Elan 7 or 7E?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Camera Equipment : One Thread

Although I've always considered Eye Control on the Elan 7E (EOS 30) an unnecessary gimmick, the abundance of highly positive user comments on the feature both here and elsewhere has forced me to return to the issue.

My question: how convenient/fast is manual focus point selection on the non-ECF version of the camera? In other words, am I likely to lose many valuable shots by not using the ECF?

Furthermore, am I correct in assuming that once the ECF is turned off on an Elan 7E, manual focus point selection will work similarly to the Elan 7?

And finally, would the wearing of [strong] eyeglasses have any effect on the ECF's operation?

-- Gediminas Pateckas (gediminas@mail.lt), May 02, 2002

Answers

It's reasonably convenient with the arrow keys on the back. Still, ECF can read where you're looking (according to Canon) 55 ms, and you'll never get it that quick with the arrow keys. I obviously can't say for sure whether ECF reads where I'm looking in 55 ms, but it is certainly quick.

Furthermore, am I correct in assuming that once the ECF is turned off on an Elan 7E, manual focus point selection will work similarly to the Elan 7?

An Elan 7e with ECF disabled works exactly the same way as an Elan 7.



-- Steve Dunn (steved@ussinc.com), May 02, 2002.

In other words, am I likely to lose many valuable shots by not using the ECF?
Yes. Unless you only use the centre focussing point.
Furthermore, am I correct in assuming that once the ECF is turned off on an Elan 7E, manual focus point selection will work similarly to the Elan 7?
Yes.
And finally, would the wearing of [strong] eyeglasses have any effect on the ECF's operation?
The lightning fast ECF on my Elan 7E works through my [strong] plastic lenses. ECF will fail if you change your eye position after calibration. This is only advantage I can think of having a narrow eyepoint to help keep your eye centered in the viewfinder.

Phil Greenspun was quick to dismiss the Elan 7E based on preconceived notions about ECF. It is refreshing that you are willing keep an open mind about ECF, especially since the implementation on the Elan 7E is faster than on any other Canon EOS cameras. See: Canon EOS 7 Technical Report

An undocumented feature about ECF is that you can very easily switch from ECF to automatic AF selection simply by moving your head slightly away from the viewfinder so that the ECF cannot detect your eye. Automatic AF selection takes over without having to push any buttons or activate any switches.

-- Julian Loke (elan7e-owner@yahoogroups.com), May 03, 2002.


Thanks for the useful answers!

-- Gediminas Pateckas (gediminas@mail.lt), May 06, 2002.

Gediminas:

The information you have already been given in regards to your original question is good information, so I don't have much to add. But I will say that I too was initially skeptical of the Elan 7e's ECF, mainly because Philip Greenspun and a few other reviewers were so critical of it. However, I am now very glad that I DID buy the Elan 7e with ECF, because I have found it to be very accurate, fast, and just plain useful. Don't let there be any doubt in your mind about the ECF being a gimmick -- I can assure you it's not.

Best Regards,

Jonathan

-- Jonathan Payne (jpayne@tmgmedia.net), May 07, 2002.


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