EF or EFS whats the difference?

Danny133

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As per the title?

Which is better and why?

I just swapped my 18-55 IS + £90 for a 17-85 IS USM .. did i make a mistake?
 
EF is for normal cameras
EFS is for crop cameras... ie 450 500 550 20d 40d 60d you get the picture.

EF lenses tend to be more expensive. it's up to you. if you think you're gonna upgrade to a full frame body, then get EF lenses. if you're happy with with your crop camera.. then stick with EFS - they have some sharp lenses.

oh and no - 17-85 is a good lens. much better than the standard lens you had.
 
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EFS lenses are only for crop cameras but EF can be used on crop cameras as well.

it's because EF-S lenses are longer i believe and will touch full frame cameras' mirrors.
some have adapted EF-S lenses for full frames tho by shaving off the end.
 
full frame body being the 1d, 5d, 7d? if so no never lol 40,50,60D is as far as ill ever go lol ...

So i can buy EFS lenses no problems?

And so my 17-85 is a definate improvement over the 18-55?

Whats it like for Macro aswell? Would a raynox spoil it?
 
never heard of raynox i'm afraid. macros are really only at their best if you use dedicated macro lenses. macro settings on lenses that are not real macro lenses only mean they can focus at that specified minimum distance (but it does not produce you a 1:1 size photo)

and yes, your present lens is a good one. stick to around f8+ for really sharp photos

there's a really good ef-s lens that people rave about and just as good as an L lens. i forget what it is but it's from 17 to something with 2.8 17-55 maybe
 
p.s. the 7d is also a crop... :)

full frame body being the 1d, 5d, 7d? if so no never lol 40,50,60D is as far as ill ever go lol ...

So i can buy EFS lenses no problems?

And so my 17-85 is a definate improvement over the 18-55?

Whats it like for Macro aswell? Would a raynox spoil it?
 
The 17-85 is an EF-S lens and reputedly better than the kit lens, whatever it will give you a longer focal range which comes in handy

Other manufacturers make lenses specifically for crop cameras and they all have their own designations, for example Sigma use DC for crop and DG for full frame

The lens referred to above is the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS and its an excellent lens albeit very expensive, also considerably larger and heavier too
 
The lens referred to above is the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS and its an excellent lens albeit very expensive, also considerably larger and heavier too
Yes pricey but without doubt is the best EF-S lens Canon make, many regard the only reason it's NOT an L lens is that Canon have never (and will never?) give a L name to an EF-S lens.
 
There are quite a few threads on EF vs EF-S if you run a seach. Basically, with a crop format camera like yours there are signifcant optical benefits which EF-S exploits, so you get more range, lower f/number, lower cost etc. For example, your 17-85 lens would be pretty much impossible as an EF lens, but the benefits of EF-S run out at longer focal lengths, which is why they are all around the shorter range.

Raynox DCR-250 is good, excellent for the money. It will go well on a 17-85, towards the longer end.
 
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