Relatively advanced features such as auto exposure bracketing, partial metering, E-TTL flash with Speedlite 380EX Quiet operation

Some features and capabilities too nested in multiple control dials or custom functions.

I have been very pleased with this camera. I didn't expect a professional camera at this price point but I have been pleasantly surprised by it's capabilities. The eye controlled focus is a mixed bag. It works well when calibrated but occasionally it will act up at a critical picture taking moment and this can be very annoying. The quiet operation of the camera imparts a real sense of quality and I have had very reliable service from it. The only reason I am not completely happy with the Elan II is that I find the controls are too muddled. The fact that auto exposure bracketing is not cancellable is perplexing and even the symbol for partial metering is counterintuitive. Just reading about how to get the mirror to lock up will make you tired.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

Olympus OM-2 Pentax Me Nikon FE2 Nikon FA Leica R3

Intuitive control,very VERY fast and quiet.Supports all the new junk(you know,the E-TTL and all it's goodies)without forcing you to use it(but you never know when it would become handy:))

A better(bigger)viewfinder(not the thing about eyeglass wearers)would be nice,and a vertical grip like the EOS 5's(duplicating all the controls on your right hand)and it would be the perfect camera for me

I love my EOS 50.I know thi isn't such a nice way to start a review but it's the truth.Though a little stupid and clumsy-looking this camera is a real jewel in the Canon line-up.The interface is marvelous and really ituitive,it is user friendly and idiot proof and the camera reacts amazingly fast to your command.I received it as a gift from my uncle and it opened a whole range of "photographic possibilities" in front of me.Until the EOS 50 I have used an old East-Gedrman Praktica MTL-5 which is absolutely mechanical(just like the Pentax K1000)and several lenses.Though the Praktica can do most of the things,with the EOS 50 you do them really EASIER.Now when it is out of production it is very cheap,making it a real value for the money.Not heavy,but not too light(if it's not heavy enough for you,you can always attach the BP-50 and 4 AA's to add some weight).And if it didn't help me to become a better photographer,it didn't stand in my way,and I think this is the biggest compliment one can say P.S.:Excuse me for my bad English:)

Customer Service

never needed

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I haven't jerked only with the EOS-1v:)

Durable body (for the price) Flexible metering system Excellent flash control and exposure compensation Great handling feel, although it may be a bit small for large hands. Try the BP-50 battery pack/grip. You can get it for around $50 Simplistic operation with clearly laid out controls-you don''t even need the manual except for the custom functions The Quick-Control Dial makes manual operaton painless and easy

At 2.5 fps,the motor drive is not quite fast enough for serious action photography (I tried it). Try the A2 or 3 for more speed Lack of a true spot meter

After having used the Canon AE-1 Program for many years, I immediately fell in love with the retro look of the body. As has been said, the upper silver finish is actually an aluminum alloy, giving the body an added measure of durability. It sure needed it with the way I treated it. I took it almost every where I went, and it got knocked, bumped and dropped more times than I care to count. Only once it failed, and that was an electrical component that was inexpensively repaired. The camera bosts a large amount of features, some of which are found on higher-end bodies. In addition to exposure compensation, the camera also has flash exposure comensation, for the built-in flash as well as any Canon dedicatied the speedlight. The 380EX worked well in every situation I put it through, from indoor weddings to outside with children. I found the metering system to be very effective. Although I miss having true spot metering capability, the partial meter worked pretty well. I would use my zoom to help it out. Canon advertises its evalutive metering alot; I found myself using good ole center weighted or partial, and almost always got perfect exposures, even with flash. The camera''s custom functions provide flexible operation, and allowed me to make personal choices to match the way I shoot. Over all, I have been very pleased with using the Elan II. I sold the camera last year, but I will probably get another one as a back up. It''s a great tool for photographic expression. A note for consideration: After all the hooplah about durability, speed, flexibility, options and such is done, a camera boils down to a sealed container the holds and exposes the film. Let''s remember the Who and the What that are much more important here, the Who being the photographer, the What being the lens. If either of these is lacking in quality, then so will the print,no matter how high-tech the container.

Customer Service

Good turn around for the repair

Similar Products Used:

EOS Rebel G, A2, Elan, AE-1 Program, T70

Affordable, well built, simple to learn/use

Dust easily accumulates on the mirror

Excellent value-packed camera for those looking for more features than the entry-level models carry. It''s well built, reasonably fast, and simple to learn and use. The external grip-style battery pack is a must if you plan on using the bigger and heavier Speedlite flashes on the hot-shoe. What''s more, the built in shutter button allows for comfortable portrait-oriented shooting.

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None

build, ability to use canon lenses, all the features i need, fairly quiet (not as quiet as elan 7 though..)

metering has to be adjusted, no biggie. works fine afterwards. camera will underexpose in strong backlight in matrix mode. just keep an eye out. no spot meter (10% only) haven''t had the need for a true one yet. easy layout to use.

Good camera for the money. It was cheaper than the elan 7, felt more comfortable in the hand, better low light sensitivity for autofocus and Infrared Light for a.f assist instead of blinking strobe like the Elan 7. I had worries after reading complaints about battery problems but it was based on the different sizes of cr5 batteries that vary from brand to brand.. Metering is fine but you have to have to adjust iso of film b/c camera underexposes 1/3 of a stop. so i change my film from 100 to 80, 200-160, 400-320 and everything appears to be fine. focuses fast and feels fairly rugged. Has everything I need. If you like Canon, i say go for this camera if you don''t need 4 fps and shoot at night, otheriwse the elan 7 is still a great camera. this is an older camera model (1995) and there are great newer models out like f80 or elan 7 for a mid range model. i picked elan 2 basically for price.

Customer Service

never had to use yet.

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everything...

Price-to-Spec value! Camera built is ok specially the lens mount.

For me..... none.

I used to own a Canon Rebel II and sold it to buy this camera. I bought this camera because of the price and it seems that it almost has the same specs as the EOS30 but for half the price. This camera has everything that i need and that''s the important thing to remember when buying a camera. Focusing speed is enough for my needs.

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Rebel II

Instant af, eye control works perfectly, excellent results.

Battery door needed a bit more "bump" to keep battery seated, which has cause some non-McGuyver types to put up with something easily fixed with a wrigley''s wrapper.

This has been an excellent camera for me. I''ve blown away family and friends with shots I took "annoying" them days earlier. You''re lucky if people at least give a great camera credit for great pictures, better still if they give you the credit. I just wanted to say how this camera has been like a reliable friend to me... I can always count on it to make me look good!, as a photographer I mean. Because of the Elan, everyone always wants me to show up with my camera for any occasion. Being able to identify myself as a "photographer" is mostly a credit to the Elan''s ease of use (to yeild PROFESSIONAL photos). I also just wanted to put this in here as a remote chance of luck for anyone who''s experienced the "random turn-off" that reviewers have mentioned with this camera. If they didn''t already state it, it''s because the battery door doesn''t provide enough pressure to hold the battery FIRMLY in place. If you want to guarantee that you will never have the camera shut off unless you turn it off than SIMPLY FOLD A 1.5 INCH BY .5 INCH PAPER ONTO ITSELF UNTILL IT''S ABOUT 1/8 INCH (OR MORE) BY .5 INCH WIDE. This "shim" will keep the battery tight against the internal terminals and the camera will NEVER accidentally turn off.

Customer Service

never needed it.

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Went from manual Yashica to Elan. Also used lesser af 35mm.

Great feel, has all the features that you will need

too bulky for vacationing (weak reason)

After several months and two weddings, I can say that this is a very good camera. I did extensive research, and by far this is the best camera for the money. The n80 is a good camera but it is a good 150 greenies more than the elan, and its made in Thailand.
My only mistake with this camera was getting a tamron 28-80 lense. The picture quality was bad and it kept giving me fuzzy pictures.
I ended up purchasing a canon 50mm for 100. and what a huge difference in terms of picture quality. The sharpness is amazing. Every single picture is good. I did have a bit of trouble with lighting outside, but I think that was me and not the camera. Bottomline, 1)buy this camera, 2)dont get a 28-80 zoom lense, and 3)get a basic 50mm lense as your everyday goto lense . The total package will cost you around $400 and you wont regret it.
I am looking for a canon 28mm 1.8 or 2.8 lense, if anyone wants to sell theirs or if anyone know of where I could get one for a good deal please email me.

Customer Service

none yet

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minolta 7000

-DOF (very useful)
-Feels solid
-Felt great the second i picked it up- i like a bigger camera (made me give an 'ooooohhh...nice')
-'Push Here Dummy' ability (can give it to anyone to take a photo)
-Ability to choose focus modes (one shot, AI servo etc)
-2.5 fps is quite sufficient
-Custom functions
-midroll rewind (very good for changing ISO speed or colour to B/W)
-mirror lock up
-all controls are very logically and ergonomically placed.....after a few uses you need not take your eye from the viewfinder.

-an LCD light would have been a blessing
-dial on back can be bumped without noticing perhaps giving many photos under/over exposed...must constantly check the little exposure picture. Good feature that you can disable this dial when not needed.

I really love this camera. I did a huge amount of research (several months) for it and found it to be the best overall in its class. Sure it doesnt have a 2% spotmeter or 10 fps or whatever else people are complaining about, but I guess that's what makes the bodies that do have those features so much more expensive. I have used the body for many things in the month or so that i have had it and have been in no way limited by the features. I dont think i will ever get rid of this camera. Even when I upgrade it will be more than enough for a good back-up body. It feels great, it performs like a gem, it was well within my price for the quality that I wanted, it has a great lens range to choose from......how could a price limited non-pro who is serious about taking quality photos want anymore??

Customer Service

-not yet used....and i hope i never do :)

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-Canon Eos 500 + 500N

cost/performance ratio.
light weight and good grip for people with medium to large hands.
it has all the function a beginner or a professional needs, the built in flash is "o.k" but I try to avoid using flash anyway.
fast metering and focusing (if you use a Canon USM lens).
just a nice cool camera.

Couldn't find anything mechanically wrong, although the only problem is the CF mode (costume function) the user has to take a look at the book in order to know what number does what...

after a 20 rolls of film and practice with deferent exposure modes, I will recommend this camera for anybody that wants to upgrade to the semi professional world of photography, just try to avoid the cheap 28-80 lens that comes with the kit.
a good 50mm or even the Canon 28-105 USM lens will provide a much better photo quality.

Customer Service

I hope I wont need it.

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Minolta X-700
Olympus OM-10