Why would I want the EOS 30/33 instead of 300v?

[jespdj]

I currently own a Minolta SLR (505 si Super), but I'm considering

selling it and going to the Canon EOS system.

 

I've read a lot of information already, especially on

http://photonotes.org about the Canon EOS system.

 

Now I'm wondering if I should buy the EOS 30 or 33 (= Elan 7), which

is supposed to be a more advanced camera, or the EOS 300v (= Rebel

Ti), which is supposed to be a low-end / consumer camera.

 

If I look at the specs, there is not a spectacular difference in

features as far as I can tell. Ok, the 30/33 has a metal body and

the 300v is made of plastic (but it does have a metal lens mount),

etc., but I wonder if the 30/33 is really worth 2,5 times the money

of the 300v.

 

What is it that makes the EOS 30/33 so much better than the 300v?

[basscheffers]

Durability, reliability and more control. But having to make the choice: spend the money on lenses. A 300 with a good lens has a much better value than a 33 with a bad one.

[phil vaughan - yorkshire u]

I owned the 300 (though not the v) and have recently bought an eos 30e because;

It allows control of focus modes (the 300 chooses with the pic modes but doesn't allow any proper control).

Eye controlled focussing - so much quicker than choosing manually.

More substantial - the consumer models feel cheap by comparison.

custom functions - allow you to customise the camera to the way you want to work.

FTM focussing

Flash control - too much here to mention.

dioptre adjustment on the viewfinder (more comfortable than using a camera with my glasses on)

IMO buy a secondhand 30e and a decent lens, not the 28-90 kit lens. it'll only cost slightly more than a new 300v and it'll take much longer to grow out of.

 

Phil

[aappelphotography]

1) Mirror Lock Up !!!!<br>

2) 4.something FPS<br>

3) It is a very very silent camera (friend has a 300 and he is always suprised how quite it is)<br>

4) Second "wheel" for dialing in the aparture with one wheel and time with the other gives you great control for M mode or to overexpose underexpose with a move of your finger in AV or TV mode! I love this second wheel.<br>

5) Somehow more robust feeling and i´ve been told underneath canon used a lot of metal plates for stability, can take quit a bang before giving up..<br>

BTW:<br>

2 friends just updgraded from the 300 because of some of these point..

<br>

<br>

Greetz,<br>

André.<br>

------<br>

Wer andern eine Bratwurst brät, braucht ein Bratwurstbratgerät.<br>

[citizensmith1664875108]

Another possible reply could be that if you ask that question then maybe you don't need the 33 over the 300. If looking at the specs they don't seem significant then spend the money on better lenses instead.

 

I use an Elan7 and an older 1000FNS. Sure my Elan is better built, has more features, and is easier to use. But, I don't think I've ever taken a photo with it I couldn't have taken with my 1000.

[nickjohnson]

I like the fact that all modern EOS cameras can handle all modern EOS accessories, like EX flashes, IS lenses it doesnt really matter so much which body you choose. However, if you want to shoot a lot of fill flash, the 300v x-sync is only 1/90, max shutter of 1/2000. Those are 1/125 and 1/4000 respectively on the 30/33. A true x-sync is always better than the high speed flash modes. If you don't shoot flash much then consider this: I took my 30 rafting, and even though the film was slipping in camera due to the cartridge being full of water, the camera still works months later. The camera just feels beefier than the 300v. Why not get the 300v and save up for an EOS3. Just make sure you don't skimp on glass, because the lens is the most important thing, second to your intuition.

[joe_isler]

Hello, I've had my Ti for 6 months, and I've been very pleased with it. All I really miss on it is a higher shutter speed. And I also have some good glass to use with it. If you have any questions about it, feel free to email me.

 

Joe

[andrew_grant]

The rear dial was the most important extra feature for me though some of the custom functions are also very useful (e.g. Mirror Lockup and moving the AF to the * button). I think the Elan viewfinder is also much brighter.

[nickjohnson]

Andrew brought up a very important point: the ability to move the AF activation button. That reason alone makes the 30 much easier to use than the 300v. With ring USM lenses you never have to switch between AF and MF, you just get AF on demand with the * button. I cannot stress how addictive this option is.

[jespdj]

Thanks for the answers!

 

One of the reasons why I'd want to switch to EOS is because Canon makes great digital EOS SLRs. Maybe in a few years, I hope those DSLRs will become more affordable (the 10D is 2000 Euros here, that's a lot of money!). I'd rather invest in EOS compatible lenses and other accessories (flash) instead of Minolta gear because those will most likely be useful on future Canon DSLRs.

 

Ofcourse everybody has their own personal priority with the features. Here are some of my thoughts:

 

- Ok, the 30/33 has a more durable body, but I suppose the 300v also doesn't break too easily (it does have a metal lens mount).

- Control of focus modes - the 30/33 clearly seems to be better.

- Eye controlled focussing - I've never tried and read that some people love it and others never use it.

- Dioptre adjustment - not an issue, I'm not wearing glasses.

- Mirror lock-up - never had a need for that, do I want that sometime in the future?

- More than 4 fps - I'm not planning to do so many sports / action photos, not really an issue for me.

- Very silent - I like that of the 30/33; what about the 300v?

- The rear dial - seems to be popular, but is it really worth paying so much more money for?

- Faster shutter speed - my Minolta camera also goes up to 1/4000; I rarely use it, so I probably won't miss that.

- Faster flash sync - I don't have much experience with flash photography, can't really judge how important that is (my Minolta also has 1/125).

 

My tentative conclusion is that I'd better get the 300v body and spend the money on lenses.

[joe_isler]

It seems that in a year or so you'd like to go to DSLR. If that's the case a Ti with good glass is a great place to start. The Ti is a little louder than the 33/30, but nothing to worry about, and mirror lock-up?, big deal, I've taken lots of bulb shots/slow shutter shots, and I've have never had a problem. And one other thing I have seen people write is that with the Ti you can't rewind the film leaving the leader out. I have a film retierver I use to pull out the leader. It only takes me about 5sec. to use.

 

Joe

[hisham_atallah]

One consideration is what lenses you're going to hang on your

body. A rebel with a 1kg L lens is not a very good idea. Big

lenses place a lot of pressure on the body. I didn't mind my rebel

until I got a 300mm F/4. Better start with an Elan if you're going to

upgrade to large glass soon.

[og]

Owner of a EOS 300v since november 2002 (+6 months backpacking in South-East Asia and South America => about 4000 pictures), here is what I can add:

 

The 300v survived to deserts (sand & salt), humidity, short rains, and SMALL impacts. The body is light (you save 250g compared to a 30/33), and you will appreciate if you hike or travel a lot. Nobody noticed me because of its noise (at least in the outside). The viewfinder is rather bright, but a bit small...

 

The BAD-bad-bad thing: its color (aluminium). I got a lot of "Oh. Very modern camera" which means "Oh. Money!". Doesn't help to keep a low profile...

 

In total: I like this camera quite a bit.

 

I am not sure wether 1-2kg lenses would be an issue with the 300v. As long as you properly hold the 'system' by the lens, there is no pressure on the body. What if you move your left hand around for some short times (ex: go to MF ring), or if you carry it around the neck with the lens pointing down ? I don't know... (I tried up to 700g without any problem), but I would like to know more about this.

[iwan_tirta]

I've owned the 300v since January this year and have taken photography classes with it. My opinion....it's a great camera for the price. Does its job as a camera, most of the "bad" pictures has been my fault. My minor gripes with it are :

 

No choice of exposure meter. On Manual/Av/Tv it uses centre-weighted but converts to partial when AE lock is used. Annoying in high contrast situation when I want more control over what I'm exposing for. Also, at times AE lock disappears just before I take a picture and this results in up over/ under exposure.

 

Second wheel would be nice. That way you KNOW you are changing the aperture and not the shutter speed.

 

I certainly haven't "outgrown" the camera (don't know what it means, if it means working within the limitations, then yeah I haven't outgrown the camera). Still have a lot to learn on lighting, composition, use of film etc which this camera is more than adequate for.

 

In very few circumstances, a faster shutter speed would be nice when I want greater depth of field for a brightly lit subject but am limited to 1/2000. But you can get around this (admittedly not as convenient) by using a different film speed.

 

In sum, the 300v is 99% of the camera you need for 95% of the people out there.

[vandit]

To me, the biggest reason for using the EOS 30 over the 300v is that it gives you a choice of which metering option to use in any given situation - whereas, asp er my understanding, a 300v leaves you stuck with evaluative all the time (unless you use exposure lock, in which case you get the partial).

 

If you are shooting slides in tricky light, that can make a big difference.

 

Vandit

[ron c sunshine coast,qld,a]

For me they both have very similar low light vocus ability so the big difference would be the high frame rate and focus tracking on the 30/33

[gareth_harper]

The bottom line is, if you don't know why you would want the EOS30/30 over the 300V the chances are you won't ever notice the difference anyway.

[yakim_peled1]

As I see it, Rebels - while nice for P&S like work - are much too limiting for the amateure. You want to do this (see above), you want to do that (see above), you can't.

 

Also consider the Elan II/IIe. Only three AF points but has E-TTL and best of all - have an infra-red AF assist.

[alan cuellar]

the eos 30 uses a wireless trigger, more weight means less vibrations,

custom functions expand your photograpic experience, eye controlled focusing for up to 5 different users, via custom function you can disable the flash and use just the infra beam of your external flash at night.

battery pack is a must in order to have a better grip.

 

so a good and not so expensive set is an EOS 30 and 50 1.8 mark I

 

this is all that I can add about your question.

 

when I was about to buy a new camera that question came to me as well.

 

I can tell that I got the EOS 3000, EOS 300, and I decided for the EOS 30. the EOS 300v if just an little upgrade from the EOS 300.

[photographicsafaris]

Really good question, I was in the same situation and thought I would add my two pennies worth.

 

I run Safaris in Africa, One side is the professional photographic safari. In short I needed a camera system to back up my two Nikon FM2's (and to eventually replace them)

 

I chose Canon, better technology lenses and more availablility. Argue that one for all you are worth.

 

300V is a far superior camera to the 300 range and should not be compared ever (Wife has one). Arguably the metering system is better than the 30e

 

Photographically, my personal problem: Elephants, with light coloured grassy background and very high colour temperatures, combined with light bright skies. Dark skined animals make it hell.

 

On Cameras

Point number 1 The camera captures your input for a fraction of a second. the rest is the chappie behind the lens... YOU

Point number 2 Other than film, The lens that you use makes the most difference. if you dont really know, L and IS lenses are the best.

On a budget the lower focal numbered lenses (L series) make a better buy than IS lenses of similar price. and are faster focusing

 

The 300V can be completely used with one hand (poor support but can be done whilst being chased... i know) and is really ugly (personal coment)

 

The 30e (ELAN7E) has the eye controled focusing. Magic love it to bits, particularly for judging with partial metering within the frame. I have used both and come to the conclusion that the 300V is my take it and dont worry about loosing it camera, coupled to a Sigma 28 - 300 lens I have since brought a second hand EOS 5 and a new EOS 30e. fundamentally the same camera, and brought as and when budgets allowed. Thy are both excellent, though I prefer the 30e, I think next step is the EOS 10D (uses same technology as the 30e)

 

So another spanner in the works: Second Hand EOS 5 (EOS A2 in USA)is cheeper than the New 300V and provided you depress the lock before whizzing the wheel it will not break!

Given the choice initially I would have brought the EOS5 second hand and probably never looked at the 300V. Glad that I did.

In low light areas the Focusing and built in flash on the eos 300V are better than the Eos 30e But you should be using the speedlight range so almost irrelevant.

 

In conclusion from my side, if you want a camera to not worry about. the 300V is the best option (I am still amazed about the metering) for the main 2 bodies, get the 30e and the battery packs.

The 30e has better focusing, its quite and very fast. The Eye focusing is a whiz if you use it. It looks and feels like a camera (personal opinion) and you can manually control things easier.

 

G