Lens Adapters & Picture Quality

[Shutterman]

I've got a big question. I'm buying a used Canon EOS and it's coming with two lenses, the standard 18-55mm and a 70-300mm. I have 6 lenses for my Minolta srt201, and was wondering if a glass adapter for my old lenses would even be any good for use on the canon. Would it degrade picture quality too much?

[Colin Southern]

I suspect that optically there's not too much to worry about - problem is it's more than just optics; it's also focusing and aperture contol.

All Canon lenses have their own CPU which communicates with the body over a serial protocol ... this is the real challenge.

I think you'll probably get a much better result - in less time - with less heartache just selling the old lenses and buying Canon equivalents.

[Shutterman]

Colin,

Wow. I didn't actually know that. I have quite a few lenses I guess i'll have to sell, but no big deal. Upgrading is always fun. Any idea on a great lens to have other than a standard 18-55mm and a 70-300mm?? I'm thinking about a good wide angle (15mm, even though it will end up being ~24 with sensor size) and maybe a prime around 135mm. What do you think?

Respectfully,

Trey

[Colin Southern]

Colin,

Wow. I didn't actually know that. I have quite a few lenses I guess i'll have to sell, but no big deal. Upgrading is always fun. Any idea on a great lens to have other than a standard 18-55mm and a 70-300mm?? I'm thinking about a good wide angle (15mm, even though it will end up being ~24 with sensor size) and maybe a prime around 135mm. What do you think?

Respectfully,

Trey

It depends on what your shooting and what your future plans might be, but in GENERAL terms I'd suggest ...

- Avoiding primes initially simply because of their lack of versatility compared to a zoom.

- If you think you'll be moving up to full frame at some stage then you might like to think about investing in FF capable lenses right from the word go.

- In terms of the crop-factor (with regards to wide-angle lenses), don't get tunnel vision over it (no pun intended!) - something like a 16mm WA lens on a 1.6x crop factor camera is absolutely fine (on a FF camera it's often TOO wide, plus with various filters you often end up having to zoom in anyway) (which you wouldn't have to as much because your not using that portion of the lens on a crop-factor camera anyway).

- If you want nothing but the best, do what I do, and stick with L-Series lenses. Expensive, but you get what you pay for - and they'll last a lot longer than the body!

My standard "trilogy" of lenses for general + landscape photography is the EF16-35mm F2.8L USM II + EF24-70mm F2.8L USM + EF70-200 F2.8L IS USM. Add the likes of the EF85/1.2 if your into portraiture (on a FF body).

[Geoff F]

While agreeing with Colin in principle, the overriding question is exactly what do you want to photograph and how much do you expect to spend?

I have the 70-300 IS which is a surprisingly good lens for the money and a 28-135 IS which I might upgrade to the 24-105 sometime. But the £1000 approx price tag is making me ponder over the decision. Above that I have a Sigma 180 macro and a larger bird lens.

But if you want general coverage at a realistic price, I think you are fairly well covered at the moment unless you know that you will need something extra; like faster zooms as Colin recommended, and you can afford it.

Personally, I would have little use for anything under 24 mm but I know that a lot of people wonder what use I could have for 300 mm plus lenses.

So I wouldn't rush to buy quickly, but if you can give some idea of your budget we can help you to spend it. I love spending other people's money - it's great fun!

[Colin Southern]

So I wouldn't rush to buy quickly, but if you can give some idea of your budget we can help you to spend it. I love spending other people's money - it's great fun!

Quite right - I agree totally.

I should probably add that when I write posts like mine above, it's with the expectation that I'm only talking in general terms, and with the expectation that people would - at the very least - discuss it further with us before making a purchase. I think it's important that people (myself included) advise based on our circumstances and experiences - which may be vastly different from those of others.

[Shutterman]

Colin and Geoff,

First of all, thanks for your advice. I definitely want to get professional advice on what I should buy. I don't have much money (seeing as i'm a student and all, as ya'll probably understand) so between 500 and 750 would be my price range. I know a lot of the really nice amazing canon IS L lenses (which I want SOOO bad) are way out of that range, but I can just save my money and wait. I am taking portraits of people, but I also love nature shots and macros. I think i'll be fine for a while with my lenses, I have plenty I can photograph and plenty of time to wait on some good quality lenses. Again, thanks for the input!

Respectfully,

Trey

[Geoff F]

Yes stick with your current gear for now is a good idea. If you are taking serious portraits you might think about a decent prime lens somewhere between 50 & 100 mm soon.

The 70-300 makes a reasonable wildlife lens and a better/bigger replacement will be in the £1000 range. I have also used that lens for wildlife macro work with a 25mm extension tube; but a tripod is essential.