topic Re: Lense Compatability in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Lense Compatability

rockb — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 02:09:45 GMT

I did find threads related to SLR lenses on a DSLR but did not see anything about lenses across different DSLR Models. If this has already been answered please direct me to the appropriate thread.

I have an EOS 20D. I'd like to get a little newer body but do not want to have to get new lenses. Will the lenses I have for the 20D work on all the EOS XXD models?

Re: Lense Compatability

jrhoffman75 — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 10:25:57 GMT

Yes. Any lens that fits a crop sensor body will fit all crop sensor bodies (XXD and XXXD).

EF-S lenses will not fit any full frame or 1D series bodies.

Re: Lense Compatability

samikep — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 11:26:48 GMT

I'm really new to cameras, but doesn't the 7D and 7DII also both have crop sensors and use EF-S lenses?

Re: Lense Compatability

ebiggs1 — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 11:42:10 GMT

Yes, you are good to go.

The only 'current' body that doesn't use all Canon lenses are the 6D, 5D Mk III and the 1Dx. Basically this same numbering scheme is accurate for used bodies too. IE, no 5D does and no 1 series does.

Re: Lense Compatability

TCampbell — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 15:52:58 GMT

I'll throw in one caveat that hasn't been mentioned.

IF you own 3rd party lenses... it turns out Canon doesn't publish the specs for the EOS electronics. These 3rd parties have to reverse-engineer the interface in order to build a compatible lens. They tend to test these lenses with whatever Canon bodies are currently on the market at that time.

Just occasionally... Canon will come out with a new EOS body and the 3rd party lens maker (and it's customers, unfortunately) will discover that the lens is no longer compatible with the "new" body. Canon did nothing wrong... they're still following the same specs... but it means the 3rd party's reverse-eningeering job didn't cover all cases and the new camera is taking advantage of some feature that the 3rd party never tested. Some 3rd party lenses an be sent back to their manufacturers to have their electronics reprogrammed or updated for compatible (but not always... sometimes you're just out of luck.)

If you have all Canon glass... you wont have this issue.

As for Canon compatibility...

Canon lenses come in the following flavors:

EF lenses: these lenses will work on EVERY Canon EOS body... regardless of when it was made... film or digital... doesn't matter. They work.

EF-S lenses: these lenses were designed for use on EOS bodies which have APS-C size sensors. The APS-C sensor is a little smaller than the "full frame" sensor (that's a sensor which is roughly the same size as a single frame of 35mm film). Since an APS-C sensor is physically smaller, the EF-S lens is designed to project a smaller image circle into the camera body. This allows the lenses to be smaller and lighter and usually also less expensive... but the trade-off is that they cannot be used on any camera body that has a "full frame" sensor.

EF-M lenses: Canon introduced (and seems to have already abandoned... at least in North America markets) a "mirrorless" camera in the EOS system. This camera was called the EOS-M. You can't buy it anymore. But in any case, the came with just a couple of lenses designed JUST for this particular camera body (but the camera could also use other EOS lenses.) The EF-M lenses can ONLY be used on the EOS-M body.

TS-E lenses: These are specialty lenses which can shift image perspective as well as tilt the focal plane. You can think of them like "EF" lenses in that they can be used on ANY Canon EOS body.

MP-E lens: This is a specialty "macro photo" lens. Canon makes a number of macro lenses. A macro lens allows particularly close focusing distances and most "true" macro lenses will allow you to focus at a close enough distance to provide 1x scale -- meaning the image on the sensor is as large as the subject is in "real life". But with a normal macro lens you can also focus all the way out to infinity. The MP-E 65mm is special... it's "closest" focusing distance is so incredibly close that it can capture subjects at 5x size (instead of the 1x size of other macro lenses). But the trade-off is that the lens does not focus all the way out to "infinity". No other camera company makes a lens like it. The MP-E lens can be used on ANY Canon EOS body.

Re: Lense Compatability

rockb — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 00:55:09 GMT

Thank you TC

Re: Lense Compatability

desultory — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 09:58:36 GMT

Is there a link/page which defines all of the lense abbreviations ?

Re: Lense Compatability

jrhoffman75 — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 11:24:25 GMT

Here is one resource:

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/standard_display/Lens_Advantage_Select

Re: Lense Compatability

desultory — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 15:39:06 GMT

Thanks and Kudo. Some good info. I'm so green I don't even know what USM is.

Re: Lense Compatability

ebiggs1 — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 18:46:36 GMT

Ultra Sonic Motor

Re: Lense Compatability

desultory — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 10:08:30 GMT

AHA ! Wasn't that simple as pie? Some of them I can guess. Everything makes sense but often a little fuzzy to the uneducated mind. Thank you.

Re: Lense Compatability

RobertTheFat — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 12:42:45 GMT

@desultory wrote:
AHA ! Wasn't that simple as pie? Some of them I can guess. Everything makes sense but often a little fuzzy to the uneducated mind. Thank you.

Yeah, but in your defense, the term "Ultra Sonic" is a proposterous exaggeration in that context. Almost an offense against the English language (and/or the Greek language).

Re: Lense Compatability

ebiggs1 — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 13:49:45 GMT

"Ultra Sonic" is a proposterous exaggeration ..."

Not when describing my Ultra Sonic Screwdriver. Made by Dewalt and used by Dr. Who. It can fix anything.

Re: Lense Compatability

rfdesigner — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 18:51:56 GMT

One final thing that Rob at Lensrentals discovered burired in the data and marketing but Canon doens't make a big thing of. New lenses (maybe only new L lenses) seem to have more accurate autofocus when working with the latest AF sensors (AKA the 61 point as found on the 5DIII & 7DII) As I understand it lenses released from the 70-200 f2.8 IS II onwards seem have this higher degree of focus accuracy.. at least when working on centre spot AF with stationary subjects.

Re: Lense Compatability

RobertTheFat — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 20:55:07 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
"Ultra Sonic" is a proposterous exaggeration ..."

Not when describing my Ultra Sonic Screwdriver. Made by Dewalt and used by Dr. Who. It can fix anything.

Ah, but can it do so at "well above the speed of sound" (which is, of course, what ultrasonic means in contemporary English)?

Re: Lense Compatability

ebiggs1 — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 13:51:23 GMT

Not only at the speed of sound but at the sped of "time"!

Re: Lense Compatability

ebiggs1 — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 13:55:13 GMT

"New lenses (maybe only new L lenses) seem to have more accurate autofocus when working with the latest AF sensors (AKA the 61 point as found on the 5DIII & 7DII)"

Do you not think improvements in AF design would not do this? It is only reasonable to assume better AF systems will focus, ah better, is it not?