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First film SLR


levon_monte

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<p>I've had a rebel xti for a few years now and am a pro-amateur doing portraits and exhibits here and there. I want to take a photography class in the fall, i've never taken one. I'd like to take a film class and go from there to learn the inner workings of photography with the dark room and all that film entails. I came across an article that named Canon's Elan 7 as one of the best film cameras. I researched it and it seems like a economical choice, I'm on a tight budget.<br /> <br /> My question is this: I'm considering the Elan 7 with an EF 28-90mm f/4-5.6 III lens. The body seems great and the lens decent enough. I can get both for around $120 total, which is my price range. Anybody in here have this body or lens for opinions?<br /> <br /> I'd love to get the EF 24-85, but it's too expensive, and I read the EF 35-80mm is the worst lens in the EOS line-up ever offered. For the money is there another lens and/or body I should consider? Something in the $150 price range? I know the 50mm f/1.8 is a great cheap lens, but i'm looking for something with focal range for walking around with, not a prime. Any advice is appreciated! -Levon</p>
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<p>Hi:<br>

I own an EOS-30 + 24-85 combo, which I got for about $300 used back in 2005. I do find the camera have a very nice balance and runs very quietly for both film winding and rewinding. Being a long time EOS user (since 1991) , I do not find anything placed at awkward position and everything is just where you suppose to find it. However, I cannot tell whether you'll find it familiar with the layout of the Digital rebel, but I suppose the family affiliation of EOS is better than other brand. I'm still a film user.<br>

As a side note, I do own 'the original' 35-80 came as a kit with my EOS-1000F (the original rebe!). I also use a 28-90 before. I find that the 35-80 is slightly better than the 28-90. The 28-90 is just too soft even when viewing at the 4x6 print. I think I might be the only one you can find on the net who tell you this :)</p>

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<p>The Elan 7 series are great little cameras for the money, but hardly qualify as "one of the best film cameras." I'd call out a T90, 1V, F5, F6, FM3A, M6 and at least a dozen other models before invoking the humble Elan 7. You'll find Elan7 AF a bit pokey and quirky compared to your XTi. However, you'll love the larger VF and QCD. Probably make you want to upgrade the XTi to a XXD series later...</p>

<p>The EF 28-80 and 28-90 are among Canon's worse lenses. Are all the lenses you currently own all EF-s? Any EF lenses (but not EF-s) will work fine on the Elan. If you must buy a kit zoom, the EF 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM is a much better choice and a bit cheaper than the equally good EF 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM. If you really wanna go retro, flip for a niffy 50 and zoom with your friggen feet.</p>

<p>My old Elan 7E review:<br /> http://emedia.leeward.hawaii.edu/frary/elan7e.htm</p>

Sometimes the light’s all shining on me. Other times I can barely see.

- Robert Hunter

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<p>Thanks Huang. Do you find your camera suffers in low light? I was turned off by reading a review a few minutes ago that said it's poor AF in low light and it doesn't have an AF assist light, just the flash. The Elan II has an AF assist light, making me lean more towards that body. I don't want my subjects getting strobe flashed for the camera to focus. I'm thinking the Elan II with the 28-90 might be the way to go.</p>
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<p>Puppy face, I only own the canon EF-S 18-55. I need an EF lens for this camera. I know the 28-80 and 28-90 are crap, I guess I should plan on spending a little more for the 28-105 or 24-85. I found some on ebay for $140, and elan II's for about $30. As you can see, i'm not going for BEST film camera, but best for around $150 with lens. Now I just need to decide if i go for the 24-85 or 28-105 II lens. i'm leaning toward the latter, the 24-85 has strong barrel distortion according to <a href="http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/185-canon-ef-24-85mm-f35-45-usm-lab-test-report--review?start=1">photozone.net</a>.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">I'm with Peter. 7e + 28-105/3.5-4.5 (mind you, <strong>not</strong> the 4-5.6 version) will make a great combo and will serve you well on your rebel as well. Also consider the 50/1.8. Great little lens for a song.

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<p dir="ltr">Happy shooting,

 

<p dir="ltr">Yakim.

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" I read the EF 35-80mm is the worst lens in the EOS line-up ever offered."

 

 

That was one of my first lenses when I switched from Nikon to Canon. IMHO actually this lens took some pretty decent pictures if I can remember... The range, compact size, weight and semi-macro features, made it a pleasure to use for snap-shots and general walk-around photography .

 

This lens however, was made from all plastic(cheap plastic at that) including the mounting ring. The construction is even worse than the construction on the 50mm f 1.8. The main problem with this lens in my opinion, was that you could not override the AF, doing this would cause the AF on the lens to shut down for an indefinate period of time.

 

You might consider purchasing the 28-105mm 3.5/4.5 which IS a little bit above your range, but does have AF override, is more solidly built, has semi-macro capabilties, has a better range, takes fantastic pictures for the price, and it is definately worth it.

 

Thanks for mentioning the 35-80mm lens by the way, I was about to dump in the trash can when I decided to see if it still works, and by Golly it still does after 10 years !

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<p>I actually just grabbed my Elan 7 yesterday (borrowing from a relative). I normally shoot with a 20D but miss the days of film and not thinking too much about the shot after I've taken it. I also love the surprise of "wow, I forgot I even took that" when I get film developed. And I've just found myself spending too much time wanting to immediately pp all my digital shots.</p>

<p>Anyway, the 7e works beutifully with my EF lenses and I especially like that my 17-40mm is actually a wide angle lens! Wohoo.</p>

<p>If the 7 was taken care of it's a nice little camera. In terms of Lenses... The only one I could recommend out of my lens line-up would be the 50 1.8 You can find them for around $75-$100. I would take that prime over any plastic zoom IMO.</p>

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<p>Levon, why not get an Elan 7N (or 7NE)? It was introduced in 2004, and consequently has many of the latest features of the best EOS film bodies, including a much better AF system than the earlier Elans. And it's almost as cheap as the others.</p>

<p>With film bodies, your lenses and film are the critical determinants of image quality. So you might want to save for a good zoom, such as the EF 24-105/4 L, that you can use on both of your EOS bodies. For now, I would forget the kit zoom and pick up a 50/1.8, as Puppy and Erik have suggested.</p>

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<p>The Elan 7 is a very nice camera and packs a lot of capability into its fairly compact size. I have one as a film backup to my 1vHS--not that the 1vHS really needs a backup, but I digress. The "7" is a very satisfying camera to use and it's one of the quietest cameras Canon has ever made. As for lenses, Peter's suggestion of the 28-105 is right on the money. That's a great lens that I see people using on their Canon DSLRs still. If you can avoid the 35-80 then you probably should. Interestingly it was my very first EOS lens and the same lens that I used to shoot one of the pictures I've sold the most copies of (a great shot of Comet Hale-Bopp) while mounted on my old Canon A2. I briefly owned the 28-90 lens but got rid of it as fast as I could. If you can splurge a little more you might consider the 28-135 IS, a great walkaround lens, but that might start to get a little pricey. What would be <em>really</em> fun for a photography class though is a Canon FTbn with an FD 50/1.4 mounted on it. Without going into the whole "learning on a manual camera is better than learning on an AF camera" argument (<em>who gives a crap</em>--<em>a camera is a camera and used properly they all do the same thing</em>), the FTbn (or the "plain" FTb) is simply a lot of fun to use and allows you to experience one of Canon's nicely engineered cameras from almost 40 years ago. Just a thought.</p>
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<blockquote>

<p>Mark writes, "Levon, why not get an Elan 7N (or 7NE)? It was introduced in 2004, and consequently has many of the latest features of the best EOS film bodies, including a much better AF system than the earlier Elans. And it's almost as cheap as the others."</p>

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<p>True, I actually owned one and, besides tweaked AF, it was the only EOS film box with E-TTL-II. However it debuted so late in the digital era not many were sold and it is rather hard to come by compared to the plain Elan 7E/7. I must say I loved the ECF feature and had a hard time adjust to the damn joystick thingie for AF point selection...</p>

Sometimes the light’s all shining on me. Other times I can barely see.

- Robert Hunter

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<p>I say get the 50mm 1.8 nifty fifty. Your professor may require you to shoot at 50mm anyways, plus it is a portrait lens when mounted on a crop dslr. </p>

<p>Or, you could get an older canon A-1 (or one of the variations, ae-1 and etc.) with a 50mm lens attached for maybe 80-100 bucks, less if you are lucky.</p>

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<p>I agree with the Elan 7/7e, but might also suggest the EOS3. As for the lens, the 50 f/1.8 fall within your budget but for versitality the Canon EF 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 USM MkII is a good lens which would work on your current xti, although probably not wide enough for a small sensor digital body.</p>

<p>You indicate "pro-amateur" and that "you want to learn the inner workings of photography."</p>

<p>For the budget you talk about . . .Find a totally manual only SLR like the Canon AT-1 and a 50mm FD lens.<br>

The AT-1 has a very good "match needle" internal metering system. There are no "sports, macro, night, AV or TV priority, program or automatic modes. "Nada . . . Zip!"<br>

It would certainly teach the inner workings of photography, and put you leaps ahead of the majority of the other "pro-amateur's" I suspect.</p>

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<p>I have the 7n, and it's a nicely featured little SLR -- a bit plasticky, though. I also have the 1n, which is a much more serious camera that can be had very cheaply (under $200) on Ebay. Its biggest weakness, compared to the 7n, is that it doesn't support ETTL flash. It's also MUCH louder than the 7n. If I were serious about 35mm film, I think I'd buy a 3. They're very cheap too.</p>
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<p>Hi, I hope I don't step on anyones toes here being this is in the EOS section but how about a Canon FTb? Or AE1? Or, heaven forbid a Pentax K1000? Manual focus, manual advance, set the shutter speed, set the aperture and learn how they all work together. What better way to learn? The glass in these are glass and usually very good. Most can be had for $50 with a 50 on them. Just a thought.</p>
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<p>I used to have an Elan 7ne, and I absolutely loved it. I took two photography classes using it until it was unfortunately stolen. I used primarily the 28-135 IS USM, even though it's a dark lens and has a few other problems.<br>

One of the neat features was the eye-focus (the "e" in 7ne). Basically, after calibration, you look at one of the AF points in the viewfinder and the camera knows where you're looking and focuses there when you half-press the shutter. Hold the shutter halfway down and you can continue to frame your shot while the camera holds focus.<br>

I found a used Elan 7ne with battery pack on ebay for less than $100. For all I know, it's still there. I only looked it up to see what it's running for nowadays, and honestly I'm considering buying another one.</p>

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<p>I picked up an Elan 7 from Goodwill for very little money and am surprised how nice it is. Well made for a consumer slr and the AF is fine using the center AF point on USM lenses. Much better camera than I expected.</p>
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<p>The Elan 7 series is dirt cheap, they work pretty well, and they are fairly up to date. They support ETTL flash units, have fairly advanced AF and eye control systems relative to older cameras, and best of all..... they are quiet! I'm not a shy person at all, but I do appreciate the serious difference in operating noise between the Elan 7 series cameras, and previous EOS models. It will work for you just fine, and you can put the money you saved into a nice standard EF zoom lens for your kit.</p>

<p>I paid about $8 for this one from KEH (no, the lens wasn't part of the deal). It was in EX condition, but offered "as is" because the pop up flash tube does not fire. I never use a pop up flash anyway (honest), so it was all a bonus to me. It's a great camera. Not only does it cost less than one premium cigar today, but it lasts a whole lot longer as well.<br>

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2684/4450358911_350a112e96.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></p>

 

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<p>The elan 7n and 7ne still use the flash in low light instead of an AF light and that's the main detractor for me in this camera. I don't want to be strobing a flash every time i'm in low light so the camera can focus. Other than that, I'd love to get this camera. I'm considering the Elan II as well (which uses an AF light), any other suggestions on bodies that can be had for under $50? A lot of great suggestions, but most of them are out of my price range. I'm pretty set on the 28-105mm lens as well, seems like a better choice than the 24-85 for me.</p>
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