Well designed, fits my hands nicely. Buttons and dials where you'd expect them to be. No joke - like the "Extension of your Eye" promo you saw in magazines.
ECF ( Not a gimmick, really works, useful to me -- no more of the focus-lock-recenter dance). I can't attest to any eyeglasses/sunglasses experience, I don't wear the former and won't wear the latter when shooting.
Truly, really silent. Inaudible film rewind. Loudest part of a photo being taken is the mirror snapping back and forth. Useful for candids.
Film-Leader out rewind -- undocumented side-effect of allowing you to switch film mid-roll. Rewind the film you're using, write the frame number last shot on the film, and store. To reload, load as usual, set the camera to 1/4000 and a small (e.g. f/22) aperture, leave the lenscap on, and shoot off the number of photos you already took in a dark place. Boom! Nice trick when you need to shoot color in the middle of a B&W, or otherwise.
DOF preview - nice feature to be included at the price range.
Two dials - operate your camera in full-manual without having to do nintendo-multibutton-rotate-push routines to control both S.S. and aperture at once. The back command dial can be switched off, too, to prevent you from accidentally under/overexposing shots in Av/Tv modes.
4fps? I owe one of my most lovely shots to this feature, caught a somersaulting acrobat at a moment I wouldn't have had the dexterity to catch on my own. Set this on and fire off a second or two, then pray while you develop.
Solid build - metal lens mount may be less important when new but will be important if this is a camera you use often or plan to keep for years ( And you will) .

$$$ Price. I did a lot of homework before purchasing (In the end the family caught on and purchased the kit as a gift). With no particular affiliation to one line I looked at all the brands, and the 7e is simply the clear winner at this price range. Perfect for the serious amateur like me, with all the important features that amateurs will appreciate with growth, and none of the truly overboard (35 ECF points, etc) features that make the high end so pricey.

No E-TTL on the built in flash. This means I will have to buy a speedlite.
Awful, awful af-assist cum disco strobe light. Might be useful for driving off jealous Nikon N80 owners when they storm you. Truly the one missing annoying feature - pity canon didn't up the price $25 and add an IR focus assist. I would have payed gladly. Bottom line: guess I'll have to get a speedlight.

Simply a fantastic camera. Exactly what I wanted, exactly the price I expected to pay, without extraneous features weighing down the camera and lightening my pockets.

This camera truly is a gem in today's market - it should satisfy basically every non-working-pro out there. The criteria? If you own an (perhaps more than one?) "L" lens, you probably will invest more in the body and purchase a 1v or whatnot. Everybody else's needs should be satisfied by this body, I think. Save the money to buy better glass, since that's what really defines the image quality of your pictures.

I received the kit as a gift, so I got to play around some with the 28-90 USM. I haven't been spoiled yet by anything better, so I don't have much bad to say about the lens besides the relatively slow aperture (4.5-5.6), which makes the lens all but useless at dusk w/o fast film or a tripod or both. I have read many many many many bad reviews of this lens by more competent photographers than me so I guess it would be best to believe what they say. My current lens homework leads me to suggest that you pass on the kit lens and buy one of the following (to suit your budget):

50mm f1.8 (mark II in stores, ~$80, mark I on ebay between $80-$120). Looks like a good lens. Read rave reviews of the optics, comparing it to its pricier cousin, the 50mm 1.4 USM, in terms of image quality. The mark I has a usable manual focus ring, a focusing distance window, and a metal lens mount. Mk II has none of these but all of the same optics (I'm not 100% sure about that last bit). Still, for $80 you can't go wrong. Any good photography school will start you out shooting with a 50mm prime lens to get you thinking about composition. In today's world of popular zoom lenses people forget that primes deliver far superior optics and apertures for any given mm, plus it forces you to think about how you compose your shot more often.

50mm 1.4 USM - The more expensive cousin, running about $260 used and up to $300-something new. Is the extra stop and USM worth a $300 difference. I have yet to compare photos or use the lenses, I can't say.

28-135 USM "IS" (Image Stabilization) - I think this one runs $450 new, and it seems to be a great buy for this camera too. Useful zoom range, relatively large aperture, many report that IS is no gimmick and allows handheld shots at slow shutter speeds. If you have the $$$$ this may be one lens that stays on your camera and never comes off it.

Bottom line: Skip the kit. get a decent lens and a speedlight. Great camera. What more to say?

Customer Service

New, have had it for a month and a half and I couldn't be happier (knock wood).

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Only previous SLR was a Minolta Maxxum 7xi I borrowed from my dad over the course of 5 years. His was top of the line pro when I bought it, and some of the features there are still not present on the elan (1/8000, IR AF assist, E-TTL flash, etc) but then again it was in an entirely different price bracket when he bought it.

7 ECF with audible signal when focus is ok (may be turnedoff),up to 4 fps motor, dioptric adjustment, Mirror LockUp,13 custom functions,3 metering modes,35 zones metering linked to AF point, 10% partial metering is fine and does the job, Auto exposure bracketing combined with exposure compensation, flash exposure compensation, depth of field preview, auto DEP program, AE lock, multi exposures, manual or auto film speed setting, Program exposure shift, Full autoexposures mode ( portrait, closeup, landscape,sports, night) or creative mode (Av, Tv, P, Manual, DEP),etc, etc.
Almost silent operation. Midroll switching film is possible (CFn #2).

-Not for IR films,
-Poor built in flash metering and features, Extras features such as E-TTL, Flash Exposure Bracketing,FE Lock, etc only available whith an external Canon flash unit (ex.550EX),
- Changing metering mode should be nice if it was one touch.
-No words in the manual about 2nd curtain sync. flash.
- AF assist light by flashing is nice only inside a tecno dancing room.

An ideal camera for advanced amateur and exigent beginners as well. A lot of features that will fuel your creativeness. Missing a good picture will be your fault. The camera balances well with 28-105 Canon USM I recommend to buy with it as I did. I will give a 4.5 Stars.

Customer Service

I didn´t need, ´til now

Similar Products Used:

Contessamat SBE, Minolta 400si, 7xi, Nikon F601, Vectis S1

Very intuitive controls. I really like the "retro" dials! The USM lenses are great, especially for sports photography. The 4fps is not too shabby for a $450 camera. For me, this is an attractive, nice handling camera. Some folks slam it for build, but it seems well built and solid(except the battery door).

Not much, but it is sometimes impossible to see the information in the viewfinder when you are shooting in bright light. I hope the battery door holds up.Definitely not as sturdy as the one on my 700si.

I like this camera more and more as I use it. I hated the 700si because of the button controls; always looking for the manual for instructions. Cameras that are a pain to use tend not to be used, but I am using the 7e a lot. I shot a couple of rolls today at a soccer tournament and was impressed with the fast focus and the 4fps. I used all 7 focus sensors and don't trust ecf yet as I wear glasses and sometimes ecf works and sometimes it is unreliable. No problem! Even without using ecf my shots were immediate and noticeably faster than with my 700si. You have to give some credit to the USM lenses, however, (I was using the 28-105 and 100-300). I have read about poor focusing in low light withg the 7/7e, but once again my camera seems to do quite well when simply using all 7 sensors rather than ecf. I have not tested this exhaustively, but this is my initial impression. For the price, definitely merits 5 stars.

Customer Service

Never used with any camera.

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Minolta 700si, Rebel, Nikon FE and FG, Pentax ME Super

Solid, ECF is awesome, MANY features to use, 4.5 FPS is a good shooting rate, it's not the 1N, but hey it's a grand and a half cheaper. Also, if you wear contacts - no probelm. I have even worn glasses and eye control focus (ECF) kept right up to par.
Great camera. Great deal. Where's yours?

Autofocus gets kind of annoying sometimes, mostly when there is low light, or a brightly light subject.

Great camera for the money spent. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable deal-for-your-money camera. If you are a sports photographer who needs the faster frames, get a 1N. For the photographer who enjoys taking all around pictures, buy an Elan 7e. (Get the ECF too, it's worth it!). I threw a sigma 28-300 lens on my 7e. It's a great lens, a deal for the money. All of your lenses compacted into one single lens.

Customer Service

I don't know. Haven't had to use it. That's a good thing. (Knock on wood)

Similar Products Used:

Canon AE1
Pentax K-1000
Canon Elan II
My advise - stick with canon. They are reliable cameras, and they last forever.

Good build-metal where it counts, 4fps, DOF.

None for what it is.

It does not have the pro water seal and so forth that the EOS 3 and 1V have, but if you don't need that then this is a great buy. Been shooting adult work with it for 2 months, now the lense I use are 5-10 times what the camera is worth, but I've had no trouble and the pics are just as good as when I use my 1V or 3. I don't abuse it professionally but I do use it professionally for a few rolls two to three times a week, so far so good.

Customer Service

Not used.

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Just about everthing at one time or another.

4 fps, silent operation (except for mirror slap, which is unavoidable), depth of field preview, eye control, part metal construction, among others

Lack of true spot metering.

Eye control can be VERY difficult to calibrate effectively

Great camera. I'm not entirely sure why this camera can't be categorized as a entry-level professional camera. It's got all the bells and whistles, takes pictures at a respectably fast four frames per second, and unlike the N80, also has some metal in its construction.

The only disadvantages I'd say this camera has is the lack of a true spot meter, and that the eye control focus can be difficult to get working consistently. I've calibrated mine several times on the cal-1 setting (which I use for inside pictures), and I still can't get it to work consistently. Frequently, it won't light up the focus rectangle on the far left no matter how many times I look and re-look at it. I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that the pulil of my eye isn't readily discernible from my iris, which is very dark brown. It's getting better though with each calibration attempt.

Overall, this is a fantastic camera that gives you a hell of a lot of features for your money.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N80

Super Quiet
Fast AF
Pacted full of great features
Easy access to all controls

Apart from that fact that's not an all metal construction... none

This is a great camera for the price. I needed a second body to upgrade from my EOS 3000 and since I did not have the money to go for a 1V and selected this model and I have no regrets. It's easy to use, metering is spot on all the time. The shutter and film advance are wisper quiet. The fact that it's not an all metal construction is not a big thing if your not a pro that works outdoors all the time, the camera is tough and it feels good in your hands, it's well balanced.

Customer Service

Sent back the EOS 3000 to Canon because of an electrical problem, it took a little long to get it back (4 weeks) but they fixed the problem.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 3000
Canon EOS 300

autofocus is wonderful (fast and accurate), easy to figure out controls, structure is great, i can control EVERY single detail, everything is as expected. it is perfect for someone who really wants to get into photography and get good at it.

hmmmmmm..........
none are coming to mind

i love it. i wouldnt be happier with anything else. the pictures are beautiful. and i love controlling everything!!! i have used it so much. i take it everywhere i go and i get beautiful results.

Customer Service

havent needed it

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used the nikon n80

Very quiet camera
Very fast AF
DOF preview button
DEP program
Exposure compensation
AE lock
4 fps
Wonderful eye focus control
..and too many to list

No real spot meter
Cannot use IR film

I bought this camera (EOS 7) last month. This is a great camera with reasonable price. I am very happy with this. Maybe the most weakness point is no real spot meter: EOS 7 has relative big partial metering (10%). Highly recommended camera. Do not buy a kit. Buy body only and look for good quality fix focal lenses.

Customer Service

Nerver use

Similar Products Used:

Canon AE-1
Canon AE-1 program

Good build, apart from poor fitting built-in flash on a few examples I tried before settling on a well finished body.

Incredibly fast and silent autofocus with USM 28-105 II, especially when compared with my last Canon autofocus which was a T80 I had as a teenager. Since then I've had manual focus camera's including a Ricoh XR-X and a 1962 Minolta SR-7. Maybe the T80 had put me off until now?

Feels great to handle it, with excellent ergonomics.

ECF is great once you have calibrated it and seven focus points is an ideal number.

Useful 4fps motordrive.

Great predictive and AI focus.

Massive, high quality system available.

Avoid poor quality kit models with 28-90 USM lens and this camera has a metal lens mount, so why have a lens with a plastic mount?

No IR assist, only strobe flash. Buy the 420EX for example, and use the IR assist. For good flash photography you should be using an external flash anyway. I use mine at 45 degrees with a Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce diffuser which gives great results, so the strobe assist is no longer an issue, and you can turn it off.

No LCD illumination, guess you can always use the viewfinder or a mini-maglite?

Excellent camera, that offers everything an intermediate photographer could need.

It is so good it converted my back to autofocus after an absence of 14 years!

Customer Service

Canon support are great facility, while your warranty is in effect.

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Pentax MZ5N
Nikon F80