topic Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

smithave — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:38:43 GMT

I have a new Canon EOS Rebel T7 camera that I would like to pair with an old Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens. Does Canon have an adapter that would allow me to attach the Vivitar lens to the Rebel camera?

I would appreciate any guidance.

Ray

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

shadowsports — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:51:43 GMT

Greetings,

There is a small possibility that this lens could work manually. What lens mount does it have?

Canon doesn't sell adapters for this. It would be 3rd party if its even possible / available. Vello makes a FD to EF-S

Honestly, its not worth it. I had a Vivitar Series 1 70-210 Macro Zoom in 1978. So you are trying to pair technologies with a 30+ year time span between them. I would recommend buying a lens designed for your camera. Thats up to you though.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

normadel — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 19:50:13 GMT

Is this an old manual-focus lens? There are numerous adapters (not from Canon) to mount your lens on a Canon DSLR body.

The problems are:

1. You will not have any auto focus or aperture control. Manual only.

2. The adapters to a Canon DSLR have an optical element in them to provide for infinity focus, and these elements are not very good image quality. I have one from Fotodiox that has a removable element, so you don't lose image quality, at the expense of infinity focus. But, interestingly enough, a mirror lens focuses PAST infinity and infinity-focuses just fine.

The adapters are cheap, so you COULD try one out to see what you think of it. I only use mine with an old FD-mount Vivitar 500mm mirror lens.

Canon DID make an FD-to-EF adapter that was said to be of very high optical quality. It was very expensive, and it is very rare. I have never actually seen one.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

smithave — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 19:52:23 GMT

Thanks, Rick. Best Buy has a 200mm zoom lens for the Rebel T7--over a thousand dollars. I am not THAT good a photographer. Plus it was so heavy I could not have held the camera steady enough to take an unfuzzy pic.The Vivitar 8-200 is much lighter than the Canon. Do you know where I might get an adapter for a Vivatar zoom and a Rebel T7?

Thanks so much for your help. As you can tell, I am a novice cameraman with a limited budget.

Ray

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

smithave — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 20:31:07 GMT

Thanks so much for your reply. I am such a novice, tho, I understood very little of what you said. The Vivitar zoom lens I have is 80-200--you manually dial up the settings. It is old--maybe 40 years old. I had attached it in the past to a non-digital camera and the combination worked well for what it was. I bought a digital Rebel T7 with a "zoom" up to 55mm thinking I could get DETAILED CLOSE-UP pictures of the wildlife in my backyard but the 55 mm lens does not give me the CLOSE-UP DETAIL I was looking for. Best Buy had a Canon 80-200 mm zoom for the Rebel camera--for over a thousand dollars which I could not afford (nor technically appreciate.}. PLUS that lens/camera was so HEAVY I could not have taken an unfuzzy picture just holding the camera. I would have had to mount the camera on a tripod which would make the setup too visible to the subjects.

I have an 80-200 zoom --no expense--plus it is much lighter than the Canon zoom IF I could just figure a way to attach it to the new Canon body.

Thanks again for listening and for trying to help.

Ray

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

stevet1 — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 10:43:31 GMT

Ray,

I tried that approach myself when I first got started, and finally gave up in frustration.

I couldn't hold the camera steady, and decided my eyes weren't good enough any more to trust manually focusing. I had to rely on the camera's auto focusing system.

A really good solution for me was to save up for a little while and get a 55-250mm Is STM lens. They only run about $250.00 and is a great lens.

Steve Thomas

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

jrhoffman75 — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 11:32:05 GMT

@smithave wrote:
I have a new Canon EOS Rebel T7 camera that I would like to pair with an old Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens. Does Canon have an adapter that would allow me to attach the Vivitar lens to the Rebel camera?
I would appreciate any guidance.
Ray

Consider this lens.

Shop Canon Refurbished EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM | Canon U.S.A., In

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

johnrmoyer — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 11:46:08 GMT

These old manual lenses from film cameras are fun to use and some of them work as well on a digital camera as they ever did on a film camera so I think that you should keep the lens.

A problem with using theses old film camera lenses on a DSLR is that the distance from the sensor to the flange on the lens becomes too large when an adapter is inserted. For the newer R series cameras this is not a problem. I use a 45 year old Minolta lens from a film camera on my EOS R5 using an Urth brand adapter that cost less than $40, but I guess that you would lose infinity focus on your camera but still be able to use your 80-200 for macro.

I agree with others that

Refurbished EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

Focal Length & Maximum Aperture: 55-250mm, 1:4-5.6
Lens Construction: 15 elements in 12 groups
Diagonal Angle of View: 27° 50' - 6° 15'

$169.00 $239.99

In Stock

" would be a better deal for your camera because it has longer reach and is a good lens. I would suggest saving your old lens until you can afford a mirrorless camera and then enjoy the fun of putting it to use.

Canon refurbished purchased from Canon have seemed to me to be as good as new.

https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/refurbished-ef-s-55-250mm-f-4-5-6-is-stm

https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/lenses/refurbished-lenses

I suggest avoiding the even cheaper 75-300.

EDIT: I became curious and found this: https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/vivitar-80-200mm-f4-macro-focusing-zoom-mc.html

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

smithave — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:03:20 GMT

Steve, thanks so much for responding! I so appreciate all of you pros taking the time to help a newbie.

Do you have a good source for the "55-250mm Is STM lens"? I guess they could tell me which model, etc. fits a Rebel T7.

Ray

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

smithave — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:09:54 GMT

John, thanks so much for your response. Do have a good source for those lenses that you mentioned? I know so little about good cameras and lenses that I could easily make a mistake by purchasing the wrong device.

Ray

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

jrhoffman75 — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:25:29 GMT

Hi Ray. Just go to the Canon refurb site via the link I posted and click "Add to Cart" if you want to buy it. Great price and it comes with a 1 year warranty like a new product. I have purchased many Canon refurb items and never a problem. The net price of the lens will be lower than posted because you won't be spending money on an adapter for your older lens.

I had that lens when I had my Rebel. It produces high quality images that stand up well to cropping for even closer reach.

Here is full image and zoom in at 100% of the belt area.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

stevet1 — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:59:05 GMT

Ray,

Two Johns have pointed you to Canon's site where you can get a refurbished Canon 55-250mm IS STM lens for $169.00, right from the source, and it's in stock, and yes, it will work on your T7.

It's a good deal, I think.

Steve Thomas

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

shadowsports — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 13:15:55 GMT

Greetings Ray,

I see that others have chimed in and also recommended as I did in my initial reply that a compatible lens would be a better option. I am glad you are considering it now. I owned the 55-250 previously. Its light and capable with good IQ. It will run circles around your 80-200. It won't require any adapters and will perform AF and aperture for you. Its also got IS, so your images will be "steady as she goes". Its extremely light and I believe it will exceed your expectations. I know you will enjoy it.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

smithave — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 14:31:38 GMT

John:

WOW to the pic! That's the kind of closeup detail I am looking for. I am EXTREMELY impressed with you folks on the Canon Community Group. Y'all are the best responders and helpers I have ever encountered. Thanks so much for helping out a newby!

I took y'alls advice and bought the refurbished ef-s-55-250mm-f-4-5-6-is-stm lens today--$185 including tax. Can't wait to get it on the camera and go to work.

Thanks again to all for your help.

Ray

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

smithave — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 15:09:01 GMT

Steve:

I bought the refurbished ef-s-55-250mm-f-4-5-6-is-stm lens today--$185 including tax. Thanks for your response and for your input. This Canon Forum is one of the best I have ever communicated with.

Ray

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

smithave — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 15:21:28 GMT

Rick:

I took your advice, and that of others, and bought a refurbished ef-s-55-250mm-f-4-5-6-is-stm lens today--$185 including tax. With all of y'all's recommendation, I know this will be a good solution to my problem.

As I have shared with others, I am EXTREMELY impressed with you folks on the Canon Community Group. Y'all are the best responders and helpers I have ever encountered.

Can't wait to get started. Thanks again.

Ray

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

stevet1 — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 00:24:46 GMT

Ray,

Two thumbs up!

Share a couple of pictures when you get your new lens.

Steve Thomas

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

shadowsports — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 01:22:17 GMT

HI Ray,

Happy to hear this. We will look forward to seeing some images in the "Share Your Photos" section. 🙂

Re: EOS Rebel T7 camera and a Vivitar 80-200 zoom lens

stevet1 — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 04:48:36 GMT

Ray,

If it doesn't come with a printed manual, you can find one online in pdf format.

Steve Thomas