Older lenses compatible with Canon EF mount

[Fidel Marcus]

Hello gang, I'm coming to you in hopes that your vast knowledge in film equipment can help direct me in the right direction.

For a while now I have been looking for the ideal film setup to get me back into the game of shooting film as it's been quite a few years since I shot film and I really miss the essence of film photography.

My Problem is my digital equipment, with the constant need for new lenses and body upgrades considering my work entirely depends on my digital rig I am having difficulty investing in a whole new set of lens/camera setup only so I can use it as a hobby on my scarce free time shooting film, so I've come to conclude that the ideal setup would be one that can be compatible with my digital body thus I will be able to utilize all my film equipment with my day to day digital jobs.

At this point I have my old canon FTb SLR with a couple of FD lenses, a minolta with a 50mm prime lens which is great but I don't want to go back to something I have already used heavily a decade ago and further I do not want to purchase all the lenses I would like to have only to be able to use them with my film camera, I need something that I can take a step further and enjoy for at least a few years before delving into another upgrade, so I guess I will stop boring you with details and basically ask one simple question (based on the background you just read) what would be the optimal lens system that has exceptional quality optics which I can mount on a classic film SLR and/or Rangefinder body which will also accept an adapter that mounts it on my EF Body cameras (canon)?
My FD equipment will not work as it is incompatible with EF mount, I don't think the Minolta will satisfy me either, I've considered Nikon but my knowledge is limited on their old equipment, my best option based on what I already do know is the Canon 7S Rangefinder which takes a screw mount lens thus allowing me to use a huge range of lenses with some of the best optics available and still be able to mount to EF camera body.

I would absolutely looooooove a pano 35mm body but I'm not sure about the lens mount compatibility or price range at this moment in time.


What are your thoughts, recommendations?

 

[Brian Moore]

That is complicated Fidel. I think I'm missing something. How is it that a Canon screw-mount lens is compatible with an EF camera body (meaning EOS I think) but an FD lens can't be?

By the way, what EF (EOS?) film camera body are you planning to use?

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Fildel - I went with an EOS 1N film body, allowing me to fully utilize my EF lenses yet still shoot film.

Prices were extremely reasonable on EBAY, and the camera is a winner.

 

[Fidel Marcus]

my apologies, I can see how my sentence there can be confusing

my primary "kit" which is also what I use to earn an income is often a 5D (EOS Digital EF mount)

my hobby and just for fun "kit" that I plan on purchasing is what is in question and what I'm looking for advise on

given I own & utilize the EF Mount EOS Digital line of lenses & bodies, I am looking for a new film kit from which i can mount the lenses on my current 5D Camera when I am not shooting just for fun, the old film glass just has it's own allure when mated with modern digital camera bodies.

Technically you can mount just about any lens on a 5D by using an EF converter that mates the lens (example being FD, screw mount, OM mount, Nikon mount, etc.)
FD does not work for me because the adapter from FD to EF has to have glass in it to correct the optics otherwise there is no infinity focus without it, which is why i'm ruling out the FD mount lens line up all together since I don't want generic cheaper glass between the lens and my sensor.

I hope this explains it better...

 

[Fidel Marcus]

Fildel - I went with an EOS 1N film body, allowing me to fully utilize my EF lenses yet still shoot film.

Prices were extremely reasonable on EBAY, and the camera is a winner.

I have considered the EOS 1N but I do not want to use my EF lenses for film since I am specifically looking for the tonality and color specific to the old lenses (primes particularly) and of course I want to use those lenses along with my current EF set of lenses when I am shooting digital. Another advantage is a f1.2 old prime lens costs far less than the equivalent EF modern lens.

 

[Brian Moore]

So Fidel,...you want to use old pre-EF lenses (of any good-quality manufacturer) on your 5D, and you don't want to use adapters that include non-manufacturer glass between the lens and the sensor. Is that right?

So if the Canon screw-mount will work why not go that route? (Aren't they M39,...same as Leica? That would open up to you all that German and Soviet glass. I think.)

 

[Fidel Marcus]

Brian you are correct, and from all my research it seems that screw mount is the way to go if I want to be able to use the best optics for the money, I figured I'd ask anyway because the opinions here are more valid to me than random who-knows-who's found through google

 

[Hamish Gill]

Your going to have the same problem with LTM lenses unfortunately
Have a read of this Flange focal distance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For a lens to be able to be adapted to your camera you need it to be from a system that has a larger flange focal distance (or flange back distance - FBD as I call it)
On that chart cameras are listed by order, shortest to longest FBD
So scroll down to canon ef and anything below that can be adapted without the need for a corrective element in the mount
Canon screw mount (lieca screw mout, leica thread mount, ltm) definitely needs an element in the mount as its from a much smaller system with a fbd of 28.8mm ie the lens is closer to the film than in canon ef
Cameras from larger systems don't need a corrective element as the difference can be made up in the thickness of the mount
Canon ef is 44mm - you quite lucky, it's one of the shorter ones!
You have a choice of Sony/Minolta (at a push), pentax k, Olympus, Leica r ...
Or my recomendation M42
You can get AF assist enabled mounts for m42/canon so that the camera shows you the little light when the shot is in focus...
I'm actually looking at buying a 5d at some point just for using old m42 glass
There is a hell of a lot of glass out there in m42 mount... As well as some beautiful m42 cameras ... Pentax spotmatic series for eg!
I have a rare ifbaflex, same as a voigtlander vsl which is lovely!
And as for glass... Search the forum for Rense's photography with the Helios 44 ... There is the zeiss sonar 50mm 1.8 of which I have a ifbaflex branded derivative ... That a gem!
So yeah, without wanting to sound to excitable ... The answer to your question is m42

 

[Hamish Gill]

Fidel, would it be ok to rename this thread to something more easily searched for - "lenses compatible with canon ef" or similar
Just so it's easier to find in the future etc

 

[Fidel Marcus]

that would be great, definitely some good content here, thanks Hamish

 

[Davie Hudson]

I would absolutely looooooove a pano 35mm body but I'm not sure about the lens mount compatibility or price range at this moment in time.

I think this would be the only reason I would go back to film, I don't miss it at all

 

[Pete Askew]

All great advice here Fidel but maybe you should think a bit sideways! You are looking at 35mm but maybe, given the use will be different to your work setup, you should consider medium format (MF) I would have a look at a MF rangefinder such as the Fuji that Hamish has bought or a Mamiya 6 / 7 (I or II). They produce a definite look and I can imagine you'd enjoy the difference a lot.

 

[Hamish Gill]

agreed! then you dont need to worry about lenses ...
and for hobby work i find 35mm equiv perfectly adequate

 

[Fidel Marcus]

ooh like this one right?

I do like the camera Hamish has and of course the one pictured above though i'm afraid they would wind up requiring a bigger budget than I was anticipating (I could be wrong)
my experience with medium format is far less extensive than 35mm, are some of the lenses still mountable on my digital canon? or are all the options of cameras fixed lens?

 

[Davie Hudson]

for the price of that Fuji you could buy the Hasselblad Xpan

 

[Fidel Marcus]

the xpan doesn't even hold a candle to that GX617 Davie, not that I would go out and buy it anytime soon but if money was no object it would definitely be on my priority list.

I have looked into what Hamish said about the M42 lenses, for very little money I can purchase a M42 to EF, M42 to FD, and even M42 to M39 adapters which means I can start using the first M42 lens on both my 5D and FTb then in the future on the Canon 7S Rangefinder (I know, I know, I'm obsessed with Canon)

As far as Medium Format goes, this brings me back to folding cameras (we discussed them a while back) since the Fuji I want is a bit out of reach financially

 

[Davie Hudson]

if money were no object i'd have this

Setiz 6X17 Digital

 

[Fidel Marcus]

HOLLY COW

I never even knew such a thing existed, you are a very naughty man for mentioning such a camera lol

does it come with a body guard?

 

[Pete Askew]

You can get converters for Hasselblad and Mamiya RB/RZ to 35mm SLR but I doubt you'll find the others can be mounted as they extend quite some way back into the body (the Hasselblads and RB/RZ are SLRs after all and so have the same issue with the mirror as 35 mm ones). The Mamiya 6 is a lovely camera but can be a bit pricey. I suspect that the Fujis might be a more cost-effective route.

 

[Davie Hudson]

HOLLY COW

I never even knew such a thing existed, you are a very naughty man for mentioning such a camera lol

does it come with a body guard?

I don't think you'd need one, you don't get a good view of the size but it's so big you would look like a body builder carrying about