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john_mccormack

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Posts posted by john_mccormack

    Upgrading from Elan 7

    in Accessories

    Posted

    Re: "...am I tired of hunting down information on the internet about

    he Elan 7e (QD)."

     

    <p>

     

    Try here and search for Elan 7:

     

    <p>

     

    http://www.deja.com/[sT_rn=qs]/home_ps.shtml

     

    <p>

     

    Re: "After work I am going to a camera shop to look at the EOS 3. I

    read that it is noisier and heavier than the Elan 7e."

     

    <p>

     

    The EOS 3 is a clacking monster compared to the Elan 7/7e.

     

    <p>

     

    Re: "Checking the camera's meter against an incident meter revealed

    that the 7's reflective meter MAY be underexposing about 1 stop in all

    metering modes. I have not, repeat NOT, tested the 7's meter with

    slide film yet."

     

    <p>

     

    I did shoot some Fuji NPH (at ISO 320) in the Elan 7 and metering was

    fine for Center Weighted and Evaluative modes. Next test will be slide

    film.

    Canon Elan 7E (real info)

    in Accessories

    Posted

    What I like about the ELAN 7/e so far:

     

    <p>

     

    Eye relief is very good. I can compose a shot with both eyes open and

    still see everything in the viewfinder. YMMV.

     

    <p>

     

    Eye Control Focus (ECF) works pretty well for me, but I'm still

    calibrating the 7/e. I didn't have ECF on my Elan II so I can't

    compare its speed or accuracy with any other ECF version.

     

    <p>

     

    Fits snugly in (my) hands. Vertical holding is very good and should be

    outstanding with the vertical grip. The 7 feels more "dense" than the

    Elan II, though weight is slightly less. The right side grip of the 7

    protrudes less than the II's grip due to the smaller batteries used in

    the 7.

     

    <p>

     

    True Mirror Lock-Up. Works the same way as MLU on the EOS 3.

     

    <p>

     

    The DEP mode on the 7 works the same as on the II/e. Some people

    speculated that the 7 used Auto-DEP as on the Rebel 2000 (Not true.)

     

    <p>

     

    Mirror black out time is mercifully short.

     

    <p>

     

    The 7 is the quietest SLR I've ever used (including the original

    Elan).

     

    <p>

     

    The eye cup fits better than the one on my older Elan II (My Elan II's

    cup was a loosey goosey.)

     

    <p>

     

    Luckily, you can turn off the AF assist light; that flashing strobe

    will wake the dead!

     

    <p>

     

    The AE lock button has a lighter pressure level.

     

    <p>

     

    Did I mention that it's quiet?

     

    <p>

     

    It makes me a better photographer - NOT.

     

    <p>

     

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

     

    <p>

     

    What I don't like about the Elan 7/e so far:

     

    <p>

     

    The metering modes switch of the Elan II is gone. Metering is now done

    through a FUNCtion button on the back of the camera. Not nearly as

    functional, in my opinion.

     

    <p>

     

    The jury is out on whether the metering of the 7 is any better than

    the metering on the Elan II. Checking the camera's meter against an

    incident meter revealed that the 7's reflective meter MAY be

    underexposing about 1 stop in all metering modes. I have not, repeat

    NOT, tested the 7's meter with slide film yet.

     

    <p>

     

    No IR AF assist light.

    Upgrading from Elan 7

    in Accessories

    Posted

    A. What I like about the ELAN 7/e so far:

     

    <p>

     

    Eye relief is very good. I can compose a shot with both eyes open and

    still see everything in the viewfinder. YMMV.

     

    <p>

     

    Eye Control Focus (ECF) works pretty well for me, but I'm still

    calibrating the 7/e. I didn't have ECF on my Elan II so I can't

    compare its speed or accuracy with any other ECF version.

     

    <p>

     

    Fits snugly in (my) hands. Vertical holding is very good and should be

    outstanding with the vertical grip. The 7 feels more "dense" than the

    Elan II, though weight is slightly less. The right side grip of the 7

    protrudes less than the II's grip due to the smaller batteries used in

    the 7.

     

    <p>

     

    True Mirror Lock-Up. Works the same way as MLU on the EOS 3.

     

    <p>

     

    The DEP mode on the 7 works the same as on the II/e. Some people

    speculated that the 7 used Auto-DEP as on the Rebel 2000 (Not true.)

     

    <p>

     

    Mirror black out time is mercifully short.

     

    <p>

     

    The 7 is the quietest SLR I've ever used (including the original

    Elan).

     

    <p>

     

    The eye cup fits better than the one on my older Elan II (My Elan II's

    cup was a loosey goosey.)

     

    <p>

     

    Luckily, you can turn off the AF assist light; that flashing strobe

    will wake the dead!

     

    <p>

     

    The AE lock button has a lighter pressure level.

     

    <p>

     

    Did I mention that it's quiet?

     

    <p>

     

    It makes me a better photographer - NOT.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    B. What I don't like about the Elan 7/e so far:

     

    <p>

     

    The metering modes switch of the Elan II is gone. Metering is now done

    through a FUNCtion button on the back of the camera. Not nearly as

    functional, in my opinion.

     

    <p>

     

    The jury is out on whether the metering of the 7 is any better than

    the metering on the Elan II. Checking the camera's meter against an

    incident meter revealed that the 7's reflective meter MAY be

    underexposing about 1 stop in all metering modes. I have not, repeat

    NOT, tested the 7's meter with slide film yet.

     

    <p>

     

    No IR AF assist light.

    Upgrading from Elan 7

    in Accessories

    Posted

    Re: I don't always wear my glasses, and it would be nice to be able

    to see everything in the viewfinder clearly without them.

     

    <p>

     

    I just got my 7/e and was pleasantly surprised at the eye relief of

    the viewfinder. I can easily keep both eyes open (and a bit away

    from the eye cup) while composing and watch for subjects/movement

    outside the viewfinder. This is as close as I've gotten to RF-type

    viewing on an SLR. The EOS 3 and 1V may be similar in this respect.

    Canon Elan 7E (real info)

    in Accessories

    Posted

    Re: >I'm surprised the Elan 7/7e isn't readily available yet in the

    >States.

     

    <p>

     

    The 7e is available from B&H and Adorama, but the first supply at B&H

    was exhausted quickly. Fortunately, I got my order in early while they

    were closed :)

    Canon Elan 7E (real info)

    in Accessories

    Posted

    Colin pointed out that the seven AF points are a real asset for him.

    It is one thing I hadn't really considered at the time since the ECF

    on the camera I was using wasn't calibrated for my eyes. I did notice

    that letting the camera choose the AF point(s) automatically seemed

    to work well and went to the area(s) I would have chosen.

     

    <p>

     

    Also, someone pointed out that the MLU probably works like the MLU on

    the EOS 3: if you don't press the shutter/remote button a second time

    w/ MLU ON, the mirror returns to its original position. I'm still

    unclear on this...

    Canon Elan 7E (real info)

    in Accessories

    Posted

    Most retailers are taking orders for the late October delivery of the

    ELAN 7, but I suppose it could be later.

     

    <p>

     

    FYI: [as always, the following is subject to correction by

    somebody. :)]

     

    <p>

     

    I just returned from looking at the ELAN 7. Below are some of my

    impressions and answers for those of you who sent me questions to ask

    about it. There were lots of people clamoring to use the camera (I've

    got the bruises to prove it), so I couldn't calibrate or use the ECF

    or check out every function.

     

    <p>

     

    1. The AF assist light of the onboard flash appears to require a very

    low light level to activate. We had trouble getting the AF assist to

    blink even with the ISO set to 16. We had to stick the camera under a

    cloth to get it to flash. There is a complicated four-setting CF (CF-

    7) to turn it off completely. Situations that would activate the AF

    assist would probably require one to use an external flash anyway.

     

    <p>

     

    2. The Mirror Lock Up seems to be a true MLU, not pre-fire like the

    ELAN II. The MLU default time is not ten seconds as we feared; the

    ten second default is only when the self-timer with MLU is activated.

    Normal MLU works as follows: Set MLU ON (CF5 - 1); press shutter or

    remote release (RC-1 or RS60-E3). Press shutter button or release

    again and shutter fires. If you don't press the shutter/remote again

    within 30 seconds, shutter will fire. I hope I got this right.

    Someone said the MLU works the same as MLU on the EOS 1v.

     

    <p>

     

    4. Mirror black out time is mercifully brief and mirror slap has been

    dampened.

     

    <p>

     

    5. The Whisper Drive film advance is excellent! This baby is very

    quiet. At least as quiet as the original ELAN and much quieter than

    the EOS 3 or ELAN II - or even the Contax G2. Only the Hexar AF is

    quieter, IMO. The PR says: "Quietest coreless motors ever in EOS

    camera."

     

    <p>

     

    5. The ELAN 7 uses an IR film counter. This would probably fog the

    sprocket holes/border of IR film. Not a big deal.

     

    <p>

     

    6. The body is smaller and a bit lighter than the ELAN II/IIe but fit

    my (average size) hands well. Even with a lens mounted, it felt

    considerably light to me, but it could have been the lightweight 28-

    90mm lens that was on the body. The texture of the black poly. body

    looked a little chintzy to me, but it was a preproduction body and

    had been given lots of rough treatment by the public.

     

    <p>

     

    7. Toggling through the functions for ISO, Red Eye Reduction, Beeper,

    Multiple Exposures, Flash Exp. Comp., and AEB, is easy, and the icons

    are displayed on the top LCD panel in a vertical row of icons. The

    nice thing about this is that the last function accessed is set in

    memory, so that the next time you push the FUNCtion button, the last

    function used is displayed first. This lets you return to the

    function you use the most, say AEB or Flash Exposure Compensation.

    And, FUNCtions that are set ON always show an arrow > pointing at it.

    Most of the other controls are familiar to ELAN II/IIe users and

    would take little usage to become intuitive.

     

    <p>

     

    8. Depth of Field preview is electronic with a dedicated switch and

    works in all modes. There's no Eye Control DOF function on the ELAN

    7/e.

     

    <p>

     

    9. If Eye Control Focus is important to you, the PR says AF response

    time is the fastest yet: 55 ms. for the 7, versus 65 ms. for the EOS

    3, 220 ms. for the A2e/5 and 120 ms. for the ELAN II/e. Your mileage

    may vary. The 7 also has Eye Control Servo AF and Predictive AI Servo

    AF (from the EOS 1v.) I had no opportunity to test these AF modes.

     

    <p>

     

    Bottom line impressions. The 7 should be a good camera for advanced

    amateurs and for situations where you need to shoot discreetly like

    weddings or meetings or for street shooting. This is not a

    groundbreaking camera, but adds to the EOS mid-class/advance amateur

    line. If I didn't have a camera in this price range, the 7 would be

    my first choice for the amateur shooting I do. Since I have an ELAN

    II, I'm not sure I need what the 7 offers - the camera isn't going to

    make me a better photographer. But the quiet operation, light weight,

    fast motor drive and improved (?) metering are tempting.

     

    Canon Elan 7E (real info)

    in Accessories

    Posted

    Re: "420EX replaces 380EX and adds about 20 feet of GN and is a

    receiver flash for wirelss from EOS-3 and Elan 7e."

     

    <p>

     

    Latest news indicates that the 420EX does not have manual flash

    controls but does have tilt AND swivel capability.

     

    <p>

     

    Re: "Whisper Drive."

     

    <p>

     

    Latest news from one source says the 7 is quieter than the A2/A2E.

    Image Stabilizer with EOS 5 - "P" Mode

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    <Does the camera's program know that it is an IS lens and hence alter

    the "Tv" to suit?>

     

    <p>

     

    No, the camera's program does not take into consideration the fact

    that you have an IS lens mounted. Follow the guidelines in the IS

    lens instructions. Canon states that you can safely shoot at shutter

    speeds two stops slower than the reciprocal of the focal length in

    use. My experience is that this is a conservative number and even

    slower shutter speeds can result in good images if you use good hand

    held techniques or use a monopod.

    Canon Elan IIe; opinions; pros, cons?

    in Accessories

    Posted

    << there's a custom funtion on my eos-5 that prevents the automatic

    flash exposure compensation in bright light conditions. Is there not

    one on the elanII? >>

     

    <p>

     

    No, unfortunately, the Elan II doesn't have this custom

    function/feature. I wish it did - I have to use my brain instead. :)

    Minox or GR1

    in Minox/Miniature

    Posted

    Both the Minox and the Ricoh have fine lenses. I have quite a bit

    of experience with the GR1 - see my GR1 site at:

     

    <p>

     

    http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/9273/gr1.html

    or try:

    http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~kennetht/GR1specs.html

     

    <p>

     

    If you can live with the "Guessomatic" focusing of the Minox and

    prefer the 35mm focal length, it may be more to your liking. The

    Minox is quieter operating and the flash is stronger. The GR1 lens

    is truly outstanding and the GR1 flash and exposure compensation

    controls are the best of any P&S, IMO. I'd try them both out in a

    store, if possible, and see which you prefer.

    are

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