High FPS (4 FPS) for a consumer camera Great Lowlight Auto Focus Eye-Control Picks up quick if it can pick up your eye Weight and balance in great Lighted LCD screen-thank you canon

Eye-Control-it picks up my eye fine but it seems to have trouble picking up on the aspherical curve of some people's eyes. The Pop Up Flash is utterly useless in my opinion

I originally bought this camera as a backup to my Canon 2 EOS-1VHS' my typical subjects are urban environments and areas that aren't exactly considered safe so I thought that it'd be better to lose a $5-600 camera instead of a $2000 camera. I bought the camera with a upgraded 28-105 3.5 MK 2 EOS lens, do not get the 4-5.6 lens its junk. The camera is a perfect marriage of function and practicality. In my work if your shots aren't good enough then your not close enough. The camera is considerably light especially considering its features and capabilities. I also have a BP-300 battery pack on it( A MUST ) that allows me to use AA's. I constantly shoot in continuous mode(4 FPS) and its never choked up on me yet. I wouldn't expect it to choke on my 1-VHS' but remember this is a consumer camera. The main thing that impressed me about the camera is the build quality, you don't get this from some of the other comsumer SLR's like the rebels. This camera was built to last, the size and weight is good in my opinion any lighter and it'll feel like a toy. The autofocus has also greatly improved from the previous model when shooting in low light. A classmate of mine has the older 7e and it just doesn't pick up as quick compared to my NE. All in all its a great camera for the price and remember do not let the salesman push you into buying the 4-5.6 kit camera insist on the 3.5 MK 2 no matter what he says your going to put some more money into the kit but your getting a much better piece of glass. If you don't need the 4 FPS and don't mind a plastic body, go with the TI , the buils quality is right in line with a consumer camera but remember in the end you camera body is just a shutter save some money and get some better glass.

Customer Service

Never had to use it yet with this camera crossing my fingers though.

Similar Products Used:

Canon -AE-1 -EOS 1VHS -EOS 3 -Elan 7e NIKON -F100 -F2 -F3/T-Titanium Version -F6

Much improved AF. This is probably Canon's best "carry around, go anywhere" camera. It has numerous pro features like mirror lock up and is just the right size and weight for almost any photographic purpose. I even use it hand held with tilt shift lenses sometimes.

None that I can identify

I got the EOS 33V ( Elan 7N ) without the eye controlled focus and date, neither of which I need or use, and saved some money. The basic camera is as per the EOS 30/33 ( Elan 7/7E ) and is great value for money. The upgrade on the new model of most interest to me is the autofocus. With the previous model, I often found the AF slightly inaccurate especially in low light levels. The new version fixes this with very accurate and reliable AF even in dim light. It is very nearly in the same class as my EOS 1V.

Customer Service

Not needed for this camera but always excellent from Canon Australia

Similar Products Used:

EOS 630, 10, 30, 30 date, 1V, 300X

Where do I begin? Quiet, convenient, highly versatile, reasonably light, just a truly great camera.

No eyepiece shutter. Dumb close-up automation (use manual settings). Who makes a snoot bag that will hold it with the BP-300 in place? Cf 11-1 should be the default setting even with eye-control.

I thought I was getting a back-up camera for my Elan 7E but what arrived was a 7N. OK, the later model, but no eye-control focus. I wasn't upset! Eye-control is like the little girl - when it is good it is very,very good .... But! A lot of people seem to have trouble with it and it is noticeable that Canon's digital SLR's don't have it. For fast moving objects, well set up eye-control really is great but for the most part I use Cf 11-1 which gives direct access to the rear panning buttons. Almost as fast and rather more reliable. The 7N is cosmetically slightly different to the 7E and I like those changes, very smart! The illuminated LCD screen is only used occasionally but wonderful to have when you need it. The E-TTL flash hasn't been tried much as I don't use flash very often. The camera came with an unexpected BP-300 grip. Wretchedly bulky to stow but I hate not having it on the camera in use. Big grumble with all the EOS cameras I have used (which doesn't include the top end ones) is the lack of an eyepiece shutter. My A-1, F-1 and T90 all have this simple little gadget. The EOS just provides a stupid rubber thing on the strap. Anything more ridiculous would be difficult to imagine - you have to start with the eyecup off then hope that you don't disturb the position of the camera on a tripod trying to get the cover on. Even if you succeed it just takes too long. You can do better, Canon. My non eye-control 7N lives in a bag with a 28-105mm (not as bad as people make out) and two non-EOS manual focus lenses. Shock! Horror! A 500mm f8 mirror lens with T2 adapter produces the occasional great shot but focus is a bit of a lottery. The other is a Tokina 135mm f2.5 M42 lens in mint condition. You can pick up these primes for peanuts. Ebay will find you a $10 adapter. This Tokina (like many others) has an instant stop down button and all you have to do is press it the instant before the shutter button. The camera set on "P" will give perfect exposure no matter what aperture you have preset. Easy. And these lenses will give super sharp results for hundreds less than the proper EOS lenses. I also use a venerable Soligor dual rail bellows similarly adapted, and with a Minolta 80mm f5.6 enlarging lens. This stops to f45 and is, of course, designed for close-up work. Actually this unit will focus from almost infinity to a lot larger than life size. Again, for peanuts.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Most of Canon's SLR's, Konica FS-1, Ricoh XR-M, Bronica ETRSi, some of my 1950's classics even

Everything that a hobbiest will need and more. GREAT feel to the camera

lens that comes with the package is a little cheap

WOW. I am new to the slr world. I upgraded from a pentax zx7. What a difference. The AF is way faster and works really well in low light. The feel of the camera is the main thing that sold me. Who cares what features it has if you don't like holding it. A must have is the vertical grip BP-300. The lens that came with the camera is a little cheap but it works ok for snap shots. Very fast camera. Load film, shoot 4fps, rewind, all in about one minute. When I first used it I kept shooting while the film was rewinding. It is that quite.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Pentax ZX7

Auto Focus Eye Control Quiet Loads of features Or full auto for my technologicaly challenged friends who insist on playing with my camera Canon's line of lenses

Its kinda of like the people who always complain about cell phones. There not meant to be perfect. They can only do so much. They could probably be perfect, but then there would be a cell tower on every corner and your cell phone bill would have a few extra zero's on the end. If you don't mind the few extra zeros, then go satelite phone, they work flawlessly. OK, HERE'S MY POINT, if you want more, buy more, buy the best. There is always something better. Or if you already have the best, the more than likely you worked your way up and now understand things better. You no longer complain, you just sit andwait for the next model talking about what you hope it has. Sorry if anyone didn't like my analogy, but that is one of my pet pedes is someone complaining because there too cheap to buy to the best, but instead buy the cheapest and get mad when it isn't as good as the one that cost ten times as much. That being said The autofocus could be faster and better on smoth surfaces. The custom functions could be labeled in the camera menu instead of just numbered. An AF assist would also be nice, but that falls under the buy a flash and don't be cheap, I mean if it low light you'll more than likely need one anyway.

I am a senior in high school and I finaly got tired of point and shoot digital and wanted a new hobby. I usually carry a camera with me everywhere. My Elan if possible, but sometimes I can't carry it and I'm stuck with a pocket size point and shoot. At first I intended to go digital SLR, but decided they still weren't what I wanted so I purchased the Elan 7ne. Hopefully in a few years digital will be slightly less expensive and perform better. Only a few years ago consumer digital cameras were making their first halfway decent pictures. If the digital industry keeps up their progress, digital should surpas film in the not too distant future. Hopefully, the price will also fall as with all electronics. I just couldn't see spending $5,000 for nothing more than a hobby for me. The Elan has turned out to be a great camera. I love the eye contol. Mirror lockup is priceless. Put it in full auto and its worry free. I thought I'd never admit to using full auto, but sometimes I'm too busy to do anything more than just snap a picture of a few friends with only one hand. And just leaving it on full auto allows even the stupidest of my friends to pick it up and take a decent picture. Which with a few of my friends, that's saying a lot about ease of operation. The first role of film I shot with the camera caused me a major headache until I just had to laugh at my stupidity. I was right in the middle of taking pictures and my camera stopped working. My original reaction was that I had recieved a lemon. It took me atleast a minute to realize why the LCD was blank except for one flashing icon. While I was holding the camera talking to a friend, the film had rewound without me ever knowing it. The camera is almost too quiet at first. You find yourself wondering did it take the shot yet? About the eye control. It didn't taking me long to learn a few things about using it. Almost every time I go somewhere, I have to calibrate it first thing. It isn't a big deal though. Less than 20 seconds and I'm back to taking pictures and it works fine until my next trip somewhere. I also learned to place the focus point over something when calibrating and don't actually focus on the focus screen, it makes it more accurate. Eye control with AF Servo is impossible because it will switch points as your eye changes points. I found if you select CF 11-1. It sets the d-pad to manual point selection and the AF button to auto focus point selection. You can very quickly select the point you want to track. Very usefull to me for photograping sports games where you want to change the composition but continue to track the same person. I found the viewfinder hard to see at first as do most people, but in no time at all I had no problems in seeing everything. I just took a very little bit of getting used to, probably less than 4 rolls of film.

Customer Service

None needed...yet(knock on wood)

Similar Products Used:

Rebel Ti, Fuji Finepix S3

Outstanding AF performance, as good as on the top pro Models 1V, 1D Mk II. Exellent metering. 4 fps, very long battery life (over 30 rolls of film). Very silent (film rewinding!!), very good handling, half the weight of a EOS 1 (without booster) and a third of the 1D, very reasonable price (I would give 10 stars for value rating).

Non for the price. Custom function to exchange tumb and topwheel functions would be great, third steps for manual exposure instead of half, flash sync, EOS 1 viewer

When I bought my EOS 1V I thaught that it will be the last film body I acheaved. But for outdoor photography the 1V is somtimes a bit heavy. More than 2 pounds for the body plus lenses is sometimes a pain to carry and digital is even heavier. So I decided to buy a Eos 33V / Elan 7N and I am totally satisfied with.

Customer Service

Not needed for this camera

Similar Products Used:

From the Nikon F to the EOS 1D Mk II

Easy to use Quiet Fast Cheap! Better than the Elan 7 but barely more expensive

Vertical grip is not a good match; a newer version is needed Viewfinder is hard to use. Needs to be bigger

The "other" type of photography means "everything." I shoot press, sports action, portraits, wildlife, still life, nature, etc. Basically everything. Only exception is studio. I don't have the time for that. But for the Elan 7N. What a camera. So quiet, so smooth, so comfortable. I can't tell you how nice this camrera is. You have to just get one and feel it. It's so natural, so easy. You could do photography in your sleep. All the options are there that you need, the ones it lacks are for the full-on pros. And those people have their own grade of cameras that actually do pretty much everything except push the button at the right time. The 7N is comfortable, lightweight. it is a little small for my piano player-size hands, but I'm used to it by now. All the controls are easy to use. I don't find myself hunting for any of them except for the DOF preview button. It does not stick out enough to find quickly, and it does not press down enough to be sure you're pressing it. I have to really push hard to get the iris to close. Also, the viewfinder is pretty lousy. I have trouble seeing it; I have to really jam my face up against the camera to see the whole thing. So most of the time when I don't feel like smashing my face, I can't see the whole finder. I miss out on the exposure settings, but I'm also not dumb, I remember what I set before I push the button. With a 91% or so viewfinder, it sucks to have to miss out on even more of the scene. AF is fast, film transport is quick and quiet. But it's not as quiet as people say. They must have hearing damage or something. I can hear the silent film rewind just fine. It's definitely quiet, and shouldn't disturb any people or animals, but it does make a funny squeaking noise. My old EOS 650 winds faster. The BP-300 is a horrible fit for my hands, and it REALLY needs a control dial. But being able to use AAs and shoot vertically with a normal hand position is always better, anyway. All in all, this is a great camera for the middle-of-the-road shooters, who don't want a crummy plastic Rebel but can't afford an EOS-3 or EOS-1. Buy this camera now!

Customer Service

Not yet.

Similar Products Used:

Rebel GII EOS 650

AF, ergonomics, control logic and layout, flash system, USM lenses, flash exposure lock, very quiet operation, mirror lock up, compatibility with the Canon G5 and digital SLR's.

1/125 flash sync (but it does have high speed sync with the 420EX to 1/4000, but at reduced distances)

The previous review pretty well has it right. I traded off a Nikon N80 for this model. Largely, that's a lateral move, but there are a few advantages. I made the move to the Canon primarily to have more compatibility with my Canon G5 and a future Canon digital SLR. In terms of improvements, the viewfinder is nicer, there is mirror lockup, the E-TTL II flash system is amazing. and I much prefer the control logic and ergonomics of the Elan 7N over the N80. The flash system alone justifies the change. The Canon has Flash Exposure Lock, which is really, really nice, and the N80 has nothing like that. Check it out. I had the MB-16 battery grip for the N80, and I got the BP-300 for the Elan 7N. The BP-300 feels better, has more battery choices, and vertical controls. What's more, the BP-300 has an ON/OFF switch for the vertical controls to avoid inadvertent actuation. A nice touch. I basically duplicated the lens complement for the N80 on the Elan. I have the Canon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 II USM, and a Tamron 70-300 f/4-5.6 LD 1:2 macro with the tamron 1.4x. In even moderate light the Elan focuses quickly and surely with the 1.4x on the 70-300 at 300 mm (420 mm & f/8). The N80 did also, but not quite as surely or quickly. The Canon USM has it all over the Nikon AF, and the focus is faster, and very quiet. I do prefer the control logic of the Canon over the N80, but that's a personal thing. Overall, an upgrade over a very nice camers. If I didn't have the motive of compatibility with my growing digital system I would not have bought the Canon. But I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N80, Minolta 7000i, Nikon FE-2, Pentax Super program

PRO's: -Durable -Reliable -Affordable -Fast -Quiet -Exceptionally accurate (both in focusing and metering) -Packed with features -Stylish -Compatible with a very nice line of accessories

CON's: -My only complaint about this camera is its lack of a real focus assist beam. Most of the EOS bodies have built-in near-infrared focus assist lights that project patterns of vertical, horizontal, or combinations of both lines onto the subject for low-light and low-contrast AF operation. Why on Earth Canon decided to make the Elan 7/7n’s built-in flash the AF assist light seems to defy all conventional logic and wisdom. First, it fires a short but rapid burst of flashes that are not only annoying to the user, but generally frightening to living subjects (I used it in a restaurant once with my Elan 7, and people actually screamed in terror…I’ve since learned to disable this in the custom functions…in fact, it was the first CF I set when I got the Elan 7n). Second, if it’s being used for low-contrast subjects, well, it just doesn’t help there at all, because it doesn’t add any contrasting patterns for the AF system to focus on. However, when you attach an external flash, this problem is usually solved, because most dedicated flash units have focus assist beams.

This is the successor to the EOS Elan 7. It is what the Elan 7 could have been, should have been, and, finally, is. Though the Elan 7 didn't leave much to be desired, there were a couple of modifications that would have made it the perfect camera for intermediate to advanced photographers. These improvements are an illuminated external LCD, better light metering, and faster AF. The new finish and emblems are gorgeous. The finish is extremely matte, so it's very dark and handsome, and the Elan 7n logo is now a relief on a plaque attached to the body that's also holographic, instead of the painted-on white and red logo of the old Elan 7. Though this has nothing to do with its ability to produce amazingly focused and metered images, it sure makes it one heck of an attractive body. It is arguably one of the quietest 35mm SLR cameras ever made, and I agree. Its whisper drive film transport produces noise so quiet you can only hear it if your ear is pressed right to the body. The mirror and shutter action, though audible, are also well below the sound levels heard in most other cameras. It makes the higher-end Canons, and just about all 35mm Nikons, Minoltas, and Pentaxes sound like gun shots by comparison. Also, when the silent film rewind option is set in the camera's custom functions, this, too, cannot be heard without pressing one's ear to the body. But, even its high-speed film rewind is quiet, if you ask me, and it takes only 5 seconds to rewind a 24-exposure roll of film! Its auto-focus system is the fastest any Elan has ever seen. It can track things moving at a whopping 31 miles per hour at close distances! Trust me, this is fast! Only the rarest of sporting events would pose a challenge to this camera's AF system. Its light metering, especially its new E-TTL II flash metering, is almost frighteningly intelligent and accurate. When used with an EX series Speedlite, the camera uses distance information from the lens plus its readings from the 35-zone light meter (both from an ambient light reading and a pre-flash reading) to calculate an appropriate flash exposure. This works in much the same way Nikon's 3D-matrix metering does, so, now, Nikon has some good competition in this category. I find that my Canon Elan 7n with the 420EX Speedlite produces exposures that are just as beautiful as those produced by Nikon systems. And, the high-speed flash sync is wonderful, because I can shoot with wide-open apertures and not worry about not being able to use the flash with the higher shutter speeds that result. Its shooting speed is a grin-inducing 4 frames per second. Even the EOS 3 only does 3.5 fps without the incredibly expensive power booster with the Ni-MH battery pack, and the Nikon N80 only does about 2.5 frames per second. Oh, and you can get a battery pack for the Elan 7n (the BP-300) that will let you use AA batteries while providing you with an extended horizontal grip for better stability, a vertical grip for more comfortable work in the vertical orientation, and vertical shutter release and exposure lock buttons. Even the Nikon N-80 doesn't offer a vertical grip or shutter release with its battery pack. This camera features mirror lockup, with the ability to use the RC-1 or RC-5 infrared wireless shutter remote. So, not only do you not get camera shake from the mirror going up during macro photography, but you also don't have to touch anything attached to the camera such as a shutter release cable, which could also cause camera shake. This is a very handy feature. The Elan 7n also lets you customize its settings and performance with 13 custom functions. This includes mirror lockup (another feature missing from the Nikon N80 or lower-end Canons), leaving the film leader out after rewinding it, controlling what the various buttons on the body do, as well as how the camera controls auto-focus assist lights, the flash, etc. And, let's not forget its 7-point wide-area auto-focus, with selectable points and light metering being linked to the selected focus point. All of these features, plus several I didn't even mention, make for extremely reliable point-and-shoot simplicity for the casual or inexperienced photographer who wants to get great shots without the hassle of learning all the stuff that's involved in true hands-on photography, yet the camera provides more features than even the pros can shake a stick at. And, it does it for around $300.00, which is 1/3 to 1/4 of the cost of comparable bodies. If you want to get serious about photography, or are looking to upgrade to a higher-end body with a low-end price, this is the perfect camera. Get one!

Customer Service

I haven't needed customer service yet (on any Canon product), but for just around $40.00 more, you can get the Canon 4-year extended warranty for a total of five years of warranty coverage. I guess they feel you won't need service much, if at all, to offer so much protection for such a small price.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS Elan 7 Canon EOS A2 Canon EOS 3 Canon EOS 1v Nikon F100 Nikon F5 Pentax PZ-1p