Glass compatibility

[Incisive]

Quick question as I just switched over to Canon digital from Nikon film.

The "L" series glass works on both crop bodies and full frame bodies?

Which canon glass doesn't work on both?

Currently T1i but moving to full frame after all the glass is purchased so I'm curious. I don't want to buy anything twice.

Thanks in advance!

[oldwolf]

"L" glass will work on both crop sensor and full frame.

the EF-S glass will work on only crop sensors. that's just canon brands though.

the othe manufacturers like tokina, tamron and sigma will have their own letter designations but just look at their description and they'll normally tell you that it will work on crop sensors only or something like that.

welcome to canon.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Incisive

Quick question as I just switched over to Canon digital from Nikon film.

Just out of curiosity: why switch?

[sybren]

Originally Posted by oldwolf

the EF-S glass will work on only crop sensors.

It will work on APS-C sensors only, i.e. 1.6x crop factor. The Canon EOS 1D has a "crop sensor" too, but with a 1.3x factor it's still too large and won't support EF-S.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by Incisive

... Currently T1i but moving to full frame after all the glass is purchased so I'm curious. I don't want to buy anything twice.

The only problem with this plan is that you're then depriving yourself of a lot of wide angle choices. On full-frame, 24mm or 28mm is considered wide angle, but to get the equivalent field of view on a crop body, like the T1i, you need a 17mm or 18mm. And if you want extreme wide angle, something like the EF-S 10-22 is your only solution. On a crop body, a 28mm lens is perilously close to normal/standard, not wide angle.

Some EF-S lenses are L-quality, like the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM, and hold value quite well. If you're planning on going full frame within the year and you're going to ditch the T1i, rather than keep it as a backup body, or for those times you'd like a little supertele crop assistance , then ok, avoid the EF-S glass. But if it's going to be five years or so, then the $200 or so you'll lose on selling the lens could be seen as $40/year rental fee for having had the lens to shoot with for five years.

In addition, the EF-S 18-55 IS kit lens (~$60-80 if purchased in a kit) is probably the cheapest wide angle lens on a crop body you're going to find. To get anything full-frame compatible that's even close to being equivalent, the cheapest lens you're going to find new is the 17-40L, which is nearly $800. And it has no stabilization, and is still too slow for available light. (There's also the 16-35 f/2.8L USM II, which is $1500. Most L lenses have pricetags that start at $1000, the only exceptions I can think of are the 70-200 f/4 non-IS, the 17-40L and the 200L all of which are more than $500). And I can personally attest that L lenses can make a dRebel awfully nose heavy.Doesn't mean they're not worth it, but it's not a perfect fit.

Just saying, while you obviously don't wanna go hog wild on EF-S lenses, don't rule them out altogether, and don't think that nothing but Ls will do. The lenses you're thinking to eliminate from consideration may be the best solution for what you want to shoot. You can always sell the lens if you don't want it any more and recoup at least part of your purchase price. Hell, the way lenses are currently going up, you may even make some money.