Lens Compatibility

The leading branded D-SLRs (Canon, Nikon, Sony (that uses Minolta lenses) and Pentax) should all be able to accept the auto-focus lenses built for their film cameras. Olympus has developed their own unique system that does not permit older lenses to be used on their 4/3 digital cameras which is a shame. Some of the older lenses produced by the other main brands may require special adaptors so it makes sense to check this by paying a visit to your local camera dealer before buying. Some manual focus lenses may also work on certain cameras. Lenses made by companies such as Tamron, Sigma and Tokina are usually less expensive but you will need to ensure that they have the correct mount attachment enabling them to work with your camera but third party lenses are not available to fit all bodies, specifically some of those made by Olympus, Sony and Pentax. The best lenses can be far more costly to buy than the camera body but if you are intent on producing exceptionally high quality professional results or prints larger than 24×20 inches the quality of your optics can be critical. Another thing to consider is that the focal length of your existing lenses will not be the same when used on a digital camera unless you buy one of the limited number of the available full frame camera bodies. This is because the sensor size in cameras that aren’t full frame will be cropped smaller than the full 35mm frame area and this serves to increase the focal length of lenses that are not designed specifically for digital cameras. The majority of D-SLRs fit into this category but the increase in focal length is rarely a disadvantage and can be a positive factor if you work with telephotos a lot of the time as the following chart will illustrate.

Cropped sensors/lens focal length comparisons

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