do new AF lenses work with older AF film camera

[scottatl]

My daughter is in high school photography and they needed a film slr camera.  I picked up an elan 7e body for 35 bucks.  I put on my lens from my newish digital rebel and it fit okay but does not seem to auto focus.  do I need to purchase an older af lens or should this work and either i am doing something wrong or the body is not working right.

I have seen many posts about older lenses on newer cameras but not the opposite.  

[scottatl]

good news, cleaning the contacts did the trick, it is all working well for a trip back to 1980

[wq9nsc]

Well, your weekend is off to a good start then Scott.  Well done!

Rodger

[kvbarkley]

8P to all of you! 8^)

[ebiggs1]

"...cleaning the contacts did the trick, it is all working well ..."

Cleaning the contacts or mounting and removing the lens a few times?

[RobertTheFat]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"...cleaning the contacts did the trick, it is all working well ..."

Cleaning the contacts or mounting and removing the lens a few times?

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And the difference is ?

[kvbarkley]

Cleaning with a mild abrasive or solvent can remove the dried caked-on oil and varnish that the wiping action of lens attachment/detachment can not. 

[ebiggs1]

"Cleaning with a mild abrasive or solvent ..."  

This is false and stupid and totally wrong.

Anybody reading this post should absolutely disregard it.  Nothing abrasive should ever be used on either the lens contacts or the camera's contacts. The contacts are plated with very thin gold that can be removed or destroyed if not done correctly.  Using an pencil eraser will actually remove the gold from the contacts making them less conductive, or not conductive at all, and even potentially damaging them. The gold is not getting oxidized. If you must do it, do it correctly or not at all.

A qtip and a drop or two of alcohol.

[kvbarkley]

Nonsense, As I said above, a white pencil eraser should be fine in limited - such as bringing a 20 year old lens back to life - circumstances.

[ebiggs1]

The "nonsense" is all on you, my friend.  Here is what Canon says.  

Canon recommends 

You didn't notice a pencil erase anywhere did ?  You, and anybody, can goggle cleaning the lens contacts and no where will you find a single person, except you, Mr Nonsense, that will advise using a pencil erase.

[ebiggs1]

"And the difference is ?"

Finding out whether a manual cleaning helps or isn't really necessary. That's the difference!  I am leaving it open to, it is  possible in certain situations it does. However, in the vast majority it doesn't.