Older Canon lenses compatible with later cameras?

[eevaa]

Hey

So, my dad's got an old Canon EOS 500 with two zoom lenses (Canon EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 III and EF 28-80mm 1:3.5-5.6, bought about ten years ago). I am now thinking about getting myself a Canon EOS 40D and was wondering whether these two older lenses are still compatible with newer camera models... Does anyone know more?

 

[JustAnEngineer]

Yes, your old lenses will work. All Canon EF lenses are fully-functional with all Canon EOS cameras (and Rebel cameras in the U.S.). Canon switched to this mount in 1987.

Digital cameras with an APS-C size sensor (e.g.: EOS 1000D, 450D, 40D, 50D, etc.) catch only the center of the image that passes through the lens, so they have a smaller field of view than cameras with a full-frame sensor (e.g.: EOS film cameras, EOS 5D, EOS 1Ds Mk. III, etc.). This crop factor makes the field of view equiivalent to a lens with 1.6 times the focal length. Your 28-80mm lens will have the equivalent field of view of a 45-128mm lens when mounted on an EOS 40D.

The handful of lenses with Canon's EF-S (or Sigma's DC or Tamron's Di-II) mount are made specifically for DSLR cameras with the smaller APS-C size sensor. These are incompatible with full-frame sensor cameras, but they can be made to be smaller, lighter and less expensive than a lens designed for a full-frame sensor.

Because of the 1.6 field of view crop factor, you'd probably like to have a wider lens for your EOS 40D. Take a look at the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 wide-normal zoom lens as a good example. It would have the equivalent field of view as a 27-80mm lens would have on a full-frame camera.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Well then, that about covers everything. Well summerized, JAE.

 

[AlexColeman]

Yes, your old lenses will work. All Canon EF lenses are fully-functional with all Canon EOS cameras (and Rebel cameras in the U.S.). Canon switched to this mount in 1987.

Digital cameras with an APS-C size sensor (e.g.: EOS 1000D, 450D, 40D, 50D, etc.) catch only the center of the image that passes through the lens, so they have a smaller field of view than cameras with a full-frame sensor (e.g.: EOS film cameras, EOS 5D, EOS 1Ds Mk. III, etc.). This crop factor makes the field of view equiivalent to a lens with 1.6 times the focal length. Your 28-80mm lens will have the equivalent field of view of a 45-128mm lens when mounted on an EOS 40D.

The handful of lenses with Canon's EF-S (or Sigma's DC or Tamron's Di-II) mount are made specifically for DSLR cameras with the smaller APS-C size sensor. These are incompatible with full-frame sensor cameras, but they can be made to be smaller, lighter and less expensive than a lens designed for a full-frame sensor.

Because of the 1.6 field of view crop factor, you'd probably like to have a wider lens for your EOS 40D. Take a look at the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 wide-normal zoom lens as a good example. It would have the equivalent field of view as a 27-80mm lens would have on a full-frame camera.

Good advice, not much else to say.

 

[eevaa]

Okay, thank you so much!

I asked in two shops, one told me to sell the lenses as quickly as possible so they were still worth at least something, the other said they would work for all Canon cameras without any restrictions...