Which Lenses that works with both 5D and T2i ?

[Michael Ojjeh]

I am new in this DSLR frenzy, Going to get the T2i to get me started, My question is what lenses can I buy for the T2i that will also work on the 5D (future purchase). I know there is a crop factor on the 5D with the Full Frame sensor, but can you still use the same lenses for both ? Like the Tokina 11-16mm it says ( not designed for cameras with Full Frame sensors).
Can anyone explain ?
Thanks

[John Vincent]

I'm interested in this too - to be honest, I've never used any sort of SLR camera and am a total novice about lenses for them...

I wonder what sort of lens comes with the package deal (and if it;s any good).

john

[Michael Ojjeh]

T2i SLR kit come with ef-s 18-55mm zoom lens which is a $170 lens, $100 when you buy it with the T2i camera.

[Aaron Fowler]

There are two types of lens mounts compatible with the T2i/550D: EF and EF-S lens mounts. The 5D is only compatible with EF lenses (and not EF-S). So all lenses you can use on a 5D you can use on a T2i/550D, but not necessarily the other way around.

APS-C sensors (found in the T2i and 7D) are smaller than the Full Frame sensors (5D) and need less room inside the camera for the mirror to swing, hence leaving more room compared to the Full Frame sensor. The EF-S lenses take advantage of this extra room which allows the an EF-S lens to have a shorter back focus distance, allowing wide angles for EF-S lenses at cheaper prices.

Further Reading! Srcroll down to the section called "What is an EF-S lens?" Probably Explains it better than I could... :P

[Bill Koehler]

Canon EF lenses = 35mm Full Frame
Canon EF-S lenses = APS-C

So if you want something you can slap on either without thinking about it, buy EF glass.

[Michael Ojjeh]

Thanks Aaron and Bill for that information, it is more clear to me now about lenses, I guess I would not be buying the Tokina 11-16mm after all :(
Any suggestion for a fair price for EF lenses ?

[John Vincent]

Originally Posted by Michael Ojjeh

T2i SLR kit come with ef-s 18-55mm zoom lens which is a $170 lens, $100 when you buy it with the T2i camera.

Thanks for that! Has anyone used this particular lens before, or is it a new lens just for the Rebel?

If it's an older lens, can someone comment on the quality?

john

[Konrad Haskins]

As a rule of thumb the "L" zooms are a lot better than the non L zooms. With primes some of the non L glass is top notch and very reasonable in price. There are several websites with reviews of every lens Canon offers.

[J. Chris Moore]

What are those websites, I'd be interested in checking them out?

[Michael Ojjeh]

"Any Canon EOS camera with a red dot on the lens mount can take EF lenses. Any Canon EOS camera with both a red dot and a white square on the lens mount can take both EF lenses and EF-S lenses."

If this statement is true I have an old Canon AE-1 program 35mm camera with some old lenses which they all have the red dot on them, do I have a lens collection that I can use with T2i & 5D that I did not know about it that is collecting dust for years ?

[Fei Meng]

All Canon EOS cameras, film and digital, use the EF mount. EF-S is not a mount; it's the designation used for lenses that can only project an image circle big enough for an APS-C sensor (but not anything larger, such as APS-H or full frame).

The AE-1 is not an EOS camera. It uses old FD lenses, which cannot be adapted for the EF mount without using an optical element (in the adapter) that significantly reduces image quality. However, you can adapt Nikon, Olympus OM, Pentax K, and M42 lenses without losing quality.

L series lenses are expensive. Primes might individually have lower MSRPs than zooms, but you're only getting one focal length with each lens. A couple of primes could easily cost more than a single zoom.

L lenses are probably overkill for video. Considering the downscaling and aliasing issues that come with producing an HD image from an 18.1 MP sensor, the advantages of a top-class new autofocus lens over an old (but good) manual focus lens are lost. If you're buying the camera primarily for video use, then L lenses are probably not the best value proposition. If the still photo capability is just as important to you, then, yes, every little bit of extra lens quality helps.

[Fei Meng]

Originally Posted by John Vincent

Thanks for that! Has anyone used this particular lens before, or is it a new lens just for the Rebel?

If it's an older lens, can someone comment on the quality?

john

Review of the lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Review

[Fei Meng]

Originally Posted by Michael Ojjeh

Thanks Aaron and Bill for that information, it is more clear to me now about lenses, I guess I would not be buying the Tokina 11-16mm after all :(
Any suggestion for a fair price for EF lenses ?

There are three major off-brand (third party) lens vendors today: Tamron, Sigma, and Tokina. All three offer good lenses at prices way less than Canon's. Just about any lens from one of those brands will be a suitable choice. If you're buying lenses with both a T2i and a 5D in mind, then be aware of the following:

On the T2i, <24mm is "wide," 28-35mm is "normal," 50mm is "portrait," and >70mm is "telephoto."

On the 5D, <40mm is "wide," 50mm is "normal," 85-100mm is "portrait," and >105mm is "telephoto."

Because of the crop factor, lenses that are wide enough for both the T2i and the 5D are expensive. The best thing to do is to buy a wide-end lens specifically for the T2i. It won't work on the 5D, but I'm sure that it will be cheaper than a really wide lens that works on both.

[Daniel von Euw]

@Fei Meng:

For filming is a little bit different because of 16:9 image:

APS-C (like 7D, T2i): 25mm is normal
APS-H (like 1D IV): 31mm is normal
FF (like 5D II): 40mm is normal


Daniel

[Kin Lau]

Originally Posted by Fei Meng

All Canon EOS cameras, film and digital, use the EF mount. EF-S is not a mount; it's the designation used for lenses that can only project an image circle big enough for an APS-C sensor (but not anything larger, such as APS-H or full frame).

That's not true. The EF-S mount is physically different from the EF, the "S" stands for "short back focus". You cannot mount an EF-S lens on a 1D, 1Ds or 5D or any EOS film camera or EOS mount teleconverter or extension tube (I think you might be able to find an EF-S tube on Ebay now tho) without physically modifying the lens. It will not fit, there's an extra ring/riser at the back that prevents it from mounting.

It's correct that the image circle is designed to only cover APS-C, but many third party lenses sold for the 1.5x or 1.6x crop can actually cover APS-H.

EF-S is only available from Canon, all third-party cropped lenses are not called EF-S since they're not actually using the EF-S mount.