I have found, with disappointment, that the Elan 7 lacks an automatic exposure bracketing facility which I believe would be quite useful in getting correctly-exposed shots.

Is there a way (maybe a custom function?) to get around this?

-- Gediminas Pateckas (gediminas@mail.lt), April 23, 2002

Answers

Doesn't the procedure in the manual work for you?

-- Steve Dunn (steved@ussinc.com), April 23, 2002.

Thanks for the response.

Sorry I did not mention it one more time (after my preceding post) - I have yet to buy the camera (hopefully within a week or two) hence I do not know what the manual says about it. What does it recommend indeed?

-- Gediminas Pateckas (gediminas@mail.lt), April 23, 2002.

There's a button on the back labelled "Function" (or something like that) which lets you pick what you want to adjust - ISO, red-eye reduction, beep, flash exposure compensation, auto exposure bracketing, and one other that's slipped my mind at the moment. You press the button repeatedly until the appropriate icon shows up on the LCD display, and then use the main control dial to change the setting. So for AEB, you press it until the AEB icon appears, then turn the main control dial. Each step on the dial increases or decreases the bracketing by 1/2 stop.

Where did you find a listing that said it lacks AEB? The specs on Canon's U.S. Web site (http ://www.usa.canon.com/html/cameras_slr/elan7_specs.html) list AEB as a feature of this camera ... but I don't know if other Canon sites around the world have complete features lists or not.

-- Steve Dunn (steved@ussinc.com), April 23, 2002.

Not only does my Elan 7E have Automatic Exposure Bracketing, but it can also make use of Automatic Flash Exposure Bracketing with the Speedlite 550EX.

But the camera meter is completely able to get correctly-exposed shots all the time. If you decide that you want whatever you meter to be anything other than middle-toned, you can use your brain and apply exposure compensation.

AEB is used when you want to see the artistic effect of varying from the scientifically "correct" exposure.

-- Julian Loke (elan7e-owner@yahoogroups.com), April 23, 2002.

Thanks a lot for the answers.

Steve - in a recent test of several cameras such as the EOS 33 and F80 in the British Practical Photography magazine, there is no mention of AEB in the brief list of features of the Canon while the facility is mentioned in Nikon's list.

Secondly and perhaps more importantly, I've come across some .pdf documents on one of Canon's own websites (must be Canon Europe, I think) which I have printed out. Again, a detailed table of specs expressly names Auto Exposure Bracketing among the 'special features' of the EOS 3, EOS 5 and even EOS 300, but not EOS 30/33 or, for that matter, EOS 1V. I find the injustice rather strange for a manufacturer's reference document.

Anyway, it's good to hear that this is not exactly the case.

Julian - I agree that one can always apply their brain instead of any automated feature available. Indeed, I plan to be doing a lot of this in order to advance as a photographer. However, there will certainly be situations offering breathtaking picture opportunities but little or no time to experiment.

-- Gediminas Pateckas (gediminas@mail.lt), April 24, 2002.

Hello Gediminas,

If you are concerned about getting the right exposure (a technical issue), I suggest that you shoot with a wide exposure negative print film for those once-in-a-lifetime shots. Rescue any difficult shots at the printing stage.

If you are concerned about making good pictures (an artistic process), I suggest that you let the camera help with the technical issues like film-winding, exposure metering, autofocus, and flash.

If you want to find out more (correct) technical information about the Elan 7E, consult the technical links at the Elan 7E group:
 http://yahoogroups.com/links/elan7e

-- Julian Loke (elan7e-owner@yahoogroups.com), April 24, 2002.

Thanks Julian.

I think I can see your point. Well, I agree that getting a technically correct picture is generally not much of a problem. It may be for me:) as I have not used an SLR camera for about ten years now, and before that (as a teenager) I was not very good at it either.

But I also believe that in this early stage of my learning having a frame exposed to three different levels would give me some useful lessons on the effects to be gained from manipulating exposure. I hope the differences will be obvious enough even on negative film which I will be using most. Although I do plan to try out slides as well, being fully aware of its lesser tolerance of mistakes.

And yes, thanks for the link which I will definitely visit.

-- Gediminas Pateckas (gediminas@mail.lt), April 24, 2002.

've come across some .pdf documents on one of Canon's own websites (must be Canon Europe, I think) which I have printed out. Again, a detailed table of specs expressly names Auto Exposure Bracketing among the 'special features' of the EOS 3, EOS 5 and even EOS 300, but not EOS 30/33 or, for that matter, EOS 1V

Both of the cameras not in that list are newer than all of the cameras in the list; you may simply be looking at old info. Does the list include, by any chance, the EOS 1N and/or the EOS 50 (the precedessors of the EOS 1V and EOS 30, respectively)?

-- Steve Dunn (steved@ussinc.com), April 24, 2002.

No. Only six models are compared, including the five I have listed and the 3000.

Now that I have checked several Canon sites once again, I have found less vague indication of the AEB's availability.

-- Gediminas Pateckas (gediminas@mail.lt), April 25, 2002.