EOS-7/7E, EOS-3 or EOS-1V? 550EX?

[geoff_blackman]

I have been using an EOS 100 (aka EOS Elan) for 9 years and I have

been happy with it, but I have decided it's time to upgrade.

Typically, I use my camera for landscapes, wildlife and portraits. I

do not own a flash because most of the photographs I take are

outdoor in good lighting, but I recently had a son and now I find

myself taking photographs indoors in poor lighting and the built-in

flash doesn't seem to be powerful enough. Furthermore, for certain

shots it throws a shadow when I use my 28-70mm 2.8L lense - I know,

some amateurs. So I need a flash too. In additon, I own a 100mm f2.0

and 200mm f2.8. I have been looking at the buying the EOS-3 and

550EX, but I am a little disturbed to hear about under-exposure and

noise issues. Therefore, I need advice. Is this is good choice? Is

there really under-exposure and noise issues? How bad are these

issues? Should I consider the more expensive EOS-1V or less

expensive EOS-Elan 7/7E?

 

Thanks in advance.

[preston_merchant]

The underexposure issue was a problem with some of the first cameras that rolled off the assembly line years ago. There is no inherent underexposure problem with the EOS 3 now.

 

For what you are doing, you would probably be quite happy with the Elan 7. People here, myself included, sing its praises. It works quite well with the 550 EX or the less expensive 420 EX. It is one of the quietest SLRs on the market.

 

You could get the Elan 7 and 420 EX for what you would pay for just the EOS 3.

[steve_dunn2]

<p>If you find the Elan to be a good camera, then chances are the Elan 7 (or 7e) would be just about perfect, and the EOS 3 or 1V would be overkill. As the first response said, the underexposure problem with the EOS 3 happened when the camera first came out, about four years ago, and was supposedly fixed pretty quickly. The noise issue is real; the EOS 3 is not known for being quiet, and the Elan 7 is <em>very</em> quiet.</p>

 

<p>I'm happy with my Elan 7e and it can handle all the stuff you want to do with it. Try out the 7e and see if you can get eye-controlled focusing to work for you (make sure you start with a fresh calibration setting, or else it will be trying to read your eye using someone else's calibration, and that won't work very well); if so, get the 7e rather than the 7.</p>

 

<p>The 420EX is probably all the flash you need. The 550EX is certainly a better flash, but the 420EX is powerful enough for the use you mentioned, and how often are you going to need manual control and stroboscopic flash and the ability to override the zoom position and all that stuff?</p>

 

<p>BTW, you've already done the right thing - better to have three good lenses and a mid-grade body than a cheapie lens on a high-end body.</p>

 

<p>There's already a <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=003ahr&unified_p=1">thread about the 1V vs. the 3</a>; maybe something in there will be useful, too.</p>

[bob stewart jacksonville]

The 3 is pretty noisy. I wouldn't shoot a professional golf tournament with it. I haven't found it to be a big problem though. Obviously shutter noise isn't an issue for landscapes. I've never had a problem with my EOS 3 disturbing wildlife. Perhaps if you shoot from a blind it could be an issue.

[k_t1]

For yor purposes I would also recommend getting the Elan 7. As said above if your happy with your original Elan, you'll love the Elan 7. BTW, save yourself a couple of bucks and get the non E version, I have never really found a need (for my purposes) for eye controlled focus, you just have to ask yourself DO YOU need it?

[PuppyDigs]

The internet myth of EOS 3 underexposure is largely due to paranoid people complaining on lists and boards. Most of them were afraid they had the underexposure problem--they hadn't actually confirmed it by shooting chromes of medium toned objects in low light! However, there is a thin thread of truth at the root. When the EOS 3 was introduced in 1998, the first batch had an error in the metering algorithm that produced underexposure (I think 1.5 stops) at EV6 or lower. In brighter light it was fine. Thus, camera journalists and early adapters cried foul and Canon immediately fixed the firmware on subsequent samples. Although Canon fixed the actual problem over three years ago, it lives on as myth and seems to never die.

 

The 21-zone Evaluative metering system is amazingly good. I have shot untold rolls of chromes and got nothing but good exposures. I used multispot metering in tricky lighting for a while, but usually ended up with the same exposure as Evaluative metering. However, there is one aspect of metering I found different than other EOS cameras: the active focusing point strongly influences exposure. In other words, the object you focus on is given more weight in the camera's exposure calculation. My Elan 7E and A2 bias exposure slightly towards the AF point and tend to average the overall scene. The EOS 3 exposure bias is good most of the time just as long as you're aware of it. However, you must be careful not to focus on unusually light or dark areas and thereby throw metering off. If you like this type of control, you can go wholehog and link spot metering to 11 individual AF sensors (Custom Function 13-1). Then, use ECF to select individual AF points for focus and spot metering.

 

After using this camera for two years, I can say that it performs as advertised. I mainly use the EOS 3 to shoot on the beach, jungle and other wet environments. It took dust, rain and splashes without flinching and proved to be utterly relievable, cranking out well exposed and focused chrome after chrome.

 

I don't think the EOS 3 has a noise problem. It has about the same volume as other pro SLRs like an EOS 1N, 1V or F5 (yes, each camera has its own unique voice but pro cameras are loud). However, if silence is paramount, stick with your EOS 100 or get an EOS 5 or 30.

[jia_shi_li]

Hi Geoff, I find the 7 miss a lot focus, and the camera grip is bit small for my hand, the built in flash is too weak.

 

The 3 is a better value, ar around $750, you get 97% feature of the 1V, but you have to pay over $1300 for a new 1V, unless you really need 10 frame per second.

[scott_currie1]

Hello, I was having the same problem you are. I had an older eos body and felt the need to update it. I ended up getting the elan7.

I have only shot 2 rolls on it so far as I just bought it this week but so far so good. If you were to get the elan7 I would pick up the bp300 grip. It has a very nice feel and has the extra shutter button for vertical shooting.

For outdoor nature its very quiet and quite fast at 4 fps. Also dont forget the E-TTL with the 550ex or 420ex...

[jay_.]

I'd surely get the Elan7 (not the E, the ECR is a silly gadget)before the 3. But if you can take the price and weight the 1V is several orders of magnitude more camera than either.