Canon T5i won't work with FD lenses?

[Norwegian97]

I bought an adapter on eBay to use my old FD lenses on a T5i body. The adapter itself works and the lenses mounts perfectly to the body. But the problem is that when the adapter w/lens is attached my camera tells me it needs its "lens firmware" upgraded. What does this mean?

Basically I can't do anything on my camera when the FD lens is attached, does anyone know why I've got this problem? Have anyone else used FD lenses on a T5i? 

Thanks for answers!

[jazzman1]

Which FD lens is it that needs a firmware update?   What's the lens specs???     From what you're saying, you have to download a lens firmware update from Canon support, and install it.  Use the software that came with your camera.  Or get it here:

     http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer

[RobertTheFat]

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@Norwegian97 wrote:

I bought an adapter on eBay to use my old FD lenses on a T5i body. The adapter itself works and the lenses mounts perfectly to the body. But the problem is that when the adapter w/lens is attached my camera tells me it needs its "lens firmware" upgraded. What does this mean?

Basically I can't do anything on my camera when the FD lens is attached, does anyone know why I've got this problem? Have anyone else used FD lenses on a T5i? 

Thanks for answers!

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I think it means that the camera recognizes that the lens, despite the adapter, doesn't provide the information expected of an EF or EF-S autofocus lens and that it can therefore not focus on the subject or set the aperture or correctly meter the scene. Which means that in the end you'll probably tire of the experiment, buy some modern lenses, and try to sell the old lenses and the adapter on E-Bay. If you're really lucky, you may get enough for the lot to recoup your expenditure for the adapter and therefore break even. But I wouldn't bet on it.

[ebiggs1]

The title of your post really says it all. " Canon T5i won't work with FD lenses?"

That is correct.  FD lenses do not work on Rebels.  There is no firmware update to make them work.  Yes it is possible to bolt a FD lens to a modern DSLR but the concept of them working is greatly exaggerated.  There will be no AF and no metering and no info from lens to camera.

[Norwegian97]

So why do they make the adapters for FD to EF when they dont work?

[ebiggs1]

Yes, why?  A good question.   Somebody makes an adapter for almost any combo you can think of.  The fact is with enough trouble and fiddleing you can get one to work.  But "work" and "work well" a are two very different things.  I have a great white FD 600mm lens, amomg others, that I have tried every way possibile to get good useable results from.  With big expensive lenses like it, it does make some slight sense.  But for most other FD lenses, it simply is not worth the effort.  Even after this, the photos, from my 400mm, 500mm and 600mm, are not as good as a modern DSLR lenses provides.  My advice is to abandon this idea and leave FD lens in the past where they belong.

You could get a piece of glass from the hardware store to "work" but how well is the issue.

[Norwegian97]

Won't it be able to get adapters with small microchips programmed to "fool the camera" to think it can communicate with it?

[RobertTheFat]

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@Norwegian97 wrote:

Won't it be able to get adapters with small microchips programmed to "fool the camera" to think it can communicate with it?

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You'd also have to fool the lens into thinking it had an autofocus motor and the ability to allow the camera to dictate its aperture setting.

[TCampbell]

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@Norwegian97 wrote:

Won't it be able to get adapters with small microchips programmed to "fool the camera" to think it can communicate with it?

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If you're willing to spend an unlimited amount of money then I suppose you can get someone to build you just about anything.  The problem is... there's really not much of a market for this sort of thing.  I've noticed that most people tend to try them, and are disappointed with the results and ultimately abandon the approach in favor of just spending that money on EOS lenses.

FD lenses were never intended to be used with EOS bodies.  FD lenses are completely mechanical and have zero electronics.  They are from a different era in photography.  EOS is "Electro-Optical System".  The lenses are electronically controlled for focus and aperture control (if it's a zoom lens then zoom is manually controlled by you).

The adapters have to fool the camera.  Also they alter the back-focus distance (which affects focus).  Typically adapters are made only for specific lenses and not generic for just any FD lens.  

The adapters are not popular (nor is there really a market for them) because they don't work well. 

[ebiggs1]

"Won't it be able to get adapters with small microchips programmed to "fool the camera" to think it can communicate with it?"

No!  The answer is no.  They don't work on a modern DSRL.  They belong to a bygone era and should be left there.

What you can get to work produces results that are usually not as good as the average kit  lens.  And the kit lens is likely going to be cheaper!