Flexibility to go from Full Auto, to Full Manual, and everything in between.
Presets work well.
Affordable.

Terrible manual for beginners.

I bought it as a beginner, as a means to getting back into photography after years of Full Auto Compacts. It brilliantly suits my needs and wallet. I wouldn't give an overall 5 star rating, because as a beginner I would expect a good manual. After all, I want to learn photography whereby the camera shouldn't be an obstacle. Summary: BUY IT!

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None

Love the eye controlled focus, which works quite well, especially with more and more use. Love the three focus points.

None experienced, except maybe that the flash, like all on-camera flashes, is a little weak for some purposes.

Love it. Has everything you will need for a long time, plus the cop-out but highly useful "Program" or automatic mode.

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Canon Rebel

Intuitive layout and great ergonomics (exp the dials and the thumbwheel)-- feels solid in the hands without being a tank with a telephoto lens on it. Awesome AF and evaluative metering. A wide range of features for serious amateurs -- 2 sec. mirror-lock, DOF preview (even ECF DOF preview), multiple exp up to 9, manual ISO selection, auto bracketing, custom functions and the relatively fast 2.5 fps.

No spot metering and mediocre on-camera flash (as expected with on-camera flashes). The aluminum retro look is stylish at first glance but makes it looks cheap like the rebel or other lower-level SLRs. The body will not handle too much abuse either, being made from mostly plastic. Mine fell off a tripod once the door latch broke so it is now being duck-taped shut to keep the light out. Everything else seems to work fine without any problems though. The idiot proof modes are somewhat useful in the first few days but became obsolete once the P button was found. The three focus points is a little antiquated now, but still gets the job done.

An excellent amateur SLR for the money, possibly the best in its line, although now that the Canon EOS 7 has been introduced, sales for this will probably die down a bit (which means you can get them cheaper used). Canon USM lenses rock. Period. Nothing else in the same price range can hold a candle to them. Like it has been mentioned before, don't waste your time with the 28-80 zoom included in the kit, your pix quality with this lens will be no better than a point-and-shoot. Instead shell out an extra $150 for the 28-105 which should live on this body as its soulmate, it's that good -- versatile as a zoom range and compact with internal/quiet/nonrotating focusing. And get the RC-1 remote if you plan to ever use the camera on a tripod. I love my Elan IIe. It has taken some great pictures I would've missed with an everything-manual camera. It's not perfect, as I can't really afford the 1V, but for the price, the Elan IIe deserves every compliment it has gotten.

Customer Service

Not very helpful with the one year warranty issue: very unknowledgable and had no idea how to fix the problem.

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Nikon N90, Canon AE-1, Canon EOS-5 (A2)

great auto focus, fair metering, excellent program modes

built-in flash is weak, the lenses that would make this camera great are out of sight in price

great camera for an intermediate user that wants to be able to point and shoot at times and also wants to play around and experiment at times.

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None

Incredible ergonomics, accurate metering, reliable, sturdily build, takes USM and image stabilization lenses, high autofocus speed, full time manual focus with ring USM and HSM lenses, cable release, high speed shutter, mirror lock up, DOF, second curtain synchronization, short lag time, E-TTL flash system, flash compensation, high speed flash synch (up to 1/4000), auto bracketing.

2-3% spotmeter would be nice, but there is nothing wrong with 9.5% either. Flash system might be better (true for all Canon system). 2.5 film advance. Ability to use IR film is desirable. Vertical grip with full control and split-image focusing screen (yeah, yeah I know, its only for EOS 1). I do not need any full auto picture modes and built-in flash.

Arguably the top dog in range of mid class cameras within last 3 -4 years. Best value for money. Best ergonomics. Allows you to save some money for high quality lenses. In my opinion its the only Canon camera to begin with, even do not look at anything less than Elan. If the extreme rigidity is not required, get the ELanII, it'll do almost any kind of job (maybe except macro photography), since there is no way to replace the focusing screen. 9.5% partial metering IS NOT AN ISSUE AT ALL!!! All my slides are properly exposed. Verdict: highly recommended, I stand 100% behind it.

Customer Service

haven't used yet

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EOS 5, older Elan, N80, N70, Minolta 600si

Accurate metering, fast auto focus, and quiet. Also a good selection of lenses.

None

I think it is a very good back up to my A2e. It is a solid performer. PS. I know that $730. sounds a bit high, but that was kit price, when it first came out.

Customer Service

Never had to use it.

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Canon A2e, and various manual focus cameras ie Minolta, and Pentax.

The Elan IIe is a wonderfully modern camera with stylings from manual SLRs of yesteryear. I love the camertop dials (much better than the Nikon N70's videogame), eyefocus in h and v formats as well as the 2.5fps whisperdrive and silent rewind.

No spot meter, or Depth-of-Field preview button(only eye activated). I wish it had a metal body for a more rugged feel.

This is a great beginner to intermediate SLR which has an immense number of features. Its perfect for the money and the eyefocus would make it twice that, but for an aspiring photographer, you will eventually find its limitations.

Customer Service

None needed

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Canon FT
Canon F1

Incredibly easy to learn and use. Fits well in my hands with an intuitive layout. Semi classic look is unique. Keeps getting rave reviews even though the body is quite a few years old now!

Flash-keep in mind I am not a pro with flash photography but this built in dealie does not help. Usually comes with a very poor slow lens. Upgrade to some faster glass and you will see how well this camera shines.

A great camera for the the first time buyer. A great camera for the casual user. A great camera for the casual user who wants to become more serious. A great camera for a pro who needs a reliable back up body. The ease of use and quality of images I have gotten from this camera are excellent. This camera is definately partly responsible for my immense love of photography! Going to miss it when I finally upgrade to a pro body one day.

Customer Service

Do not know.

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F70
heaps of digital cameras

Simple to use on all settings either manual or automatic.

Night time shots aren't as good as my last camera. The auto exposure doesn't compensate for the darkness meaning all my first night shots were underexposed. I have to do these on manual instead.

I bought the body only as I hate having to keep changing lenses when you want that extra bit. I use it with a 28-300 lense and have been pleased with the results so far. Clarity of the pictures has been excellent so far. Ease of use of manual settings is a big plus.

Very easy camera to use. When combined with a Speedlite 380EX, makes a combination that is hard to beat for the beginner or casual user.

The standard 28-80mm lens is horrible. I compared shot with this lens against a Sigma 28-70EX 2.8 and what a difference. Also don't let the camera get wet. I lost the lcd screen when the body got splashed on.

Very easy to use and is very flexible. I love the fact I can go from full auto to full manual with the rotation of a dial. It's a great camera for the money, just don't waste you money on the standard 28-80 lens. Pick up a aftermarket lens from Sigma or Tokina.

Customer Service

Had to send it back through the dealer and it took 7 weeks to get it back. This is why I know own a EOS-5QD.

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EOS-5QD