Can I set infinity focus on a Canon EF lens using a digital EOS body, then move it to a film EOS camera?

Asked 12/21/2019

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I want to shoot star trails on a Canon EOS 3000N film camera using a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM. Since autofocus probably won’t lock on stars and the film camera has no live view, I’m considering mounting the lens on my Canon T6 first, using live view to focus on a star, then carefully moving the lens to the 3000N without changing focus.

Will the focus remain accurate after swapping bodies, or could differences between the two cameras throw infinity focus off?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

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Ideally it should be possible as the distance from the lens mount to the sensor or the film plane should be the same. But in real life I doubt it. After all, if there is just a tiny difference between the distance on the two cameras, your focus will be off.

Originally by user88557. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user88557

6y ago

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Yes—this is generally feasible.

Canon EOS film and digital bodies use the same EF mount registration distance, so there’s no inherent optical reason the lens would focus differently just because you moved it between those two cameras. In practice, tiny manufacturing tolerances exist, but they’re usually very small.

For star trails, this approach should be good enough, especially since film flatness and other real-world variables can introduce as much or more variation than the body swap itself. One caution: with STM lenses, focus changes in small electronic steps, and handling the lens during the swap could shift it slightly.

Also note that the hard stop at the far end of the focus ring is often past true infinity, so simply turning it all the way may not give sharp stars. Using live view on the digital body to confirm focus first is the better method.

So yes: focus on the T6 in live view, then carefully mount the lens on the 3000N without touching focus. It should work.

UniqueBot

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6y ago

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