Good time to upgrade to an Elan series?

[lee_koehler]

Here's a question that I am guessing will be a no-brainer. My

primary interest is railroad photography. I've been at it for about

2 years now. To give you an idea on usage, I have shot a little over

20 rolls of film since the start of this past Summer. The current

setup is a Vivitar 220/SL (yes, you just read that-- a hand-me-down)

with a Vivitar 50mm f/1.8 , Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 , and a Kamero 35mm

f/2.8 . I am to the point where I have the feeling that if I don't

upgrade now, I will regret it later on.

 

I am looking at probably an Elan 7 with a 28-90mm lens to start

with. The Canon rebate has tempted to make the upgrade now opposed

to later. I am currently on a college budget. For the somewhat

rougher handling that comes along with railroad photography, is this

a smart move?

 

Thanks.

[hyunyu]

No comments on Elan 7 as I have not used it, but ditch the 28-90 and go with the 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 USM lens. It might cost 2x as much but is a much better lens.

[richard_pellom__long_live_]

The Elan 7 is a fantastic camera that you will never outgrow. You'll get a lot of camera for the money. Another lens you might consider with your budget is the Canon 28-105. It's not much more money but it's considerably better glass than the 28-90.

[michael_zhang]

Do you consider used camera? There are a lot of good used Elan 7 here and e*ay. A lot of people uggrade to DSLR, so it is good time to find some good deal, even I am going to sell my Elan 7E sometime in the future. I know the rebate is attractive, but not as much as the good used one.

[michael_zhang]

Forgot to say Elan 7/7E are good cameras. But if you are going to use 28-90, then I suggest you to buy an even cheaper body, maybe Elan II. You can find a lot of used lenses as well. Maybe Tamron 28-300, I found some deals on e*ay few days ago, they were for $169 or $189, they were brand new. I bought mine with about $470 (before $100 rebate) in local store.

[mark u]

I'd go for a used Elan 7 or 7E - a flood of digital upgraders have depressed second hand prices for even virtually mint bodies. Spend what you save on the body on better glass and avoid the 28-90. As you're used to fairly fast lenses you won't regret the excellent quality of the Canon 50mm f/1.8 whatever else you decide to get - and it's very cheap. Also, being used to primes, you may wish to replicate what you have, but in much better Canon glass. The 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 (NOT the f/4 versions) is a reasonable lens, but you lose some speed (I know there are dark corners photographing railroads), and your pictures will lack the extra bite that the primes give.

[jbq]

What's wrong with your current camera/lenses? There's a strong chance that your current lenses are better than most cheap zooms, and the "upgrade" you are thinking of may end up being an expensive "downgrade".

 

Getting an Elan 7 plus a set of 3 canon lenses to replace your current lenses will cost you about $800 new.

 

If you think that you need a new lens *and* you think that you'll want to switch to Canon in the future, you indeed want to switch as soon as possible. But if your current lenses are fine, by all means keep using them.

[vincent_j_m]

After using the EOS-3 for over two years, I found my Elan-7 doing everything I needed, so I downgraded to the Elan-7e a year ago and it's been going strong ever since. As for lenses, you'll probably be very disappointed at the quality of the 28-90 after being used to your 50/1.8 and 35/2.8's. I'd recommend getting a cheap Canon 50/1.8. You can try getting a used (or even new) 35/2.0 which is a gem of a lens. You won't spend much on this combo and you can't really go wrong with these lenses.

[the_macman]

Forget the kit, buy the body along with a 50/1.8, it might even be cheaper than

the kit. And since you're at UPgrading, hence expecting better stuff, promise

us you'll never never never touch a Canon 28-90 :-) Get to know your Elan by

the 50, then evolve from there.

[theoldman]

I have the Elan-7 with a bagfull of lenses out to 900mm and other tools the pros all say you have to have. The Elan-7 is a fine camera, capable of infinite user preferences and produces excellent results. "BUT"... You are describing a good camera and a bagfull of prime lenses that most intermediate photographers would envy. If your primary interest is trains and RR trappings, i can't think of much you don't already have the capability of capturing with good film. Rather than zoom in a bridge from a thousand yards, just walk over and get close enough to frame what you want and get good detail. For boxcar graffiti(sp) your 50mm f/1.8 can stop most trainyard/depot speeds and give you good resolution of the artwork. And when you can frame an engine with your f/1.8 you will get better resolution of the machinery than most zooms can give you.

But, if you insist on upgrading, you can send your present kit to me anyday! ;-)

[yakim_peled1]

<P> The question is "what are you hoping to achieve in this upgrade?". AF ? Well, there are many to choose from. Better lenses ? Well, as others have already said, the 28-90 is not the best way to enjoy the benefits of the EOS system. </P>

<P> For the budget minded photographer I'd suggest Elan II/IIe (50/50e) + 28/2.8 + 50/1.8 + 135/2.8. These lenses have <i>very good</i> optical quality, are <i>very</i> light weight and all use cheap 52mm filters. The II/IIe is a very capable body and in some ways, even better than the 7/7e. Have a look <a href="http://photonotes.org/reviews/5-50-30/">here</a>. </P>

<P> I also suggest you read <a href="http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/">this</a>. Long, but well worth the time spent. </P>

 

<P> Happy shooting , <br>

Yakim. </P>

[goldwyn_t]

Wow... so many responses.

 

There was another post earlier to this that described the same situation (minus the railroad specficity).

 

Elan 7 is awesome, but please don't get that kit lens LOL

I'm looking at my photos shot with the Rebel Ti kit lens right now and they are significantly less sharp than the modest 28-105 USM. The kit lens even looses contrast in dark areas!

 

Go with the adorama Elan 7 kit with the 50mm1.8 MkII. Better yet, get your Elan 7, and purchase the original 50mm1.8 MkI from me! Hehe, this lens has metal lens mount and distance scale as opposed to plastic mount and no distance scale on the MkII.