Will that lens fit my Canon camera?

I love following photographers for their beautiful images on Instagram, but I also fully enjoy watching their behind-the-scenes stories for their camera set ups! And then, after seeing all the different lenses they are using, I want to try new lenses and play with them!

If you’re more in the market for a specific lens for a specific style, read this full post about my favorite lenses and which types of photos I took with them.

First things first: When you buy a camera lens, you need to be sure it will fit on your camera. Not all lenses have the same mounts.

*Do you see the differences in these lenses?*

For the above images (taken with my iPhone 11 Pro, edited in Lightroom Mobile), I specifically used non-Canon lenses to show how mounts work – and that you do not necessarily need a brand specific lens for your camera to produce amazing images.

If you’re buying locally in a retail store then checking to make sure a lens fits is as easy as trying it on your camera. But if you’re buying online, check, recheck, then confirm the compatibility!

The top 3 places that I buy camera lenses (and other gear) are:

*Amazon has a tool at the top of each product page for camera lenses that confirms the fit for your camera, which is extremely helpful!*

*This website may contain affiliate links for your convenience. I only recommend products I love & use myself.

Full frame vs. Crop Sensor Cameras

You first want to make sure the lens is going to fit your mount. My camera is a Canon 5D Mark IV, so the lens mount is a full frame Canon, also known as an EF mount.

EF MOUNT

canon mark d iv camera body — Canon Mark 5D IV, full frame camera, uses an EF lens mount

EF-S MOUNT

On the crop sensor cameras (i.e., Rebel Series, 77D) or if you see a lens that says EF-S, this is for a crop sensor APS-C camera, and it will not fit on a Canon EF mount.

Canon 77D, APS-C (crop sensor) camera, uses an EF-S lens mount

Now, to get even more confusing, an EF lens is universal… meaning it will fit on both the APS-C and Full Frame cameras. While an EF-S lens only fits on the APS-C (crop sensor) camera.

Did I lose you there?

I know this can be quite perplexing.

First try the tool from Amazon to check your compatibility, but if you’re really confused feel free to comment below or email me when you’re buying a new (or new-to-you) lens and I’m happy to help explain the differences!

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Choosing lenses to travel with is not easy!! #canon
A post shared by Rachel Carter Images (@rachelcarterimages) on Aug 4, 2017 at 8:24am PDT