Adapter guide
Canon FD lenses on L-mount
Yes, this works. Canon FD has a 42mm flange distance and L-Mount Alliance (Leica, Panasonic, Sigma) has 20mm, so a 22mm mechanical adapter with no glass fills the gap and infinity focus is preserved. Focus and aperture stay manual.
- Canon FD flange
- 42 mm
- L-mount flange
- 20 mm
- Adapter thickness
- 22 mm
- Optical elements
- None required
Setting it up
On Panasonic S bodies set Shoot w/o Lens to On and enter the focal length for stabilisation. Leica SL bodies accept adapted lenses without a setting change and Leica sells its own R-Adapter L for Leica R glass.
Automatic diaphragm driven by a stop-down lever on the rear of the lens. Off the camera, the lens sits wide open until that lever is moved.
Canon FD lenses and their field of view on L-mount
Effective focal length changes with sensor size. The lens itself does not change; the smaller sensor simply captures a narrower part of the image circle.
| Lens | Focal length | Aperture | Full frame | Frames like (APS-C (1.5x)) | Years | Used value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon FD 35mm f/2 (concave) | 35mm | f/2 | 35mm | 53mm | 1971-1979 | $150 to $500 |
| Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 S.S.C. | 50mm | f/1.4 | 50mm | 75mm | 1971-1990s | $55 to $200 |
| Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 S.S.C. | 55mm | f/1.2 | 55mm | 83mm | 1973-1979 | $180 to $600 |
| Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 S.S.C. | 85mm | f/1.8 | 85mm | 128mm | 1974-1990s | $100 to $340 |
Frequently asked
Do Canon FD lenses work on L-mount cameras?
Yes. A plain Canon FD to L-mount adapter works with no optics. Canon FD has a 42mm register and L-Mount Alliance (Leica, Panasonic, Sigma) has a 20mm register, so the adapter is a 22mm tube that puts the lens exactly where a Canon FD body would. The adapter needs a control ring (usually marked Open and Lock) that engages the stop-down lever. Mount the lens in the Open position, turn the ring to Lock, and the aperture ring then stops the lens down normally. FD lenses cannot reach infinity on any DSLR without corrective optics because 42mm is shorter than every DSLR register.
Do Canon FD lenses focus to infinity on L-mount?
Yes. Because the adapter restores the native 42mm register, infinity focus is preserved and the full focus scale on the lens stays accurate. Adapters machined slightly short let the lens focus past infinity by a small margin, which is harmless; adapters machined long stop short of infinity, so buy from a maker with tight tolerances.
What focal length does a Canon FD lens become on L-mount?
On full frame L-mount bodies (Leica SL series, Lumix S series, Sigma fp) the focal length is unchanged: a 35mm lens frames as a 35mm. On APS-C (1.5x) L-mount bodies (Leica CL, TL, TL2) a 35mm lens frames like a 53mm lens on full frame; the aperture and depth of field at a given distance do not change.
More on this mount: Canon FD mount reference