Rebel GII Limitations?

[codyj1286]

I've been making photographs for around two years on an artistic level, not just a point

and shooter. I currently use the Rebel GII with the 50mm/1.8 as my workhorse lens. As I

progress through photography I would like to eventually purchase the Elan 7NE as my

prosumer model to satisfy all of my artistic needs.

 

After using the camera for around two years I have come to understand some of its quirks

and irritations that make it truly an entry model camera. By the way, I shoot mostly

landscape and architecture, if that helps any. Anyway, excluding the professional EOS

cameras is the Elan 7NE a good choice to bring my equipment up to the level of my

photography?

[suman]

Elna7 seriese is an excellent choice for advance users. Custom functions, selectable metering mode, faster autofocus along with AI servo make it a real winner in photographic arena, but it may not be suitable for pro users.

[yakim_peled1]

Yes.

 

Happy shooting ,

Yakim.

[christopher_bibbs]

Out of curiosity, which limitations of the GII are you trying to over come?

[steve_dunn2]

<p>My first thought was exactly what Christopher said: unless you tell us what limitations of the Rebel G II you've run into, we can't tell you whether the Elan 7NE will help. It's a good body, definitely an improvement over the Rebel G II, and definitely below the pro bodies, so there's a good chance that it's what you're looking for.</p>

 

<p>But give us a list of how the Rebel is limiting your shooting and we can give you much better answers.</p>

[codyj1286]

I was more asking what are the limitations that are placed on my photography because I

use an entry model, and what I would be gaining if I switched to a prosumer body. I

constantly am frustrated by the akward manual metering by using the little dial for time,

and pressing the button and then moving the dial for apeture. I like to be able to bracket

my shots, but the auto-bracket is not as helpful for the way I bracket.

 

I want to have equipment that is up to par with my photography, not equipment that limits

my ability to take great photos. Hope that clears anything up. Sorry for the confusion.

[phule]

<< I was more asking what are the limitations that are placed on my photography because I use an entry model, >>

 

To pick a random high value, 90% of the limitations are imposed by the photographer not by the equipment. Landscapes and architecture don't really move very fast, so I'm not sure why you'd need to worry about how quickly you need to change shutter or aperture, but that is (of course) personal preference. Mirror lockup can be nice for both which is certainly a consideration.

 

Yes, the Elan7 is a nice camera. It does have two wheels that can be used for aperture and shutter speed (though, I have no problems with the single wheel/button combo on my wife's Rebel 2000). It's also much heavier. I have never found the electronic eye focus control to fit my style of shooting, and prefer to eliminate that as an expense.

 

Rather than listing off all the features, you probably would be best to visit the Elan7N website and see them for yourself.

 

 

In the end, only you can decide if the money is best spent on a new body vs. better glass or more film/processing, or a better tripod (to name a couple counter-point examples). Deciding without holding one in your hands is probably not a good idea. Get thee to a camera store.

[steve_dunn2]

<cite>I was more asking what are the limitations that are placed on my photography because I use an entry model, and what I would be gaining if I switched to a prosumer body.</cite>

 

<p>To some degree, you can answer this by comparing the specs and then asking how those specs apply to your type of photography. For instance, the specs say that the Elan can fire off frames at a much higher rate than the Rebel - not much use for your photography but important for some people. The Elan has a much newer AF system, which offers the potential for quicker focus acquisition and tracking, depending of course on conditions and on the lens; again, probably not as big a deal for you as it is for some people. Some AF features which might be useful for your photography include 7 AF points, eye-controlled focusing, and the arrow keys on the back which can make manual focus point selection quicker.</p>

 

<p>I don't believe that Rebel model offers depth of field preview; the Elan does. This is a feature which might be more useful to you.</p>

 

<cite>I constantly am frustrated by the akward manual metering by using the little dial for time, and pressing the button and then moving the dial for apeture.</cite>

 

<p>OK, that's a big win for the Elan right there. The quick control dial on the back is a much better way of doing this - you have two parameters to set (aperture and shutter speed) and two dials with which to do it (the main dial, near the shutter release button, and the quick control dial on the back).</p>

 

<cite>I like to be able to bracket my shots, but the auto-bracket is not as helpful for the way I bracket.</cite>

 

<p>AFAIK, auto bracketing works the same way on both bodies. Again, though, the Elan's quick control dial might be useful; in modes other than M, it becomes the exposure compensation dial, so if you don't like the way the camera brackets, just fire off however many pictures you want, using the exposure compensation dial to set whatever EC you desire.</p>

 

<p>As far as exposure metering, the Elan's metering system is better but still not foolproof. One important area where the Elan family beats the Rebel family is manual control. The Rebel only gives you certain options depending on the mode it's in; the Elan gives you all three options (evaluative, center-weighted average, partial) in any Creative Zone mode.</p>

 

<p>As someone else suggested, the photographer, not the equipment, is often the limitation. Certainly, that's the case for me. Maybe it is for you, too, or maybe not; it might be worth putting a bit of time into figuring out whether that applies to you.</p>

[panos_voudouris]

The things that I really liked and think that they have actually improved my photographs, when moving from a 300 to a 30 (Rebel 2000 to 7E):

 

1) Bigger viewfinder

 

2) User selectable metering pattern: I like partial metering, especially when used with eye-focus.

 

3) 2nd curtain flash sync and flash exposure compensation: this makes the built-in flash actually usable and at times I can make it so subtle that you won't even notice it is there.

 

4) Mirror lock-up: I use that for handheld shots at low shutter speeds. A bit awkard but much better than a mirror slap at 1/15 and no tripod.

 

There are other convenient features like the 2nd wheel, 4fps, custom functions for mirror lock-up or film leader out, and other stuff. As for eye-focus, I use it sometimes, sometimes not, usually I just use the centre point, more out of habit and it is more sensitive. But eye-focus does work and I have calibrated it to the point that it has almost a 100% success ratio.