photoneophyte

Actually, that EOS in program mode is using the flash for the SOLE light source, and I believe the NEVEC (I think) auto fill reduction is NOT in place here...I could be mistaken, however. My 550 on Elan 7 works wonderfully in Av mode under normal shooting with no compensation because of the reduction. (assuming there is enough ambient light to hand hold, or you are using a tripod.) I have found that manual mode works best if I want to use the flash as the sole light source, because I have more control over SS and Aperture than the P mode provides.

Pete

nevermind...I have lost my manual, but found one online...sorry for wasting your time.

Pete

Does the flash on the elan 7 operate the same way the 550ex will on

that camera. i.e. If I put the camera in manual mode, will the mini-

speedlight (up to its max output) fire in usual ettl mode and auto

expose the picture correctly?

Im just wondering, becuase often in dim light, I am perhaps 2 stops

away from handholding when wide open, and I dont want the P mode to

restrict my aperture.

Thansk

Pete

Does the little circle in the middle of the focusing screen on the

Elan7 correspond to the partial metering size of the camera? Thanks

for the help, as this would help me take accurate meter readings.

Pete

The spot meter is a big advantage, I must say. I own the elan7, and I have to defend it...It shoots 4fps, which is, I think, just about what the eos3 shoots with out the pbe2. Therefore, if you need the speed, you are going to need to drop the 250 or whatever for the pbe2. And, you might even want to look into a used 1v, cuz if your already about to spend 800 dollars on a camera, why not spend 1000.

Pete

using a very rough comparison between an A2e and my elan7e with a zenitar fisheye lens(I think thats probably the one you are talking about), I found no problems. Granted, I didnt shoot any film, but I set the ISOs at the same, then set both meters to centerweighted, and pointed the cameras at the same scene...I didnt encounter any noticable difference. (i.e. one of the meters would vassilate between say, 1/15 and 1/30 at the same aperture, the other would stay at 1/15. Havent shot any film yet, however.

Pete

Ive gotta go for the 50 1.8 plastic piece of junk. Images are awesome... Depth of field is super short at 1.8. Very cool. So its not like, really well built. Its good enough, and its cheap. I know pros who shoot a 70-200 2.8L and the 50 dollar 50 1.8. I think you should reconsider.

So, from my tests, cf 8 has nothing to do with the presence/absence of FE lock. that is, FEL does not work with either cf8-0, or cf8-1 IF cf4 is on 1. So, the only way to get FEL is to have the autofocus on the shutter button...does that sound right?

Pete

I have an Elan7e and a 550ex. When I am using the flash, however, I

cannot get the Flash Exposure Lock to work. Am I doing something

wrong, or is my camera? the AEL works fine when the flash is not

mounted, but when it is, and I half click the shutter, nothing

happens. (by the way, I use the custom function to place af start on

the ae lock button, and place ae lock on the shutter half click.)

Anyone else have trouble with this, or have the same equip. could you

maybe see if this is something I should take up with canon.

Thanks a lot.

Pete

So, I know this is beating a dead horse, but, if I set my elan 7 and 550 on Av mode, find that with my aperture of 4.0, it selects a shutter speed of say, 1/15. I say, gee, thats too slow for handholding my 85mm, so I can just switch over to manual set it for 4.0 and 1/90 sec and just fire away? The flash, assuming I am close enough to my main subject of course, will expose the picture according to the nice ettl algorithims, or whatever?

Thanks for helping, again.

Pete

Ive shot with both...I was going to buy a second hand a2, but went with the elan7 cuz I wanted to get something new. The A2 is pretty sweet. You gain the sweet ettl flash system, which the a2 does not have. Also, the elans vertical grip lets you use cheaper and longer lasting aa batteries. Very nice. Does not have, however, the true spot meter of the a2, and only shoots 4 fps, instead of 5. Very comparable, however. Probably no need to upgrade if everything is working fine...unless you use a lot of flash. Id rather spend the money of a couple of lenses. (like a fisheye...not canon, of course, for that money.)

I think cf 4 is awesome and necessary. It is VERY nice to be able to lock your exposure, then refocus if something moves unexpectedly (like a dog, or child, or anything, really.) That way, if you want to meter off say, someones grey shirt instead of their white face, you can actually LOCK the exposure without having to change shooting mode, or use the dial. Plus, for sports or anything where you will be using AI servo mode, you can keep focus on the subject, and the meter will not stay locked. In easier terms, if you dont use CF 4, when the soccer player you are maintaining focus on runs into a shaded part of the field from the sunny part, your camera will take the picture locked on the sunny meter reading. If you use CF 4, focus can be maintained until you want to take the picture, then the meter will read the instant before you shoot. CF 8 also seems pretty intuitive (on setting 1) and I would suggest it.

Pete

Rangefinders ARE cool, and very high quality, however, they can be quirky. I am not too familiar with the bessa cameras, but I might suggest medium format, mainly because the extra image size helps in presentation. If you need 35 mm for scanning purposes, etc., rangefinders will work just fine, except I would really miss a depth of field preview, and the assurance of proper framing in close-ups.

I agree. In the words of PeeWee Herman, take a picture, it will last longer. Pictures last longer than stares, therefore make some people uncomfortable. I also, however, think that by going outside of their houses or hovels, or wherever else these potential photographic subjects come from, there is sort of an unwritten rule that while they can do whatever they want in public, so can the rest of the world. If the rest of the world has 600mm telephotos and eos 1v-hs cameras, that the cost of living. So, because that didnt really outline my views...I am slightly torn on the topic, but will continue to take street pictures of people without their expressed permission to do so, and I will not feel guilty about it. But if someone asked me to please not print the picture, and perhaps give them or destroy the negative, I would be more than happy to do so, just as a common courtesy.

Ok, I can kinda figure it out from context, but what the heck does

bokeh mean.

Well, I must suggest saving the extra pennies and getting the 2.8L. First of all, the lens is superbly built, and has amazing optics. I also shoot the Elan 7, which has less than ideal low light autofocusing, making the brighter lens MUCH nicer for focusing, not to mention making the viewfinder a full stop brighter, which is also VERY noticable. Furthermore, if you ever wanted some more length for sports/landscape, etc., the 1.4 converter will bump the 2.8 to 4 at 280mm, while the 4 will go to 5.6, which is quite slow. Also, whoever said that the aperture doesnt matter for portraits is on something...the faster the better...the 2.8 has better blur.

get the 2.8. It is known as THE lens among my friends.

I think the 28-105 is vastly superior to the 28-200. I have seen side by side comparisons between the 70-200L and the 28-200. When racked out to 200, the 28-200 was not enlargable beyond about 5x7. granted, the L lens is quite a bit more expensive. However, I have a 28-105 that I use for almost anything. Excellent lens. If you need a long lens, get a 200 prime. MUCH better than any zoom except the canon L lenses.

its a sweet lens. I got one second hand, and It works great. Light, fast, a little slow/loud on the focusing (no usm motor) but that is a VERY small price to pay. so is the usual 50-100 dollar price tag!!

Pete

PS Great background blur

I have the canon eos elan7e and I am thinking about buying a 420ex

speedlight, or whatever the corresponding flash is. I am just

wondering how I would set the flash, the speedlight, or the built in

one on the camera, to fill in say, the face of a runner who has his

back to the sun. Basically, How do I get a decent fill flash,

without that annoying washed-out, overexposed, flat, ghost white face?

Thanks for any advice/comments.

Pete