Canon EOS Rebel Ti

[joe_chott]

I didn't see any reviews of the Rebel Ti on this site, and was

struggling to find any in depth review on the net either. I am a Pop

Photo subscriber and saw their "review", which was not very in depth,

though it did seem positive. I am coming from a camera that was

considered good at the time (probably at this point, it is a 25 year

+ old camera, though I don't own it any more) that had a spot meter

and seemingly full manual capability. To me, the Ti seems an

amazingly capable camera, it has awesome auto focus, I can

independently set the shutter speed and aperture, I feel like it can

do everything my previous camera did, and a ton more.

 

So I am curious - I know that other cameras that cost a ton more

obviously have more features. Are these primarily things like sealed

bodies and magnesium cases, or are there some real photography

capability issues that the Ti lacks? The only things I am currently

aware of are the lack of spot meter and lack of REALLY fast shutter

speeds in the Rebel Ti. I feel like the 15% meter will probably be

sufficient for me at the moment, and I guess I figure that if I the

spot meter becomes TOO much of a problem, that I can always purchase

an external meter. The speed is faster than my old camera (the

fastest it gave me was 1/1000th if memory serves), and it was always

plenty fast for what I wanted to do. In fact, one of the MAIN things

I wanted to try is something I saw in Pop Photo where someone was

opening their shutter for unbelievably long periods of time with

SUPER slow film. I wanted to try something like F40 (you know what I

mean - SUPER small aperture, F22 or higher) exposures for an hour or

longer on ISO 25 or slower film. The photographer that did this in

Pop Photo was able to seemingly make the ocean calm or a river

motionless, things like that. The effect was unbelievable and

probably not duplicatable by the likes of me, but I -*HAVE*- to try

it. :)

 

Any feedback MOST welcome.

 

-Joe Chott

[NK Guy]

<A HREF="http://photonotes.org/reviews/500N-300-300V/">http://

photonotes.org/reviews/500N-300-300V/</A>

 

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and

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<A HREF="http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/"> http://photonotes.org/

articles/beginner-faq/</A>

[babette_ross]

Hi, I have an older Rebel Camera, the Rebel G. I am very happy with it, i also shoot periodically with a 25+ year old Pentax ME i inherrited. Life with the Rebel is much easier (that autofocus does come in handy sometimes) From what i understand the later model rebls has only improved since the G in that they have more metering modes etc.. A lot of people find this camera to small to be comfortable in their hands (i am not in that camp.) I would say, however, that it is pretty easy to outgrow the rebel and want something with a bit more controls. I am planning on upgrading to the Elan 7 at some point... but in answer to your question, is it a good camera, based on my older model, i would say yes if you are planning to take snapshots and muck around

[nickjohnson]

The biggest shortfall of the Rebel Ti (coming from a long time user of a Rebel 2000) is the difficulty in setting the aperture/shutter speed in manual mode. I used a Ti for a new hours and had to teach the owner how to do this, after pressing all the buttons myself. The AF is snappy though, and I consider it a very capable camera.

[joe_chott]

I am just curious. They appear to be VERY close in price (within about $20). It looks like the Elan 7 is a much better camera, though I am still reading about it.

 

Any comments?

 

-Joe

[hyunyu]

> The biggest shortfall of the Rebel Ti (coming from a long time user of a Rebel 2000) is the difficulty in setting the aperture/shutter speed in manual mode

 

Perhaps it's because I never used the 2000, but I found the aperture/shutter setting in manual mode to be quite easy after reading the manual; the control wheel adjusts shutter speed, and holding the AV button while dialing the wheel adjusts aperture.

[joe_isler]

Hello,

I own the Rebel Ti, and I find it to be a very good camera. It is very easy to change ss and ap in manual mode and its very easy to change focus points with out removing your eye from the viewfinder. The only problem is the low ss, but only one time was that a problem for me. But I'm sure everyone will put the Ti down and tell you to go for something better. Oh well I think its a great camera.

 

Joe

[fj5]

The Elan 7 is only $20 more????? Are you kidding? Where did you find those prices? Seriously, from what I've seen, the Elan 7 is about 1.5x the cost of a Rebel Ti.<p>

 

My thoughts...<br> well first, click on my name and then read my biography. It describes some of the reasons why I currently own a Rebel Ti and believe it was a great camera with which to begin SLR photography. There are many functions to work with and the ergonomics of this camera are AMAZING! It's lightweight and feels wonderful in the hand! I suggest you go to www.photographyreview.com to read more reviews about the Ti. Some I believe seem useful but others, not as much. Also, I really advise you to check these cameras out in the store yourself before making a decision.<p>

 

The autofocus of the Ti is quite fast. I've compared it to the Elan 7e and find very little difference (of course, compared to EOS 3's and EOS 1V's, that's probably another story). Anyway, I enjoyed my Rebel Ti and I've been able to take some great shots with it (feel free to view my portfolio).<p>

 

However, you'll also read that I've upgraded to an Elan 7e - and to afford this, I will have to let go of my Rebel Ti. I will definitely miss it though.<p>

 

Why did I upgrade?<br>

- Elan 7e w/ BP-300 provides a better heft/balance for my heavier lenses (ie. 28-105, 75-300)<br>

- Elan 7e has better build<br>

- Elan 7e has the rear control dial with VERY intuitive focus pt selection buttons!!! (I luv them!)<br>

- Elan 7e is inconspicuous with the black colouring and silent shooting (I love the quiet slap); with the Ti, I ALWAYS got looks... even when I didn't want them! And I sorta got tired of hearing, "WOW, Nice camera... is it digital?"<br>

- Although I think the Ti has better ergonomics, I felt I wanted more heft from the more robust Elan 7e<br>

- Elan 7e = ECF!<br>

- Sure, I liked the Ti's big backlit LCD at the back, BUT I got tired of taking extra care for it when shooting and storing (ie. keeping it from getting scratched in and out of the bag and breathing on it and fogging it up when shooting) - btw, it isn't scratched! =) I baby my stuff!<br>

- I'll miss the high pop-up flash of the Ti but I won't miss the fact that it was so vulnerable because it doesn't lie in a nesting cage of any sort. I never picked it up from the top anyway but still! Also, I don't like the focus assist light and the Elan 7e let's me turn that off.<br>

- Elan 7e's flash is "caged" (but I plan to get a 420ex in several months anyway)<br>

- MLU is something I want to work with<br>

- I want leader out rewind<br>

- Black and Big looks more pro than silver and small =p (I used to like the Ti's silver look but hanging around the forums with all you Canon junkies have persuaded me that it ain't that aesthetically pleasing to my eyes anymore! =p)<br>

- Elan 7e has focus confirmation boxes rather than pts... looks cooler! =p<br>

- slightly bigger viewfinder and longer eyepoint<br>

- bigger eyecup<br>

- supposedly I can squeeze out more frames with the Elan 7e (that's a bonus)<br>

- I can choose AF modes! (not just the camera's decision)<br>

- I can choose metering modes! (not constrained like on the Ti)<br>

- overall, I've out"grown" the Ti... maybe not all of it's capabilities... but you know what I mean.<p>

 

So I've made my choice. I don't regret beginning with the Ti but I don't regret letting it go for my Elan 7e. Starting with the Ti allowed me to spend the rest of my "photography savings" on more glass. I think you should really spend some time to evaluate what you really want out of your new camera. If you want to buy more glass, then getting the Ti wouldn't be a bad idea. IMHO, however, the Elan 7e is better.<p>

 

Last thing, go back to whatever store you found the Elan 7 to be only $20 more than the Ti and compare those prices with those of www.adorama.com or www.bhphoto.com - then let us know what you find! ^_^<p>

 

Btw, for looong bulb exposures with the Ti, you'll need the RS-60E3 wired remote shutter release. For the Elan 7/7e, you can also use that or the RC-1 wireless remote shutter release.<p>

 

Good Luck!

 

 

[iwan_tirta]

I've had a Rebel Ti for about six months, and have been taking photography classes with it. Found it quite easy to use, although the pressing the button on the back to change aperture when using manual mode is a bit of a hassle. Haven't outgrown it yet, although now I know more about how to use metering and autofocus modes, I will be looking at a camera that allows me to choose them.

[alaghi]

I have a EOS 300V (rebel ti), and I'm very plesured about this camera. It has metal baionet, fast autofocus, light and ergonomic. EOS 30 (Elan 3e I think) is better, but is more expensive. Backlit display is very good for night photo, and the date model is compatible with wireless remote control.<br>

Good shots with your new camera!

[joe_chott]

Yes indeed - the pricing for the Elan 7 was $20 higher than the Rebel Ti at this local store, but the Rebel Ti is priced roughly $100 too high (compared to Adorama and BHPhotoVideo).

 

I know where I will be shopping from now on! :)

 

-Joe Chott

[r_n]

Here are the main differences between the Ti and the 7 imho:

 

1) MLU (Mirror LockUp) as mentioned by FJ

 

2) Rear-curtain synch. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe you can set this on Ti body -- nor can you set it on the 220ex or 420ex flash.)

 

3) Flash exposure compensation (You can, however, adjust ISO -- so you can work around this.)

 

4) Cosmetics and build quality (though I happen to think the Ti looks pretty cool). ...and ergonomics: I have a 7E but in playing around with the Ti in the store my impression was that its ergonomics were quite good.

 

5) Price. Beyond the obvious, if you want to go with BP for whichever camera you get, the price is 35 for the Ti and 70 for the Elan 7/7e. The with-BP prices stack up at something like 340+70 = 410 for the Elan 7, and 240+35 = 275 for the Ti. So if BP is a requirement, then the difference is $135, not the $100 difference between the two bodies alone. (B&H prices)

 

Bottom line is that the Ti is a nice body with some great features at a very attractive price, but it depends on your budget and your application whether the step up to the Elan 7 makes sense for you.

[joe_chott]

Ok, thanks for the info. I had been considering selling my Ti used and buying an Elan 7. But at this point, I think the Ti does everything I would reasonably need.

 

Life is good! :)

 

-Joe Chott

[NK Guy]

>Here are the main differences between the Ti and the 7

 

One of the main differences is that you can't arbitrarily choose metering modes. The

camera is normally in evaluative metering mode unless you press the partial meter

button. One of the icon modes uses centre-weighted averaging. This is unlike the

Elan series which let you choosen any metering mode you like.

 

This, along with the lack of direct flash exposure compensation control (unless the

flash unit has FEC controls), 1/90 sec flash sync when not in FP mode versus 1/125,

and no rear control dials are some of the main drawbacks of the Rebel Ti/300V

compared to the Elan 7/30/33.

[yakim_peled1]

I don't think that Rebels are suitable for someone who takes photography as a hobby. They are just too limited for my taste. I'd - personally - take any Elan to any Rebel anytime, anywhere.

 

Happy shooting ,

Yakim.

[joe_isler]

Yakim,

What do you mean 'I don't think that Rebels are suitable for someone who takes photography as a hobby?

 

This is my hobby, I use a rebel, and it works great, so what do you mean?

 

Joe

[joe_chott]

I had a nice day shooting two nights ago at a race here in Arizona. The race was at night, and even with an f1.8 lens and 400 speed film, I still couldn't reliably get pictures without underexposing. I ended up setting things to (if memory serves) EV of -1.5, and then was able to take pictures at 1/30th to 1/60th of a second wide open, depending on where on the track I aimed.

 

It is clear I am going to end up needing a powerful fill flash to use at the races at night. There was a pro out there with an IS 70-200 f2.8L that had some ancient looking flash with a battery belt. His flash was the old style open, exposed bulb with a circular reflector. I didn't know they even made that kind any more. Anyone know if this is likely to be a specific model flash? This guy gets good pictures, so I am interested in finding some similar hardware, but didn't get a chance to talk to him at the race.

 

I am finding the Rebel Ti to be reasonably easy to use, and quite flexible for the money. I need to get some film developed before I decide the quality of what it produces. I am very interested to see what I get from some bracket tests I ran, as well as some modified EV tests.

 

Wish me luck! :)

 

-Joe Chott

 

P.S. I would have loved an Elan 7, but I couldn't have gotten that for the $45 that I paid for the Ti + 50mm. I was only asking about the Elan 7 because I thought I might be able to sell my Ti as a means of upgrading to the Elan 7, but it would cost more than I want to put into it now - I am more interested in lenses than a new camera body. . .

[mike_o]

it's a wonderful camera, i was going to purchase the elan 7e but i thought i don't need the extra fetures of the 7e, it performs wonderful. It's focusing is increadibly fast with a usm lens. The only two disadvantage is that it does not focus at apertures smaller than f/8, and that u can not manualy select AL Servo AF such as the Elan 7e has a switch. It works great for me I use it for everything. It unbelievably matches up to the Nikon N80 for it's price. It's work just fine for me, no problems. The shutter is a little noisey though.

[r_n]

NK Guy: good points. The inability to choose metering mode would definitely count as a major difference. According to the specs, when you choose Manual mode you are in center-weighted metering mode. When I'm in Manual (with my 7E) I'm usually taking the time to fine-tune the exposure through partial metering. Being restricted to center-weighted in M would be tough for my shooting style. Though the Ti is an attractive package for the price, it looks like for my needs require at least a 7 as a backup body. (Actually if you compare the Ti with BP220 to a 7 without BP the difference is only something like $60.)