EF lenses on mirrorless (with adaptor) die faster ?

I wonder what the explanation is on how the adapter is harmful to lenses. R cameras running different voltages/freq than the old 5D 6D series? Seems unlikely that the EF lens has a different experience on an R5 than it would on an 5D.
DSLRs are rougher on aperture mechanisms, because they open the aperture between the shots, at least in AIServo. The R-series cameras, at least the R5 and R7, stay stopped down throughout AIServo bursts with all the lenses that I've looked into the front of.

The list of variables is getting larger and larger as technology progresses, and it can be a bit much to keep up with.
 
I have a friend who is pro photographer . He is using his old EF 24-70 f/2.8 on EOS R , with an adaptor (the original) . The lens stopped working and at the shop of his technician , the technician told him , that it's very common with ef lenses on adaptor. Could it be true ? May the EF lens on RF mount is straining more than on native mount and breaks more soon ?
I use the EF 70-200, EF 50 f1.4, and EF 85 f1.8 on the adapter with no problems. Surely, we would have heard a lot about EF problems if it was the case. Lots of old DSLR guys on here using their old lenses with the latest R bodies.
The only problems that adapters can cause is resistive; poor contact of conductors, but such would evidence itself in error codes, I would think, and probably wouldn't cause a whole lot of spurious aperture or focus motor movement.
 
I have a friend who is pro photographer . He is using his old EF 24-70 f/2.8 on EOS R , with an adaptor (the original) . The lens stopped working and at the shop of his technician , the technician told him , that it's very common with ef lenses on adaptor. Could it be true ? May the EF lens on RF mount is straining more than on native mount and breaks more soon ?
Breaking News: ANYONE WHO WAS ALIVE DURING WORLD WAR ONE IS AT AN ELEVATED RISK OF DYING THIS YEAR.
 
Yes, it’s a little known fact, but it’s true. However, it doesn’t apply to all EF lenses; all the STM-equipped models are fine, as are most of the post-live-view-era USM drives. The problem is that the older drives weren’t really optimized for back-and-forth focus racking in small increments, which is something that mirrorless cameras do more often.

Let me say though, that your pro friend probably uses the hell out of his lenses, and it sounds like he shoots in low light situations a lot. Because that’s usually the only scenario in which Canon mirrorless cameras use hybrid AF (both phase and contrast detection). With normal, amateur use, this shouldn’t be a problem at all.

And before people start grilling me - I know this from the Olympus Four Thirds days (the old DSLRs). Lenses not optimized for live view sucked in that mode, and if the user wasn’t cautious, the AF motors would fail much earlier because of the constant racking. The problem became even worse when those lenses were adapted to Micro Four Thirds cameras without OSPDAF, as those would drive them to hunt even more rapidly and constantly. Similar problems have been reported with Sony mirrorless cameras with A-mount lenses, or adapted EF ones.
This should also exist with Nikon F-mount lenses on a Z-body then?
No, because Nikon Z cameras exclusively use OSPDAF for focus. Of course, the constant churn of the AF* might also do them in earlier, but at least they don't rack focus constantly.
And it should exist even more with for Canon and/or Sigma EF lenses on the MC-21 adapter on a L-mount body that only has CDAF.
Definitely, but I have no evidence from those users, there just aren't many around. And probably even less of them use EF lenses regularly. But it stands to reason why Sigma don't recommend their own older EF/SA lenses for use with the MC-21, as their older AF motors are especially vulnerable to this.

*This is another factor that I forgot to mention. Users in 2022 tend to run their cameras far more often in continuous AF than they did years ago, when focus and recompose was still a more relevant technique, and this means the AF motors get much more exercise.
 
In regards to the OP's original questions, the people at Lensrentals would very likely have the definitive answer.
 
I have a friend who is pro photographer . He is using his old EF 24-70 f/2.8 on EOS R , with an adaptor (the original) . The lens stopped working and at the shop of his technician , the technician told him , that it's very common with ef lenses on adaptor. Could it be true ? May the EF lens on RF mount is straining more than on native mount and breaks more soon ?
It seems one of the problems with owning an R body is it can make people more gullible?
 
I have a friend who is pro photographer . He is using his old EF 24-70 f/2.8 on EOS R , with an adaptor (the original) . The lens stopped working and at the shop of his technician , the technician told him , that it's very common with ef lenses on adaptor. Could it be true ? May the EF lens on RF mount is straining more than on native mount and breaks more soon ?
Canon has designed the adapters to be hard on EF lenses in order to force people who've upgraded their cameras to upgrade their lenses also and sooner than they'd like.

Actually i don't believe a word of that, but as you have come up with something that has potential as an urban myth I think we should go all the way and turn it into a conspiracy theory because we really don't have enough of those. :-)
 
I have a friend who is pro photographer . He is using his old EF 24-70 f/2.8 on EOS R , with an adaptor (the original) . The lens stopped working and at the shop of his technician , the technician told him , that it's very common with ef lenses on adaptor. Could it be true ? May the EF lens on RF mount is straining more than on native mount and breaks more soon ?
Sounds like very bad logic in action.

While it is remotely possible that some difference in addressing the EF lenses is more stressful, it is not very likely.
In my limited experience with the R5, I'd say it's very likely. On a typical DSLR, the lens focuses only when you press the focus button, whichever one you've mapped. The default situation with the R5 has it focusing all the time. The lens does way more work on a mirrorless camera than it did with a DSLR.
 
Do we know what failed in this example? Was it the aperture mechanism? The aperture mechanism may be used more on DSLRs, but the IS mechanism is used more on mirrorless.
 
In regards to the OP's original questions, the people at Lensrentals would very likely have the definitive answer.
So? ... and what do they have to say?
 
I have a friend who is pro photographer . He is using his old EF 24-70 f/2.8 on EOS R , with an adaptor (the original) . The lens stopped working and at the shop of his technician , the technician told him , that it's very common with ef lenses on adaptor. Could it be true ? May the EF lens on RF mount is straining more than on native mount and breaks more soon ?
24-70 2.8 I - old lens. And its unreliability was legendary even in 5d2 era.
5D mk I era too.
 
In regards to the OP's original questions, the people at Lensrentals would very likely have the definitive answer.
I don’t think they have it. At least not without some incredibly in-depth analysis, trying to tie AF motor failures to extended adapted use, and that’s already a pretty flaky connection to make; not every user will declare whether they intend to use their lens on a mirrorless camera, or even on both a DSLR and mirrorless. Even someone who rents, say, either an R5 or A7RIV and an EF lens is guaranteed to use it exclusively on their rented body. What if they want to upgrade from a 5DIV or 5DS, and they run the lens for relatively equal time on each body?

Establishing a connection would be extremely difficult and resource-intensive. The only semi-reliable data points we have are users with extensive experience adapting - LensRentals won’t help in this case.

--
"Chase the light around the world
I want to look at life
In the available light" - Rush, 'Available Light'
 
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I have a friend who is pro photographer . He is using his old EF 24-70 f/2.8 on EOS R , with an adaptor (the original) . The lens stopped working and at the shop of his technician , the technician told him , that it's very common with ef lenses on adaptor. Could it be true ? May the EF lens on RF mount is straining more than on native mount and breaks more soon ?
Sounds like very bad logic in action.

While it is remotely possible that some difference in addressing the EF lenses is more stressful, it is not very likely.

What is most likely true is that most EF lenses out there are now aging, and many of them that are still used are used on mirrorless cameras with adapter, and so most lens failures in recent times are EF lenses on R-series bodies.

This is why the scientific methods were developed, because humans are irrational beings that look for simple narratives in their experiences.
Higher frame rates pushing the Aperture mechanism harder and heavier IS duty cycle come to mind as being typical of R camera use - perhaps accelerating the natural death of old EF lenses (sooner than if otherwise used with a DSLR)
Do you observe that with some lenses? All the ones I've looked into (literally; looking at the iris) while bursting maintain pupil size during a burst; they do not open between exposures to tweak AF in AIServo mode; that is all done at the exposure-time aperture. That's with the R5; I haven't looked into lenses on the R7 much.
 
I have a friend who is pro photographer . He is using his old EF 24-70 f/2.8 on EOS R , with an adaptor (the original) . The lens stopped working and at the shop of his technician , the technician told him , that it's very common with ef lenses on adaptor. Could it be true ? May the EF lens on RF mount is straining more than on native mount and breaks more soon ?
This is an interesting question.

I often wonder if my 300 2.8 IS II used at 20fps in ES with my R5 could be damaged. Both in aperture mechaninsm and AF drive.

For Canon it is perfectly compatible and can work at 20fps with no problem at all.
 
May the EF lens on RF mount is straining more than on native mount and breaks more soon ?
Rubbish.

Live long enough, and you quickly learn that some people feel compelled to offer explanations when, in fact, they have no clue--kinda like how religions started.
 
In regards to the OP's original questions, the people at Lensrentals would very likely have the definitive answer.
Not unless they track whether a rented EF lens is used adapted on a R body or not. I don't see any indication that they know that
 
I have a friend who is pro photographer . He is using his old EF 24-70 f/2.8 on EOS R , with an adaptor (the original) . The lens stopped working and at the shop of his technician , the technician told him , that it's very common with ef lenses on adaptor. Could it be true ? May the EF lens on RF mount is straining more than on native mount and breaks more soon ?
Canon has designed the adapters to be hard on EF lenses in order to force people who've upgraded their cameras to upgrade their lenses also and sooner than they'd like.

Actually i don't believe a word of that, but as you have come up with something that has potential as an urban myth I think we should go all the way and turn it into a conspiracy theory because we really don't have enough of those. :-)
Repeat it a few times on a few forums etc and people would start to latch onto this juicy bit of information. I bet there would also be a comment drop from an unnamed Canon rep at some point
 
I have a friend who is pro photographer . He is using his old EF 24-70 f/2.8 on EOS R , with an adaptor (the original) . The lens stopped working and at the shop of his technician , the technician told him , that it's very common with ef lenses on adaptor. Could it be true ? May the EF lens on RF mount is straining more than on native mount and breaks more soon ?
Perhaps worth asking that tech his basis for the claim - get a sense of what common means

In the last 10-15 years, I've had 2 lenses fail on me:
  1. Sigma 35mm ART EF - AF failed, was repaired under warranty
  2. Canon EF 24-70 f2.8 L II - cracked barrel. Was odd one, it just cracked without anything obvious I noticed. Lens was fine. Outer barrel was replaced by Canon at my cost
Both of these happened during me 5D IV days. Have been using many EF lenses adapted on R5 and R7 since 2020.

Does this mean 5D IV was the worst camera for EF lenses? The data certainly supports that
 
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