Feeling slightly confused about new DSLR...

[RacheyT]

The DSLR I currently have is an Olympus.

I'm about to buy a new Canon.
I'd always thought you could interchange lenses, but have just been told that I'll need to buy a full new kit as my Olympus lenses will not work on my new Canon, is this true, or is it just something the companies say to make you spend more money?

[Cathus]

No, it's generally true. The cameras & lenses have different fittings & electrical circuits so you can't physically attach an Olympus lens to a Canon camera, or most of the other combinations, Canon to Nikon, Pentax to Canon etc etc.

There are some coupling devices which go between the lens & the camera to allow you to connect a different make lens to a camera but only for a few combinations & you might lose some functionality, you would have to see if there are any that allow you to couple an Olympus to a Canon, but generally it's best to use a lens which specifically fits the camera.

[RacheyT]

Thanks very much =]
I'll have to look into adaptors then, I doubt I'll find one for Olympus since it's generally not great on 'gadgets'.

[Cathus]

Rachel,

I had a quick Google (so to speak) & it seems you can... here is one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AF-Confirm-Oly...258585ff31d5fc

though I have no idea about Olympus lenses so you'd need to check that the converter will work with your lenses

[chris-p]

Hi Rachel, welcome to the forum.

One quick question - do you have a digital Olympus SLR or is it film? If it's digital, the adaptor that Cathus has linked to will NOT work.

All lens mounts are proprietary technology. As such the lens mount on a Canon (called the EOS mount) is different from that on a Nikon (the F mount), or a Pentax (K mount), or a Sony (alpha mount). Digital Olympus SLR cameras use a mount called the "Four Thirds" mount.
These are all different and so, as Cathus already said, you cannot cross the mounts without an adaptor.

However, adaptors aren't perfect. You be pretty much guaranteed to loose auto focus and you may loose some of the metering options as well.
You will get a Canon EOS/Four Thirds adaptor. Companies like SRB Griturn sell them.

It is generally expected that these sorts of adaptors are only used occasionally, more for a "I've got this one odd lens that doesn't go with the rest of my system" scenario rather than as a regular lens mounting option.
It's difficult to advise, though, without knowing how many (and exactly what type) lenses you have for your Olympus, what model Olympus camera it is and what model Canon you're looking at buying.