I was happy user of classic EOS 50E (Elan IIE) + 28-105, that's been stolen, and now I'm buying new gear.

I am thinking of new * EOS 5 (A2E) * EOS 50E (Elan IIE) * EOS 30 (Elan 7)

(here in Europe you can still buy new 50E!)

I almost ruled out eos30/elan7 because of users-reported problems focusing in low light, annoying white AF assist beam (I shoot lots of concerts)... and when I hold it in my hands in the shop it feald very cheap and plastic... maybe too small and light?

I like the bright and big viewfinder of A2e/eos5, it is durable... but the model is really old... are there any problems?

I was quite happy with my IIE/50E, but I want to buy the best of three, so I would like to hear from people that used/know all three bodies, or at least two of them!

Thanx for your input!

-- Alen Borovicanin (al@gi-zrmk.si), December 02, 2001

Answers

I own and like both the Elan 7E (EOS 30) and the A2 (EOS 5). They are more alike than different. However, the A2 is my favorite outdoor workhorse camera because it is more capable and refined, especially in available light. The Elan 7E is my backup and hiking/biking camera due to its small size and weight.

The A2 has most of the features of the Elan 7E plus true spot metering, a faster "Whisper" drive (5 fps), auto zoom TTL popup flash with 1/200 second X- sync (Elan 7E is fixed with 1/125 sync),1/8000 second top shutter speed (Elan 7E, 1/4000), PC terminal, A-TTL & TTL ability, interchangeable focusing screens, T3 release terminal, dioptric adjustment (-2.75 to +.75), and 16 custom functions. The VG-10 Vertical Grip makes vertical shooting easy with a duplicate shutter, Main Dial, AE Lock and AF Point Selector (the Elan 7E's BP-300 lacks a Main Dial).

There are five interchangeable focusing screens, a welcome feature for picky photographers or specialized applications such as high magnification photography. I find the grid focusing screen (Ed-D) indispensable as a composition aid. Cleaning is easier with a removable screen (you may remove it and blow off both sides of the screen).

Like the Elan 7E, the A2 is an extremely quiet camera due to its "Whisper" drive. The mirror slap is slightly louder than the Elan 7E, but much softer than the EOS 3. Like the original Elan, the A2's only noisy component is the auto zoom popup flash.

In good light the Elan 7E will AF slightly faster than the A2, but we're only talking milliseconds.The A2 is fast. However, in low light situations the A2 really pulls ahead of the Elan 7E. First, the viewfinder is noticeably brighter, more contrasty and bigger. Second, the AF and metering are more sensitive in low light than the Elan 7E. Third, the near infrared AF assist light is much more elegant than the blinding white strobe of the Elan 7E. With the A2 I can bang away in candlelight murkiness while the Elan 7E just racks back and forth.

For an early nineties design the EOS A2 is extremely power efficient. I average about thirty-five 36-exposures rolls before the 2CR5 battery dies (my Elan gets about 10 rolls and my Elan 7E about 50). The design of the A2 was years ahead of its time and this one of the reasons this camera remained in production for over nine years. The ease of handling puts my EOS 3 to shame and the low light performance with a slow zoom is better than the Elan 7E, EOS 1N and EOS 3 (probably the IV too, but I haven't tried this model).

If you really like ECF you should get the Elan 7E as it's head and shoulders above the EOS 5/A2E. For me, the only real advantage the Elan 7E has over the A2 is the E-TTL flash system. Of course, if you don't use an external flash this is a moot point as they both use TTL for the popup flash. Actually, I learned to get consistently good results with A-TTL. E-TTL didn't improve the quality of my flash pictures. However, the wireless slaves and ratio control are extremely cool features that I am only beginning to tap into.

The main reported problem with the EOS 5/A2 models are main dial failures in certain batches. Some people never have a problem while others break them regularly. However, this problem isn't unique to the A2. The Elan (EOS 100) and EOS 50E (Elan IIE) have similar failures. I've seen many broken dials in old EOS 100 cameras. Mine crapped out on me. The Elan 7E's dial seems stronger but I'm sure some heavy handed soul will forget to push the little button in and break it.

The only problem--outside of low light AF--I have heard of with the Elan 7E is the battery door sometimes breaks off. The hinge is a thin piece of plastic and becomes brittle in cold climates. If you use a 420EX Speedlite with an Elan 7E the AF assist light will solve most low light AF problems. You can even disable the flash and only use the assist light.

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), December 02, 2001.

i am in the same situation. i want to upgrade from my ellan iie to maybe a 7 or a2. i hear that the a2 doesn't have an over/under exposure meter thingy. it only has a +/- icon. can someone elaborate on this?

-- Jeff Nakayama (moonduck22@hotmail.com), December 02, 2001.

I think Jeff you're referring to the lack of the ruler-like scale for M mode? Unfortunately, the A2/A2E lacks an analog scale (-2 . 1 . 0 + . 1 . 2 ) for manual exposure. It has only a simple + or - symbol (you can't see how many stops off, just + or -). However, it does have the (-2 . 1 . 0 + . 1 . 2 ) scale for exposure and flash compensation.

Canon refused to pay certain US patent royalties and thus omitted the scale on consumer SLRs. However, the EOS 5--the versionfor the rest of the world--has this feature and auto pop-up flash in full auto mode. If I was in the market, I'd buy the EOS 5 from B & H.

If you have an A2 or A2E, the firmwear may be updated to include this scale. Canon Hawaii refused to do it for me 5 years ago. However, I got it done in Korea for free! I hear Horizon Electronics will do it for a small fee (they also have the best command dial fix).

www.horizon-electronics.com

Aloha

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), December 02, 2001.

Over the past 26 years, starting with my first Canon camera, the TLB, I've had many Canon cameras and lenses, including several all-pro models. After just purchasing an EOS 7 (not 7E) for general, all- around shooting, I'm nothing short of amazed at the performance and convienence of this camera. Add a top-end strobe, such as the 550EX, and you'll be totally blown away. The Elan 7 is light, quiet, fast, and has an amazing assortment of features which really do work quite well and intuitively. I chose not to go with the 7E, however, I'm almost regretfull I made that decision. Good luck!

-- Charles Hansen (charleshansen@aol.com), December 03, 2001.

I started in the EOS system (after years of using Olympus SLR's) with a 50E which I still use. However, 15 months ago I bought an EOS 5 (A2E)and have to admit it is my camera of choice - I just find it a delightful camera to use. Given that the performance of all of them (50E, 30, 5 )probably exceeds what you will actually use most of the time I think that the elusive "feel" of the camera is actually the deciding factor.

-- Derek Linney (dlinney@aol.com), December 07, 2001.