Customer Reviews

Canon EOS ELAN II 35mm SLR Camera Kit w/ 28-80mm Lens

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've had the Canon ElanIIE for 8 months and I've been very pleased so far. Fellow photography students who bought nikon N70 or N90 are still trying to figure out how to use them. The Canon Elan IIE is simple to operate, and I like having dials instead of so many little buttons. Outstanding features include the autofocus. The eye-control focus is as fast as regular autofocus. Also it has convenient on-camera flash which is of course not as powerful as an accesory flash like the 380ex or 550ex, but it's come in handy for me plenty of times. And you can use flash exposure compensation up to two stops in either direction! I think the best feature is it's simplicity. It's an excellent bridge between point&shoot and professional. By the way, I got a Tamron 80-200, 4.5-5.6 lens that works beautifully with it.

If you can get this camera, GET IT. Just stay as far away as you can from the 28-80mm consumer lens this comes with! Spend the few extra bucks and get the 28-105 or 28-135 IS lens instead (or better yet, get some high quality prime lenses: 24, 50, 100, etc). Remember, it's not the camera that makes the image, it's the lens in front of it. The lens this kit comes with is a piece of garbage and you'll likely get the same images as you would from a $150 point and shoot. You'll NEVER get an acceptable 20X30 image from this lens or even a high-quality 8X10 for that matter. I've had the camera for a number of years and it's up to just about any task you can throw at it. Canon has a winner with the Elan II, but a dud with the lens they include in this kit.

Let's start with durability. I've had this camera for two years, and even though I've dropped it, left it in the sun, gotten it wet (with sea water!) and done about a hundred other things to it, it still works perfectly. That is impressive.

But you buy a camera for the quality of its pictures, and the Elan II excels in this regard. I agree with other reviewers that you should upgrade to a better lens than the one that comes with it, but this body will help you get the outstanding photos you want.

This is the perfect camera for all levels of expertise, except perhaps for the total professional. I was a beginner when I bought the Elan II, and it was simple enough for me to use out of the box. Now that I've been studying photography for a couple years, I still haven't outgrown this camera. It has all the advanced features you want. It allows you to go fully manual or fully automatic, plus any combination in between. The controls are intuitively laid out and simple to use. And don't underestimate the value of having access to Canon's complete line of EOS lenses.

I traded a well-seasoned Minolta 700 for the IIe with eye-tracking. The IIe is more versatile and easy to use as a creative camera. It really can't be beat as a fully automatic, very fast and very quiet auto-eveything 35mm. Perfect for planned composition and point & shoot alike. Only regret is not opting for a longer zoom lens - - the 35-80 is good, but many outdoor shots cry for something over 100.

This is a terrific camera, very powerful and as flexible or as simple as you want it to be. The only advice I would give is to pay the extra $$$and get the Elan IIe which has the eye controlled focus system. Simply put, where you look is where you focus! This outstanding feature will very soon become the industry standard and will revolutionize the way you take photographs.

This is the BEST camera I've ever used. It is a great camera for beginners and for those on the pro level. Canon offers the BEST range of lenses, which I recommend buying the Elan II/IIE body and then a proper Canon EF lens (Ultrasonic 28-105mm or better). It matches perfect with the Canon 380EX Flash. The optional BP-50 battery pack + grip extension + verticle shutter button, all in one, is the perfect accessory to round out the perfect outfit! If you wear glasses or contacts, as I do, you may not be happy with the IIE (eye-controlled) model. I have the Elan II with a 28-210mm and have used it for everything from weddings, portraits, landscapes, architecture, family, flowers, etc. It beats my old Nikon, the Canon Rebel series, and Dad's Minolta! Truly the BEST for your money! SMILE...Jesus Loves You! :-)

You may be new to photography (like I was), but spending the extra $$ and getting a nice camera can make up for a lot (not all) of your missing experience. Be sure to get the 28 - 105 lense instead of the standard 28-80.

I bought my Elan IIe with quartz dating about a month ago and I haven't had one bad photo. I used my tax refund, and it was a smart buy. I thoroughly researched all kinds of SLR cameras of the same class (mid price, semi-advanced) and found this one to be the best choice for me. Ironically, it was the first one of over ten that I looked at. I kept going back to it for so many reasons. Trust me, this is a great camera. I am a small town newspaper editor, and this camera lets me get great photos of everything from PTA meetings to fiery car crashes.

The Elan II should provide most any photographer, using the 35mm format, with all the automatic and manual functions you could possibly want. I have to echo the other reviews that point out the ease of using this camera when compared to the comparable Nikon, the N70. It's also as rugged a unit as can be found today. If possible, I'd save my money and avoid the IIe version, as the eye controlled function is a bit of overkill and in my opinion more a novelty than a useful feature.

a camera that gives you control, if you want it, but has super automatic features. truly understanding the camera will take detailed study, but its metering and automatic focusing system are top notch. if i had to own only one 35 mm film camera body, this would be it.