Light, solid construction. Metal lens mount. Excellent AF. 4 fps film advance. Mirror lock-up. Surprisingly effective pop-up flash. Good selection of accessories.

Lens release button could be stronger. Tripod mount on BP-300 is off-center. Not weather sealed.

This is the best value for a camera that I have ever seen. The camera''s operation is extremely quiet. The body is light and, when combined with the BP-300, it is a true ergonomic pleasure. Even though I bought the Elan 7 as a backup for my EOS-1n, it has become my prefered body for most urban situations or when I want to travel light.

Customer Service

Outstanding!!!

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS-1n Canon Rebel X

The body is solid and the battery pack is nice to hold. The 7 point focus is very useful when you need to focus everyone in a group photo.

I would say is the depth of field button is difficult to reach sometime.

The Canon Elan 7 is a very easy camera to operate which you want to take a quick snapshot. I find very user friend whenever i pull it out of the bag. In one year, after taking shot of people and outdoor picture, it produces many stunning pictures. I have the battery pack and it is good for hand grip. I find the body to very light and this is very important because after i trade-in my 28-90mm for a Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 and now my camera is 3kg heavy. So, it is still not too bad. The external-flash which is built especially for Elan 7 is a good buy. I recommend you to buy if you want to shoot for pictures indoor when light is very limited.

Customer Service

The London Drugs store is a good place to buy and customer support people are professional.

Similar Products Used:

F80 Nikon

Fast shutter speed, 4 FPS, dopper adjustment, easy to read thru the lens and in the LCD panel

The use of plastic thru out the body instead of staying with metal.

I got the Elan 7, 28-90 ultrasonic, and 300 BP battery pack all in one purchase for the price I listed. Seems everyone is confused and I can not blame them. The review listed the camera wrong. There is the Elan 7 & 7E. This was an upgrade when I fried my Elan II in the ocean taking photos. This is a really great camera for the money. It has super fast focusing with both ultrasonic and AF focus lens. The ability to chose the point of focus is excellent. I can press the focus buttons on the back with no problem. The dioptric adjustment on the view finder really helps me since I have started to wear glasses and can now shoot photos without my glasses on. The 300 BP battery pack really adds to this camera. It provides you with the ability to use AA batteries instead of the expensive lithium, and a second shutter release. This is excellent for those sideways shots. Working for the Phoneix, Bell Ringer, Signal, and Augusta Chronicle Free lance, this camera has really given me a boost. It beats the features on the digital cameras that are avaible and provides far more options than cameras close to it. As you can tell I work for magazines and newspapers and still do not see the need for those expensive thousand dollar cameras.

Customer Service

Sucks, I contacted Canon USA and never got a response. I finally ended up calling Canon for the south east.

Similar Products Used:

Elan II, Point and shoot, Minolta, Nikon N90

Lots of EF lenses to choose from, and third party ones too. This camera works very well with the pro lenses like the 70-200mm f/2.8L which I''m really happy with. The silent rewind is a wonderful feature! This camera is also quite economical on batteries, even with more than occasional use of the built-in flash. The lens mount is made of metal, so it should be more durable. The exposure dial on the back of the camera is quite useful. There is a depth-of-field button, which is a very handy feature indeed. Mirror slap is very quiet, so this is really good for taking pictures in shows or performances. AF is very fast, but perhaps this is a USM feature of the lenses. But definitely a cut above the body driven AF functionality on the Nikon F80, which seems slow and noisy by comparison.

The control display is not backlit. The built-in flash casts a shadow when using 77mm lenses. The battery pack, while well fitting, could be just a smidgen tighter connected to the body. The plastic film guides inside the camera look cheap compared to the chrome metal guides in the Nikon F80. The plastic strip which serves as the hinge for the battery door on the camera body seems like this is the first thing that will break on the camera. The depth-of-field button is in a very akward position. The Custom Function features are too bard to commit to memory since each feature is just a number on the control panel display. Need the owners manual in the camera bag as a reference.

When I was looking for an SLR camera, I felt that the Canon EOS 30 packed more features for the same money as the Nikon F80. So I bought the Canon, being a self confessed gadgets person. I''ve grown to really enjoy the EOS 30, although the ECF (Eye Control Focus) feature isn''t always as accurate as I''d like it to be. Every once in a while I recalibrate so that it works properly. Equipped with a BP-300 battery pack, this camera looks the part of a pro and has enough features for me to grow more into photography. I know it will be quite a while before I outgrow this camera. A lot of people complain about the AF assist light (strobing flashes from the built-in flash) but I feel that this is never really a problem - if you are going to be shooting in such low light conditions, you''d really need to have a proper flash unit like a Speedlite 420EX. And with such a unit comes the handy IR AF assist light, so problem solved. Afterall, the built-in flash isn''t going to give you enough light for those really low light shots anyway.

Customer Service

Canon Australia seem to be helpful, although they took a day or so to get back to me when I had a query that they didn''t have an answer to immediately. Overall, I''m happy with their service.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F80, Pentax PZ-50, Canon AE-1

-VERY quiet -good feel & size -mirror lockup -4 fps -diopter adjustment in 7 (not 7e to my knowledge)

For this price, absolutely none!

In same class as N80. IMHO Elan 7 is a better deal than N80. For me, mirror lockup is important, and I like the feel of the Elan 7 better. Gotta love the Canon lens selection too. When Nikon incorporates their AF-S into more "consumer" -type lenses, they will be much more competitive in the amateur market.

Customer Service

Haven;t used

Similar Products Used:

N80, EOS 3, EOS 1v, N65, Rebel 2000, Elan 7e, F100, N90s, OM-2n, X-700, FM-10

Quiet and well damped shutter. Inaudible rewind. Very small and low profile for shooting candids of people. Fast autofocus. Very accurate evaluative metering. Feels wonderful in my hands with the optional battery pack. Black body looks beautiful. Quiet and low profile, perfect for candid photography. 4 fps. Diopter Adjustment built in! Seperate depth of field preview button

No true spot meter.()When will Canon include this in Elan bodies?!?) AF assist strobe from flash is HORRIBLY ANNOYING! Without the battery pack, camera feels small and cramped (I have big hands) 82% field of view. Focusing screen not very contrasty, which makes manual focusing difficult. Lack of eye control focus (The Elan 7e''s eye control is fabulous)

VERY QUIET! With any background noise, the sound of the shutter is almost unnoticable. Even quieter when rewinding. I have to place my ear to the camera to see if it is rewinding. The black body looks alot better than the previous Elan II, and with the battery pack, feels good in my hands, and has substantial weight. Aside from the annoying strobe AF assist from the flash, and the lack of a true spot meter, the body is wonderful. The camera exposes perfect slides almost every time with it''s 35 zone metering system, and the only mistakes it made, were my fault, for not locking a focusing point on the main subject. I''m still irked by the lack of true spot meter, and the lack of the good old near infrared AF assist beam, but Canon finally learned to place a seperate, dedicated Depth of Field preview button on their Elan, and the silence and performance of the camera have consistantly outshined it''s old Elan II counterpart (I''ve owned both. The only thing I miss about the Elan II is the infrared assist beam for low or no light autofocusing) My only regret buying this camera, was not getting the eye controlled version (which works amazingly well!) All in all, this is a great camera. It''s only true mid-priced competitor, in my view, is the Elan 7e

Customer Service

Not used for the camera, but very prompt for a lens repair a while back, and quick, as well.

Similar Products Used:

Canon Elan II Canon EOS 1n Canon Rebel 2000 Contax 159

Fast AF, extremely quiet, solid construction, pro-body feel at consumer price (particularly with battery pack)

None, other than strength of built-in speedlight, but what can you expect from a built-in speedlight (which still works okay in a pinch)

I agree with so much of what others have said, that I''ll try to keep this review brief and narrow. I still cannot believe how little I paid for a camera that makes me feel like I''m holding a pro body. I''d like to add only what I think can make using this camera even more fulfilling: (1) Buy the battery pack, even if you don''t consider yourself a "worthy" enough photographer of such an accessory. It makes the body feel sublimely balanced and adds little weight. It greatly increases stability when shooting vertically (not to mention easy to replace batteries in a pinch). (2) Buy a Canon 420EX flash. You won''t believe how much better your pictures will be exposed, particularly using its high-speed synch. It''s a relatively inexpensive unit (approx. $200), and it''s very smart (E-TTL, bounces, swivels). It also helps with its built-in AF assist light (which kids love to stare at). (3) Buy a good, Canon USM lens. That means avoid at all costs the "kit" 28-90 USM lens with which it''s commonly bundled. A previous review suggested the 28-105 USM, which I own and agree is a superb lens for the money (approx. $320). My own belief is that previous reviews that criticize slow AF or "hunting" are better directed at the lens than the Elan 7 body (for a really poor "hunter" look no further than the Nikon N80). Paired with a good USM lens, focusing is lighting-fast. As the father of a 13 month old, I can attest to how important a fast AF is and how well the Elan 7 performs.

Customer Service

Drenched camera at pool (but got great shot of a "cannonball"). Everything seemed fine, except that 420ex would not fire at shutter speeds slower than 180. Sent in through store, received back three

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F Too many point and shoots to count Tested Nikon N80

Not heavy. Flash metering (w/speedlite 380 EX) is always on the money. Autofocus is very fast, even without USM lenses. The lens I use most often is a 80-200 f2.8 made by Tokina. Maybe not comparable to the 1V, but neither is the price. Very ergonomic w/the BP-300.

The body by itself is just too small, you definately need the BP-300, and it''s a little overpriced. I don''t know why they insist on sticking in so many program modes etc. It just make the camera cost more and they''re useless if you know anything at all about photography.

What a bargain! Although it doesn''t have everything I want (and includes some things I don''t want) I don''t think you can get more camera for that amount of money somewhere else. Autofocus is way faster than my EOS650, and the motordrive is a respectable 4fps. I shoot for a weekly paper, and the most demanding assignments are for college athletics, but it seems to do the job with no problem. Of course it would be nice to have 10fps (like the 1V) but I am not willing to spend two grand for that.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 650. Before I moved to autofocus I shot mainly Minolta products (SRTs and X-700s w/MD-1 motordrive).

Weight. Price. Features.

Not as solid as EOS3, 1. Autofocus not as fast. Funny way to access second curtain sync. Quirky mirror lock up procedure. Lack of PC connector. Lack of traditional cable release connection. Inclusion of those idiot modes (protrait, etc...)

Recently bought this camera after a few years using other types of cameras (range finder, view and mf). When selecting this camera from other cameras (EOS 3, 5, F100) I found this camera to possess many of the features found on these higher end cameras, at a much lower price. Although there are many differences between them, I found that the EOS33 to be a great compromise in terms of features and price. Not as good in the hand as the EOS5 or 3, but it does feel comfortable especially with the battery grip. The camera is not too heavy, but a good weight with the lens mounted. I find that abiilty to use AA an advantage when using the battery grip. It allows for cheaper batteries and when you are in colder environments, you can still use Lithiums in the grip. The camera''s autofocus is not as fast or as accurate as the 3, and unless you are doing action type of work, this will probably not be crucial. The layout of controls is good, and logical, although it takes two hands to turn the camera on. Somewhat a disadvantage. All in all, I find this camera to be a superb camera in its class, but also a great backup body for people using EOS 1 or 3.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F601. Nikon EM.

Speed, Very Quiet, Easy on the Eyes, Nice Design, All button easily touched while shooting.

Deapth of Field preview button is too small and in bad area. Eye controlled focus is not worth the extra money. I find myself never using it.

I have used this camera for almost a year now and I love it more and more each time I pull it out of the bag. 4fps is a very nice feature in sports photograhy. I really cannot believe how quiet it is too. I am press photograher and getting a candid shot of a subject without them knowing is excellent! I highly recommend this as a Prosumer camera or as I use it as a Professional Back up camera.

Customer Service

Not Needed

Similar Products Used:

All canon eos series cameras