My old Canon SLR has shutter problems, so I am thinking of switching to a DSLR. (Had hoped not to have to splash the cash for a year or so, but am suddenly having to buy a new camera - a very enjoyable process until it comes to paying for it !)

I have a couple of lenses & wonder if they would be compatible with the 400D ? They are a Canon EF 35-80 and a Tamron (Canon fitting) telephoto 28-200mm F3.8 - 5.6.

Would it be best to buy a 400D body only and carry on with my existing lenses (if compatible) ? I don't want to buy kit lenses if they aren't very good, but I can't justify spending too much, not at the moment anyway.

[allymac123]

Yup I'm reasonably sure they will work. They should work without any bother.

They will have their FOV multipied by 1.6x though so you may need to take that into account. (ie your 28-200 becomes a 44.8-320mm)

[Luffy]

All EF and EF-S lenses will work (FDs old A series cameras wont)

[RobDickinson]

Some old 3rd party lenses dont work so well but the 35-80 should be fine I think.

[Luffy]

I bought a 35-80 off E-bay a few months ago it works fine on my 350D

[dolcevita]

As mentioned, your existing lenses should be compatible with the 400D.

However, the EOS 400D (like many DSLRs) has a smaller sensor than a 35mm negative. This means that what you see through the viewfinder and in the final image is broadly equivalent to you using a lens with a focal length 1.6x greater than that marked on the lens.

So your existing lenses will give you more magnification than with your film camera, but you no longer have the wide-angle coverage.

You'll need 17mm to 18mm to get the same wide-angle coverage as your current camera gives with a 28mm lens. The 18-55mm kit lens doesn't add much to the cost, although see some of the many other discussions regarding higher quality alternatives.