build, ability to use canon lenses, all the features i need, fairly quiet (not as quiet as elan 7 though..)

metering has to be adjusted, no biggie. works fine afterwards. camera will underexpose in strong backlight in matrix mode. just keep an eye out. no spot meter (10% only) haven''t had the need for a true one yet. easy layout to use.

Good camera for the money. It was cheaper than the elan 7, felt more comfortable in the hand, better low light sensitivity for autofocus and Infrared Light for a.f assist instead of blinking strobe like the Elan 7. I had worries after reading complaints about battery problems but it was based on the different sizes of cr5 batteries that vary from brand to brand.. Metering is fine but you have to have to adjust iso of film b/c camera underexposes 1/3 of a stop. so i change my film from 100 to 80, 200-160, 400-320 and everything appears to be fine. focuses fast and feels fairly rugged. Has everything I need. If you like Canon, i say go for this camera if you don''t need 4 fps and shoot at night, otheriwse the elan 7 is still a great camera. this is an older camera model (1995) and there are great newer models out like f80 or elan 7 for a mid range model. i picked elan 2 basically for price.

Customer Service

never had to use yet.

Similar Products Used:

everything...

Price-to-Spec value! Camera built is ok specially the lens mount.

For me..... none.

I used to own a Canon Rebel II and sold it to buy this camera. I bought this camera because of the price and it seems that it almost has the same specs as the EOS30 but for half the price. This camera has everything that i need and that''s the important thing to remember when buying a camera. Focusing speed is enough for my needs.

Similar Products Used:

Rebel II

Instant af, eye control works perfectly, excellent results.

Battery door needed a bit more "bump" to keep battery seated, which has cause some non-McGuyver types to put up with something easily fixed with a wrigley''s wrapper.

This has been an excellent camera for me. I''ve blown away family and friends with shots I took "annoying" them days earlier. You''re lucky if people at least give a great camera credit for great pictures, better still if they give you the credit. I just wanted to say how this camera has been like a reliable friend to me... I can always count on it to make me look good!, as a photographer I mean. Because of the Elan, everyone always wants me to show up with my camera for any occasion. Being able to identify myself as a "photographer" is mostly a credit to the Elan''s ease of use (to yeild PROFESSIONAL photos). I also just wanted to put this in here as a remote chance of luck for anyone who''s experienced the "random turn-off" that reviewers have mentioned with this camera. If they didn''t already state it, it''s because the battery door doesn''t provide enough pressure to hold the battery FIRMLY in place. If you want to guarantee that you will never have the camera shut off unless you turn it off than SIMPLY FOLD A 1.5 INCH BY .5 INCH PAPER ONTO ITSELF UNTILL IT''S ABOUT 1/8 INCH (OR MORE) BY .5 INCH WIDE. This "shim" will keep the battery tight against the internal terminals and the camera will NEVER accidentally turn off.

Customer Service

never needed it.

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Went from manual Yashica to Elan. Also used lesser af 35mm.

Great feel, has all the features that you will need

too bulky for vacationing (weak reason)

After several months and two weddings, I can say that this is a very good camera. I did extensive research, and by far this is the best camera for the money. The n80 is a good camera but it is a good 150 greenies more than the elan, and its made in Thailand.
My only mistake with this camera was getting a tamron 28-80 lense. The picture quality was bad and it kept giving me fuzzy pictures.
I ended up purchasing a canon 50mm for 100. and what a huge difference in terms of picture quality. The sharpness is amazing. Every single picture is good. I did have a bit of trouble with lighting outside, but I think that was me and not the camera. Bottomline, 1)buy this camera, 2)dont get a 28-80 zoom lense, and 3)get a basic 50mm lense as your everyday goto lense . The total package will cost you around $400 and you wont regret it.
I am looking for a canon 28mm 1.8 or 2.8 lense, if anyone wants to sell theirs or if anyone know of where I could get one for a good deal please email me.

Customer Service

none yet

Similar Products Used:

minolta 7000

-DOF (very useful)
-Feels solid
-Felt great the second i picked it up- i like a bigger camera (made me give an 'ooooohhh...nice')
-'Push Here Dummy' ability (can give it to anyone to take a photo)
-Ability to choose focus modes (one shot, AI servo etc)
-2.5 fps is quite sufficient
-Custom functions
-midroll rewind (very good for changing ISO speed or colour to B/W)
-mirror lock up
-all controls are very logically and ergonomically placed.....after a few uses you need not take your eye from the viewfinder.

-an LCD light would have been a blessing
-dial on back can be bumped without noticing perhaps giving many photos under/over exposed...must constantly check the little exposure picture. Good feature that you can disable this dial when not needed.

I really love this camera. I did a huge amount of research (several months) for it and found it to be the best overall in its class. Sure it doesnt have a 2% spotmeter or 10 fps or whatever else people are complaining about, but I guess that's what makes the bodies that do have those features so much more expensive. I have used the body for many things in the month or so that i have had it and have been in no way limited by the features. I dont think i will ever get rid of this camera. Even when I upgrade it will be more than enough for a good back-up body. It feels great, it performs like a gem, it was well within my price for the quality that I wanted, it has a great lens range to choose from......how could a price limited non-pro who is serious about taking quality photos want anymore??

Customer Service

-not yet used....and i hope i never do :)

Similar Products Used:

-Canon Eos 500 + 500N

cost/performance ratio.
light weight and good grip for people with medium to large hands.
it has all the function a beginner or a professional needs, the built in flash is "o.k" but I try to avoid using flash anyway.
fast metering and focusing (if you use a Canon USM lens).
just a nice cool camera.

Couldn't find anything mechanically wrong, although the only problem is the CF mode (costume function) the user has to take a look at the book in order to know what number does what...

after a 20 rolls of film and practice with deferent exposure modes, I will recommend this camera for anybody that wants to upgrade to the semi professional world of photography, just try to avoid the cheap 28-80 lens that comes with the kit.
a good 50mm or even the Canon 28-105 USM lens will provide a much better photo quality.

Customer Service

I hope I wont need it.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta X-700
Olympus OM-10

eye-controlled autofocus
relatively quite 2.5 fps drive
convenient controls
E-TTL flash metering with EX flashes
very good matrix metering

not very solid camera, although I had no problems so far
battery compartment is oversized, leading sometimes to the loss of electrical contact with a battery

camera is totally adequate for advanced amateur

Customer Service

???

Similar Products Used:

EOS 10

Lots of lenses from the EOS line.
Lots of functions for a non-pro camera.
DOF preview (use custom function C08, not the eye control)
Easy to use dails, helps a lot when you go to manual exposure, apature priority, shutter priority.
Eye-control.
Nifty remote.
Nice looking camera.
Good price for all the functions.

No spot meter (has some thing similar that uses 9.5% of the Feild of View).
Auto Exposures can be totally wrong in complicated lighted scenes.
Eye control takes time and practice to master.
Manual is very basic, needs to explain more.
I don't think it can take much abuse.

A great camera if you don't make money from photography or you're not an obsessed hobbiest. Solid performance, for it's price. If you're looking at the Rebel, but want to progress in photography, skip the Rebel and Get an ELAN II. I've had my ELAN for three years and put it in -50F at Alaska and 100's in New Mexico and never had a problem with it. Once you get to know it and treat it well (it's not made to take impacts), it won't let you down.

Customer Service

Never needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Canon Rebel, Nikon N70, Minolta Max. 7xi

Features and ease of use. It appears well made and other than a ghostly problem with the camera automatically switching off, I have not experienced any other problems.

Autofocus is not one of the Elan's strengths in my opinion. I have had some occasional problems with the camera turning itself off and not coming back on again. It appears to be within the filmside rotary selector switch.

Great value, but not a very reliable camera for field use.

Customer Service

I have not used Canon's customer service department yet.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N90S

The dual command dials and custom functions are very easy to use and set.
The size of the camera gives some bulk to your body without being outrageously big.

The eye-controlled focus is somewhat limited with only 3 metering points.
LCD screen should be backlit.

I really love this camera!! When my plain Elan II got stolen, I quickly replaced it with this body.
I would recommend this camera for anyone from beginner to advanced amateur because it's easy to use, easy to build on, and can be as automatic as you want it to be and as manual as you want it to be.
Don't buy the 28-80 USM lens with this camera, at least get the 28-105 USM lens, the 28-80 USM simply won't do this camera the justice it deserves!! Good value for the price!!

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS Elan II (without the eye-controlled function), Pentax K-1000