I am going to replace my eos3000 body and 35-80mm i bought it about 2 years ago and have been regreting it for a while now. I am looking at a elan7e , 24-85mm , bp-300 and 420ex. Is this a good combo? and where should i buy it from (i am in New Zealand and it costs about $3000 nz about 1300us over here) so i thought buying it in the states and shipping it would be cheaper any thoughts would be helpful.

-- Tom Knobloch (emailtomk@yahoo.com), November 17, 2001

Answers

What exactly do you regret about the 3000/35-80 combo? Without knowing that, it is hard to say if you will be happy with your suggested combo.

I have the items in question except for the lens. I use the 7E with the BP300 always attached and I like the feel of it. The vertical shutter button is nice, and I like the versatility of using AAs if I want. The BP is definately worth it.

The 7E is a significant step up from the 3000. Strong points: very, very quiet. 4 FPS. 7 point ECF works very well (better than the EOS 3). 35 zone metering. More custom functions than you'll ever use, including the option to leave the film leader out when rewinding (I love this one!), mirror lock up, and variations on the AF assist light.

The 420EX has been strongly marketed to be bought for the 7E (just look at the brochure or the user's manual), but any EX series speedlite will perform to it's potential on the 7E. Having said that, the 420 EX would fit just fine in your 'combo'. It is fairly powerful (guide # is 138) and supports E-TTL metering with the 7E. I like the 550EX better for the 7E and EOS 3 mostly because of the wireless master and slave abilities (the 420EX can be used as a slave or by itself only) - it is also more powerful with a guide number of 180, but they are both equally compatable with the 7E.

I don't know much about the 24-85, and I don't know why you didn't like the 35-80 (I'm hoping it's the optical quality and/or build quality you didn't like), but budget permitting I would suggest a little bigger step up in overall quality - perhaps the 28-105.

That said, the combo is fine - no compatability issues with the gear you list.

-- Derrick Morin (dmorin@oasisol.com), November 19, 2001.

B&H is reputable, and shipping costs are comparitively low.

-- Derrick Morin (dmorin@oasisol.com), November 19, 2001.

Thanks for the answer derrick, the points i don't like about the eos 3000, the build, it felt very very light like it would crumble if you knocked it against somthing and the plastic lens mount, the auto focus was pretty slow (probably mostly because of the lens) not being able to switch between one shot and servo focus or select focus point, not very good flash pics lots of red eye even with red eye reduction on.White af assit beam (distracts anything you point it at). The lens was horrible, plastic mount got fairly worn even with minimal use the manual focus ring was loose and felt with you twisted it to far it would snap. It would hunt alot even when focusing on something with alot of contrast. Some flare even with dedicated hood on. And yes i am no expert on image quality but i think that it wasn't that great i had some portraits taken at about 140mm at f4.5 and about 1/200 and they still had small details blurred when enlarge to a4 size (8 by 10 i think) especially around edge of frame (still on face not background).

-- Tom Knobloch (emailtomk@yahoo.com), November 19, 2001.

The EF 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM is a wonderful lens and is the equal of the EF 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM in optical quality, build and features. Of course, the EF 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM costs considerably more than the EF 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM II due to larger diameter glass and an aspherical element needed to control distortion at 24 mm.

The choice of the EF 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM or EF 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM is a matter of personal preference. I personally find the extra 4 mm at the short end more useful than the 20 mm of extra reach and would pay the extra money for it. The EF 70-200 4L USM makes a fine kit with the EF 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM as they share the 67 mm filter size.

The EF 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM has been replaced by the EF 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM II, an optically identical lens with minor cosmetic and mechanical improvements. This new version is now made in Canon's Taiwan factory along with kit lenses and the Rebel/Kiss/300/3000 series of bodies.

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), November 19, 2001.

I'm glad some knowledgable coments were made about the 24-85 - I just don't know anything about it.

You'll definately be happier with your suggested combo than with your existing gear on all points you mention. The 7E has the same anoying red-eye reduction system, but it can be disabled via one of the custom functions. You still won't have a spot meter, but you do get a 10% center metering mode.

Something to consider about lens selection: the 420EX zooms to cover varoius focal lengths automatically in the the following increments: 24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 105.

-- Derrick Morin (dmorin@oasisol.com), November 20, 2001.

Just to echo Puppy face's comments on the 24-85. I have one, and my father has a 28-105, and it is difficult/impossible to see any meaningful difference between them, other than the range. Like Puppy face, I find the extra width more useful than the extra length, as I have the mentioned 70-200 F4L, and can confirm that they do indeed make a very fine combo.

As for the original question, I think the selected parts sound like a very good combo indeed. Other than adding more lenses, I'm pushed to see any component there that screams out "Upgrade me!".

-- Isaac Sibson (isibson@hotmail.com), November 21, 2001.

My local dealer here in Auckland (good ol' New Zealand) has fairly competitive prices and they do mail order. I've always compared their prices with New York / US stores and they are often as good, occasionally better, and at worst the difference is just GST which you would probably have to pay if you imported it yourself. The Company is called Auckland Camera and has prices on the web: http://www.aucklandcamera.com/ That said, your NZ$3000 estimate sounds realistic for the above kit. Regarding the combo, I'm not sure if I'd buy the vertical grip straight off, but the 24-85 on this camera makes a compact and quality unit! My EF24-85 compares favourably to prime lenses in sharpness (not quite in distortion/flare) but is nice to use & has a great range. cheers, Richard

-- Richard Christie (gr.christie@auckland.ac.nz), November 22, 2001.

aaaahhh, its great to find another kiwi on the net!

one thing you might want to consider is whether or not the lovely people in customs plan to screw you out of your savings with a hefty tax bill. there must be a book or something that you can get from customs for advice.

the 7e is also on my 'maybe' list. the vertical grip is cool, especially if you've got big hands.

as to the lenses:

what i find is that i do most of my shooting in the 150-300mm range so i can get a good tight shot without sitting right on top off what i'm trying to photograph. when i need a wide-angle lens then its only really for landscapes or architecture - then i just chuck the trusty 20mm on the camera.

i really find the intermediate focal lengths (basically everything from 35mm to about 90mm)a bit too 'normal'. when you want a tight shot use a tele (my fave is the 70-200 4.0 'cos its good AND won't force your bank manager to put a contract out on you), for a wide shot use a real wide angle (you'll freak if you see the difference between a 24mm and a 20mm). later you can chuck a 50mm 1.8 (really good value) for the normal shots. of course, this is a good deal more of an investment than the 24-85mm.

why not think about waiting on the speedlight for a bit and getting the 28-135mm IS? it hasn't got the low end on the wide angle, but otherwise gives you far more possibilities in a single lense and lets you leave the tripod at home or use slower film.

-- carl weller (carlweller@yahoo.com), November 30, 2001.

aaaahhh, its great to find another kiwi on the net!

one thing you might want to consider is whether or not the lovely people in customs plan to screw you out of your savings with a hefty tax bill. there must be a book or something that you can get from customs for advice.

the 7e is also on my 'maybe' list. the vertical grip is cool, especially if you've got big hands.

as to the lenses:

what i find is that i do most of my shooting in the 150-300mm range so i can get a good tight shot without sitting right on top off what i'm trying to photograph. when i need a wide-angle lens then its only really for landscapes or architecture - then i just chuck the trusty 20mm on the camera.

i really find the intermediate focal lengths (basically everything from 35mm to about 90mm)a bit too 'normal'. when you want a tight shot use a tele (my fave is the 70-200 4.0 'cos its good AND won't force your bank manager to put a contract out on you), for a wide shot use a real wide angle (you'll freak if you see the difference between a 24mm and a 20mm). later you can chuck in a 50mm 1.8 (really good value) for the normal shots. of course, this is a good deal more of an investment than the 24-85mm.

why not think about waiting on the speedlight for a bit and getting the 28-135mm IS? it hasn't got the low end on the wide angle, but otherwise gives you far more possibilities in a single lense and lets you leave the tripod at home or use slower film.

-- carl weller (carlweller@yahoo.com), November 30, 2001.