implemented into the K35s. For vintage glass, these lenses have held up their standard of clarity for decades. The focus falloff is subtle, allowing for a softness that is imperceptible and yet adds the extra ingredient that brings that special touch. Capturing of light brings gentle rolloff in the highlights and strong but not overpowering shadows. Skin tones feel warm with a dreamy pastel color rendition.
Handling & Adaptability
Every focal length in all three of these matching sets – the K35s, the FDs, and the FD-X, – all have PL mounts and a front diameter of 110mm. The majority of the focal lengths are between 3-4 inches in length and 2-4 lbs. TLS’s reputation for smooth, buttery focus and iris rings is met with these lenses and provides ease-of-mind and confidence in operation. A 330 degree focus throw allows accurate focus pulling that can meet the demands of high speed production. All of this is a camera assistant’s dream – lenses that work every time. With a total of 19 focal lengths across all three sets at Cine Visuals, or 11 in the conveniently pre-arranged TLS Canon Vintage K35/FD/FD-X set, cinematographers have the wide range they need to capture each frame with the utmost precision. With the majority of the focal lengths having a wide aperture of T1.3 and none having higher than a T2.9, these lenses are fast and versatile for different lighting conditions or can easily be stopped down for scenes that require deep space and still show beautiful and smooth images.
Image Circle
Since the original FD glass was designed to cover 35mm film photography, which is essentially the same as 8-Perf VistaVision or Full Frame, all of these lenses – the K35s, FD, and FD-X – easily cover Full Frame cinema cameras. These incredible designs have made these classic lenses an essential in the modern cinema space of large format shooting. The majority of the focal lengths cover a 46mm image circle, more than enough for the ARRI LF or Mini LF sensor. With the exception of the K35 18mm focal length (this one pairs excellently with Super 35mm formats), which can reliably be supplemented by the FD-X 18mm that does cover a Full Frame image circle, also available at Cine Visuals.
Flare & Bokeh
With their Super Spectra Coatings, the Canon K35s and FDs have incredible color rendition and the organic blend of sharpness and focus falloff that feels gentle to the eye. With the K35s’ 15-blade iris and the FDs’ 16-blade iris, at an aperture of T1.3 for the majority of focal lengths – the bokeh is breathtaking. Large, creamy, and illustrious circles that have the most pleasing bend around the edges to create a balanced swirl. With their impressive iris-blade count, the bokeh remains circular from wide open to stopped all the way down. Reliable, beautiful, pastel, and painterly. With these coatings come a plethora of colors in the flares. Subtle, and yet expressive. Amber, gold, violet, and magenta hues are gently cast across the frame in a show of colors that bring painterly strokes without overwhelming the image.
These lenses are available for rent at Cine Visuals. For inquiries or testing appointments email info@cinevisuals.com or call (323) 244-2552.