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Can I use my Canon EF lens on a Canon 7 film rangefinder? Is there an adapter?

cbauer
Apprentice

Can I use my Canon EF lens on a Canon 7 film rangefinder? Is there an adapter? I only see an adapter for the EOS-M, which is digital. I want to purchase a Canon P or 7 *film* rangefinder, but I'll be more motivated if I can use my old lenses.

 

Thank you!

3 REPLIES 3

kvbarkley
VIP
VIP

The Canon P uses a Leica M37 mount, so it will not work with your EOS lenses.

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

The short answer and most reasonable answer is ...no.  But it can be done!  The old Canon range finders use a M39 mount, not a M37, typo I suspect.  Anyway you can adapt it to M43 from M39 and then to EF.  So, the lens is mounted but, why?  Even if it does work, it is a bad idea all around.  It isn't worth you time let alone money to try.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

amfoto1
Authority

@cbauer wrote:

Can I use my Canon EF lens on a Canon 7 film rangefinder? Is there an adapter? I only see an adapter for the EOS-M, which is digital. I want to purchase a Canon P or 7 *film* rangefinder, but I'll be more motivated if I can use my old lenses.

 

Thank you!


Absolutely not. Even if you figure out a way to make them work, there would be serious limitation and it would make little sense to do so.

 

Rangefinder camera lenses have a much shorter lens-to-image plane distance or "register". The Canon screwmount is 39mm diameter with a register of 28.8mm. Because of this difference in "register",  the SLR/DSLR EF lenses would not focus properly on the rangefinder camera.  Besides, part of the appeal of those rangefinder cameas is their smaller size, and that includes the lenses used upon them. In comparison, EF lenses are massive!

 

But even more importantly, EF lenses are electronically controlled.... both focus and aperture. While a lot of EF lenses have means of manually focusing them, there would be no way to set the aperture. Even if you were able to adapt the lenses somhow and get around the focusing issues, you'd basically have to shoot with the lens aperture wide open all the time. You'd have to control exposure with your film speed selection and shutter speeds only. And you'd have little  control over depth of field.

 

If you want to play around with a vintage Canon P or 7 RF camera... I day go for it! But I highly recommend you plan on buying matching lenses to use upon it.. Trying to use EF lenses on it just wouldn't be very much fun!

 

***********


Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2) some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & EXPOSUREMANAGER 

 

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