Compared to other stuff of its time (Contax-Zeiss, Nikkor Ai-S, MD, even some M42 lenses), FD was indeed poor build quality, but it is still far, far superior t

Compared to other stuff of its time (Contax-Zeiss, Nikkor Ai-S, MD, even some M42 lenses), FD was indeed poor build quality, but it is still far, far superior to any of the trash in the more "modern" Canon EF line. Have you ever held a EF 50/1.4? It feels like a disposable toy. Back when I had one, it didn't even survive being tossed in a backpack for a city walk. Even a bunch of the EF "L" lenses are made of plastic. Also, apertures in FD lenses are far easier to repair than EF lenses. They're just usually a lever or something that has slipped off its channel. In EF lenses it's often a fractured plastic part.