Canon EOS 35mm film EF new lenses compatibility

DMJ · Mar 21, 2021

I have a Canon EOS Rebel 2000 (film) camera and recently bought a cheap lens from Yongnuo. The lens work fine on my canon 5D. On the Rebel, the autofocus works but the shutter does not fire. The lens was designed for DSLRs so I'm assuming there's some firmware incompatibility.
Will a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM work on the Rebel? Are there any other manufacturers that make compatible lenses for both old and new Canon EFs? I'm traveling and want to be as light as possible and there is no lighter camera than this one it's all plastic! I'm looking for the lightest 35mm or 50mm for this camera.

MattKing · Mar 21, 2021

My Canon EF 40mm EF f/2.8 STM lens works fine on any of the Canon film bodies I've tried it on. I'm not sure whether I've tried it on my Rebel 2000.
EDIT: I don't have a 50mm to try.

Oren Grad · Mar 21, 2021

Old Gregg said:
@DMJ all EF lenses from Canon will work on all EOS bodies....

Just so there's no ambiguity: all lenses from Canon that are designated only "EF" can be used. Lenses designated "EF-S" or "EF-M" cannot. I have several EF lenses that I use interchangeably on my Canon film SLRs, DSLRs and mirrorless digital cameras (of course with suitable adapters for the mirrorless cameras).

For a small/light 35 look for the original Canon EF 35/2. The current EF 35/2 IS is optically superior and offers image stabilization. But it's much bulkier than the original EF and will feel especially disproportionate on the small Rebel 2000 body. Any of the three generations of the EF 50/1.8 (I, II, STM) will be small and light, though the construction of the generation II version is really chintzy.

Also: the EF 40/2.8 STM is a marvelous lens - tiny, featherweight, optically excellent and a steal at the very low price. If you don't mind the in-between focal length and the slightly slower maximum aperture, it's an excellent match to a film Rebel body.

DMJ · Mar 21, 2021

Thank you guys for all the good info!
I think I'm going to get the 40mm pancake lens, I saw some pictures around the web and they look great indeed.

thanks,
Martin

Oren Grad · Mar 21, 2021

Depending how much of a hurry you're in, you might keep an eye on the Canon USA webstore - from time to time they have refurbished EF 40's in stock with full warranty at a substantial discount from the already low suggested retail price.

Regardless, good luck and enjoy!

baachitraka · Mar 21, 2021

EF 50mm f/1.4 lens with EOS 650. So, I presume any EF lens work with any EOS film bodies.

Don_ih · Mar 21, 2021

I have a Sigma EF lens that only covers aps-c. It fits on and works on a film Rebel but the image circle is too small. Also, I have a Tamron EF lens, made for film cameras - it doesn't work on the digital. I'd avoid 3rd party lenses if you want to swap them back and forth.

film_man · Mar 21, 2021

To specifically confirm, I have a EOS Rebel 2000 (aka EOS 300) and have used it with both the 40/2.8 STM and 50/1.8 STM. The 40 is a great combo with it, tiny and light overall and the image quality is fantastic.

In general you should be able to use any EF lens made by Canon. The only lens I had issues with the Rebel was a Tamron 45VC, it worked but when the batteries where getting a bit low it would kill the camera, I suppose digital cameras can supply more power so newer lenses are done with that in mind.

MattKing · Mar 21, 2021

In case you haven't worked with any of the STM lenses before, it can be a bit strange to need to turn the camera on before you can focus manually. The "focus by wire" process works well, once you become used to it.

DMJ · Mar 23, 2021

Thanks again for all the replies.
I just want to share that I got a new 40mm pancake for $100 from an eBay seller in South Korea, arrived in 2 days and shipping was free!
I think the white color looks great on the Rebel 2000, I'm also sharing some pictures I took with my 5D. It's got a nice bokeh too.

baachitraka · Mar 23, 2021

DMJ said:
Thanks again for all the replies.
I just want to share that I got a new 40mm pancake for $100 from an eBay seller in South Korea, arrived in 2 days and shipping was free!
I think the white color looks great on the Rebel 2000, I'm also sharing some pictures I took with my 5D. It's got a nice bokeh too.

Wow and they have paired very well.

wjlapier · Mar 23, 2021

I like the white lens! I have the black 40mm lens on a Rebel Ti. Super fast to autofocus and the lens is pretty sharp. Nice combo.

reiki_ · Apr 10, 2021

Does anyone have any idea if film EOS 5 would work with Yongnuo 35mm lens?

Rowreidr · Apr 10, 2021

reiki_ said:
Does anyone have any idea if film EOS 5 would work with Yongnuo 35mm lens?

I'm guessing no. Canon does not share/license firmware data, so it has to be reverse engineered. Yongnuo, Sigma, Tamron just made sure their firmware works on the more recent DSLRs and did not spend the time/money to make sure their lenses are compatible with more older analog EOS.

reiki_ · Apr 11, 2021

Thanks Row, I figured as much.

halfaman · Apr 11, 2021

The most compatible EOS film camera I have used with digital third party lenses is the 1V. Where my EOS 3 gave an error (like with my Sigma 50mm f/1.4) the EOS 1V worked.

Canon EOS 35mm film EF new lenses compatibility

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