AE-1 lenses and newer EOS and EOS Rebel units

[jminor14]

Will the lenses from my older Canon AE-1 fit onto the bodies of the newer digital EOS and Rebel Canon units ??  Thanx for the guidance !!

[jrhoffman75]

No. AE-1 uses the old FD bayonet mount. EOS cameras use the EF mount. You might find sold on line an adapter - don't waste your money.

[TCampbell]

Your AE-1 used lenses that had no electronics.  Focus is strictly manual and the the only function controlled by the camera was the aperture blades... those were controlled by a mechanical lever.

EOS lenses are electronic only and have no mechanical linkage to control the lens.

This means that an FD lens would be manual only... even aperture would have to be set manually.  It would still need an adapter.  Also the flange-to-focal plane distance for an FD lens is 42mm vs. 44mm on an EOS lenes, so it would need to be shimmed out by 2mm to correct for focus issues.

But the EOS cameras expect lenses to have auto-focus.  They viewfinder on most APS-C cameras is smaller and not quite as bright.  There's no split-prism focusing aid to help you get the focus accurate (it's all based on whether it "looks" focused to your eye... but your eye wont be accurate if your vision isn't perfect.)

The general consensus is... don't bother.  You'd REALLY need to have some phenominal FD lens to make it even worthy of consideration.

[ebiggs1]

"You might find sold on line an adapter - don't waste your money."

Heed this advice.   It is spot on.