Canon 5D as a "Classic" Camera

<p>Looking at the state of Kodak, I thought I would try out a surprisingly inexpensive used Canon 5D for my Contax and M42 lenses. If it worked I would save money on film and if it didn't work I could sell it. My 7D was good for some manual lenses, but the crop factor made some lenses less than useful. Also, the viewfinder on the 7D is not great for manual focusing and magnified live view is slow.</p>

<p>The first thing I realized after mounting some Contax lenses on the 5D is that I needed the matte focusing screen. The bright screen for AF lenses was not quite up to manually focusing fast lenses. With the matte focusing screen installed my focusing accuracy was about as good as I was getting with my Contax 167. One advantage is that without auto focusing the camera shoots as soon as you push the button, making catching "the moment" as simple as with manual film cameras. The results have been very good. My Contax 28-85 very sharp and has great color and getting a Canon AF lens of the same quality and zoom range would be pricey.</p>

<p>Overall my experience with using the 5D as a replacement body for my manual lenses has been very positive. A 5D Mk II or a 6D would be better than a 5D, but currently cost at least 3X more. The 5D Mk III cannot exchange the focusing screen so is likely not useful for manual lenses unless you like live view. I am looking forward to getting a 6D when they cost $500 in a few years.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>With all of the 35mm-sensor Canons, including the 5D, there are some lenses that project too far back to clear the mirror. Mostly these are wide-angle lenses, but some mounts like K-mount lenses may also be more prone to problems.<br /> There is a partial list, regularly updated, of such conflicts at http://www.panoramaplanet.de/comp/</p>

<p>However, your basic premise is good. The main reason I bought a 5D in the first place was because I wanted to put my PC-Nikkor 35mm f/2.8 lens back into shift service as a wide angle. It works beautifully.</p>

<p>By the way, the grid screen is as good as the fine-'grain' one for manual focusing.</p>

<p>"The results have been very good. My Contax 28-85 very sharp and has great color and getting a Canon AF lens of the same quality and zoom range would be pricey."<br>

Canon's 24-105 is recently on sale for $700+ (new), which is not too pricey considering that a used C/Y 28-85 costs ~$500 and a ring with focus confirmation for $80 to ~$200.<br>

See this 6 years ago thread about 24-105 vs 28-85:<br>

http://www.photo.net/canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00VGVg</p>

 

<p>Ah, but my price for the Contax and M42 lenses is $0 as I already own them. </p>

<p>If there are good reasons why you want to use an old lens-- nostalgia, actual utility, whatever -- the 5D and 5Dii are superb platforms for that without losing the original angle of view of the lenses in question.</p>

<p>If, on the other hand, you have actual work to do, there are really many very excellent reasons to get modern Canon (or third-party) lenses made for the EOS system.</p>

<ul>

<li>Many newer designs really are better IQ (if more expensive)</li>

<li>IS is nice</li>

<li>There is something to be said for AF, etc. >Most obvious, perhaps, when trying to focus on a flying bird with a 500mm MF lens....</li>

</ul>

<p>I love my old cameras and lenses, shoot with them all I can, but when I'm traveling I tend to stick with modern, digital gear all round.</p>

<p>I certainly wouldn't suggest a 5D and manual lenses for shooting a wedding. That could work, but there are better ways.</p>

<p>I've obtained outstanding results shooting with manual focus Nikkors and Zeiss's on my 5DII. For example, some of the images I've taken with my pre-Ai 55/3.5 Micro-Nikkor (with compensating aperture) rival the best images I've taken with EF lenses.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>One advantage is that without auto focusing the camera shoots as soon as you push the button, making catching "the moment" as simple as with manual film cameras.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>You can manual focus with AF lenses ;-)</p>

<p>If you like using AF, you can use back button focusing meaning the shutter button will perform the same as on a manual focus camera. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>With all of the 35mm-sensor Canons, including the 5D, there are some lenses that project too far back to clear the mirror.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>If you're talking SLR lenses, then the only examples that spring to mind are the original Nikkor fisheye and their 21mm f4, which required an external viewfinder. Canon also had a mirror up wide angle, didn't they? Have you any others that you can think of?</p>

<p>My 5D is fitted with a grid screen and works well with my Tamron AD2 lenses.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>If you're talking SLR lenses, then the only examples that spring to mind are the original Nikkor fisheye and their 21mm f4, which required an external viewfinder.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>H.P.<br /> There are probably <em>hundreds</em> of old MF, <strong>SLR</strong> lenses that will not clear the mirror on a "full-frame" Canon digital. Most of these, with the obvious exceptions you mention, will work on the APS-C sensor bodies. Just to name one, the Nikkor 20mm f/4 lens has a rearward projecting flange to protect the rear element of the lens. The lever on the K-mount lenses generally won't work too well.<br /> If you are a vandal and want to butcher old lenses up, then many of these can be modified to work, but what kind of person would do that to a lovely old classic?<br /> Read the <a href="http://www.panoramaplanet.de/comp/">URL</a> I linked to for an up-to-date list of the NON-working ones. It started as a list of M42 lenses that wouldn't work, but sort of "grew".</p>

<p>Addendum - these non-adaptable lenses generally won't work on <strong>film</strong> EOS 35mm cameras either. In fact, I have often tried them out on my old $15 EOS 650 before trying them on my more valuable digital body.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>There are probably <em>hundreds</em> of old MF, <strong>SLR</strong> lenses that will not clear the mirror on a "full-frame" Canon digital.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Golly, I never knew that. I've fitted many Nikkors and Nikon compatible lenses on my Eos 5D without trouble, so I fell into the trap of assuming it was the same thing as the Leica M series, which were designed to mount any L39 lens with the correct adapter.</p>

<p>A very useful resource!</p>

<p>All I can figure is that with the increased diameter of the EF mount (from the FD diameter), Canon took the opportunity to make the mirror bigger - hence the problems - which I think are a lot less on the FD-Mount cameras. The FD-cameras are even more nearly "universal recipients" than the EF, and the adapters are again (?) becoming easy to find on eBay.</p>

<p>Mind, while there are many that don't fit on the "full" EOS, the number of lenses that do fit and work is immensely greater, so the "classic" status of the 5D line for Classic Manual Lenses is much higher than any other 35mm-sensor camera, I believe.</p>

<p>As I said, virtually anything will mount and work fine on the smaller mirror APS-C bodies.</p>

<p>When I tried to use my (Spiratone) Sun 85-210mm K-mount lens on my 5Dii, it sounded OK, but the mirror couldn't go all the way up, so over half the image was black. Fortunately, no damage was done, but it was a reminder to dig out the EOS 650 body first......</p>