disappointed...going to switch to nikon mf

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hi some time ago i asked a couple of questions and got lotīs of useful support. thanks. but now i tell you about my experiences with canon and why iīm going to sell all that "crap" (sorry but itīs what i think right now) and switch to old nikon gear. i started shooting with a canon about 8-9 years ago. i was pretty happy and got more and more gear. now i do own canon equipment for maybe 7000,- usd. within the last week my eos 3, the infrared transmitter and the wide angle lens all got misfunction. so i sent it to canon. they told me that the transmitter and the lens are fine. so i called them again and told them that it canīt be true. pics with a 64 iso slide film turn out really crispy and unsharp. (yes i know how to focus...) also they said that the repair of the body costs 600,- usd (the problem with the body is that all 8 batteries in the booster are empty within 10 hours if the camera is turned off !!!) and they want 600,- usd for that ???? that was the final reason why iīm going to buy a used nikon f3 and a couple of lenses. just solid camera gear ... oliver

-- oliver (moengi@zip6020.com), May 06, 2002

Answers

transmitter= st e2 with 2 x 550ex

oliver

-- oliver (moengi@zip6020.com), May 06, 2002.


Sorry to hear of your bad experience. Just use whatever best suits your needs. Switching to old Nikon manual gear may be what best suits your needs. But I'm not sure what the point is. The Nikon F3 isn't going to autofocus more accurately or more reliably than the EOS 3 ;-) (because, after all, the F3 doesn't autofocus at all). Nor will Nikon's wireless flash transmitter work more accurately or more reliably (because it doesn't do that either).

Just for kicks and giggles, why don't you just switch the EOS 3's focus screen to a split finder and use it simply as a manual focus camera. It would still outperform an F3 (IS, center/partial/spot/multispot metering, frames per second, motor drive, E-TTL, etc).

Seriously, though, it might be worth a second opinion from another repair facility or at least another repair person. Note in detail all the issues you are having. $600 sounds a bit steep, considering you can buy a new one for a little more money.

-- Peter Phan (pphan01@hotmail.com), May 06, 2002.


hello peter

thanks for your response. some more details. most of the time i shoot skateboarding+ snowboarding i never use autofocus. just donīt need (trust) it. nikon has a motor drive which is as fast as the canon one. flash: well sync speed is a problem with the nikon. but i was never satisfied with the canon ste 2 and 550 ex system. use a wide angle lens, try to hide the flash, move the camera to the left or right for a few inches.... flashes donīt fire. no chance to set up a flash behind you. also my slides were up to 2 stops under exposed using the ste-2 + 2x 550ex setup. solution. radio transmitter... lenses. do you really need a high tech IS lens ? i donīt. i just want a solid camera that is reliable and "does what i want" with the canon it was sometimes different. doesnīt release the shutter when you press. a.o. maybe iīm just really conservative at the age of 26. oliver

-- oliver (moengi@zip6020.com), May 06, 2002.


Well, assuming we can eliminate user error, it sounds like you just have a messed up camera. I've never heard of any camera that "doesnīt release the shutter when you press." And as for the ST-E2 and 550EX system, it uses an infra-red beam that either needs line-of-site or at least walls for the beam to bounce off of in order to trigger the 550EX's. If you're doing this outdoors, well, there go your walls. And, no, it's not going to work with the receiving flash behind you unless the ST-E2 transmitter is pointed in that direction. So, with regard to that, it's pointless to ask the system to do something that it wasn't intended to do. Stick a radio transmitter on the Canon system if you need to. You're going to have to do it with the Nikon system anyway. As for the exposure errors, maybe it's back to the issue of the messed up camera again.

Expecting your equipment to work within it's defined function parameters is not being "really conservative". Your expectations are sound but your EOS 3 currently is not.

As for "high tech" IS, well you may not need it, but it certainly does wonders for me. It literally allows me to get pictures that I simply would not be able to get otherwise. Many other users agree. But it really depends on your application. I personally think IS is the best thing to happen to photography since autofocus. (But I realize you probably don't like autofocus, either). By the way, I hear the focus tracking on the F3 stinks ;-).

But, again, just use the equipment that suits your needs the best. If you find that a manual focus camera is all that you want or need, there's nothing wrong with that.

-- Peter Phan (pphan01@hotmail.com), May 06, 2002.


Oliver,

It sounds like you may have a lemon. First, the batteries really die overnight even if it is turned off? My EOS 3 and PB-E2 (lithium AAs) are good for over 100 36-exposure rolls. Plus, it usually takes me 10- 12 months to exhaust a set of batteries. I often leave the camera on for days at a time and it doesn't make much difference. I don't use IS lenses on my camera, my main glass for this rig are the EF70-200 4L USM and EF300 4L USM, lenses which draw plenty of power. However, I have heard a few complains on the yahoo EOS 3 group about excess power drain problems. Fortunately, most list members reported no power problems. As I recall, it was an easy fix by Canon and is covered by their warranty. It appears that there may be a small batch of EOS 3s with power problems.

I use a ST-E2, 550EX and 420EX and exposures are excellent most of the time (I'm a chrome shooter). I've learned when to use Flash AE comp and FEL, so I rarely get surprises. However, at first I didn't understand the behavior of fill flash and main flash when shooting at night and had some dim chromes. For example, Av and Tv balance the flash with the background light or fill in at -.5 to -2 stops. If you don't like this look you can set CF14-1, disable fill flash reduction (or use P). I now control fill flash and usually get the "pop" I need.

However, one point is unclear: "64 iso slide film turn out really crispy and unsharp." But later you say that you mainly use manual focus. Sounds like you need a split rangefinger screen. I use one in my Nikon FM3A and it helps a lot. The laser matte screen in the EOS 3 is really bright but it isn't designed for accurate manual focus.

Funny, I gave up on Nikon AF cameras some years ago because I thought they were doodoo, e.g., AF had problems locking on to things and matrix metering was totally illogical. Canon EOS was like a gift from Heaven. However, I do still like and use manual Nikon gear.

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), May 07, 2002.



Oliver,

Just to let you know one thing you should consider. I came to EOS by way of over 25 years using Nikon equipment. The last new Nikon I bought was an F3. It was totally unreliable, shutting down operation in humid weather. It was so bad, I had to buy a used F2 for reliability and I even switched to Leica rangefinders for a time.

ANY camera can have problems. Nikons are generally reliable cameras. So are Canons. But ANY individual cameras can make your life miserable if you let it.

-- Lee (Leemarthakiri@sport.rr.com), May 07, 2002.


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