eye control great autofocus excellent selection of lenses strong and durable

flash is not that powerful, does not work well as a manual camera in low light scenarios, not much of a problem though

i purchased this camera about two or three years ago, and it is a fine machine. if you are going to get the elan camera, do not get the regular 7, go for the 7e, otherwise its just a dressed up rebel 2000. i would reccomend this camera over the nikon n80 or the minolta maxxum 7 because of the eye control and the amazing ef lens lineup, however, the minolta maxxum 7 is a fine camera as well as the nikon n80. i like the feel of a large camera in my hands, so i also purchased the battery pack/vertical grip which solved that easily. if you are going to purchase this, get the 28-200mm zoom lens from canon - they make a great match. in conclusion, you get more than you pay for in this instance.

Similar Products Used:

nikon n80 minolta maxxum 7

Good price, feels good in hand.

None

This is overall a great camera. I use it for 2 years now for every type of photography and never had any problems. Personally I don't think that this camera is any worst than any of the EOS top line. I can do everything with it the same way I would do with the top liners.

Customer Service

Never needed.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon, Minolta.

trustworthy name w/ Image Stabilized glass available solid feel eye-control mirror lockup AE bracketing

a little small and light for my hands, bp-300 grip solves the problem. remember, im used to old brass 2-pounders though!

This review is intended for those upgrading from a manual SLR to autofocus SLR. Prior to getting this camera (and 28-105 f3.5 USM lens) I used 2 Ricoh TLS cameras with a variety of primes. These old metal clunkers were manufactured in 1967 and were fully mechanical focal planes. They have a CW meter and controls for shutter and aperture, thats it. For a long time I took great shots with these but eventually wanted to give the autofocus stuff a try. I never knew so many features were available with these things. The Elan 7E is a perfect match for those upgrading from manual SLRs because of the eye-focus function. For me, focusing was done 2nd-nature (i.e. My left hand would instinctively focus on whatever i looked at in the viewfinder) eye focus mimicks this very well as all you have to do is look at one of the 7 AF points and press a button to focus on that point (shutter release or a custom-config button). Some people may not like this feature because they are used to selecting AF points because they may have grown up with AF cameras. That said, I can see where one might think of Eye-Control as a gimmick. Also, it just doesnt seem to work with some people's eyes. For me, it works like a charm. This is the highlight of the camera. Auto exposure bracketing is also a smart feature. The cam can be set to take 3 bracketed shots in a row with up to +/- 2 stops difference. Again, from an old manual SLR user POV, this is such a relief to have. Here's the bottom line: I can only speak from the perspective of someone upgrading from 40 yr old SLR technology, a review of which type I have yet to read on this sie, so I hope it helps. Eye-control is a pleasure to use, USM lenses allow simultaneous MF/AF for those of us inclined to grab the lens if things are fuzzy; AE bracketing for quick easy brackets, oh yeah, true mirror lockup!; auto rewind and advance. this camera cant do anything i couldnt do before, it just makes doing what i did so much EASIER.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N80 Minolta Maxxum 7

Very silent Eye control Ergonomic very fast auto-focus convenient RC-1 controller

Flash assist is very annoying

A splendid camera I bought this camera as my first 35mm SLR.A nice starter system along with the 420 EX flash and 50 1.4 usm.For upgrade add 24 2.0 100 2.8 usm 70-200 4.0 l and you have dream sestem.If you a new in SLR, I highly recommend this camera to you.. At the time, I was buying this camera, I tested out Nikon N80,auto-focus wasn't close to 7-s, plus more accessories for money. It's just a good sold camera for the money.And after a year it is still great and this will be a camera that stays with me for many years to come.

Very Very Very Quiet. Good overall functionality. Light weight.

No Spot meter, No PC connector.

I use this as a backup and second body. this is well worth the price. Excellent ergonomic, nice features. Has all the bells and whistles that most people want, except a spot meter and PC jack. Is this the perfect camera? No. But I will guarantee that you will use more of its capabilites than a more expensive camera. As for the reader who found too many incompatabilities a problem; DON'T Buy horrible lenses. Spend all you money on great lenses, this is what makes the photo. I know I have been down that road with Sigma and Tamron. Now I just save my money and get GREAT lenses. Don't blame the Canon for not being compatable with Sigma!!!

Similar Products Used:

Canon Eos 1V, Leica M4-P, Minolta Maxxum 7

Sturdy (with the BP-300) durable nice finish

This is an excellent body. Especially with the BP-300 it adds to the overall hold and feel of the camera. With 13 custom functions and ergonomical placement of the dials and buttons, this body rocks! The 4fps isn't bad either. I had a buddy buy the old school ElanII, and he was more impressed with my Elan7. It's a great high end amature body (or a low-end pro). Sturdy construction too. A solid well-to-do camera body that performs exceptionally well in the studio and in the field. I've even been up top on a snow covered mountain, with 55 mph winds kicking up all kinds of moisture on my camera, and it never missed a beat.

Customer Service

Super awesome

Similar Products Used:

Canon Rebel X

DITTO TO ALL THE POSITVIE COMMENTS

Only one...Canon should have back lit the LCD....But I DO have a flashlight!

Iwill echo all the postive comments that you may read in these numerous reviews. I only decided to write a review because of a negative comment made in almost every review listed. This being, NO SPOT METER. This negative comment is coming from people with 3-20years worth of photgraphy. Come on people....remember the basics. You don't need a d*** spot meter when you already have one. A 300mm or 400mm lens used with center-weighted metering will give you a spot meter or take your zoom and crank it all the up and do the same thing. Give it a break. This camera has evaluative metering, partial and center-weighted. READ YOUR MANUALS. A push of the meter button on the back will change which mode you want and the LCD will show you which one your currently using. If you need SPOT meterting, put the long lens on, meter for your exposure, then recompose, focus and shoot the d*** picture. I realize that there are going to be certain situations that a 1 - 7 degree spot meter is nice, but how many of you out there can justify the cost of one for maybe 5 pictures a year where one is needed. Like the motto of the US Marines -"ADAPT, IMPROVISE AND OVERCOME!" SEMPER FI

Customer Service

Never needed.

More metal than most at the price.

Lots of incompatibilities. Including older Sigma lenses, and many EOS compatible flashes.

Reasonable build, good features, reasonable price. Exposures very accurate despite lack of spot meter. Autofocus works well. Good camera BUT this camera has an irritating set of incompatibilities. Lots of sigma lenses don't work, lots of flash units don't work, even the Canon remote flash cord does not work. (Tested two bodies.) This camera will not step down meter, this is a problem for EOS manual lenses and microscope/telescope use.

Customer Service

None yet

Similar Products Used:

Nikon FM2, Canon Rebel X,

Fast shutter,film advance and mirror. Focusing points on the viewfinder iluminates when in focus while looking the subject. Easy access to command buttons. Lots of accesories available.

No PC connector for additional accesories. No built in Infrared light to help focus in low ligth situations.

Great performance. Fast and easy to use. Great results in low ligth conditions when using a flash with infrared focusing beam.

Similar Products Used:

Canon Rebel 2000 QD

Built quality, silent, Exposure metering, 7 focus points, Mirror lock-up, DOF preview, and many more

No AF assist IR beam (the weakest point) No spot metering, No LCD backlit.

I upgraded my Rebel 2000 with Elan 7e. This is perfect advanced amateur camera with couple of pro features. For professionals it will make perfect backup body. Much more solid that R2k. Exposure metering work flawlessly. 4 frames per second are even more than I demand. Very silent. Eye control is reliable, but mostly I keep it switched off. For me BP-300 is a must, with it camera feels more steady in my hands. Absent spot metering and LCD backlit would be very helpful, but what mostly desire is IR focusing beam, which was on Elan II body. Flash assist is very annoying, but this is correctable with EX series Speedlite flash. This solidly make camera, trust me, I dropped it very badly and works fine. Remember that this is not a pro camera; it just can work as a pro, but is you plan to shoot in rain or in Iraq while NATO bombings, you should go for EOS 1V or at least EOS 3. Battery consumption is perfect, I lost my count of films I’ve shot with on set of AA’s in my BP-300. Mirror lock-up is smartly made; it bounces and waits 30 seconds for you to open curtain. Dials are ergonomically located, easy to reach and control. Unfortunate thing is that it has exposure problems with manual lenses mounted on it, but you can trick it by setting different ISO. Important thing is that you should remember that quality of photos mostly depend on you lens rather them on camera body, so forget about crappy kit zooms and start at least with 50mm f/1,8. It’s cheep but good lens. My overall recommendation is to buy and enjoy this camera. I absolutely love it and I’m proud if having it. Honestly I don’t need 1V (which is the best camera in the world, IMHO), I would rather keep my Elan 7e and save money for L class lens.

Customer Service

Nothing to report

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS Rebel 2000, EOS Elan IIe, Zenit