Can I use a lens from a 35mm camera on the body of a digital camera.?

I have a canon 35mm and i use the lenses on my canon digital camera. Just make sure the fittings are compatible.

Maybe. They have to have compatible fittings

Of course, if it fits.

If you have say older Nikon Lenses and you just bought a Nikon Digital SLR camera the answer is yes. You would have to be using the Nikon F-mount Bayonet style for a Nikon.

Other camera system I am not sure about so I will not answer that.

Hope that helps,
Kevin

Often the answer is yes, you can use lenses from 35mm film bodies on a newer dSLR camera.

Their are some exceptions...
- older Canon FD mount lenses (from the Canon AE-1 for example) are not directly compatable with Canon EOS cameras wich all of the digital ones are.
- the Canon Digital Rebel does not work with all EOS lenses
- most Nikon lenses will work on most Nikon cameras
- same with Pentax lenses on a Pentex camera
- most dSLRs will crop the image by a factor of 1.3-1.6 meaning a 100mm lens from a Nikon film camera will act like a 150mm lens on a Nikon dSLR.

Another problem you may find though, is if you have an older manual lens, the auto-focus will not work. Because all dSLR cameras have auto-focus there are no split screen visual indicators in the viewfinder as in older film cameras to help you focus the lens. Also the viewfinders of most dSLR cameras are smaller which makes focusing that much more difficult.

If it is a more modern 35mm film camera lens with auto-focus then you find that other than the possible crop factor (see above) that is works pretty much the same.

Just to add some more information to that already shared above...

For Nikon...any Nikon lens in an F mount will fit on any of the nikon film or digital cameras, however, the lenses specifically designated for digital have smaller glass and do not cover a full frame sensor or 35mm film negative. It will still take a picture, but it will be vignetted.

Also, on the Nikon D40/D40x - they will only auto focus with AF-S lenses. All other AF-D/AF-G lenses will meter, but not autofocus. The last 2 types of lenses require a focus screw in the camera body, which the D40 series does not.

If it fits....you should have no problems...good luck

Many of the lenses are interchangeable if the style/model of camera is similar in both digital and manual formats. Ex: Canon EOS Rebel- I use my lenses in both camera bodies, they are made that way for a reason! You might consider researching a particular brand/style before you buy any accessories.

Some are compatible and some aren't. Try it and see.

Yes if it's compatible, but the focal length of the lens will alter.

Just remember the sensor is smaller than the film area therefore the lens will effectively become a telephoto one.
RoyS

Yes, with some Nikon Lenses. Pentax lenses are the most versatile I think. You would have the least amount of sucess with Canon lenses, unless they were the EF autofocus lenses.

As long as the fit is compatible, (e.g. Canon EF lenses work with EF or EF-S mounts) all lenses for film cameras will work on digital cameras. The problems usually occur when you try to go the other way.

The two things to remember, though, when using a lens for a film camera, are:

i) If the sensor on the camera is not "full-frame" which is the case for most DSLR's, then the lens will behave as though it is a "longer" lens than if it were on a film camera. For instance, on a Canon 400D, a Canon EF 17-40mm becomes a 28-64mm.

ii) Lenses designed specifically for digital cameras usually have special coatings to make the light strike more perpendicular to the sensor. So using a lens for film - especially cheaper lenses - may result in more colour fringing than with a digital lens. It's not a major problem, though, especially if you're looking at pro lenses such as Canon's L series lenses.

Regards,
Paul

http://www.paulmaguirephoto.com