Using Old Canon EF Lenses On A New DSLR

[louhardin]

I would like to gain some understanding of what I would be giving up by using my old Canon EF lenses on a new DSLR.

I have a Canon EOS 620 with 35-105mm and a 100-300mm EF lenses. I tried them out on a Canon 7D recently and they are functional as far as AF.

What is the difference in focus speed, clarity, functionality, crop factor, view factor, etc. in the old lenses and newer lenses? Is this a significant enough drop in quality to justify starting all over with new equipment?

Is this a poor way to do this and am I just going to be resigned to starting over with all new equipment, or are the old lenses going to be satisfactory for wildlife, nature, sports, and macro, as they were on the ole EOS 620?

Obviously if the old lenses are satisfactory, then there is a lot more money for budgeting for a new body. But the lenses are of course, where the money needs to go, and if they are too old then I will have to start over.

Your comments are appreciated.

 

[petrochemist]

I don't shoot canon but I believe they'll work as well on digital as they did on film w.r.t. AF etc.
The one difference I know off is that digital sensors like light to come straight on to them, while film isn't bothered. With some old lenses this effect can make the corners noticeably darker, digitally optimized lenses are designed to project the image more vertically. I think it's only with wide angle lenses that the effect becomes significant.

 

[KmH]

TPF has a Canon Lenses forum, but TPF doesn't allow duplicate posting so don't start another thread there.

Yep. The EF will mount on any Canon EOS DSLR but newer lenses use better glass, and computer aided design.
How well the lenses work will have a lot to do with your photography knowledge, skill and understanding of the lenses limitations.
All else being equal, I would expect a small difference, if any.

 

[Derrel]

I would definitely try those out on a new D-SLR with the idea that they'll be fine. I really do not think you'll see a lot of difference in the 100-300 and a newer 70-300 lens in focusing speed or image quality. There has not been a "whole lot" of improvement in the consumer-grade 100-300 type lens over the last two decades...most teles in that range, even ones designed in the 1980's, are still optically very good lenses. Where the big,big improvements have been are in wide-angle lenses and wide angle zooms, where computer design and newer, more affordably made moulded aspherical element design has revolutionized performance, and that, combined with aspherical element design has brought wides and wide zooms out of their formative generation and fully into the MODERN era. The new Canon ultra-wide zooms for example, are really excellent lenses on APS-C digital...there was NOTHING even remotely like that in the 1990's for film.

Like Keith wrote above, "How well the lenses work will have a lot to do with your photography knowledge, skill and understanding of the lenses limitations. All else being equal, I would expect a small difference, if any." I've gotta agree with that, 110%...