Old lense with New Body?

[Adrian]

Hi Everyone and happy new year!

Thank goodness for 'The Beginner's Place' forum topic because I feel kind of slow not being able to figure this out.

I just bought a Canon Rebel XTi and so far love it. I am a bit further along in my composition skills because I deal with a lot of imagery and simple photography as a graphic designer. Where I lack knowledge is in the equipment side of things.

At first I thought I wouldn't need a new lens until later, but after experimenting with the EF-S 18-55mm lens that came with it I am quickly noticing its limitation especially when shooting on site, when I can't get as close to a subject as I would like with the effects that I want, mainly DOF and blurring the background. So now I am looking for a telephoto lens (is this what I need?) Now my dad has an old Konica with a telephoto lens. Is it safe to use that with my XTi? We're talking a 15-20 year old lens, possibly more... Thought I would ask before spending a few hundred on a new one.

Thanks for your help!

 

[markc]

You'd need an adapter, if you can find one for that mount, and even then you lose autofocus, and maybe even have to meter at wide open aperture and then stop down when you shoot. With that camera, I think you are just better off using EF or EF-S lenses. The Canon 50mm/f1.8 is quite inexpensive. If you want a medium telephoto with a wide aperture and don't mind spending more, the 85mm/f1.8 is a great lens.

 

[Azuth]

Adrian,
You can get adapters that will let you use an old lens on a new camera, be aware though that you lose all automatic capability around the lens (focus and aperture). This may or may not be an issue for you.

You may be better served buying a cheap telephoto, or something second hand. Older Canon EF lenses will work on a new digital camera, some older thrid party ones (Sigma & Tamron) may not work properly on your XTi. This is because there's a chip in the lens and Canon don't give third parties access to the same level of technical info. Anything made in the last 2-3 years though would likely be fine.

A standard Canon EF 100-300 or 70-200 would probably suit you fine, unless you're using it for particularly fast moving subjects, in which case you want a faster lens.

 

[Adrian]

Thanks for the super quick responses. I think I may follow your advice and buy a new or relatively new lens. I just checked the prices for the ones you both suggested, and youch, they can get pretty expensive. So i hopped on to craigs list I found these (I hope it's okay to post to link to it):

Canon EF 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 II USM

Sigma AF 18-125mm F3.5-5.6

But I don't know if that is what I'm really looking for. I guess the main question i have is, keeping in mind that I can modify the DOF with aperature and shutter speed, if I am at an event, say a conference and can only get 10-20ft to any given subject what lens would be my best bet? How can I tell the range of a lense that still allows me to play with DOF?

Thanks, I'm learning tons already.

 

[Torus34]

Treasure the old Konica for what it is -- a fine 35mm rig. Konica built some really solid bodies and excellent lenses.

 

[Azuth]

The greater the focal length, and the larger the maximum aperture (smaller number) the shorter you will be able to make your depth of field.

I'd suggest that since you already have the 18-55 that you look for something to get you a bit higher. The Canon 55-200 offers a good range to complement what you have (it's why they often bundle it with the camera).

 

[Adrian]

Well thank you again for the direction, I think I will go with your suggestion. I find technical end of things quite fascinating but for me it takes a bit to comprehend, I will most definitely soak in what I can from this forum.

@Torus34: I definitely will treasure that Konica. It is what I first started with and everything about it drew me into photography.

 

[solon magrizos]

ohh kool i never knew you could use old lenses on a digital camera.....now jus got to figure out whr to find the adapter......

___________
One of my best buddies, Solon magrizos, is the man you want around when you’re having a few beers with the guys. Never have I met someone who has more stories, and such an amazing way of telling them. I’ve barley heard him tell the same one twice, and he always has something to say about everything! He’s absolutely hilarious and has everyone rolling on the ground. My other pals always tell me to bring Jacob along whenever I can, they even joke about starting a “Solon magrizos Fan Club”. I think they’re all half cracked, but still, Jacob is one funny man.