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EF mount lenses on R5

Betjothom
Contributor

I currently have a Canon 5 D Mark iv that I like very much. If I purchased a mirrorless and used an adapter with my 400mm f 2.8 would I lose any performance from this lens or others?

18 REPLIES 18

Lotus7
Rising Star

No, not at all. There will be NO performance loss. The Canon adapter has no optical function, but only provides the correct back focus distance required for EF mount lenses and relays the electronic connections for focus, in-lens stabilization and aperture control.

The IS functions of a EF 400 f/2.8 L IS -II or III will integrate nicely with the internal image stabilization of a R5 or R3 and result in a few more stops of IS so your usable slow shutter range will be extended. You should wind up with having a 400mm tele that can be hand held at 1/30 sec. and the improved camera performance may provide faster focusing in low-light situations.

Canon provides several EF to RF adapters at different price points with the difference being the inclusion of a control ring to control selected camera functions at the lens and/or the ability to add filters behind the lens. Optically, they are just empty spacer tubes, so unless you need the additional control ring function, the basic ($100 version) will work well for your lens.

It's important that the mechanical (2) bayonet mounts and the position of the sets of electronic contacts are absolutely correct, so it's smart to use a real Canon adapter instead of any of the "3rd party" models on the market, some of which have proven to be poor fits.

Betjothom
Contributor

This is great information, thank you so very much!

FloridaDrafter
Authority
Authority

@Betjothomwrote:

I currently have a Canon 5 D Mark iv that I like very much. If I purchased a mirrorless and used an adapter with my 400mm f 2.8 would I lose any performance from this lens or others?


Lotus7 is spot on. I don't have the EF 400mm f/2.8L is USM III (if that's what you are referring to), but I have a bunch of EF L and non L lenses, from 24mm to 100-400mm, that work just as well on my R5 & 6 as they did on my 5D mark IV and 7D mark II, maybe better, but that's probably the cameras. However, RF L lenses are a step up from their EF counterparts, enough so that I have replaced almost all of my EF lenses with the RF versions, or as close as I could get. It's just better suited to the R. I consider the RF counterparts to be "mark XX" to the EF's, if that makes sense.

My original plan was to just adapt my EF lenses, but after buying the first RF, that plan changed.

Newton

Betjothom
Contributor

Thank you, both replies are most helpful. Lots of decisions to make.

Waddizzle
Legend
Legend

According to my sports photographers friends and countless rumors, you may actually see an improvement in performance with the R5 and R6 mirrorless bodies.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

Betjothom
Contributor

Wow, didn’t see that coming! Thank you for that insight!

Lotus7
Rising Star

Waddizzle: "...you may actually see an improvement in performance with the R5 and R6 mirrorless bodies."

That seems to sometimes be the case and is most likely due to the difference due to the fact that focus in mirrorless cameras is achieved through actually achieving absolute lens to focal-plane focus using the image sensor in a mirrorless body, as opposed to the indirect method of using a partially silvered mirror to reflect the focus points to a separate focus array in a DSLR. This necessitates a need for focus calibration "tuning" which may create subtle focus errors. Those are not usually significant when smaller apertures are in use because of the depth of the back focus plane. However, when very large apertures are used and/or long focal length lenses are brought into the system, the back focus range becomes so "thin" that even tiny focus calibration errors may affect image quality.

The other obvious factor is the constant improvement in actual image sensor and micro lens component performance in newer bodies.

Overall image quality is not determined by lenses, or sensors alone, but is a function of the whole imaging system. Focusing by direct measurement of image content on the same sensor as is producing the final image totally eliminates the possible (actually probable) mechanical errors in a focus system that depends on bouncing light off a hinged mirror onto a focus sensor in a different location than the actual sensor that will record the image. That's one of the major advantages of mirrorless imaging.

shadowsports
Legend
Legend

Waddizzle,

I agree. My adapted EF glass is amazing on the R5 C. Even the Sigma is great in Photo Mode. Its Cinema mode when Canon glass matters. People who are using the R5/R6/mkII will never experience this.

@Betjothom,

You will buy RF lenses (I promise you). I loved the EF~70~300 adapted on my R5 C. Then I put a RF100~400 on it. Weight savings alone is a game changer. It practically balances on one finger. That's the one thing I will not miss about my EF lenses. Yes they are built like tanks, but RF glass is still exceptional quality and lighter weight.

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.6.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, +RF 1.4x TC, +Canon Control Ring, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve ~Windows11 Pro ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8
~CarePaks Are Worth It

Thank you. Yes the weight factor is definitely a plus and as I’m an older adult my joints don’t always hold up to the weight and strain of the heavier equipment.

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