Adapting lenses to Canon EOS 5

bertl · Jan 3, 2024

Hi there,

I recently wanted to adapt some of my Nikon glass to use on a Canon EOS 5 (film camera without "D"), but unfortunately it doesn't seem to like adapters without a chip. It locks up when you press the shutter and flashes an "empty battery" symbol on the screen.
Google says the only ways to make this work on the EOS 5 is either installing an appropriate chip on the adapter or not turning the lens until the mount locks. Both solutions sound quite cumbersome; does anyone here have any advice for me?

Thanks in advance!

film_man · Jan 4, 2024

I assume your camera works fine without a lens on at all, right? You can fire it, change shutter speed etc, obviousyl P/A modes won't work but Manual and T (shutter priority) should work.

Some of the EOS cameras have a little switch that gets pushed by the mount of the lens once locked in, which then makes the camera expect a chipped lens. See here https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/...OS-1V-puzzled-Aperture-shows-as-00/m-p/413300 Just mount the adapter without a lens on and you'll work out what needs filing down.

You can file down the adapter a bit on the correct location and you should be ok. It only takes a tiny amount, I had to do that with a leitax adapter for the 1V and it worked fine after that.

The alternative is to buy an adapter with a chip, they are easy to find. You'll get focus confirmation too with that. If you intend to use the lenses a lot the cost is reasonable.

koraks · Jan 4, 2024

Another option is to acquire a Nikon SLR and enjoy the full benefits/functionality of your Nikon glass without any adapters, hassle etc. It should be easy to find an affordable, modern Nikon film SLR that compares favorably to the old EOS5, which is getting rather long in the tooth.

bertl · Jan 5, 2024

film_man said:
I assume your camera works fine without a lens on at all, right? You can fire it, change shutter speed etc, obviousyl P/A modes won't work but Manual and T (shutter priority) should work.

Some of the EOS cameras have a little switch that gets pushed by the mount of the lens once locked in, which then makes the camera expect a chipped lens. See here https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/...OS-1V-puzzled-Aperture-shows-as-00/m-p/413300 Just mount the adapter without a lens on and you'll work out what needs filing down.

You can file down the adapter a bit on the correct location and you should be ok. It only takes a tiny amount, I had to do that with a leitax adapter for the 1V and it worked fine after that.

The alternative is to buy an adapter with a chip, they are easy to find. You'll get focus confirmation too with that. If you intend to use the lenses a lot the cost is reasonable.

Thanks for the link & hints, this was exactly what I needed!
Filed down the part on the adapter which pushes the little pin and now the EOS 5 seems to not complain anymore.

koraks said:
Another option is to acquire a Nikon SLR and enjoy the full benefits/functionality of your Nikon glass without any adapters, hassle etc. It should be easy to find an affordable, modern Nikon film SLR that compares favorably to the old EOS5, which is getting rather long in the tooth.

Agreed, if I end up using the Nikon lenses frequently on the Canon, it might be the better option to just get a more modern Nikon SLR with matrix metering etc.

Nevertheless I'm really happy that it was possible to make it work with what I have, thanks for your help guys!

miha · Jan 5, 2024

Hi @bertl Adapters are a huge compromise. In case the collection of your Nikkors is small the EOS 5 might be the ticket to the wonderful EOS system - sell your Nikkors and get yoursel a couple of nice EF lenses - no compromises, 100% compatability since day one.

bertl · Jan 5, 2024

Hi miha, completely agree that adaptation is always a compromise!
I only got the EOS 5 because I already have a (to my eyes sufficient) EF-lens lineup from shooting Canon digitally and I wanted to bring a film body to hikes without the need for additional lenses in the backbag.
My collection of Nikkors is definitely smaller, but I still enjoy them on my FE / F2.

This adaptation-project was mainly out of curiosity, which kicked in when the adapter didn't work on the film EOS but did its job just fine on my digital bodies.

Adapting lenses to Canon EOS 5

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