Canon EF V EFS: What's the difference between Canon's EF and their EF-S lenses?

Al Freeedman

What's the difference between Canon's EF and their EF-S lenses?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Wiki does a good job of explaining - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EF-S_lens_mount

The EF-S corresponds to Nikon's DX format

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

EF-S are designed for APS-C cameras ("crop sensor"), such as Canon T3i and T6i. Don't use them on the "big boy" cameras.

EF lenses can be used on both full frame and APS-C cameras.

Sensor size differences discussed:

http://digital-photography-school.com/full-frame-sensor-vs-crop-sensor-which-is-right-for-you/

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robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Linda From Maine wrote:

EF-S are designed for APS-C cameras ("crop sensor"), such as Canon T3i and T6i. Don't use them on the "big boy" cameras.

EF lenses can be used on both full frame and APS-C cameras.

Sensor size differences discussed:

http://digital-photography-school.com/full-frame-sensor-vs-crop-sensor-which-is-right-for-you/

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The mount is designed to not even go on the FF bodies, forcing it will damage lens and camera. They can be modified, but why?

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

robertjerl wrote:

The mount is designed to not even go on the FF bodies, forcing it will damage lens and camera. They can be modified, but why?

Assuming your question is not rhetorical - lol, maybe cheaper to modify than buy new lenses if someone is on budget, just got a ff camera (maybe from Santa!), and has favorite EF-S lenses?

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Linda From Maine wrote:

Assuming your question is not rhetorical - lol, maybe cheaper to modify than buy new lenses if someone is on budget, just got a ff camera (maybe from Santa!), and has favorite EF-S lenses?

Most EF-S lenses don't throw a big enough image for a FF sensor.

10 mm EF-S image on a FF sensor

(Download)

Carl D Loc: Albemarle, NC.

CHG_CANON wrote:

Wiki does a good job of explaining - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EF-S_lens_mount

The EF-S corresponds to Nikon's DX format

Please keep your camera brands straight, EF-S has nothing to do with Nikon!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Full frame format lenses (which are also fully usable on crop sensor cameras):

- Canon EF
- Nikon FX
- Sigma DG
- Tamron Di
- Tokina FX

Crop sensor format lenses (intended for use only on APS-C cameras):

- Canon EF-S
- Nikon DX
- Sigma DC
- Tamron Di II
- Tokina DX

Full frame-capable lenses need to produce a larger image circle to cover the larger sensor completely and as evenly as possible. In order to do this, full frame lenses tend to be larger, heavier and more expensive.

bcrawf

robertjerl wrote:

Most EF-S lenses don't throw a big enough image for a FF sensor.

Glad to see somebody has finally made this simple matter absolutely clear.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Al Freeedman wrote:

What's the difference between Canon's EF and their EF-S lenses?

EF-S lenses are designed for the smaller sensor of the APS-C bodies. If you were to get one mounted up on a full frame body (very much not recommended) you would end up with a somewhat circular appearing photo due to the serious vignetting. In short, the corners of the photo would be black due to lack of coverage of those parts of the sensor.
In addition, there are few, if any, EF-S lenses that could be considered professional grade or that could compare to the EF "L" lenses. Just the same, many of the EF-S lenses produce fine quality images. They just lack some of the high end features and build quality of the better EF lenses.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Linda From Maine wrote:

Assuming your question is not rhetorical - lol, maybe cheaper to modify than buy new lenses if someone is on budget, just got a ff camera (maybe from Santa!), and has favorite EF-S lenses?

Robert's image demonstrated the vignetting problem. The same thing would occur with the Samyang (Rokinon et al) 8mm fisheye lens. It is designed for APS-C cameras, and provides full sensor coverage on an APS-C camera, but a circular fish eye image on a full frame sensor. The lens has a standard EF mount so can be attached to both APS-C anf FF frame Canon cameras.

The big problem with Canon EF-S lenses is that they are designed to be efficient on the smaller mirror box of an APS-C camera. The rear lens element can protrude far enough into a full frame camera to cause physical mirror interference and damage to both the camera and lens unless stopped from doing so. There is a fairly well documented procedure for adapting the EF-S 10-22 lens, which will give results like the one that Robert posted, but also will cause mirror contact issues at less than 12mm.

At then end of the day if moving to Canon full frame it makes sense to buy EF lenses. Good EF-S lenses like the 10-22mm keep their resale value pretty well.

Dan Mc Loc: NM

As I was told (hearsay, I agree) Sigma lenses, even DX are fine for a FF like the D5????

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Dan Mc wrote:

As I was told (hearsay, I agree) Sigma lenses, even DX are fine for a FF like the D5????

Most third party lenses are designed to fit multiple Camera body brands and don't typically protrude into the mirror box as Canon EF-S lenses can. An APS-C designed lens still won't normally cover a full frame sensor, but if the camera has something similar to Nikon's DX mode then they should work on a full frame camera without the risk of damage which is the biggest problem. Even without a DX mode equivalent an image can be cropped to get rid of the vignetting.

bcrawf

Peterff wrote:

Most third party lenses are designed to fit multiple Camera body brands and don't typically protrude into the mirror box as Canon EF-S lenses can. An APS-C designed lens still won't normally cover a full frame sensor, but if the camera has something similar to Nikon's DX mode then they should work on a full frame camera without the risk of damage which is the biggest problem. Even without a DX mode equivalent an image can be cropped to get rid of the vignetting.

Yes, I guess it can be done, but why?? Look at the result: I took Robert's vignetted image, drew a proportional rectangle inside it to show what image could be obtained without severe drop-off in the corners and read off the sizes of the two rectangles. It turned out that the area of the smaller rectangle is 0.5 that of the larger one. This means that if you have, for example, a 24 megapixel camera with such a vignetting lens, you are getting the equivalent of a 12 megapixel image (by the time you've lost half the area, as you would). Seems like an expensive (and somewhat laborious) way to shoot 12 megapixel images.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

bcrawf wrote:

Yes, I guess it can be done, but why?? Look at the... (show quote)

I completely agree with you, but some people seem to want to consider it.