my reaction to the silly comments on the elan 7/eos 33 review

[frank_bunnik]

I just purchased the eos 30 (elan 7e) 2 days ago so I can not and

will not give any detailed comments on the performance. My first

impressions, having owned an eos 1n, are very good. Though not as

strongly built as the 1n, it still feels solid. The camera with BP300

and my standard 2.8-4.0 28-80 L lens (lens alone 945 grams) fits my

big hands (I am 2.03 meters myself) very well.

 

Before I decided to buy this camera I read among others this review

and it's comments. Some of these comments are not fair and some are

downright silly.

 

First of all, a lot of those who gave their comments wrote that the

elan 7 is not worth the upgrade from an elan 2. However, those who do

make this change do NOT upgrade. They merely change to a bit more

modern camera in the same price range. Those who use an elan 2 and

change to an eos 3 upgrade, as do those who own an eos 300 (rebel

2000) and change to an elan 7.

 

Second: Some wrote that their elan 2 could autofocus on a plain

surface, something they say the elan 7 can not. Though I have no

experience with the elan 2, I find it hard to believe. In my opinion

there is no autofocus camera that can focus on a plain surface

(without some aid like an IR pattern). My eos 1n certainly could not

do it and I have tried an F5 and it could not do it, for the very

simple reason that autofocus needs CONTRAST to focus and a plain

surface has NO contrast.

 

The constant comparison between the elan 7 and the eos 3 is

ridiculous. The 7 costs about 450 us dollars here in Holland, the 3

around 1.200,00. It is logical that canon does not built all of the

features of the expensive model in a cheaper camera. Of course this

would cut in sales, can we blame Canon for that?

 

One person even blamed Canon for not having a switch on the camera to

go from autofocus to manual. Why? The switch is on the lenses. Easy

to use and in the right place for your left hand. Why should I want a

tiny switch on the camera that I can only use by taking the camera

from my eye (Nikon)? Besides, why built something useless that can

only break down?

 

I have tested the autofocus of my eos 30 in my dimly lit living room

while not using the eyecontrol. I had no problem with the autofocus,

even with my 5.6 400mm lens. The 6 points out of the centre focus a

lot better than the ones on my eos 1n. Those focussed so bad I hardly

ever used them, instead always using the centre point and recompose.

 

That's it for now.

Frank

[frank_bunnik]

Oh I almost forgot.

 

The same guy that wanted an AF/M button on the camera complained that there were too many buttons on the camera. Too many buttons? There is hardly on too much. A feature I like about the eos line is the fact that there are not so much buttons on the cameras compared to the cameras of other brands. Look at the Dynax 7 (not sure what the US name is), now that's what I call too many buttons!

 

Sure there are some things to be desired on the eos 30/33 but this is very much camera for it's price.

[PuppyDigs]

<P>The anonymity of the internet encourages otherwise faceless voices to bitch and cry about anything. The Elan 7 is an oft loved target. I own both the Elan 7E and EOS 3 and enjoy both rigs. Both have their individual strengths and weaknesses. Of course, the EOS 3's AF is much better in dim light, but, like you said, it should be as it costs 3 times more. Funny, although the EOS 3 is better than the Elan 7E in nearly every way, I reach for the Elan 7E more often. I suppose the Elan's friendly interface, petite package, fully activated cross sensor with slow zooms and solid performance under most conditions are more endearing than better low light AF, weather proofing, spot meter or faster FPS.</P>

 

<P>Here's my review of the Elan 7E if you're interested:</P>

 

<P><A HREF="http://emedia.leeward.hawaii.edu/frary/elan7e.htm">http://emedia.leeward.hawaii.edu/frary/elan7e.htm</A></P>

[rcpeters]

I love my Elan 7, however it does suffer a little in the focusing department. Both my fathers Eos 3, and my canon rebel Ti will focus in low light situations that my Elan 7 will not.

[night73]

I own the Elan 33 (7) and I agree it is a fine instrument. The only real beef that anyone can have is the disappearing infrared low light assist lamp vs the strobe/white low light assist. I have found my Elan 2e a bit better in low light. Regardless the Elan 30/33 is a great performer at the price point.

[NK Guy]

>Some wrote that their elan 2 could autofocus on a plain surface, something

they say the elan 7 can not. Though I have no experience with the elan 2, I

find it hard to believe. In my opinion there is no autofocus camera that can

focus on a plain surface (without some aid like an IR pattern).

 

This statement is correct, though. The Elan II/EOS 50/55 can focus on a plain

surface since it has a body-integral patterned red AF assist light, as do the A2/

5, Elan/100 and 10/10s. The Elan 7/EOS 30/33/7, on the other hand, has no

such AF assist light and so cannot focus on a plain surface without a

Speedlite flash unit.

 

The removal of the AF assist light is, in my opinion, a legitimate complaint

about the Elan 7/30/33/7. It doesn't affect everybody, but affects those who

need it quite a bit.

[canon man]

I like your analysis here! I would like to point out tha tth Elan 7 may end up surprising everyone too. Canon discontinued the A2 after a 10 year run, and replaced it wit hthe Elan7. I would expect that they took into consideration its predecessor an dbuilt it just as tough. They took some options but added just as many to make up. I would miss the interchangeable focus screens, but hey I still have the 630! I opted for the 7 over the A2 for one very big factor. IT IS NEW. I sold a T90 to be able to buy it, and will miss the features of the T90, but for my purposes the 3 would not have been an advantage. I like all these people who say that wildlife photograghy doesn't start until 400mm. I'll get it done at 300mm with the Silent Elan7, and my life times experience as a hunter. I can sneak up to 30yds to a deer. At 300mm I think tha twill be a frame filling shot. Wit hthe 7 I may also get a couple of shots before he spooks. If its windy, maybe more. As for auto focus andview finder darkness, it has to be better than the 630, and I think the 630 does great with the 28-105USMII in low light. The 100-300 is a different story.So basically every camera has its little place where it shines, I am still waiting for mine to come and I can't wait. Picking one up at the local camera shop sold me on its quietness, and wit hthe BP300 it feels every bit as good as my T90 did, and my 630. Too bad the one at the shop cost $200 more than wha tI got mine for. I hate colleg towns! they think all of us college students are made of money. MY 7 wit hthe Battery Pack cost me less than jus tthe body does here in Eugene, Oregon! Also think about it, we wont have to deal wit hthe pesky command dial problem!Have fun shooting!

[NK Guy]

>Canon discontinued the A2 after a 10 year run, and replaced it wit hthe

Elan7.

 

Actually, they discontinued the Elan II (EOS 50/55) and replaced it with the

Elan 7 (EOS 30/33/7)

 

The A2/5's replacement is more realistically the EOS 3. Both are single-digit

non-1 cameras. It's a bit more complicated than that, of course - the EOS 3 is a

huge step up from the 5 in terms of its size and abilities (close to the 1N level),

and the A2/5 remained on the market for many years after the 3 was

introduced. But the discontinuing of the A2/5 does leave a bit of a gap in the

product lineup between the Elan 7 and the 3.

[canon man]

I'm sorry, I can't see the similarities between the 3 and th eA2 tha twould put them in a class together. I may be new to EOS but not new camera gear. I have also spent a life tinkering , and building/designing /modifying machiery to fit specific needs, and am very familiar with build quality. First build; plastic construction vs. metal shell. Second no weather sealing vs. weather sealing in the 3. The comparison of the 3 being an upgraded replacement for the 1n I can see. Even the spot on the A2 isn't the same as the 3. The 3 is multi spot evaluative like most modern Canon Pro bodies, where the A2 is a fat spot at 3.5%. Albiet it DOES have a spot meter, which the 7 doesn't. The interchageable focus screens in the A2 is still an advantage over the 7, along with auto focus assist by the way of the red light. but where I say the 7 has replaced the A2 in the lineup is that the target consumer who previously would have bought the A2 for semi pro work will now be buying the Elan 7. That is all that Canon has to offer in that price range that is above the Rebel in features. When I say target consumer I mean those who are going semi pro, building the financial base to be able to afford the EOS3 or 1V and L series lenses but canot afford them as of yet. So they go by a new, not used camera to get started with. I say new, because that way they know they are covered by a warrantee in case of emergency, and also do not have to wonder wha ttha tplastic camera went through before they bought it. Right now, in the Canon line up all tha tis available would be the Elan 7, and maybe some Elan IIEs, and possibly a few A2s that were overstocked. The Rebel Ti is an improvement o nthe Rebel class but I would not consider it a semi pro camera. The Elan 7 is not advertised as semi pro, but it is what is left at tha tprice range until the EOS 3 comes down in price. I would much prefer the 3, but cannot afford it yet. Hopewfully with a little hard work on my part I will be able to buy one in a year. But I will still use the 7 for Big Game Photograghy as It will be a new camera that is very quiet. I lucrative advantage when shooting photos of 2 tons of meat on the hoof with 7ft. antler spreads.

[PuppyDigs]

The Elan 7E/30 replaced the Elan IIE (50?). The EOS 3 took the place of the EOS 5/A2E as the advanced amateur/pro body in the Canon line.

 

Then: Rebel 2000, Elan IIE, 5/A2E, 1N

 

Now: Rebel TI, Elan 7E/30, 3, 1V

 

In terms of features and design, the A2 and Elan 7 are very close despite a big age difference. The EOS 1 is more like an upgraded EOS 1N or junior 1V.

[canon man]

The EOS 3 is one hell of an advanced ametuer camera!

[canon man]

While on this subject, let me ask a question that I have been wondering about. We keep hearing that the Elan 7's lowlight focus sucks due to the loss of the IR pattern auto focus assist. But we know that it uses a strobe, the flash, the didtracting white light of H***. When using the strobe does it auto focus in lowlight on par with the rest? I understand the burst of white light can be distracting, but does it still stink in lowlight with the strobe burst?

[frank_bunnik]

It is probably a case of "you won't miss something you have never had". None of my previous camera's, including the eos 1n, had the proected red focussing aid lights. However, I never had a problem with this. In the very rare occasion that the autofocus could't do it, I still have my own eyes to focus the lens with. The first thing I did with the eos 30/7E was to use the custom function to put out the white focussing aid strobe.

 

Funny, a lot of fuss is made about the 30's problems with focussing on a plain surface, something the elan 2 can do with the aid om some red projected lights. However, neither the eos 3 nor the eos 1 (n/v) have this feature. They will not focus on a plain surface because of lack of contrast. However, nobody makes a fuss about this even while these camera's cost a whole lot of more money. I now that I would not want the camera to project some light at my object at random. To dark to autofocus, not enough contrast to autofocus? Just use your eyes. That's what I think.

[ben_rubinstein___mancheste]

My Elan II still can't focus on a flat surface, even with the AF assist, is there something wrong or will a blank flat white wall throw any type of sensor off?

[jrphotos]

This forum is for pros as well as for beginners and if somebody calls comments of other people "silly" he should at least make sure that his own comments are correct (autofocus on a plain surface - thanks NK Guy) otherwise one could think that the first comment in this thread exactly belongs to the decribed group.

 

And if the elan 7 is an upgrade from the elan 2 or if one is allowed to compare the elan 7 with the eos 3 is really a matter of taste.

[frank_bunnik]

Juergen, this forum is for people to learn something from the experience of others and it serves it's purpose very well. However, a lot of pure nonsense is written on the internet and some of the comments given on the review of the eos 33 on this site ARE DOWNRIGHT SILLY! I see no reason why this should not be pointed out.

 

The reaction from NK Guy (who's expertise I do not question) proofs that the elan 2 does not autofocus on a plain surface. It focusses to a certain limit on red lights PROJECTED on a plain surface.

 

I stick to my statement that comparing this camera to the eos 3 and than complain that the eos 30 does not have some of the features of the 3 is silly. The 3 costs about 3 to 4 times more than the 30. If you want these features, spend more money but do not try to sit first row for the cost of a dime (as we say in Holland).

 

The complaint that there are too many buttons on the camera is silly again. Not counting the shutter release and the lensrelease buttons, there are 5 buttons on the back of the camera, 1 dof preview button, and 4 buttons to choose the autofocuspoint (which can be switched off or you can chose a customfunction to choose a horizontal point by using the main control dial. 6 Buttons, is that too many? Next this complaintive makes his complaint about to many buttons even more silly by stating that he wants a button on the camera to change from autofocus to manual focus.

 

This is just my point of view, however, I see that a number of people agree with me.

[frank_bunnik]

Oh, with regards to the not focussing on a plain surface. I wrote in my first post that in my opinion there does not exist a camera that can auto focus on a plain surface (without some aid like an IR pattern)