Can A Canon Lens Fit A Nikon Camera

Buying lenses for your camera isn't always simple. The two major manufacturers, Canon and Nikon, both accept different options depending on whether you're getting a lens for a total-frame or crop sensor camera. Even if you've got a Canon photographic camera, yous tin't be sure that any Canon lens will work.

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Third parties, similar Sigma and Tamron, make things even more confusing. They also make lenses that come up with a choice of mountain. You can get a Sigma 24-105 for either Canon or Nikon cameras.

Permit's break things down a bit and look at what mounts Canon and Nikon are currently using for their cameras and lenses.

Canon: EF, EF-S, EF-1000

Canon cameras use ane of three lens mounts: the standard EF mount and and so two derivatives, the EF-S mount and EF-M mount.

The EF mount was introduced by Catechism in 1987. It's what's used by their modern total-frame cameras like the 5D Mark IV and the 6D Mark II. Every EF lens has an autofocus motor build into information technology—the EF stands for Electro-Focus. You can't buy non-autofocus EF lenses from Catechism, but third political party manufacturers do make transmission focus lenses that fit the EF mountain. If a lens is listed every bit for Catechism cameras without specifying further, it'due south almost certainly an EF lens.

The EF-Due south mount is used by Canon's crop-sensor cameras such equally the 7D Marking II, 80D and 1300D. Since the sensor is smaller, the lenses can also be smaller and lighter. An EF-South lens volition non piece of work on an EF mountain photographic camera, however the reverse is not true—EF lenses work perfectly with EF-S mountain cameras.

The EF-M mount was created for Canon's mirrorless cameras such as the M100. EF-M lenses volition only work on EF-Thou cameras. EF and EF-S lenses can be used with an adapter.

Nikon: FX and DX

Different Canon, Nikon but has one lens mount: the F-mount, which was introduced in 1959. In that location are, however, still a few complications.

Nikon has 2 sensor sizes: the FX full-frame sensor, used in cameras like the D810, and the DX APS-C sensor, used in cameras like the D500. There are lenses available for each that apply the F-mount.

The DX sensor is smaller, so lenses designed simply for it don't demand to projection as big an epitome. A DX lens will still fit on whatever F-mount camera, however, they won't be able to fully employ the larger sensor. Modernistic Nikon FX DSLRs volition automatically ingather out the empty epitome space if they detect you're using a DX lens, only you volition be left with a lower resolution, and potentially lower quality, paradigm.

FX lenses are designed to work with the larger FX sensor. They likewise use the F-mountain and so you can utilize them with your DX cameras every bit well.

Nikon also has a mirrorless mount: the Nikon 1 mount. Nikon 1 lenses can only exist used with Nikon 1 cameras, although F-mountain lenses can exist used with an adapter.

Any third-political party lens designed for Nikon cameras will use the F-mount, though some might be designed just for DX cameras.

Before you get too complacent and think you lot can employ any Nikon lens on any camera, in that location'southward another contraction. Unlike Canon cameras, where every lens has an autofocus motor, some Nikon lenses, like this 50mm f/1.8, don't. Instead, they use an autofocus motor that's built into high end Nikon DSLRs. Confusingly, these lenses are called AF lenses.

At the moment, the simply Nikon cameras without an autofocus motor are the D5600, D5500, D5300, D5200, D5100, D5000, D3400, D3300, D3200, D3100, D3000, D60, D40X and D40. These are all entry-level DX models. You lot tin can still use AF lenses on them, however you will demand to manually focus them.

Lenses with an autofocus motor build in are chosen either AF-Southward or AF-P, depending on the kind of motor they have. These can be used on any Nikon DSLR and will always have autofocus.

Camera and lens standards take inverse and developed as new technologies take evolved. Camera gear, however, can terminal forth time. Nigh lenses from the 90s will work on modern Catechism cameras and some lenses from the 70s will work on Nikon cameras. Just brand sure they've got a uniform mount.

Image Credits: A. Savin/Wikipedia, Bernie/Wikipedia.