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Any other EOS3 users getting dark shots


lawrie_weston

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I have just been on a trip with new EOS3.

I took over 35 casettes of fuji 35mm slides(400 & 100) Unfortulately only those taken on my EOS50 came out correctly exposed. 23 taken on the EOS3 (new camera to use so used the most) came out 1 stop underexposed.

OK Trannys don't have latitude of print but if I had use Neg film I probably wouldn't have noticed the problem.

I shot off a roll with bracketing (wish I'd had time to do so before the trip)and have confirmed the exposure error.

The readings in viewfinder matched a hand-held so I thought I was going to be OK.

I estimate I have wasted the cost of another EOS3 body on both the cost of the trip and the loss of photos, not to lost pictures.

I have had correspondence with another user who had the same problem.

I believe that a Professional camera should be accurate to the DX code of the film and then we can override as required. Shurely we shouldn't have to manually set a lower ASA each time we load a film!

If so lets remove the DX code feature so we can go back 20 years in technology.

Are we the only 2 people with this problem?

Would like to hear from others with similar experience.

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There's a "well known" (or at least often reported) problem with some

(but not all) EOS-3 bodies which seems to result in about 2/3 stop

underexposure. Canon can reprogram the cameras to eliminate this.

 

<p>

 

My Elan II (50) runs about 1/3 stop under. I usually reset the ISO,

but if I forget it's usually no big deal.

 

<p>

 

Like you say, it's always a good idea to test any new equipment before

taking it on a trip to avoid such nasty surprises.

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Unfortunately this is also a problem I have experienced with my EOS

3. I have been shooting with my 3 corrected for 2/3 underexposure

for about 9 months now. I shoot 95% spot metering, so this

calibration is simple and easy. But I also found my EOS 3 to be only

1/3 underexposed while using evaluative matering. This was a major

headache when switching between metering modes.

 

<p>

 

I agree that a pro level camera should be properly calibrated, but I

also know that properly calibrating a camera's meter has been going

on for a long time now. Many camera bodies have and will continue to

be calibrated wrong upon purchase. Correcting with a simple change

in ISO will always correct this, simply and efficiently.

 

<p>

 

I personally have put off sending my camera in for correction because

of the horror stories I have heard about sending equipment to the

Canon Service Factory. I have heard the turnover rate for repairs

can be two to three months. Unfortunatley my EOS 3 broke down and

lost focusing ability last week, and just today I mailed it to the

closest authorized Canon repair facility. It is still under

warranty, and they can fix the meter problem while they have it. I

love the EOS system and won't lose faith now. It is just a shame

that $1300.00 can't assure you that you won't get one of the few bad

eggs.

 

<p>

 

Anyway, you can correct in ISO or send the baby away to be

recalibrated. Either way, the up side is that the meter works either

way!

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This 2/3 under exposure is a well documented "problem" of the EOS 3.

Apparently this problem was corrected on EOS 3 cameras manufactured

after 10 March 1999. The code from which you can see when the camera

was manufactured is in the film compartment. The cure is a software

upgrade, which is done from a computer via the hot shoe of the camera.

Upgrading the software is a simple procedure that took 10 minutes

without dismantling the camera.

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The problem with resetting the ISO is the results it has on flash exposure. The people that reported this problem in the past have said that the TTL flash exposure was right on, so if you reset the ISO you have to also set flash compensation to compensate for your compensation. Ain't photography fun?
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