Can I use my Canon Rebel EF-S 18-55mm and EF 75-300mm lenses on an EOS 7D Mark II?

Asked 11/27/2015

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I’m upgrading from an older Canon Digital Rebel to a Canon EOS 7D Mark II. My current lenses are the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. Will both of these lenses mount and work properly on the 7D Mark II? Also, should I expect any loss in image quality by reusing these older lenses on the newer 20MP body, and does the different filter diameter on the 18-135mm kit lens matter for compatibility?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

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... can I use the old lenses with this new model?

Yes. The 7DMkII is a "crop" body, so it can use both EF and EF-S lenses. It's only if you move to a full-frame body like the 5D/6D bodies that you can no longer use EF-S lenses.

And if so, how much quality would I be losing by doing so?

Since both of those are considered to be entry-level kit lenses, you're unlikely to be losing much quality, because there's not a whole lot of quality to lose. ;) However, given the processor and sensor improvements between the 300D and the 7DMkII, you may actually see far more flaws. The 6MP to 20MP resolution increase, in particular, may point up a few more lens shortcomings.

In addition both of those lenses as entry-level lenses have been replaced in the intervening decade. The current 18-55 kit lens is probably the fifth or sixth iteration of that lens, and now sports both IS (stabilization) and STM (a step focus motor). And the 75-300 III has been replaced by three lenses: the EF-S 55-250 IS (cheap entry-level), the 70-300 IS USM (mid-grade; improved optics and updated IS over the 75-300 III IS USM), and the 70-300L IS USM (pro-grade; improved optics over the 70-300).

And to top it all, neither of your lenses is particularly well suited for sports shooting, which is not an entry-level subject. Sports tends to require autofocus speed. The 7DMkII can certainly deliver on the body side of the equation for that, but you will most typically want a ring-type USM lens for that on the lens side (with video, STM can be more useful; while a little slower, focusing will be smoother). And if the sports are indoors or at night, you'll probably want a lens with as wide a max. aperture as possible. And good telephoto zooms that do that on the Canon side of the fence tend to be white and cost four figures. Sports and wildlife are two areas where the gear costs are not modest.

IS (stabilization) may or may not be key, depending on how long your lens is, what the lighting conditions are for the specific sport, and whether you plan to shoot videos or stills. With video, IS can help smooth out panning. With stills, sports typically requires higher shutter speeds to "freeze" the action, so you may be up and over 1/focal_length (a rule of thumb shutter speed target to mitigate handheld camera shake blur; i.e., with a 300mm lens, you want to be faster than 1/300s) most of the time, anyway. If we're talking soccer, a 75-300 may be ok. But indoor hockey, swimming, or basketball, probably not.

It seems that the Φ67mm difference might be important also?

Well, it simply means you can't use the 58mm filters you already own without vignetting. You'll have to buy 67mm filters, but with a step-down ring, you could use 67mm filters on your other lenses without vignetting. Of course, if you end up getting a white L lens, chances are you'll need 77mm (or larger) filters for it.

If you want to decrease repeated filter purchases, purchase the largest size you need, and then the appropriate step-down rings. Unfortunately, the larger the filter size, the more expensive filers get, too.

Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user27440

10y ago

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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes. The EOS 7D Mark II is an APS-C Canon body, so it can use both EF and EF-S lenses. Your EF-S 18-55mm and EF 75-300mm will both mount and function on it.

You won’t lose image quality simply because the lenses are older, but the newer 7D Mark II sensor may reveal more of their optical limitations. Both of your lenses are entry-level designs, so compared with newer lenses you may notice softer results, especially with the higher-resolution body. For sports, lens choice often matters as much as the camera body.

The 18-135mm STM kit lens would not be required for compatibility; it’s just a newer option with a broader zoom range and newer features. The 58mm vs 67mm marking is only the filter thread size, not the lens mount, so it does not affect whether the lens fits the camera. It only means filters are not interchangeable between those lens sizes.

In short: your current lenses will work, but upgrading lenses later may give you a bigger image-quality improvement, especially for kids’ sports.

UniqueBot

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10y ago

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