EF-S vs EF Clarification.

[Syntaxxor]

Heyo, I've been thinking on this for awhile, and reading around, mainly first party (Canon) websites about it; and still abit confused.


Now, I use Crop Factor cameras (As most of us do). My 50D being a 1.6 APC-S sensor. Okay that's great and all. With that, a 50mm lens has the "equilivant" of an 80mm focal length, as far as view angle, right?

My confusion comes from the EF-S lenses, which are specifically made for Crop Factor cameras. Does that mean that an EF-S lens at say, 50mm, is true to 50mm? Or does it also have an 80mm view angle? (Or Crop).

I know the element is closer to the sensor, which would imply it would fix the view angle, but can anyone confirm this for me? (I'm actually now thinking of going home and trying it with two different lenses, which I shouldv'e done along time ago)

[RichardTaylor]

It has a 80mm view equivalent.

The main thing about EF-S lenses are.
(1) Normally can't be used on a full frame camera.
(2) They tend to be physically smaller and lighter.
(3) They may be cheaper to buy than the full frame equivalent focal lengths.

[Syntaxxor]

Well that's dissappointing, what is the point of making lenses specifically for those cameras then? lol

I realize they're cheaper to make and everything, but seriously if they're just going to be the same in the end.....that's..just...useless.

Eh, since we're on the topic and I wanted to know specifically for this, has anyone tried the 28-135 for lanscape shots? (rather, vertical, or portrait orientated landscape shots)

[Doug Pardee]

A focal length is not an angle of view. Unfortunately, a few generations of 35mm-film photographers began using focal length as a shorthand for angle of view. Now that 35mm is no longer "the only format that anyone cares about, or at least anyone who matters", we need to stop using focal length when we mean angle of view.

The focal length marked on the lens is the lens's focal length. The focal length determines how large the image is that's projected on the film or sensor. The size of the film or sensor then determines how much of that image is captured. The combination of the two determines the angle of view. The conceit that "all film is 35mm so we'll ignore that part" was incorrect to begin with, and now it's coming back to haunt us.

All 50mm lenses, whether made for a tiny cell phone or for a huge 8x10 view camera, have the same magnification. There is no difference in magnification between EF and EF-S lenses with the same focal length, because the focal length is the magnification.

So to answer your question: if you must think of angle of view in terms of focal length, then an EF-S 50mm lens would have approximately the same angle of view on your 50D as an 80mm lens on a 5D, and the fact that it's EF-S doesn't matter a whit. But you're a lot better off to let go of that and just learn how various focal lengths work on your camera. On a 50D, a 50mm lens is a short telephoto (about 1.5x), and that's often considered a good figure for portrait photography.

[RichardTaylor]

The thing is they are not all the same.
It means that Canon is building camera & lenses that a lot more people can afford. Also in some cases the small lenses can be a lot more handy when weight/size is a consideration.
I have never used the 28-135.

[Raoul Isidro]

Originally Posted by Syntaxxor

Eh, since we're on the topic and I wanted to know specifically for this, has anyone tried the 28-135 for lanscape shots? (rather, vertical, or portrait orientated landscape shots)

28-135 has IS which is great for handheld shots. I only use it for street photography.
For landscapes with tripod, I use the EF 24-85 USM (no IS, but on tripod, so OK) also good for wide angle low light (f3.5)

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Syntaxxor

Well that's dissappointing, what is the point of making lenses specifically for those cameras then? lol

Size, weight, cost, focal length options. You cant actually get ultra-wide with EF lenses on APS-C