EdMika Canon FL 55mm 1:1.2 EF/EOS Conversion Kit 

September 14, 2011 update, AF reporting chips not yet here, it should really only be another day or so.  I've emailed all those who purchased adapters since Sept7 offering refunds and possible faster shipping from me should there be too much more of a delay. -Ed Mika

September 7, 2011 update, due to overwhelming demand I have just run out of Gen4 dandelion reporting chips but I expect a new batch of 50 to arrive by the end of this week.  I do not want to remove this listing from eBay since there are many photographic forums and articles referencing it.  If you bought an adapter on September 6 or earlier your order will be or has been mailed.  If you buy an adapter today or later I will send them out in order of purchase as soon as I can, probably on Monday September 12th and will update you by email.  Sorry for the inconvenience -Ed Mika

BONUS as of August 30, 2011 this EdMika FL 55mm 1.2 EF conversion kit (patent pending) will also include a Canon labelled EF / EF-S rear lens cap since your original FL cap will no longer fit the converted lens.  I'd also like to add at this time as I've had another month to shoot with the lens, I cannot emphasize enough what a joy it is to shoot with it on my 1D4 and 7D. I did a series of pic to pic comparison shots at f2 between the Canon EF 50mm 1.8 and the FL/EF 55mm 1.2 and the contrast of the converted FL was shockingly superior, impressive since the EF 50 1.8 is considered optically very good.  I've also now sold my EF 50mm 1.2L since I actually prefer the photographic results of my converted FL.     end of August 30th update, cheers-Ed Mika

 

The brass adapter component has shims installed and tuned to place infinity focus at the infinity mark of the lens allowing you to turn the focus ring to hard stop position and not have to fiddle to find the exact focus spot.  Since the full mirror frame of a 1D/1Ds series is made of metal it is lower profile and clears the rear lens element in all shooting conditions. Unfortunately the 5D and 5DII thicker plastic mirror frames contact the rear lens element when near infinity focus thus shooting in live preview in such conditions is recommended or the mirror hangs up on the lip of the lens.  When this happens, no damage or marking has been observed after approximately 100 such test hangup cycles on either the mirror frame or the rear lens element.

This is EdMika brand’s second brass photographic adapter with our first being the popular EF-FD 0.75mm adapter that gives infinity focus on FD 500 f/8, FD 600 f/4.5 and FD 800 f/5.6L lenses (and with any luck+ our tinkering skills soon be giving the 300 2.8 and 400 2.8 Super telephotos back online with full infinity focus without additional optics as well).  This new FL 55mm 1.2 conversion differs from our first adapter in that the original lens mount is replaced with the brass adapter rather than having the adapter attached to it.  This conversion kit only works for the FL 55mm 1.2 lens and not the similar era but vastly different mount design FL 58mm 1.2 or FD 55mm 1.2 SSC lenses.  Other lens specific adapter kits are currently being actively developed with the FD mount TS 35mm f/2.8 (tilt shift lens) closest to completion with 100% EF compatibility.

Why did I choose the 55 1.2 to develop a conversion kit for?  It is one of the most plentiful and reasonably priced f1.2 lenses available on the market with one selling almost every day on eBay globally from between 100-400 dollars depending on condition and seller knowledge.  The lens feels so much better than any of the modern plastic lens offerings.  Since I converted my first sexy and sleek metal FL 55 1.2, my bulky and plastic EF 50 1.2 L has barely come out of my camera bag.  Not only is the converted FL 55 1.2 a joy to use, the IQ is incredible with my wife remarking that the vividness, colours, beautiful and bold (as opposed to well controlled) lens flare and dreamy bokeh coming from the images taken with the lens is something she has not really seen since I sold our EF 135mm 2.0 L (something she will never forgive me for doing btw).  

Manual focus is nothing to be afraid of for those looking for a serious performance upgrade path on a budget, in extreme low light where this lens likes to play I normally don’t trust the contrast detection autofocus of my camera and manually focus anyway and in good light I want big depth of field so I set the lens at f/11 and everything from 20 feet to infinity is crisp and in focus. To help overcome the lack of focusing screens on most DSLR cameras the installed chip triggers your camera’s autofocus system allowing a focus confirmation in the form of a beep or preventing a picture to be taken until a target is locked on depending on how you setup your camera.  The chip also plays important roles in helping ensure proper exposure is achieved when shooing in Aperture Priority and Program camera modes as well as some bodies will detect a lens but no electrical contacts and will generate an error code when trying to shoot (EOS-3). Using this all-manual lens has been joy rather than a limitation.  Beyond more than a low cost and high performance upgrade path for entry level equipment shooters I expect photographic enthusiasts will appreciate the manual only control and will want to combine the Canon's latest high ISO low light performance with a fast aperture lens with unique colour and bokeh signatures.  

I ship by Canada Post small packet airmail and this does not have a tracking number since the lowest cost international shipping method is over 50 dollars.  I have sent out over 100 EdMika adapters in 2011 and so far none have been lost.  From my home here in Canada it takes about 1 week to the US, 2 to Europe and usually less than 3 to Asia.  Packages are marked as sample camera adapter for evaluation.

Happy shooting –Ed Mika, flickr user Ontarian, edmikapics (at) gmail (dot) com

Conversion Instructions below,  for video of 2 minute conversion search for "edmika fl" on youtube.

1.     Place your lens on a flat clean surface with the mount up and unwrap the tape holding the 4 custom small head diameter stainless steel screws (3+1 extra spare) and 1 spare tiny ball bearing (since you won't find any of these locally) from the end of the provided screwdriver.

2.     Rotate the silver FL mount ring such that all three original Phillips screws are visible and unscrew them in a counter clockwise using good downward force.  Fully unscrew them all but leave them in.

3.     While firmly holding down the ring that has M and A (Manual Auto) on it, lift off the FL mount but DO NOT REMOVE THE RING or you will lose a tiny but important ball bearing.  If for some reason this happens I have provided a replacement ball but it is tricky to put back together, you have to place the ball back on the spring and put the ring back on by trapping the ball with one side of the ring first and pressing it into its hole.

4.     After removing the FL mount, rotate the silver mount ring so the original screws are captured and cannot fall out and get lost.  Place the FL mount in the bag the brass EF mount came in for storage and future possible conversion of the lens to original.  I do not recommend wiping off the oil left on the lens from the FL mount, it does not hurt anything and will be needed to lubricate the lens if the FL mount is ever put back. 

5.     Place the new EdMika brass EF mount on the lens with the af-confirm chip positioned 180 degrees from the white focusing mark on the lens near the aperture control and line up the three screw holes of the adapter with those on the lens. 

6.     Place the 3 provided custom Philips head screws into the holes and tighten them clockwise while pressing firmly down on both the brass EF mount and screw driver handle.  Do not over tighten or the stainless screw heads can be damaged. if this happens to one, replace it with the spare screw.

8.     Done, you are ready to use your newly created EF lens.  Keep the M/A selection ring set on M to allow for full aperture control.  If set on A the lens aperture will stay fully open at 1.2 even if the aperture control dial is set to something else. If for some unlikely reason Infinity focus is not quite reached (such as Canon lens production variation that I have not yet seen in a short focal length lens), using a razor tip carefully peel off one shim from each of the 6 shim stacks and infinity will be regained.

9.     To convert back to original, just follow these instructions in reverse order.

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