Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best SLR for Ama. & Pro-Like!, June 9, 2000
As a professional photographer, I would like to recommend this camera without hesitate. I am using Canon EOS series like EOS 1N-this is the best for pros, and Elan IIe as a back up camera. However, my hand tends to go Elan IIe, because of its light weight, eye focus control and less loud shutter sound than EOS 1N. Further more, Elan IIe has E-TTL -like Nikon's 3D Matrix- flash mode despite of EOS 1N's A-TTL mode. E-TTL mode is much better than A-TTL mode, especially in indoor flash shoothing, you can get more details and mood of background with E-TTL mode. EOS-3(over $1,000.00) has also E-TTL mode, but you can not find much difference in photos taken by EOS-3 and ElanIIe. ElanIIe has built in flash as E-TTL mode. Another impression is Eye Focus Control, this is amazing. Some people complain about this is not working properly, but I do not think so. You should take a time for input your eye movement precisely as a description of manual. Do not input another people's eye information on your ElanIIe, this makes ElanIIe confusing. Also, every time you input your eye information, ElanIIe will keep recording and tracking your input history, this means the more input, the better operation. I have never failed in Eye Focus Control even I am wearing a glasses and it is fast. The sound of shutter release and rewind is really smooth and quite than any other SLR. For lens, I would recommend EF 28-135 IS USM lens or EF 24-85 USM lens. Here is the point, most important fact in photograph, it is optic. Do not buy off-brand lens or even Canon lens as a ElanIIe Kit. You can see the sample pictures taken by ElanIIe with EF 28-135 IS USM lens at my website .... If the lens is same in same shoothing data, it is no matter which camera used like ElanIIe, EOS3 or EOS 1N. If you are more serious about shooting, I would recommend Battery Pack BP-50. This makes you save money for BATTERY! BP-50 holds four AA size Alkaline battery(save money and easy to find) or one 2CR5 Lithium Battery, also BP-50 gives you vertical grip with extra shutter release button(with on/off swicth). It is really works for vertical shoothing. Optional flash is 380EX, this makes you get true E-TTL flash mode. That's it, you all set! You can be pro with this system! There is one thing you should be careful, the mode select dial on ElanIIe. Remember whenever you turn this dial, you should PUSH the tiny release swicth on this dial. Otherwise, it is easy to be broken. Enjoy your photo life with ElanIIe!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first-choice SLR, August 25, 2000
The EOS Elan-IIE (EOS 50E in Europe and Africa) should be top of the list for the first-time SLR buyer, amateur or semi-pro photographer. It is at the same time a well-priced, feature rich SLR - with all the conveniences of fully automatic modes for the amateur - and an investment in Canon's world famous EOS family of lenses, bodies and accessories used by more pro photographers than any other brand (and for good reason, may I add).I bought the Elan-IIE together with the standard EOS 75-300 and 28-80 USM (Ultrasonic) lenses in September 1998 and haven't looked back since. The camera has been flawless in every exrecise I've put it through (and living in Africa with a travel bug in my bonnett, you can bet there were many). I've only used two replacement batteries so far for well over 2000 shots - not a bad return considering I'm not shy with the flash. I've also bought the battery pack for the Elan-IIE (a must buy for the serious photographer), but haven't had much use for its extra capacity or AA-battery support as yet. Although the Elan-IIE features Eye Control focusing, I've rarely used this feature, and find the camera's three-point autofocus system (set to manually select the centre focus point) more than efficient for most situations. I've also found the camera's exposure settings extremely accurate, even in difficult lighting conditions, although a spot meter or the EOS 3's advanced exposure settings would come in handy for the more serious enthusiast. Regard the Elan-IIE as your ticket to Canon's photo family and you won't be dissapointed. Just make sure you invest in quality glass (Ultrasonic or a similar technology from 3rd party manufacturers is a must) and even when you upgrade one day to the latest and greatest EOS body, the Elan-IIE will stay with you as your backup of choice.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great, reliable entry-level SLR!, August 9, 2001
I've had my Elan IIe since 1998, bought on the advice of my former roommate who's also a part-time pro, and it's done exactly the job I needed it for. Much more sturdy than the EOS/Rebel line, the Elan IIe's got a good solid but lightweight frame (aluminum, I think). I wholeheartedly recommend paying the extra 100-200 USD or so to get into the good low-end SLR market without going too cheap (don't forget, buy cheap, buy twice!).Autofocus technology has improved over the last few years; but although I hear the Elan 7 is nifty with seven autofocus points to the IIe's three, I haven't seen one to say if it merits the bang for the extra buck. Of manufacturers, Canon has had the best autofocus tech reputation for years. The IIe has quite good eye control on 3 autofocus points, if occasionally finicky. It adapts to individual users' eyes, with or without glasses. Unlike one review I saw elsewhere, I have had plenty of use for the autofocus on landscapes or other nature shots requiring depth of focus. Want to go manual for closeups, portraits, specific situations? It's a flick of a switch on a Canon EF lens. I agree that spot metering is quite limited, but this puppy has three different metering settings that break up the field of view in different balances. I also dig the main dial setting for aperture-size priority while the camera automatically adjusts for shutter speed (to be sure, almost all automatic SLRs now have this option as standard). Bracketing exposures is also fairly easy (and necessary to get that precious photo just right over three exposure possibilities), and can be done manually or automatically. If you can't spin all of one or two easy-access dials, what are you doing playing with SLRs? For the techologically-intimidated or situations where you have no time to adjust, the main control dial has several easy to use modes that require no thought/adjustment. A little time spent with the camera will quickly and easily help you graduate from the point and shoot hordes. The manual is one of the clearer gadget manuals I've ever seen. Add my emphatic vote to those who advise going for deals with an upgrade possibility on a Canon 28-105mm zoom, and do *not* get stuck with a 28-80. The former is just a great all-around lens. Traveling as I do, I've discovered the need to add over time two other Canon lenses, a 75-300 mm (f 4.0-5.6, USM) telephoto zoom, and a 24mm wide angle (f 2.8) fixed lens (nice and sharp!). Sure, you might get a little sharper with Nikon lenses, but you'll pay another few hundred dollars for the privilege, not to mention the significantly greater weight of a more expensive Nikon body. For amateurs like myself, I can't justify that modest extra bang for the buck, especially given the utility and value of my setup while hiking in parks or stomping around fascinating East European cities and countryside. I try to take care of gear, but my Elan IIe did take a few heart-stopping bounces down some concrete stairs. While some nearby Montenegrins may have picked up several new English obscenities over the next five minutes, this camera picked up just a few scratches on the body and much more importantly, kept the lens alignment. Naturally, I strongly, strongly advise against trying to repeat such a heart-attack-inducing experiment, and probably got exceedingly lucky, but was impressed with the durability of this camera. Like I say, this entry-level camera rocks; you should only look at the next step down to see what you should skip.
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