it has a great look, many features, and it takes wonderful night photos.

built in flash is useless

if you are a begginer or an expert this camera is for you. theres alot to learn, so take your time and alot of film and experiment with all the different modes the camera has. it will be well worth your time and money you will see a great improvment in your photos.

I especially like the portrait mode it takes a very clear,close-up picture.

The Bottom line is: I would suggest you go buy one today. it's a great camera.

Customer Service

none needed

Similar Products Used:

several point and shoot
cannon eos rebel

Good auto focus, easy to operate, loads of fun, lots of options, Good grip for ham handed guys (even better with battery pack).

ok built in flash, people always want you to take pictures for them, a little heavy for kids.

I have enjoyed this camera very much over the past 3 years. You can hardly go wrong. Exposure and Focus are almost always dead on. People see the pictures that you take and think that you must be a pro. Great camera for candids and zoos and GrandDaughters. I have "added" a Tamron 28-200 (3.8/5.6) which is not the fastest lens out there but I did lessen the problem with an excellent Canon Speedlight 380EX Flash unit designed with the Elan camera and exposure system in mind and it works great even in low light situations. It works even better as a fill flash (it stays on my camera 90% of the time. To compensate for the high power usage (and battery prices) I use the optional battery pack (4 AA batteries) which are a lot less expensive and are always available. So the bottom line is... if you are looking for a 35mm SLR that you most likely will not outgrow and you also need a camera that works great as a stand alone PHD (Push Here Dummy) camera you should really ought to consider this camera.

Customer Service

none required

Similar Products Used:

none... only other camera was a Pentax K-100... a good camera in its own right.

Quick Autofocus, Quiet, Eye Control, Program Shift, AF Servo, Exposure Comensation, Auto Bracketing, Silent Rewind, Whisper Drive, Outstanding Features, Good Weight and Feel, Easy to use

None in the camera. Would like LCD backlight but hey....

Here's what I know. I do a lot of research before purchasing a camera. I have owned the N60/N70, and tested and retested the above mentioned. The EOS Elan IIE wins hands down. I am not minimizing others reviews, however for those that have complaints about it not comparing to an EOS 3 or 1v, well....it's not. As far as the metering, one has to remember that this is a tool, an assistant, not perfection. If you expect to leave this camera on full auto, save your money and buy a point & shoot. When comparing and rating a camera, you have to keep in mind-what it is you are looking at, along with the price you are willing to pay, and make your judgements based on that.

With that said, this camera offers an incredible amount of features for the price. On the middle to lower end of the price scale, certain features are a must for me. One of those is AF-Servo, which allows the camera to continuously track a subject in AF without locking the focus. Many camera manufacturers in this range do not offer this. They claim that with a moving subject, the camera will auto-switch to predictive AF. I can tell you first hand that this does not always work well. If you have a subject moving towards you, the camera will lock focus and before you have a chance to snap the picture, the subject is two feet closer and therefore out of focus. The Elan IIE is the one of the only camera's that will allow you to avoid this dilema.

Other features that make this outstanding, multiple exposures, 3 different metering modes, very fast AF, quiet, excellent feel in the hand (pick up a rebel 2000 and this camera and you'll see), mirror lock up, program shift, DOF preview, Eye control, etc, etc, etc. Speaking of the last two, the ELAN IIE allows you to set the DOF. It has a feature where you select the closest point you want in focus, and the farthest point you want in focus, and it will set the aperture and shutter speed accordingly. The Eye Control, once calibrated is amazing an accurate.

Bottom line, could this camera be better? Of course, but then it would cost $1000+. Look around for yourself. This camera will do all you want and more. Even for the beginner, if you are looking at a Rebel 2000, N60, etc., you will outgrow these within months. Buy an ELAN IIE and you will have a camera that will last a long time.

Customer Service

Not needed yet.

Similar Products Used:

Rebel 2000, Pentax ZX-5n, Minolta Xtsi, Nikon N60, N70, N80,

Rugged, reliable, feels good in your hands, especially with the attached grip.

Low light photography is not one of its strong points. But, then again, I was using a cheap Tamron lens.

Great intermediate camera. Great retro looking camera. Now, with the Elan 7's out you can pick up this gem for at least 1/2 the price of the 7.

Customer Service

Not had to deal with them.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N60
Pentax ZX-5
Canon Rebel G

Autofocus system
Easy to learn
solid construction
DEP, AI servo

Eys control sometimes picky

Love this Camera, I am not a pro but shoot a lot of film, scenics, portraits, and closeups are what I like and this camera pulls it all off without any problems(for the last 3-4 years). Mine was stolen (my bag, bodt and all lenses/flash) about 2 weeks ago so I have ordered the Elan 7E to replace it, can't wait! If you want an excellent intermediate level camera you have found it. And if you see my gear let me know :)

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

EOS Rebel, Rebel Gold, Nikon F60

I am very near sighted so I have fairly thick lensed glasses and yet the Eye Control works perfect for me and my wife without change user ID. Has a fiarly solid feel to it along with being very quite and fast in operation.

Don't really undrestand the Red-Eye reduction, my snap-shots come out about fifty fifty. I use a 420EX Falsh and occasionally it seems that I need to reseat the contacts to get the auto zoom to work with the camera. Also on occasion I have had the camera lock, wether it be the mirror up or the shutter open, I am not sure. Maybe it's something I'm doing, but I don't think it is because the battery is to low.

I really like the camera, I'm pretty easy to get along with so I don't hold the little things against the camera since it functions great for me about 98% of the time. I have taken some excellent pictures using the 28-105 USM and the 100-300 USM. Only in low light situations have I ever had it hunt for focus.

Customer Service

Used email on the above problem and have not heard back

Similar Products Used:

AE-1P, Minolta Maxxum 7

Price for features equation. EF lenses. E-TTL Flash System. Very comfortable camera, especially with the optional BP-50. Very good metering. MLU is a nice feature.

In comparison to the newer EOS cameras: only three focusing points. AE lock and recomposition settles this problem, but that can take a little time. Complete lack of vertical controls...very awakward vertically, even with BP-50 grip. 28-80 kit lens is junk. I have been purchasing prime lenses to replace this lens. If used in one shot AF mode, low light focus is good with a faster lens.

I really like this camera. With the 380EX it takes beautiful low-light and fill flash photos (a 550EX would be much nicer). With a sharp lens (EF 50mm f1.8mkI, Tamron SP AF90mm f2.8 Macro, in my experience), this camera performs wonderfully, taking extremely sharp pictures. Spend the money and go for the prime lenses. This will increase the AF speed and enable AF to work better in low light on all EOS cameras, not just this one. The 50mm 1.8 is roughly three stops faster than the 28-80 at 50mm. I have been considering a newer EOS body for their increased features (EOS 3 or Elan 7E); however, I will keep this camera. This is an excellent beginner camera and with the price going down, it is becoming an extremely good deal.

Customer Service

Camera underexposed in low EV conditions. Sent back to Canon and fixed in roughly 5 weeks. Despite the problem, I had a very good experience with repair...they estimated two months. Local Canon dealer offered me another Elan II to use while mine was in the shop.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax Spotmatic F!

Eye-controlled focus, DOF preview, EOS lenses

None

Great camera! I began 25 years ago with a 35mm Exacta. This camera brought me into the autofocus age without being intimidating. The Elan 7E looks promising, but I think my IIe will fit my needs until the next generation Canon is developed. Now I just need to save up for a good wide-angle zoom. The 28-135 IS rarely leaves my camera. It's fabulous.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 28-80 USM
Canon 75-300 USM
Canon 28-135 IS

Well laid out controls and pretty easy to understand

The manual does not make complete usage of the eye control focus clear all the time

I love the unit, The metering is dead on (as verified by a seperate reflective meter) and the form/function fits me just fine. I made a great choice.

Customer Service

Wonderful, when I had a question regarding the eye control the customer servic rep obtained the same camera and walked me thru the usage of the functions and validated that everything on my camera was working correctly.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax

Light, quiet, extremely easy to use

Silk screened markings for controls tend to rub off; battery compartment can be a little loose, causing a loss of power; flash hardware is fragile.

Probably still is the best in production AF slr for the money. I've found it to be less robust than I'd like (I don't subject cameras to abuse or combat situations, even so...). It scratches really easily and the markings for buttons and dials rub off. As a result, it looks old before it's time. Unless one is really hung up on buying a new camera, I believe the EOS 630 or 620 are much better values.

Similar Products Used:

Extensive experience with EOS 630, 5, 3, several MF slrs.