Old Lenses, New Camera

[blueeyedjunkie]

I recently found my grandfather's old Canon AE-1 camera and lenses, however it doesn't work. As an alternative to getting it fixed, I was considering investing in a new Canon DSLR, (Rebel XT, EOS Rebel XS, or EOS Rebel T3)
Before I do this, I want to know if I'll be able to use my SLR lenses on the new camera.
The lenses I have are:
Canon 1:1.8 50mm
Vivitar 1:4.5 f=90mm-230mm
Continental Optics 1:2.8 f=28mm
Gemini 1:4.5 f=80-205mm
Gemini 1:3.5-4.8 f=28-80mm

I also have these converters:
Vivitar Automatic Tele Converter 2X-4 FL-FD
Gemini Auto Tele Converter 2X for Canon-FD

I'm relatively new with all of this and still slightly confused by all the numbers. I just need to know if the the lenses/converters I already have will be functional enough with a new DSLR (This is mostly for fun, I don't care too much about the images being super sharp).
Thank you so much!

[OsmosisStudios]

None of it will work directly, and none of it is worth having altered to make it work. Sorry.

When Canon went from manual focus to autofocus, they changed the mount design: nothing was compatible.

[inkista]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but no, you probably won't be able to use the AE-1's lenses on a new digital Canon, like the T3i. It's possible, but a PITA.

The AE-1 was FD mount. In 1987, Canon completely redesigned their mount system to make a new autofocusing electronic mount. This EOS mount has been used by them ever since, and it is incompatible with the FD/FL manual focus mounts that came before.

You can find adapters that will physically allow you to mount the lens. But the "registration distance" (the distance the lens is held from the film/sensor) for EOS is larger than that for FD. And you can't just jam the FD lens farther back into the EOS mount. Holding an FD lens farther away from the image plane than it was designed to be creates a focusing issue, where you cannot achieve focus at infinity, but only at closer distances.

An adapter that overcomes this will need to have a glass element in it, and will act like a little teleconverter. This will increase the focal length, max. aperture, and probably add softness to the lens (particularly if it is a cheap piece of glass).

And. If you do decide it's still worth it to go this route, remember, you won't have autofocus, or any electronic communication between the lens and the body. This will restrict you to shooting in the M or Av modes only (you can't use a mode where the camera cannot set the aperture of the lens), you'll be using stop-down metering not wide-open metering (i.e., the viewfinder will get dimmer as you set the aperture smaller, because the camera cannot open and close down the aperture), and your EXIF information will have holes where the lens information goes (focal length, aperture used, lens name). Etc.

It's doable. But for most folks, it's not worth it, particularly given that most dSLRs are designed for autofocus, so you don't have the manual focus aids in the viewfinder you used to have with film cameras, like split-circle/prisms.

It's usually not worth it unless a lens is a serious optical gem, and the list of lenses you've got there are mostly consumer-grade lenses.

The easiest systems to adapt Canon FD to would be the mirrorless compact systems, like Sony NEX or micro four-thirds Olympus and Panasonic cameras, as they have tiny registration distances, and you wouldn't need the optical element, but a simple mechanical tube adapter, but these are quite different cameras from a Canon dSLR. And you'd still have all the same camera-can't-talk-to-the-lens issues.

Now, if you have a DIY mindset, and you like using antique technology, this might be the path for you. I have oodles of fun using adapted manual focus lenses. But it's not for everyone.

[blueeyedjunkie]

Okay, thank you so much!
I think I'll just get the AE-1 repaired if the cost isn't anything obnoxious!
Thanks again!