Which Canon EOS?
John Richardson
have always used Canon and have an A-1 and a F-1 with assorted lens.
I tend to take outdoor/nature/landscape/flower photos with some family
candids thrown in for good measure.
I am trying to decide which Canon EOS to buy. I'm not sure if I need all
the bells and whistles of the EOS 3 or EOS 1n - but I'd consider it. I
have seen good reviews of the EOS 7e. What is the difference between a
7e and an A2 or A2e?
Thanks for all the help.
-John
Lisa Horton
It's also enhanced (or the USA version is crippled) in a
couple of ways. The flash will pop-up by itself in full
auto mode. More better to be sure is that in manual mode
the EOS 5 shows a regular exposure scale in the viewfinder
where the A2(E) show simple +/- arrows. There are more
differences but those were the high points for me.
The Elan 7e offers a couple of advantages over the A2E. The
ECF is superior both in speed and accuracy and works in
vertical mode, unlike the A2E. The E7E has 7 AF sensors to
the A2E's 5. The E7E has all three types of sensors,
central cross, horizontal sensitive and vertical sensitive.
The A2E has only central cross and vertical sensitive. The
area covered by AF sensors is larger in the E7E. The E7E is
signifigantly smaller, lighter and quieter. The controls
are easier to use, but more prone to being jostled out of
their proper settings. The E7E has built-in diopter
correction in the viewfinder, a first in an ECF Canon. The
metering is more sophisticated in the E7E, but it has only a
10% partial area "spot" mode as opposed to a 5% spot in the
A2E. The A2E has a better built-in flash, larger and it
zooms. The A2E has an effective near-infrared patterned AF
assist beam, where the E7E has no usable AF assist
built-in. The A2E has a far superior vertical grip, but no
grip style battery pack. The E7E has a battery pack grip,
but without a main control dial, it's usefulness as a
vertical grip is severely compromised. It does however have
a very cool feature where it can use 4 AA's or the same two
CR123's that fit inside the camera itself. The E7E actually
has a better MLU. Well, it actually has MLU as opposed to
the mirror pre-fire in the A2E. The E7E has a far superior
remote release connector unlike the nearly impossible to
thread connector on the A2E. The E7E has an optional *tiny*
IR remote that's very nice. The A2E moves film through at
5fps compared the the E7E's 4fps. The A2E also has a higher
max shutter speed and a PC connector.
I think that for most people the E7E would be the preferable
camera. Primarily because of the superior ECF and AF, but
perhaps also due to it's petite dimensions and gentle heft.
I own and like both of these cameras.
Lisa
dan of the north
.
There is a list of features for the various EOS bodies here:
http://www.photozone.de/canoncamera.htm#pro
I made the same transition a few years ago
(a pair of A-1s and an AE-1 with a nice mix of lenses)
and I seem to shoot the same subjects as you.
I settled on a pair of used EOS 10s'
and the only 'feature' they don't have is spot metering.
-----
dan
.
Sent via Deja.com
http://www.deja.com/
John Shafer
reviews for both cameras at my site, PhotographyREVIEW.com.
I'll add that I've been in the same position that you're in now. I used to
have an A1 and decided that it was time for me to move up to autofocus and
at the time Canon had the best autofocus system. I traded all of my manual
focus equipment for an A2E and 28-80mm lens. At the time the A2E was a solid
choice between the 1N and the Elan 2E and the difference between the Elan
and the A2E was pretty big. That was few years ago, though and I think that
if I had to do it now, with the same budget, I'd buy the Elan 7E. The ECF
and autofocus is significantly better and the E-TTL metering and new flashes
are very nice.
Hope that helps. Good luck!
--
John Shafer
jo...@photographyreview.com
www.PhotographyREVIEW.com
Owner-posted camera reviews, camera talk and art!
"John Richardson" <j...@primeline.com> wrote in message
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Lisa Horton
personally were buying now it would be the tough choice. For me it
would boil down to spot metering, superior flash and AF assist versus
superior ECF and AF, more ergonomic controls and smaller/lighter. I'd
have to think it over carefully and be thoughtful in the weightings in
the decision matrix. But I have a feeling the E7e would win out in
the end even if only because it's so much easier to use.
Lisa
Paul Ferrara
mainly because it had spot metering and I used that a lot with my T90. The
3 also permits ratio control flash and I'm doing a lot of portraiture.
Paul
John Richardson <j...@primeline.com> wrote in message
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Michael J Hoffman
I bought the EOS 1N in April and I absolutely love it. Prior to April,
I was using the EOS 650 which now serves as a back-up.
I think you will like the 1N for several reasons. It is a rugged model.
It's durability will probably meet or exceed that of your F-1. It is
very easy to use in the manual mode thanks to the Quick Control Dial
(thumb wheel), though to be fair this feature is found on all the bodies
that you mentioned.
Of course the Elan 7e and A2e are fine cameras also, though the
technology on the A2e is a little dated, especially with regard to ECF.
I, too, was trying to decide between the EOS 3 and the 1N. I chose the
1N because I personally like a 100% viewfinder. You may also want this
feature for some of your macro work; you know your shooting style better
than anyone else. I have little desire for ECF, especially since I wear
eyeglasses all the time, and several have reported problems using ECF
with eyeglasses. Both the 1N and the 3 are professional tools, and
while I do not subject my camera to rugged use on a regular basis I
figure that if the pro models can handle abuse better than they have to
also handle gentle everyday use better. Another benefit of the 1N --
it's only $999 at B&H, which is a steal for such a fine piece of
equipment.
Neither the 1N nor the 3 are exceptionally quiet. The Elan 7e is
supposed to provide nearly silent operation. I don't know if that's an
issue for you, but I included that info, again, just to be fair.
Michael H
"My psychiatrist sent me for an MRI because she thinks I have a magnetic
personality."
Bill Jameson
...
> the bells and whistles of the EOS 3 or EOS 1n - but I'd consider it. I
> have seen good reviews of the EOS 7e. What is the difference between a
> 7e and an A2 or A2e?
>
> Thanks for all the help.
>
> -John
One thing that merits consideration that hasn't been mentioned
yet in the replies is the problem in the A2/A2e/EOS 5 of the
command dial (the one on the top left as you look through the
viewfinder) breaking.
It doesn't happen in every body, but it happens far too often.
The EOS mail list was unable to discover the frequency. Models
before and after the A2/A2e/EOS 5 do not suffer from this
problem.
Bill Jameson
Skip
Having made the apparently common transition from A-1 to A2, I'd have to
agree. The Elan 7 is an attractive camera. Since I don't shoot much in
low light, AF assist is close to moot, the only telling difference is
the larger "spot" of the Elan 7. I really like the spot meter on the
A2.
Skip
--
Shadowcatcher Imagery
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
PBurian
focus point selection)
Peter Burian
FDCave
EOS3. How much do you think the AF adds to the cost of todays SLR's?
Frank
Jsn234
From: Bill Jameson bjam...@mail.med.upenn.edu
Date: Fri, Dec 15, 2000 6:18 AM
Message-id: <3A3A1A10...@mail.med.upenn.edu>
Bill Jameson >>
It is rumored that the Elan 8 (of 2002) will have a Kamikaze mode on custom
function 98. When you use this custom function instead of the mirror flying up
for mirror lock, the command dial flies off and the prism ejects (in a failed
attempt of Kamikaze) and the camera repeatedly states "so sorry, so sorry."
Custom function 99 has Barbara Feldon's voice repeatedly say "Get Smart and buy
Nikon" and custom function 100 has a "hari kari mode" in which the photographer
drops dead from working out too many times to aerobics using Richard Simmon's
voice, or, has a Chineese "water torture mode" in which you have to listen to
Backstreet Boys singles played slow and backwards which sounds very close to a
Beatlesque "I'm buried (in the) mall" (my Contax 167MT already has a built-in
water torture mode that's not a custom function - its called setting the
motor-drive on continuous advance ;-)). Kind of makes me wish for the days when
men were men, women were women, and cameras were silent, unless told to beep...
Jsn.
Viva!
If you wish to e-mail me just try and disconnect my brain. Have a thought and
go ahead, make my day! "Clifford, on your planet, what color is the sky?"
"Roads? Where we're going we don't need any roads" "1.21 gigawatts! Do they
make that in AA?"
Tony Spadaro
> Look at the price of non-AF cameras like the Olympus OM line.
Whatever it cost to develop AF is more than made up for in increased
sales, while lines that did not add AF are now priced as if they were
luxury items.
--
Chapel Hill artist and photo restorer
http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/magor/tony
Selecting Your First SLR - The Grey Card Walk
The Teleconverter Page. A Java Site
Paul Ferrara
wireless flash. I like the feel of it a bit better also. AF can't add much
when you consider that you can buy a new Rebel 2K for a good bit less than a
used T90.
Paul
FDCave <fdc...@cs.com> wrote in message
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Dave Haynie
<tonyto...@my-deja.com> wrote:
>> Look at the price of non-AF cameras like the Olympus OM line.
The OM line seems to have receive a "special dispensation" from the
camera gods and not been cancelled, a lone and unevolving vestiage of
the manual SLR age (I have six OM bodies, I'm not dissing it here).
Similar to the Leica M6 having hung around since the golden age of the
rangefinder. A camera in this weird position in the market is never a
volume item. That makes it inherently expensive.
>Whatever it cost to develop AF is more than made up for in increased
>sales, while lines that did not add AF are now priced as if they were
>luxury items.
I don't believe AF adds much real cost to a camera. After all, it's
all electronics, which gets cheaper every year. You're probably
talking a few bucks in sensors and central processor -- but of course,
you have some of that stuff in an OM-4Ti, too. Or a modern M6, even if
you're not having to deal with autofocus. You can only make a chip so
cheap before it's what they call "pad limited", or "cheap as sand" --
the price is driven by the package of the part, not the complexity of
the design.
Super-bitchin' AF systems like EOS3 or 1V or various other cameras I
don't have might add a bit in sensors, but really, you can get a
handful of photodiodes for your dollar, and change back for a small
coffee.
Far as the lenses go, I suspect the AF feature does add somewhat to
the cost of the lens. On the other hand, all that use of plastics,
CAD, etc. reduces the development, the materials cost, and weight of
the lens (thus reducing shipping costs). So it might not be especially
dramatic. And in fact, if you look at lenses in the mechanical heyday,
and extrapolate into AD2000 dollars, I don't see them costing any
less. Ok, sure, very successful camera lines, like EOS, have much more
stratification -- no one made the kind of lenses you see in the EOS-L
line before the days of CAD systems, and few companies made the
expressly-for-the-masses lenses you find bundled with Rebels.
Dave Haynie | frog pond media | dha...@jersey.net
"Whomever dies with the most cameras wins"