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Photo Forum / Digital Photography / DSLR Cameras / September 2006

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Why don't Canon and Nikon make lenses for Nikons and Canons?

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Ray - 26 Sep 2006 21:49 GMT
Since both Canon and Nikon know how to make lenses, why don't they make
lenses for each other's cameras?  If Sigma and Tamron can make lenses
for Canons, surely Nikon can too.  Is there some kind of licensing
issue?

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Ray
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Charles Schuler - 26 Sep 2006 22:34 GMT
> Since both Canon and Nikon know how to make lenses, why don't they make
> lenses for each other's cameras?  If Sigma and Tamron can make lenses
> for Canons, surely Nikon can too.  Is there some kind of licensing
> issue?

Because you never, ever do anything to support your competition.
Rita Ä Berkowitz - 26 Sep 2006 22:41 GMT
>> Since both Canon and Nikon know how to make lenses, why don't they
>> make lenses for each other's cameras?  If Sigma and Tamron can make
>> lenses for Canons, surely Nikon can too.  Is there some kind of
>> licensing issue?
>
> Because you never, ever do anything to support your competition.

Actually, they do have an adapter that allows Canon users to use Nikon
lenses on their bodies.  Granted, you don't get AF, but the images are
beyond spectacular.  It seems this practice is more popular than I ever
dreamed.

Rita
Charles Schuler - 26 Sep 2006 22:50 GMT
>>> Since both Canon and Nikon know how to make lenses, why don't they
>>> make lenses for each other's cameras?  If Sigma and Tamron can make
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> beyond spectacular.  It seems this practice is more popular than I ever
> dreamed.

Beyond spectacular?  That's just silly!
Rudy Benner - 26 Sep 2006 23:30 GMT
>>>> Since both Canon and Nikon know how to make lenses, why don't they
>>>> make lenses for each other's cameras?  If Sigma and Tamron can make
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Beyond spectacular?  That's just silly!

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/nikcan.htm
http://www.camerahacker.com/Novoflex/EOSNIK.shtml
David Ruether - 27 Sep 2006 17:55 GMT
>>>>> Since both Canon and Nikon know how to make lenses, why don't they
>>>>> make lenses for each other's cameras?  If Sigma and Tamron can make
>>>>> lenses for Canons, surely Nikon can too.  Is there some kind of
>>>>> licensing issue?

>>>> Because you never, ever do anything to support your competition.

>>> Actually, they do have an adapter that allows Canon users to use Nikon lenses on their bodies.  Granted, you don't get AF, but
>>> the images are beyond spectacular.  It seems this practice is more popular than I ever dreamed.

>> Beyond spectacular?  That's just silly!

> http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/nikcan.htm
> http://www.camerahacker.com/Novoflex/EOSNIK.shtml

I got all excited (8^]) until I realized that one must trade
ease of switching lenses and the the auto-diaphragm for
the metering ability when using Nikkors (including MF)
on Canon bodies. The need to remove the lens from the
body, then the adapter from the lens (instead of just
removing the lens from the adapter while it is still attached
to the body) seems too awkward - but the system may
work if you have an all-Canon system but have the "hots"
for one Nikkor in particular (or can pay the high price for
rings for several Nikkors). Not perfect (!), but interesting...
--
David Ruether
ruether@verizon.net
rpn1@cornell.edu
http://www.ferrario.com/ruether
Bill - 28 Sep 2006 12:45 GMT
> I got all excited (8^]) until I realized that one must trade
> ease of switching lenses and the the auto-diaphragm for
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> for one Nikkor in particular (or can pay the high price for
> rings for several Nikkors). Not perfect (!), but interesting...

If you're only going to do it for one lense, I don't think it's a big
deal to use the adaptor. If you intend to use a bunch of Nikon lenses,
you might as well have a Nikon body.

:-)
David Ruether - 28 Sep 2006 15:50 GMT
>> I got all excited (8^]) until I realized that one must trade
>> ease of switching lenses and the the auto-diaphragm for
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>> for one Nikkor in particular (or can pay the high price for
>> rings for several Nikkors). Not perfect (!), but interesting...

> If you're only going to do it for one lense, I don't think it's a big deal to use the adaptor. If you intend to use a bunch of
> Nikon lenses, you might as well have a Nikon body.
>
> :-)

Yes, I thought I had said essentially that...;-)
It occured to me that a good use for these adapters is for using
Nikkors without auto-diaphragms (the older 500mm f8 mirror is
excellent, even with the TC14B, and the 28mm f4 and latest
35mm f2.8 PC lenses are also excellent - and the tilt/shift
PB-4 bellows may then also fit).
--
David Ruether
ruether@verizon.net
rpn1@cornell.edu
http://www.ferrario.com/ruether
Tony Polson - 28 Sep 2006 20:37 GMT
>If you're only going to do it for one lense, I don't think it's a big
>deal to use the adaptor. If you intend to use a bunch of Nikon lenses,
>you might as well have a Nikon body.

Surely the major advantage is being able to use Nikon glass on a full
frame (Canon) body?  If I still had a stack of Nikon lenses I would
welcome this as a route to a full frame body, even if it didn't have
the Nikon logo on it.
Bill - 28 Sep 2006 21:19 GMT
>>If you're only going to do it for one lense, I don't think it's a
>>big
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> welcome this as a route to a full frame body, even if it didn't have
> the Nikon logo on it.

Who cares about logos...this is about practicality.

So you would give up all the features that the Canon FF has with Canon
glass in order to use Nikon glass that doesn't function? Remember that
the camera can't autofocus, no distance info to help meter, you must
manually adjust aperture, and no aperture ring on G lenses means you
can't stop down at all with them. That means lenses like the sweet
70-200 VR become nearly useless and really limits the usefulness of a
bunch of other lenses.

I understand the FF interest, but if that's what you want, then buy
the right tools for the job. In most of these scenarios, the problem
is simply the need for a wider lense. So for the Nikon it would be
cheaper to get a wider lense that does what you want than getting the
FF Canon body and adaptor along with all the headaches listed above.

Beyond the wide angle loss, cropped FOV sensors don't really give up
anything else to FF bodies. A 1.6x camera does just about everything
the FF does, with the right lenses.

For something like using a tilt-shift lense from Canon on a Nikon
body, I can see it because there is little or no option for the Nikon.
That's a specialized lense and the need could arise. But for the full
frame aspect, it doesn't make much practical sense.
Tony Polson - 28 Sep 2006 21:48 GMT
>So you would give up all the features that the Canon FF has with Canon
>glass in order to use Nikon glass that doesn't function?

You obviously didn't read my posting, where I began the key sentence
with the words:

"If I still had a stack of Nikon lenses ..."

Based on that premise, if the choice is between using a Nikon APS-C
body that changes the angles of view of all the lenses,  or a Canon
full frame body that preserves the angles of view but needs the lenses
to be used stopped down, then there is a choice to be made.

I already use Contax and Leica lenses stopped down on my Canon EOS 5D,
so I suppose that indicates that I have already chosen ...  ;-)

One Nikkor I would very much like to use on the 5D would be the
20-35mm f/2.8 AF-D Nikkor.  This was one of my all time favourite
lenses, but it becomes a pretty useless 30-53mm zoom on a Nikon
digital and an even more useless 32-56mm on a Canon EOS 30D.
Rita Ä Berkowitz - 28 Sep 2006 22:38 GMT
> One Nikkor I would very much like to use on the 5D would be the
> 20-35mm f/2.8 AF-D Nikkor.  This was one of my all time favourite
> lenses, but it becomes a pretty useless 30-53mm zoom on a Nikon
> digital and an even more useless 32-56mm on a Canon EOS 30D.

The hell with that.  Put the 28mm f/1.4 and the 85mm f/1.4 on there for
primes.  Of course, you would have to use the 17-35mm f/2.8 to fully
appreciate the 5D.

Rita
Bill - 28 Sep 2006 23:29 GMT
>>So you would give up all the features that the Canon FF has with
>>Canon
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> "If I still had a stack of Nikon lenses ..."

I saw that...and the question still stands.

If you had them, would you be willing to give up all that convenience,
go out and blow $$$ on a 5D and the adaptor, rather than simply buying
one wider lense and still have all the features work?

> Based on that premise, if the choice is between using a Nikon APS-C
> body that changes the angles of view of all the lenses,  or a Canon
> full frame body that preserves the angles of view but needs the
> lenses
> to be used stopped down, then there is a choice to be made.

One can argue that a FF changes the FOV also, from the cropped FOV.
It's less about FL multipliers and more about the usable viewing
angle - if a wider lense does what you need, why use a kludge?

> I already use Contax and Leica lenses stopped down on my Canon EOS
> 5D,
> so I suppose that indicates that I have already chosen ...  ;-)

Yes, and you have Canon lenses now. That's not an answer to the
question.

> One Nikkor I would very much like to use on the 5D would be the
> 20-35mm f/2.8 AF-D Nikkor.  This was one of my all time favourite
> lenses, but it becomes a pretty useless 30-53mm zoom on a Nikon
> digital and an even more useless 32-56mm on a Canon EOS 30D.

Why is a 30-53 useless? It may not be wide enough, but it's certainly
not useless unless all you do is shoot very wide.

Canon makes a very nice 16-35 f/2.8 L you should look at, if that is
what you really need.
Rita Ä Berkowitz - 28 Sep 2006 23:45 GMT
> If you had them, would you be willing to give up all that convenience,
> go out and blow $$$ on a 5D and the adaptor, rather than simply buying
> one wider lense and still have all the features work?

Unfortunately, the problem as it stands right now Canon does not make a
decent wide-angle lens for FF.

Rita
Bill - 29 Sep 2006 00:26 GMT
>> If you had them, would you be willing to give up all that
>> convenience,
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Unfortunately, the problem as it stands right now Canon does not
> make a decent wide-angle lens for FF.

Hahaha...LOL!

You're really rolling out the jokes today...
Rita Ä Berkowitz - 29 Sep 2006 00:47 GMT
>> Unfortunately, the problem as it stands right now Canon does not
>> make a decent wide-angle lens for FF.
>
> Hahaha...LOL!
>
> You're really rolling out the jokes today...

Name one WA Canon lens that can optically outperform the Nikon 17-35 on a
5D?  Ask any Canon user if you don't believe me, they are the ones bitching
about Canon's WA poor performance.

Rita
Bill - 29 Sep 2006 09:55 GMT
>>> Unfortunately, the problem as it stands right now Canon does not
>>> make a decent wide-angle lens for FF.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> 5D?  Ask any Canon user if you don't believe me, they are the ones
> bitching about Canon's WA poor performance.

Like I said...you're on a roll...
Paul J Gans - 29 Sep 2006 03:44 GMT
>>>> Since both Canon and Nikon know how to make lenses, why don't they
>>>> make lenses for each other's cameras?  If Sigma and Tamron can make
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>> beyond spectacular.  It seems this practice is more popular than I ever
>> dreamed.

>Beyond spectacular?  That's just silly!

But it doesn't violate Shuler's rule.  Nikon does not make
that adapter.

   ---- Paul J. Gans
RichA - 26 Sep 2006 23:54 GMT
>>> Since both Canon and Nikon know how to make lenses, why don't they
>>> make lenses for each other's cameras?  If Sigma and Tamron can make
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>beyond spectacular.  It seems this practice is more popular than I ever
>dreamed.

Likewise Olympus to Canon.  And Leica to Canon. Nikon to Canon.  You
don't see the other way round very often, if ever.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Olympus-OM-Lens-to-Canon-EOS-mount-adapter-NEW_W0QQitemZ3000
30660901QQihZ020QQcategoryZ30059QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


http://cgi.ebay.com/Leica-R-Lens-to-Canon-EF-EOS-Camera-Adapter-Mount_W0QQitemZ3
20030231009QQihZ011QQcategoryZ30059QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-Lens-to-Canon-EOS-adapter-1d-20d-350d-10d-3-5d-1V_W0QQ
itemZ180031983779QQihZ008QQcategoryZ30059QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 
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