Which vintage lens mount is most suitable for EOS cameras?

Question

I've been doing some research on vintage lenses to buy with the focal length of 24mm or 28mm as an alternative to the more expensive canon 24mm F2.8.

Best options I found were the FD version of the same lenses, Tokina 28mm F2.8, and Yashica 28mm F2.8. I found people selling the adapters for these lenses to an EOS camera on Amazon, but many articles on the internet do not recommend buying certain adapters since the quality will drop.

Are there certain brands or lens mounts that I should stick with that would not cause focusing problems, like not being able to focus at infinity, and that would not cause quality to drop?

Obviously, EF mount lenses will give you the best lens-to-camera performance. — flolilo, Nov 21 '18 at 21:12
Hi, welcome to Photo.SE. Please read the answers to the suggested duplicate. Especially the 2nd-highest-voted answer, which lists the mounts in registration-distance order (which answers your question about being able to focus to infinity). — scottbb, Nov 21 '18 at 21:16
@scottbb While the 2nd highest voted answer is great ;-) I think the top voted answer is better advice. — Philip Kendall, Nov 21 '18 at 21:26
@PhilipKendall understood. In this specific case though, asking about infinity-focus, I wanted to call out the list of flange distances, since it concisely speaks to one of the specific concerns OP had. Also, I think the author of that post did a great job! =) — scottbb, Nov 21 '18 at 21:34
PetaPixel: Old, Inexpensive, and Tack-Sharp: Canon’s Best Lenses You Don’t Know About — xiota, Nov 22 '18 at 04:44

Michael C · Accepted Answer · 2018-11-21T23:05:20.657

4

Forget using Canon FD lenses on EOS cameras. You can't get infinity focus with those lenses without adding additional optics.¹ This is because at 42mm the FD mount has a shorter registration distance (a/k/a flange focal distance) than the 44mm of the EF mount. If you insist on using non-EF lenses on EOS cameras, lenses made for mounts with longer registration distances than the EF mount would be preferred. The 44.5mm Minolta A-mount is out due to mechanical clearance issues. Ditto for the Olympus OM mount. That leaves Nikon F and Pentax K as the most likely candidates.

But you'll still be giving up a lot by using a Nikon F or Pentax K lens instead of a native Canon EF lens.

I never recommend adapting lenses cross-brand² when there is a native lens for a particular mount available. YMMV.

If you are using an APS-C EOS camera, the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM sells for around $130 new from authorized dealers.
If you are using a FF EOS camera, the EF28mm f/2.8 goes for $470.

Some third party lenses in the Canon EF mount (for both APS-C and full frame):
Yongnuo 35mm f/2 (with AF) - $90
Samyang (Rokinon) 24mm f/1.4 (MF) - $380

_{¹ Those additional optics also act as mild teleconverters, which kind of defeat your stated purpose of a fast, wide-angle lens. TCs make a lens longer and slower.}
_{² Something like EOS EF to EOS-M is bit different, as both mounts use the same protocols, the only difference is the RD.}

edited Nov 21 '18 at 23:05

answered Nov 21 '18 at 21:29

Michael C

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I'm ready to give up on any electronics luxury, the tokina lense apparently uses the pentax k mount, do you recommend that? – user297904 Nov 21 '18 at 21:32
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I never recommend adapting lenses (cross brand - something like EOS EF to EOS-M is bit different, as both mounts use the same protocols, the only difference is the RD) when there is a native lens for a particular mount available. YMMV. – Michael C Nov 21 '18 at 21:35
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@user297904 Do you consider being able to stop down the lens from wide open an "electronic luxury?" – Michael C Nov 21 '18 at 21:39
I meant the autofocus, and changing the F-stop using the camera, but what do you mean not being able to stop down the lens from wide open? – user297904 Nov 21 '18 at 22:36
So according to you, using vintage lenses on canon is not a good option? Note for my case, I'm not looking for the optimal quality, I'm looking for a fast lense that I can take pictures with which is wider than my 50mm 1.8f – user297904 Nov 21 '18 at 22:37
Exactly what I said. AF and AE are not the only thing you lose when adapting lenses with mechanical interfaces to cameras with electronic interfaces. You might can spend more than the 24mm f/2.8 would cost to get an adapter that has a built in motor to actuate the mechanical aperture lever on the Pentax lens, if that is even possible in the 1.46mm thickness of a Pentax k to EOS EF adapter. – Michael C Nov 21 '18 at 22:41
"So according to you, using vintage lenses on canon is not a good option?" Why is it so hard to understand, "I never recommend adapting lenses when there is a native lens for a particular mount available?" YMMV. – Michael C Nov 21 '18 at 22:42
You mean the apeture will be locked down to 2.8f all the time if I don't find a substitute mount that override that problem? Problem is, in my country we don't have an online payment method, and 24mm 2.8f is quite rare and expensive, so this is way I'm considering buying an old lense. Thanks for your answers! – user297904 Nov 21 '18 at 23:33
Is there any cheap 24mm, 28mm or 20mm fast prime that is below 100$ ? – user297904 Nov 21 '18 at 23:39
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Anything below $500 is cheap for a FF 24mm fast prime. 24-28-35mm is not 50mm. – Michael C Nov 22 '18 at 04:03
@user297904 The Sigma 24mm (EF) EX F/1.8 Macro sells for around $200 used here. That seems to be the best you can get for FF faster than F/2. – confetti Dec 02 '18 at 08:33

xiota · Answer 2 · 2019-01-04T00:14:41.050

There are now four lines of Canon EOS cameras (excluding a few models that don't quite fit the pattern).

EOS #D – DSLR with full-frame sensor. Uses lenses with EF mount. FFD = 44mm.
EOS ##D/###D/####D – DSLR with APS-C sensor. Uses lenses with EF or EF-S mount. FFD = 44mm.
EOS-M – Mirrorless camera with APS-C sensor. Uses lenses with EF-M mount. FFD = 18mm.
EOS-R – Mirrorless camera with full-frame sensor. Uses lenses with R/RF mount. FFD = 20mm.

The major factor to consider when adapting lenses is the flange-focal distance. If the distance for which the lens was designed is shorter than that of the camera, it's generally futile to attempt adapting it. The flange-focal distance of the FL/FD mount is 42mm, so it would be reasonable to adapt it for use on EOS-M (18mm) or EOS-R (20mm) bodies. You can search your favorite shopping sites for adapters.

The EF and EF-S mounts are generally not suitable for use with adapted lenses because of the long flange-focal distance (44mm). You should stick with a native lens. Since the EF mount was introduced so long ago, in 1987, many third-party and "vintage" lenses are available at numerous price points.

If you still want to adapt a lens, adapters are available:

M42 (45.46mm) and Nikon F (46.5mm) – maintain infinity focus.
Tamron Adaptall – also maintains infinity focus.
Pentax K (45.46mm) and Olympus OM (46mm) – "slim" adapters should be able to maintain infinity focus, but care should be taken with full-frame cameras because mechanical linkages on the lenses may block the mirror.
FL/FD without optic – allows close-up/macro use, loses infinity focus.
FL/FD with optic - magnifies image by 1.2x to 1.4x.

Thank you for your answer, do you recommend any native vintage EF lense with a focal length close to 24mm? — user297904, Nov 22 '18 at 00:36
You just have to search and see what comes up. Some used lenses that came up in search results: Canon EF 24mm F2.8 ≥ $160; Canon EF 24mm F2.8 IS USM ≥ $360; Canon EF 28mm F2.8 ≥ $130; Canon EF 28mm F2.8 IS USM ≥ $230. — xiota, Nov 22 '18 at 02:10
With the 7D being an APS-C camera, it also belongs in the EF-S section. (Not sure why canon did this instead of keeping #D for full-frame only. Would've made way more sense to me). — confetti, Dec 02 '18 at 08:26

Which vintage lens mount is most suitable for EOS cameras?

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