EOS-1V

<p>I own an F-1n and several lenses. My wife has transitioned to digital and she is happy with the 40D. We have a bunch of lenses for the 40D, but we (purposely) bought full-frame versions with a view toward upgrading to a full-frame EOS DSLR.</p>

<p>I'm considering selling my manual F-1n gear and getting an EOS-1V film body, which I can use with the lenses my wife uses on her 40D. (I have been using her 40D quite a bit.)</p>

<p>My question is, How does the film EOS-1V compare with the DSLR companions? Will I find it comfortable shooting film in the 1V after using the digital 40D? I know it is a world of difference from the F-1n. I have a hard time knowing all of her EOS glass can be used on a film camera but I'm stuck with the old FD lenses on my F-1n, plus my eyesight in middle age is not that great and I will benefit from autofocus!</p>

<p>My other consideration is justifying the $1,500+ expenditure on a film body.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Jeffrey, first of all, the 1V is a fabulous camera, arguably the finest AF film body ever made, and you shouldn't hesitate to get one if you're still intent on shooting film.</p>

<p>Second, you should be able to find one in mint condition for $500 or so.</p>

<p>Third, I made the transition from FD to EOS with the EOS-3 and, soon after, the 1V. I find that EOS bodies handle very much like the T90. And I have no trouble going back and forth between my 1V and my 5D II. Apart from the top dial on the DSLR, they are laid out very similarly. I presume it would be the same going between the 1V and the 40D.</p>

<p>Just as an aside, I put a roll of film through one of my F-1n's the other day, and found it very hard to focus. The F-1N and T90 have laser matte screens, and are consequently much easier to focus. So I can definitely empathize with your experience with your F-1n. You'll find autofocus to be a godsend.</p>

<p>I also came from long-term use, 1972 to 1990, of an F-1 (original) and a kit of prime lenses. I had three EOS film bodies, the EOS-1, EOS-3, and EOS-1V, bought a 20D as my first DSLR, and after one major trip when I used both the -1V and the 20D, I never took another shot on film – I now use a dual-format kit with a 5DII and a 50D, and have recently bought a 7D for my wife. So that's the background from which I am responding.</p>

<p>I loved the 1V, and have always regretted that Canon have never made a digital equivalent. No, the 1D series is <strong>not</strong> equivalent to the 1V but to the 1VHS, which was nothing more than a 1V body with the PB-E2 booster fitted. The difference is that the PB-E2 could be removed, whereas the battery bulge of the 1D series is integral to the body. I had a PB-E2 purchased separately from the camera, but rarely used it, finding that it made an already heavy camera too heavy and bulky for my liking, so I always knew that the 1D series was not for me. However, if you want seamless handling between a film SLR and a DSLR then the 1V and one of the 1D series is the way to go (you'll have to buy your wife a 1D4), and swapping between the 1V and a non-1D EOS digital body is probably comparable as far as handling changeover is concerned to swapping between a 1D-series camera and a non-1D. Plenty of people seem to manage that.</p>

<p>As Mark says, you should be able to pick up a very nice 1V s/h for a modest outlay (or an EOS-3 for even less). What will be much more difficult will be to find the ES-E1 cable and software, without which you cannot access the full capabilities of the 1V, particularly personal function setting and shooting data download. It's not the software that is the problem – some kind soul would almost certainly share that with you – but the cable with special interface hardware in its sealed bulge. I'm not aware that anyone has ever worked round that.</p>

<p>If you are still considering wanting to go full frame, you may want to look at some used 5D mark I. You can find them ranging in price from 900-1200 used depending on the seller.</p>

<p>The only problem with using my lenses on a film body is that it caused me to want a FF dslr that much more.</p>

<p>The 1V is a great camera, and you're not missing anything without the ES-E1.</p>

<p>About a year after I bought a 5D I won an auction for a 1V. My biggest problem in transitioning from digital to film at that point is that I'd become accustomed to firing at will with the DSLR; next time I picked up a (motorized) film camera I blew through 36 frames in less than ten minutes. I rarely shoot digital these days.</p>

<p>If it were me, I wouldn't part with the F-1n just to get the 1V; in fact, I have the F-1 and New F-1, plus T90, EF, and a few others, to balance the EOS 1, 1N, 1N-RS, 1V, 3, 5D, 630, RT collection. They're all good.</p>

<p>Robin's point about the EOS-3 is worth underscoring. I found mine used in like new condition for $200. It's almost as good a body as the 1V, and has Eye Control Focusing, a feature that some love and others loathe (but that can be turned off anyway).</p>

<p>I find it funny that people feel they have to "transition" or announce that they've done so. It's not like you can't go back and forth between film and digital, and it's not like an F-1n can't take pictures as nice as the EOS-1V. And the EOS-1V can't use the EF-S lenses that the 40D can.</p>

 

<p>I have a 5D, and a 1V, they are very easy to use toghether. I also have an EOS -3, and there is no way I would choose that body over a 1-V.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>The 1V is a great camera, and you're not missing anything without the ES-E1.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Well, you are clearly missing <em>something</em>, the question is how much it matters to you. For me, the ability to download shooting data from the camera was one of my main reasons for moving from the -3 to the -1V, and I did use some PFs as well. YMMV, of course, but you may not realise how much the ES-E1 kit adds until you've tried it. Even the data download facility certainly represents a step in the digital direction that may make it easier to work with a mixture of film and digital.</p>

<p>Was the 1V the best film SLR? I guess the only real competition was the Nikon F6, which may well have been better, if only because it came out several years after the 1V. Too late by far, in fact – by that time film was already heading rapidly into a niche market. I don't think I have ever even seen anyone using an F6, and it would be interesting to know how many were actually sold.</p>

<p>The functionality the ES-E1 adds isn't useful to me; one or two of the custom functions may have been interesting to use, but I don't miss them, nor the data download capability. I don't deny that others would find it useful though. I must admit I'd been on the lookout for the cable a few years ago, but then, will the software work with XP or Windows 7?</p>

<p>Is the 1V the best film SLR? The best EOS, certainly, along with the 3. I'd love to play with an F6, though I think the only way in which it could surpass the 1V would be if you were a Nikon user and preferred the control layout. I think they're pretty much the same camera. Certainly I'll grab one if I come into some money.</p>

<p>There are a number of less-expensive alternatives. As already noted, there are used EOS-1v bodies on the market.<br /> The predecessor of the Iv are the variants of the Canon EOS 1n. These sell for even less.<br /> Finally, I just got what looks to be a nearly mint in original box EOS-1 for under US$100. I wanted the earliest one as an historical shooter, as the first of its kind. This was the F4 killer for Canon that put them, and specifically EOS, into the lead with professional photographers.</p>

<p>The EOS-3 is another camera with great capabilities. As a favorite shooter of lots of people still working in film, it costs a little more than many EOS film cameras.</p>

<p>Quite frankly, the older models of EOS film cameras from the 650 and the 620, up to the 700, then the EOS-5 and the like are all very economical to buy. They are mostly very good shooters as well.<br /> They are not EOS-1 cameras or even EOS-3s, but some of them come pretty close.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I've had my 1vHS for almost 8 years now and it is still the best film camera I've ever shot, and one of the best cameras period. It's really an amazing camera and as nice as the EOS 3 is, the 1v has just that little bit more that makes it a more enjoyable experience for me. It feels more solid and has slightly improved algorithms for the AF. It's also very well sealed against the elements. In my opinion it's Canon's best, film or digital, and at the prices it sells for today it's almost a crime to pass it up. I use mine quite frequently alongside my 7D.</p>

<p>I picked up a 1V a year ago for only $250. It is a fantastic camera and makes my Canon DSLRs feel rather flimsy. Besides making my 50D feel cheap, I never have had a problem switching back and forth. </p>

<p>For someone looking for a digital full frame / film camera combo at a relatively reasonable price, a used 5D1 + eos 1v combination is hard to beat, in terms of quality/price ratio. You can certainly find cheaper film camera alternatives, but at the going rate of the 1v on the used market, there is little reason to settle for a lesser alternative. In the long run, the 1v might even prove the most reasonable choice. Film cameras will gradually become harder to service : given the build quality of the 1v, it is unlikely that it require repair during the lifetime of its owner, unless it goes through very heavy useage. Mine has gone through pretty harsh conditions in tropical wilderness and still practically looks like it was just out of its box. </p>

<p>The 1V is a great camera, very solid and its weather proofing is allegedly a generation on from the 1n and 3. However, the camera scuffs very easily (which is a shame) and is not light in weight. Add, a weather proofed L lens and it all gets quite weighty- reassuringly weighty, but weighty all the same.</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone who contributed. I may just hang on to my F-1n and FD lenses. I'll have to do some further research, but it looks like a s/h EOS-1V or -3 will be in my future.</p>

<p>I love my 1V-HS, though it's been in the cupboard with half a roll of film in it for the last year as the battery died.<br>

I bought it on ebay from California - mint & boxed - lovely. I'm in the UK, and the seller didn't want to ship out of the US. My boss was visiting his family in Houston that week, so I had it sent to him. When he brought it back to the UK for me, he'd thrown away the box (didn't fit in his suitcase apparently!). "Hell that's okay, I didn't need it anyway... sir ....mumble...mumble...mumble!".<br>

I also didn't get a charger with it when I bought it, and the only decently priced charger I could find was in Singapore - I'm in the UK. I think it was about £40. The Canon charger is over £200! My far eastern charger went up in smoke, so this lovely camera is languishing in its peli-case, which hasn't been opened in a year or more!.<br>

But for the dozen or so rolls of film I put through it, I was in love!<br>

I'd love to get back to it - just need to find me a charger.</p>