Can I use old style 35mm film type lens on digital cameras?

Answer 1

It depends on the brand.

Pentax has the best backward compatibility with old lenses. You can use any lens ever made for any 35mm Pentax -- or any medium-format (645 or 6x7) Pentax -- on any Pentax DSLR, as I have been doing since early 2004 with my Pentax *ist D, and all camera models will meter through all lenses. You get full functionality with auto-focus lenses and with manual-focus lenses that have an "A" or "AE" on the aperture ring. With older manual-focus lenses that don't have an "A" or "AE" on the aperture ring, you set the camera to manual exposure and press the AE-L button or green button (depending on camera model) to make the camera stop down the lens, meter, set the shutter speed, and open the aperture back up for composing and focusing, all in a split second, so it's very similar to using aperture-priority exposure mode. With really old screw-mount lenses (as in from the 1960's), you use them in stop-down mode, as most of those old lenses were designed for anyway.

Pentax DSLRs have a 1.5 conversion factor, which means that since the sensor is somewhat smaller than 35mm film, it only captures the middle of the image projected by an old lens. To figure out the equivalent field of view, multiply the old lens' focal length by 1.5 -- a 80-200mm zoom will have the field of view of 120-300mm. That's great for telephotos, not so much for wide angles, but by now there are lots of great very wide lenses designed with smaller image circles for the DSLRs.

BTW, I noticed that another poster here implied that Pentax had only very recently started selling DSLRs. Not true; the *ist D started shipping to customers in September 2003. The much more popular *ist DS started reaching customers in November 2004, and even its successor, the *ist DS2, has already come and gone. What's new is Pentax's seeming sudden discovery of advertising.

Nikon is a close second in backward compatiblity with lenses. You can mount any lens ever made for any 35mm Nikon on any Nikon DSLR, but the cheaper models won't meter through non-chipped lenses (with a few exotic exceptions, Nikon non-chipped -- i.e., no microchip -- lenses are manual-focus, and vice-versa, while Nikon auto-focus lenses are generally chipped). The cheapest model that will meter through non-chipped lenses is the D200.

Like Pentax, Nikon DSLRs have a conversion factor of 1.5.

Olympus is a distant third. They have an expensive adapter that lets you mount their old OM-mount lenses, but it downgrades you to stop-down metering for all of those lenses.

Olympus DSLRs have smaller sensors than Pentax and Nikon, and have a conversion factor of 2.0.

Canon and Minolta (Konica-Minolta, now Sony) are tied for dead last. Both of them orphaned their manual-focus lenses and cameras when they moved to auto-focus. In both cases, you can get adapters to mount the old lenses, but those adapters need glass elements which (a) degrade the image quality, and (b) have a slight teleconverter effect. You could knock out the glass element, but then you wouldn't get infinity focus, so that's only practical for close-up macro photography.

Minolta (Konica-Minolta and Sony) DSLRs have a conversion factor of 1.5.

Canon is a little more complex. Their cheapest DSLRs have a conversion factor of 1.6. Their most expensive ones have a sensor about as big as 35mm film, so the conversion factor is 1.0 (or, no conversion factor). But they have another model in the middle that has a conversion factor of 1.3.

Minolta popularized auto-focus (Pentax had been the first, but that early 1981 system was not a market success), and at the time claimed that backward compatibility was impossible. I think Canon was next, and made the same claim. But Pentax and Nikon proved them wrong.

Sigma hasn't been making DSLRs long enough for backward compatibility with old lenses to be an issue. Fujifilm DSLRs use Nikon lenses, and I'm not sure whether they meter through non-chipped ones.

Sigma's sensor is smaller than Canon's smallest, and has a conversion factor of 1.7. Fujifilm has a conversion factor of 1.5.

I think that covers all the brands. For more information on any of them, see the brand forums at dpreview.com.

Greg

Answer 2

Often, you can. You might not have full functional use of all of the features of your lens or camera, but most will fit. Check the pages near the back of your owner's manual to see about compatibility issues.

For instance, Pentax just came out with a couple of new digital cameras (FINALLY!) and they state that ALL Pentax K-mount (their standard) lenses can be used on the new digital cameras.

Many, many Nikon lenses will fit on my Nikon digital SLR's. I have to lock the aperture ring on some so they will work in automatic modes, but that's all. There is a chart in my book telling me exactly which features will work and which won't. You must have a similar chart.

Answer 3

To simplify previous statement (and include a new one)

Canon Digital can use Canon auto focus lens (EOS mount) but not manual focus (FD mount) with full compatibility

Sony/Konica-Minolta can use Sony/Maxxum mount AF lenses but not older Konica or Minolta manual focus

Nikon D200 and above (D2x) have full compatibilty with older lenses with centerweighted metering. D80 and below (D70s, D50) you can mount the lens and shoot but you do not have an active metering system

Olympus E-volt series (300, 330, 500, 400. 1) can only use 4/3 mount lenses with full compatibility. Olympus does sell an adapter to use old manual focus (OM series) for <$100.

Pentax can use any lens ever produced by Pentax/Asahi.
AF/DA series fully compatible
M series Manual or Aperture priority only (manual focus only)
A sereis full program modes (manual focus only)
M42/scre mount lenses require $<25 adapter and you use stop down metering
645 (meduim format lenses) can be used with an adpater also.

All in all over 26million lenses have been produced that will fit and work on a Pentax DSLR.

Answer 4

For the most part, no. The part of the camera that holds and moves the film is removed from a digital camera. And even if you could get the film in there, the optics wouldn't give you a full 35mm frame, since they are designed for the CCD.

Answer 5

No because the lens wouldn't work on the digital camera. It is not electronic and digital camera lenses don't use sunlight the same way 35mm do.

Answer 6

It depends on the brand. With Nikon cameras, you can. You multiply your lens size by 1.5 for the digital size. In other words, it will be a little more telephoto.

Answer 7

1

Answer 8

no