Canon EOS 3 - an historic Canon camera

<p>Canon EOS 3 - the last EOS history report (for now)<br /><br />This camera was introduced in November, 1998, and was sold into 2007. Together with the EOS Iv, the EOS 3 is the last of the <em>professional</em> 35mm film cameras for Canon.<br /><br />This is, it is safe to say, a much beloved camera. User reviews are extremely pleased with the camera in nearly every aspect of its function. It was the last of the Canon EOS cameras to have the ecf (eye-controlled focus) feature. Even without using the ecf, setting and using the focus system is easy and accurate. Frankly, it works almost like the digital EOS cameras of later introduction-- a phrase that should be kept in mind as its features in general are discussed.<br /><br /><br />In Canon's own words:<br /><br /></p>

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<p>A sturdy and modern, full-featured SLR for professionals and advanced amateurs alike, the EOS-3 incorporates a host of technological advances that raise the bar for peformance in a high quality 35mm SLR. These features include a 45-point autofocus system, Canon's amazing Eye-Controlled AF, predictive AF up to 7 frames per second (with optional Power Drive Booster PB-E2 and NP-E2 battery pack), E-TTL auto flash, 18 custom functions, compatibility with Canon's full range of autofocus lenses and Speedlites, and much more. These capabilities are incorporated into a rugged body with easily accessible controls for quick and easy execution of camera operations. Almost instinctual, the EOS-3 will help to ensure that you never miss a shot again.<br /><br /></p>

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<p>This camera is in Canon's support list at <a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer/eos_slr_camera_systems/eos_35mm_slr_cameras/eos_3#ServiceAndSupport">link</a>.<br /> <br /><br />Philip Greenspun's (Photo.net pioneer) review is here at <a href="../equipment/canon/eos3">link</a> and another P.net related discussion of the camera is to be found at <a href="../canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00O4g8">link</a> and a link there to <a href="http://lilserenity.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/first-impressions-canon-eos-3/">external review</a>.</p>

<p><br />The camera is fairly large, measuring 161x119.2x70.8 mm Its mass without the battery is 780g.<br />It is also, and this is important, weather sealed. <br /><br />BUT A PLASTIC BODY, OMG, the sky is falling!<br /><br /></p>

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<p>Hybrid Fiberglass Reinforced Polycarbonate and Metal Body • According to the Canon EOS Technical Overview (CT2-1114-001), the EOS 3 body is..."constructed of glass-fiber reinforced polycarbonate with aluminum inserts around the aperture area with exterior panels of rigid engineering plastic." (<a href="http://emedia.leeward.hawaii.edu/frary/canon_eos3.htm">source</a>)<br /><br /></p>

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<p><strong>SPECIFICATIONS</strong>: (based on the Canon site linked above)<br />Type: Eye-level pentaprism<br />Picture Coverage is 97 percent vertically and horizontally, almost like the EOS 1 (near 100%). Magnification is 0.72x<br />Frame advance includes One-shot and AI-servo, just as on modern dSLRs. Film advance speed depends on which batteries and power packs are used. The regular 6v lithium battery runs film through at 4.3 fps; but with power packs the speed goes up to 7 fps. This is very respectable indeed -- 6-7 seconds to burn up a 36-exposure roll of film!<br /><br />Shutter Speeds: 30 sec to 1/8000 sec in 1/3-stops, X-sync at 1/200 sec. <br />To my astonishment, my wire-remote trigger (RS-80N3 Remote Switch clone) for my 20D and 5D works just fine with the EOS 3. I discover that this remote works for EOS-1V/1VHS, EOS-3, EOS-D2000, D30, D60, 1D, 1Ds, EOS-1D Mark II,III, EOS-1Ds Mark II,III, EOS-10D, 20D, 30D,40D, 50D, 5D, but you-all knew that already, right?<br /><br />FOCUS<br />Focusing, as noted, can be controlled by the eye-controlled focus system (ecf) . There are 45 focusing points in the default mode.<br />Focusing Point Selection can be automatic selection where the focusing point is camera-selected, so far as I can tell, pretty much like modern digital EOS cameras. Of course, the focusing point can also be manually-selected.<br /><br />A feature missed in the early reviews was the lack of an autofocus light without attaching a flash. The AF focus works in the range from EV 0-18 at ISO 100.<br /><br /><br /><br />EXPOSURE<br />Metering Modes TTL maximum aperture metering with a 21-zone silicon photocell. ISO Film Speed Range: ISO 6-6400.<br /><br />1. Evaluative metering (linkable to any point)<br />2. Partial metering (approx. 8.5% of viewfinder at center)<br />3. Center spot metering (approx. 2.4% of viewfinder at center)<br />4. Spot metering (linked to focusing point at approx. 2.4% of viewfinder)<br />During continuous shooting with metering modes 3 & 4, the first shot is metered and the meter reading is locked (AE lock) for subsequent shots in the same burst.<br />5. Multi-spot metering (Max. 8 multi-spot metering entries)<br />6. Center-weighted averaging metering<br /><br />Exposure Modes <br />1. Program AE (shiftable)<br />2. Shutter speed-priority AE ( in 1/3,1/2 or full stops, safety shift enable with Custom Function)<br />3. Aperture-priority AE (in 1/3,1/2 or full stops, safety shift enabled with Custom Function)<br />4. Depth-of-field AE<br />5. E-TTL program flash AE (high-speed sync, FE lock, and wireless control enabled with 550EX)<br />6.A-TTL program flash AE<br />7. TTL program flash AE<br />8. Manual<br />9. Bulb<br /><br /><br /><br />OPERATING SYSTEM (as we call it these days)<br />Controls include the Quick Control Dial (QCD) like those on the EOS 1 and on higher-end digital camera models. This is the large rear thumb wheel to adjust exposure compensation, aperture, etc depending on the mode chosen, There are mode, drive, ISO, etc., buttons to the left of the prism on the top of the camera, used together with the other controls to set speed, and so forth. Having these, instead of a dial as on the XXD dSLRs, may partly reflect the fairly high-level of weather-sealing here.<br /><br /><strong>CONCLUSION</strong><br />It's all been said, I think. This is a remarkable and much beloved camera. <br /><br /><br />As one history of the camera put it:</p>

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<p>The EOS 3 signaled the end of the film era and, along with the 1V, is among the top two film cameras made by Canon. Many of its features such as AF and flash metering lived on in the early 1D series. The durable build means it will outlive most Elan and film Rebels, so it's a smart choice for your last film camera purchase." (<a href="http://emedia.leeward.hawaii.edu/frary/canon_eos3.htm">source</a>)<br /><br /></p>

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<p>Without quibbling over terms like "end of the film era," this EOS 3 is a still viable component of a Canon EOS kit that includes film shooting or backup. This is why it sells for half again more than many older EOS film cameras that are also still viable, like the ESO 10s or the EOS 1. It even often goes higher than a EOS 1N, but usually about half to a third of what a (still-current) EOS 1v goes for. Of course, lenses, power packs, and other accessories radically affect prices and make it a little difficult to compare.<br /><br />Although the camera is shown in the illustration below with the EF 35mm f/2 lens, I actually shot this one with the EF 24-105mm IS L f/4 lens. Actually, this somewhat degrades the AF system which works better with f/2.8 or faster lenses.<br /><br /></p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>Since this is so nearly a current model, a history may be a bit premature, and pictures taken with it simply illustrate the technological state-of-the-art for film cameras in their Götterdämmerung. <br /><br />Anyhow, here are a couple of shots, taken here with the EF 24-105mm f/4 IS lens.<br /><br />On the left is the entryway into the "Small Business Incubator" -- a facility the University provides to help encourage local entrepreneurs by providing support for start-up companies.<br /><br />On the right, is a wooded area in the town's <a href="http://www.cpkd.org/p/addpage.php?id=12">Marberry Arboretum</a> - planted originally on private land by a botanist at the University and deeded to the city on his death. More than 100 genera, 600 species, and 20,000 plants are represented here.<br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>Here are two more shots of the Arboretum plantings.<br /><br />There are very pleasant walks through the arboretum, used by diverse segments of the population. It was here that as I was leaving my car, a brace of Harley motorcyclists in leather, etc. arrived. When I returned to my car, they were sitting talking and drinking mineral water. We nodded and I left. :) <br /><br />The film I used was simply labeled "Fujifilm 200 speed film". No more Superia?<br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>Once again, "That's all, folks" as Porky Pig used to say at the end of the cartoons.<br /><br />I know that there are other EOS cameras, especially some of the Elan and Rebel lines that could merit attention; but I think I've got what <em>I</em> wanted out of this historical romp through a modern camera line. The temptation to continue into the digital cameras is there, but in looking at eBay, I find that even the older digital versions often go for rather more than they are worth to me. I have a suspicion that people are buying them to rip out the hot mirror and make IR cameras out of them and that is driving up the prices. Alternatively, early collectors could be trying to get in on the ground floor? Whatever it is, the oft-stated opinion of some that old digital cameras are useless, unlike film models, is not one shared by the market. Prices for cameras like the EOS D30, for example, are surprisingly high on the on-line markets. Often even broken bodies sell for rather more than do most EOS film cameras in good working condition.<br /><br />I may, not certain that I will, <em>may</em> do a sort of overview when I get back from a visit to my daughter. On the other hand, perhaps I will go back to my beloved Ossies -- my cameras from the Deutsche Demokratische Republik. If so, look for me on Classic Manual Cameras.</p>

<p>Great camera I must admit, mine is still sitting in my closet in practically Mint condition. I use it mostly for shooting slides these days. The only thing I did not like about this camera was the NOISE and the hair-trigger shutter !</p>

<p>Yes, it's by no means the quietest EOS camera ever. As Harry or someone said in an earlier post, it's not a camera for a funeral. My shutter doesn't seem so hair-trigger as Harry's (I just saw a replacement shutter switch/button for the EOS 3 for sale on eBay, so maybe there's a solution?).</p>

<p>I had an EOS 3 for a while - I traded in an EOS 10 for it, IIRC. I bought it as a 50th birthday present for myself, just over 10 years ago. In the event I found it to be too much camera for me: too many options, too complex - I never felt able to use it with confidence. I traded it in for a Leica M2 and for SLR work went back to an EOS 600 that I'd kept. Eventually I bought an EOS 33. Although the 3 was certainly a superior camera to either of the others, I personally got better results from the 600 and the 33. Nothing wrong with the 3, it was just that I felt much more comfortable with the simpler cameras.</p>

<p>The Elan 7 is as quiet as the EOS 3 is loud. My EOS 3 is in my closet also. It has a problem with the mirror moving out of the way (mirror take up motor?) to make the exposure and gives the dreaded bc error.</p>

<p>Anybody know how to fix it?</p>

Actually the Elan 7E came after the 3 and the Elan 7NE was the last to have ECF (which I have one).

<p>I do stumble over these Elan cameras, never quite know what to make of them, and overlook their features. Let's just say that the EOS 3 was the last of the "professional" rank cameras to have the feature. I'm not sure when the Elan 7NE (30V) went off the market, but - as I said - the EOS 3 was sold into 2007, so it was one of the last, anyhow.</p>

<p>I had bought the Elan 7e new just as the 7Ne was hitting the market. Not much difference between the two, but the 7e specifications showed that it weighed just a bit more. IMHO I think the body was made of a more durable plastic.<br>

Then within a month after I got the 7e I purchased a used EOS 3. The 7e immediately became the backup.<br>

I still have both. The 7e is still like new with probably less than 4 rolls of film through it. I'll keep it because I just refuse to give it away!<br>

The EOS 3, well . . . I'll probably never get rid of it till it's days are done! Wonderful camera!<br>

As to the ECF . . . IMHO . . . I just don't think that the majority paid enough attention to the User's Manual's instructions. Basically, calibrate, calibrate, calibrate!<br>

I wear eyeglasses, progressive trifocal lens . . . I absolutely loved the ECF on both the Elan 7e and the EOS 3! Best AF I've found!</p>

<p>Good review JDM, thanks.</p>

<p>Yes, perhaps a word of explanation of my oversights in regard to the Elan line.</p>

<p>My first old EOS camera was the first EOS camera, the EOS 650. Then, I got a EOS 620, the second EOS camera. As it developed from there, I finally had to admit to myself that I was actually collecting historical EOS cameras.</p>

<p>My first decision was to limit it for the time being to film. From that point, I looked at the listing (<a href="http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/film/series_eos.html">Canon Museum</a>) of EOS cameras and knew that there was no way on this earth that I was going to get all of them (and I'm not a completionist collector anyhow). I do maintain a fiction that I shoot all these cameras, but some of them, like the Sultan's wives, have to wait a long time for my attention after I've put a test roll through them.</p>

<p>Anyhow, to cut the line off somewhere I first of all excluded what in the USA is called the "Rebel" line, and then secondarily, without really knowing what they were, the Elan cameras. I still don't quite know what they are, but I <em>am</em> learning that I need to check their specs before I make any statements like "first" or "last" about some feature. Sorry, they just weren't in my field of view.</p>

<p>JDM, thanks for another wecome reminder of recent Canon past. The moderators really ought to find some way of collecting these threads for future reference.</p>

<p>I bought an EOS-3 shortly after it was introduced, used it alongside my EOS-1 (also plastic, as indeed was the -1n, which I never had), upgraded the -1 to a -1V when that was introduced, and decided that I did not need the -3 as well so my son took it over. Both cameras were sold after each of us moved to digital (and in a clear sense down, for the time being).</p>

<p>The subsequent rant of so many people, myself included, has been that if in 1998 Canon could put a high-end AF system in a prosumer body, why did they not feel able to do it with the 5D and now the 5DII? But enough of that. Back to the EOS-3.</p>

<p>First, is the following a true report or an urban myth? I have heard that pre-production EOS-3 bodies had a firmware error in the AF cutoff logic at the centre point. It should have cut off for any lens slower than f/8 (this was the first camera with f/8 AF and f/4 HP AF), but it actually cut off for any lens of f/11 or slower. The lens that fell into the gap was the EF 500/4.5L on an Extender 2×, an f/9 combination, and owners of that lens who tried out PP bodies were reported to be delighted to find that the AF did not only try to work but actually did work. Much gnashing of teeth ensued when the error was corrected in time for production cameras.</p>

<p>There was an interesting piece of shadow-boxing played out in an earlier generation of forum about the EOS-3 exposure error. Users (like me) of early production versions started complaining that under certain circumstances they were seeing underexposure by about 2/3 stop. This was not just subjective – I checked against my EOS-1 with the same lens on many occasions, in circumstances where differences in the metering system could not reasonably be the explanation. Of course, there were plenty in denial, no doubt the same folk who thought the 1DIII AF problems were entirely attributable to user error. Canon never officially admitted that there was anything wrong, but if you sent your camera in to Canon, it came beck with the problem fixed without charge – it was never even really clear whether this was a firmware fix or some rather more steam-age form of adjustment, but it worked.</p>

<p>Finally, the legendary CF-19. The introduction of the EOS-3 pre-dated the introduction of IS to the Big White Lenses, but not ny much, and Canon announced that for a moderate charge they would upgrade the EOS-3 firmware to allow customisation of the AF Stop button(s) on those lenses. The upgrade added a CF, but rather mysteriously, since the highest CF on the EOS-3 was CF-17, it turned out to be CF-19. Later, of course, with the introduction of the EOS-1V, it became apparent why this was. Although I have never had any Big White Lenses, I had this upgrade done, on the grounds (a) you never know, and (b) there might be a few silent fixes attached to the upgrade.</p>

<p>Want some examples? My entire portfolio on PN (<a href="../photos/dallalb">http://www.photo.net/photos/dallalb</a>) was made with a Canon EOS 3 camera and different types of film. Nothing to complain about it! Just a thought: I'm going to switch to digital, purchasing a Canon 5D II and I'm wondering if I have to keep my EOS 3 or sell it... But the street prices of the EOS 3 are very low and they don't give justice of this nice piece of equipment...</p>

<p>A nice survey, JDM. It's refreshing to actually see photographs posted in this forum.</p>

<p>I love my EOS 3 but don't even shoot 5 rolls film/year with it.<br>

Here's a photo of it from last year -- I acquired a 2nd hand one in SF with the extra battery drive.<br>

It does have a very sensitive shutter button.</p><div></div>

<p>I liked my EOS 3 but never thought of it as "historic".</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure Canon DID admit to the exposure error problem with early 3s, and had a recall on it for a firmware update. My slightly later one never had any exposure errors, and was - IS - one of the most trustworthy cameras I've ever used. Yes, the shutter button is very responsive, but I don't consider that a fault. Yes, it's LOUD - not quite as bad as the 6xx series, but loud enough. I loved the multi-spot metering on it, which gave me excellent control over the Velvia that was normally in it.<br>

Incidentally, before the 3, most Canon exposure systems were set up to five slight underexposure for saturation of slide films, whereas the 3 was apparently set up to give "normal" exposure for ease of scanning. All that said, if I want to shoot film now (which is rare), I'll pick up the 1V for the fact that it fits more snugly in my hands, or the 30V (Elan 7Ne, I think!) for the wonderful silence of it.</p>

<p>Heck, Ian, if you're shooting film <strong>you</strong>'re getting to be historic.</p>

<p>Of course, some of us are already more historic than others. </p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>Alberto nice porfolio, I got to get my hands on some of that Kodak Elite Chrome Extra Color EBX 100 Color Slide Film !</p>

<p>The EOS 3 is <em>a</em> historic camera? It was just released!</p>

<p>Naw, it's <em>an</em> historic camera; and, even in my dotage, I do not think that 1998 is just yesterday.</p>

<p>Of course, if one reads the post, I did say</p>

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<p>Since this is so nearly a current model, a history may be a bit premature, and pictures taken with it simply illustrate the technological state-of-the-art for film cameras in their Götterdämmerung.</p>

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<p>Another excellent write-up, JDM. I think this one might be your best yet. The 3 is a camera that I've seriously considerd buying, primarily because it's a pro-level camera with eye-control and I've never experienced eye-control before. I haven't bought one because my 1v has nearly the same feature set (in a nicer body though, and with a few more capabilities) and I realize the experience would be very similar-with the exception of eye control, of course.</p>

<p>A nice read, JDM- thanks.<br>

I enjoy the EOS-3, and its appearance offers that little hint of style distinguishing it from Canon's 1D/Ds Series Blandness. <br>

Speaking of, here's hoping they'll make a 1 Series body with some original F-1 angularity!</p>

<p>Thanks JDM, nice read. I just ordered an EOS 3 from Ffordes today, to replace my AF challenged EOS 600/630. Can't wait :-)</p>