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Hello all,

I've been a happy photographer of many years with my T90 based system,I've decided to take the plunge and go down the AF road while still keeping my old system as well ( can't bear to part with it ! ), I'm thinking of a EOS 5 as my main body and buying a EOS 3000 for my wife ( she's never dared use an SLR before !, but I want to try and get her started ), and a couple of lenses to start with, thid is whare I'd like your help and advice, any comments on my suggestions, or ideas on what lenses to buy would be greatly appreciated, and any tips on the cheapest and best place to buy in the UK.

Many Thanks

Alan.

-- (alan.silverwood@virgin.net), August 18, 2001

Answers

I think a good lens for your wife would be the 28-105 f/3.5~4.5 or the 24-85 f/3.5~4.5. Depending on your photo needs. I wish I had purchased the wider zoom. If you really want to spend some money go for any of the L series zooms. I call them #1, #2, and #3. 17-35, 28- 70 and 70-200. Best $3600 USD you'll ever spend.... ;)

Look at what you have now for your T90 and go with that. A 50mm f/1.8, a 24mm and maybe a 85 or 100 portrait lens. I really don't know what you like to shoot, but those choices are pretty general.

The EOS 5 is really the oldest body Canon has as far as AF is concerned. You might be disappointed with the performance compared to a EOS 30 which has the newest AF sensors. Do you really need a spot meter like the 5 has but the 30 doesn't? The Rebel 2000 is a really light, and full functioned camera for a beginner such as your wife. Be sure and get the vertical grips for whatever cameras you buy. You won't regret it. Better battery options and easier to hold in the vertical position.

I can't recommend retailers over there, but someone else might.

-- Colin Miller (ckmiller@pond.net), August 18, 2001.


The EOS 5 has been around since 1992 but still holds its own against the EOS 33/Elan 7E (there is a reason it lasted so long). I own both cameras and they're wonderful, but have different strengths and weaknesses. The EOS5/A2 is my serious camera and the EOS 33/Elan 7E is my travel and biking camera due to its light weight and lack of certain features.

The AF of the EOS 33/Elan 7E is supposed to be the faster of the two in good light. However, they both are so fast under daylight I can't tell the difference. However, EOS 5/A2's AF and exposure meter is noticeably better than the EOS 33/Elan 7E in low light.

The EOS 5 also boasts a faster flash sync (1/200 vs 1/125), a spot meter, a faster motor drive (5 FPS vs 4), a PC terminal, interchangeable focusing screens (I like the grid), a near infrared AF assist light and a vertical grip with a main input dial that the EOS 33 lacks.

What's better in the EOS 33/Elan 7E? If you like smaller cameras it wins. The RC-1 remote is really cool. ECF is much faster and more reliable, but I personally found little use for it in either camera. Is 7 AF sensors better than 5? I mainly use the center cross sensor and leave the others off (they're not as dependable). The E-TTL flash system is a slightly better than the A-TTL, but you can get good results with either system with a little practice.

However, the one thing that makes me like the EOS 5 more than the EOS 33 is the viewfinder. The EOS 5 has a bright and contrasty viewfinder that makes me want to take pictures. The EOS 33's viewfinder is smaller, dimmer and suffers from a small amount of glare. The image just isn't as inviting.

If my house was burning down and I could save only one camera--sniff-- I'd grab the EOS 5.

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), August 18, 2001.


Alan- I'm also in England, and also a T-90 user who can't bear to part with that gear, even tho I'm slowly being drawn into the EOS world.

I bought a 28-80mm aspherical macro Sigma lens, on the basis that Sigma has done me proud in the past for buil quality, features, optics and overall value for money. So far it has done me proud.

I've only dipped my toe into the EOS water thus far, with an EOS 300, and been impressed with the little camera. I bought a 3rd party 'Cobra' dedicated flash to go with it and am extremely pleased with the ensemble.

I'd disagree with an earlier poster on the subject of 'bolt-on' battery packs wi extra cable releases. First, I'm left-handed and the extra release they put on the camera is in a useless place for me! Second, the EOS 300 in particular is wonderfully light and manageable, so why make it heavy with an unnecessary battery pack? Some posters point to cheaper batteries and longer battery life, but all i can say is, considering the cost of the lenses they typically seem to buy, they can afford batteries fine! And the life of the normal batteries in the EOS 300 is remarkably long...

All the best... I'm still using my T90s a lot too!

Cheers JIM

-- Jim Cross (iamacamera@hotmail.com), August 19, 2001.


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