Do All Canon Lenses Fit All Canon Cameras (How to Find The Compatibility?)

Canon cameras are among the best cameras in the market. One of the reasons for this is because of their powerful lenses. These lenses are categorized into three classes, wide-angle, standard, and telephoto. Each of these is designed to meet the diverse demands of shooting pictures.

As a photographer, you would love to be able to use all the lens types irrespective of your camera. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible as all canon lenses cannot fit all cameras. Canon currently boasts four categories of cameras, Mirrorless, EOS DSLR, Compact digital, and instant cameras.

In this article, we shall be looking at the factors that determine the compatibility of a lens and a camera which include:

The type of Canon camera,
The types of lens mounts,
The types of lens adapters

Finally, we would look at the compatibility of the several types of lenses to cameras and how lens adapters are used.

We Highly Recommend > Different Types of Camera Lenses and Their Uses.

Contents

Do All Canon Lenses Fit All Canon Cameras?

Before starting in depth discussion we need to know what are the important factors between camera lenses fitment. Let, read through the guide completely.

What Are the 3 Factors That Determine Canon Lens And Camera Compatibility?

The 3 factors that determine the compatibility of a camera include:

The type of Camera
The type of lens mount
Lens adapter

Types Of Camera

Not all Lenses are compatible with Canon cameras. There are several types of Canon cameras, and identifying which you have will help determine the types of lenses that would work with your camera.

The major types include mirrorless, EOS DSLR, Compact digital, and instant cameras. However, when identifying cameras based on their compatibility with lenses, Canon cameras are designated as:

EOS R System
EOS APS-C DSLR
EOS Full-Frame DSLR
EOS M series

To identify the type of camera you have, look closely at the lens mount. If inscribed on it, as observed by you is a redline, then your camera is most definitely an EOS full-frame system mirrorless camera, designated EOS R System. If you observe instead the combination of a red circle and a white square, then without any mistake, your camera is an EOS APS-C DSLR camera.

Penultimately, if what you see is a loe red circle, then your camera is EOS full-frame DSLR. Finally, if a lone white circle is inscribed on the mount, then your camera is an EOS M series APS-C mirrorless.

Types of Lens Mount

A lens mount is an interface between a camera body and a lens. The lens mount is what allows lenses to be interchangeable in a camera. Beyond the primary function of the lens mount, it also ensures a lens a securely attached to a camera. Not all lenses require a lens mount. Canon has four specific types of lens mounts. These include:

RF and RF-S,
EF, TS-E, MP-E
EF-S
EF-M

Lens Adapters

Canon lens adapters are devices designed to be used on cameras to allow you to connect a lens to a camera that it is not compatible with. With a canon adapter, you can connect an RF-S lens to an EOS full-frame DSLR camera even though both are not compatible. More of this is described in the section after this.

If you are keen on using a lens or a number of lenses that are not compatible with your camera, simply get the required adapter that would allow you to achieve this. However, note that Canon has only 4 types of adapters. These include:

Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R

This adapter allows all EF, EF-S, TS-E, and MP-E lenses to be used on EOS R System cameras.

Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R

This adapter is same as the mount adapter EF-EOS R, however, it also comes with a lens control ring

Drop-In Filter Mount Adapter Canon EF-EOS R

Like the prior, it is the same as the mount adapter EF-EOS R, however, it allows drop-in filters

Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS M

You can use any lens from any of Canon’s EF, EF-S, TS-E, and MP-E lenses to the EOS M series with this adapter

Lens To Camera Type Compatibility

Below is a complete list of camera type to lens type compatibility based on the type of lens mount.

01. Compatibility of RF Canon Lens

Canon RF lenses are fully compatible with EOS Full-frame R System mirrorless cameras and EOS full-frame DSLR.

02. Compatibility of RF-S Canon Lens

This canon RF-S lenses are fully compatible with EOS Full-frame R System mirrorless cameras. Also, they are compatible with the EOS full-frame DSLR only when used with a Canon lens adapter

03. Canon EF, TS-E, and MP-E Lenses Compatibility

These type of fine lenses are fully compatible with the EOS APS-C DSLR and EOS Full-Frame DSLR cameras. They are however only compatible with the EOS APS-C R System cameras when used with the EF-EOS R Adapter; the EOS Full-frame R System when used with the EF-EOS R Adapter and EOS M Series when used with the EF-EOS M Adapter.

04. Compatibility of EF-S Canon Lens

EF-S lenses are fully compatible with the EOS APS-C DSLR. These lenses are only compatible with the EOS APS-C R System when used with Compatible with EF-EOS R Adapter; the EOS Full-frame R System cameras when used with the EF-EOS R Adapter and the EOS M Series when used with the EF-EOS M Adapter

05. Canon EF-M Canon Lenses Compatibility

EF-M lenses are fully compatible with only the EOS M Series cameras

To Conclude

The compatibility of Canon lenses with any camera is largely dependent on the lens mount and the type of camera. Understanding these would help guide your decision on what lenses to purchase.

Also, understanding how the Canon lens adapter works would otherwise help you in using a lens with the camera it isn’t compatible with.

Do All Canon Lenses Fit All Canon Cameras? (Complete Guide to Canon lenses Compatibility)