Great feature set, easy to use, great quality pics, easy to use wireless remote control feature (RC-1).

Viewfinder a little dim.

Great camera, easy to operate, great results.

Customer Service

No experience with them yet.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 28-80 USM
Canon 28-105 USM
Canon 50mm f/1.8 II
Tamron 70-300 LD
SpeedFlash 380EX
Tiffen filters (UV

Great feeling camera with very well placed controls. After extensive shopping (4-6 months) this was our pick. I prefer the command dial to some of the other more menu-driven cameras sold by other manufacturers, especially when just learning to use the camera. The dial on the rear of the camera, as well as near the shutter button are very handy. When the ElanII is used with the speedlite 380EX, very impressive flash photography can result.

It would be nice to have a spot-metering setting. Perfect otherwise. I wish the canon autofocus lenses were a bit cheaper.

A great choice for my first autofocus camera, well worth the extra money over a Rebel. Canon's three zone autofocus system was a big draw for me, I use it all the time.

Customer Service

Have owned the camera for about a year, haven't had to contact customer service yet.

Similar Products Used:

Canon Rebel, AE-1, Pentax ME-Super

Eye control.
All of the custom functions to play with.
The vast lens choices.
Sturdy construction, and rugged body.
the way it fits in your hands.

low powered flash, good only for fill flash, I guess that is why they offer the 380EX.
no spot metering (but I use print film, so that is not a major issue for me)
eyecontrol D.O.F. preview, but can be solved with CF 4 set @ 2 (press the * button instead to activate the DOF Preview)

the eye control works so well, I turned the "focus selection illumination" OFF and I don't even think of the eye control anymore It just happens like the camera is telepathic.
For those fearing the so called cheep construction haven't accidentally dropped the camera down a rocky mountain 500ft, been in heavy rain or been caught in snowdrift, and it still performs in top condition with no signs of wear, scratches or marks. I should know I just had a check up done and it is still in top condition.
The ergonomics are better than a N70.
With a few flicks of the finger I can totally change the camera's AF mode, metering selection, AE Prority, its film advance and comensation to suit a totally diffrent situation without taking my eye out of the viewfinder, oh yeah! It kicks.

Customer Service

none needed yet

Similar Products Used:

EOS RebelX

Balanced weight, features, build quality

None so far

This is an initial impression, but this is a really nice camera. It's automated enough that excellent pictures can be taken without even trying. The camera has a well balanced feel to it. It's not so light that it can't be held steady and not so heavy that you arms will get tired. The advanced features offered will keep this techno-junkie happily occupied for some time. I love the camera, but HATE the vendor (CCI Camera City)... Buyer beware the dreaded NYC mailorder houses... checkout photo.net before you buy... I wished I did! I DO have a personal preference to Canon, but I did spend a lot of time with some Nikons, Minoltas and a Pentax or two. In the end I just kept coming back to the Elan II. I considered the E but my glasses really didn't want to co-operate with the camera.

Similar Products Used:

Canon Rebel G, Canon FTb, Nicon N70, Minolta 800

This is a light weight, full featured camera. The Auto focus is FAST!
The price was good too. The metering is right on the money.

None, I Love this camera!

A beautiful camera for anything other than sports photography, you probably want more than 2.5 frames per second. You should buy this camera if you don't want the eye control of the Elan IIe.

Customer Service

I haven't needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N90

Easy to handle and use. Good features. Good value. E-TTL flash works well, and high-speed flash sync is a wonderful thing if you know when to use it and when not to. Evaluative metering is accurate in most, though certainly not all, situations.

I can put this camera into one of the idiot modes and hand it to anyone and they can use it - I'd bet even my technophobic mother could use it. I can put it into one of the "creative zone" modes and it does what I tell it to do.

Rather large metering zones - there are some types of challenging scenes (e.g. a small backlit subject) which it routinely gets wrong.

I also have a huge wishlist for the next generation - but to be honest, most of the things I want are unreasonable for this class of camera, and if Canon did everything I wanted, the camera would price itself out of its market.

I think this camera pretty much nails its target market. Its combination of size, weight, ease of use, features, and (just as important) how it lets you take control if you want to makes it a great package. While I lust after an EOS-3, I honestly doubt that the EOS-3 would do a better job for most of the pictures I take.

The real bottom line on any purchase is to ask yourself "If I could go back to the day I bought this, would I buy it again?" My answer is essentially yes - the only thing I'd change would be to buy an Elan IIe instead of an Elan II.

Similar Products Used:

My old Miranda Sensomat RE

Excellent features in a very user-friendly package. No need to upgrade when you add a second body. Eye control focus is really cool the first time you experience it. Good weight and overall build quality. Controls are so intuitive that you can figure out how to use the entire camera while standing in the store. Access to USM zoom lenses and the new 70-200f4L zoom (great price vs optical quality) is a plus of Canon system.

That battery contact problem everybody talks about is an inexcusable discrace on a product of otherwise excellent caliber. They haven't even tried to fix it since 1995. What does that tell you? The novelty of eye control wore off on me after several handling experiences, and I found myself concetrating on making the eye control work, rather than on basic composition. Canon system features a really poorly made 50mm 1.8 lense. Since I shoot mostly primes, and only have one long zoom, USM wasn't offered on most of the lenses I was interested in, so this wasn't an advantage to me in going Canon. I've read about consistent under-exposure using the matrix metering, but I can't confirm this. Nikon also has a great diopter adjustment built-into their new cameras, which the ElanII doesn't have.

This is really the only camera for an amateur dedicated to going Canon. The A2e is much more expensive and has older eye-control technology. To me, the Rebel felt like cheap junk. If you're comparing to Nikon, the Elan IIe is superior to the N70 in every way except metering, flash technology, and backward lens compatibility. I decided to go Nikon and avoid the battery nightmare. I bought the N60 as my back-up, so that I could get into the system, and will live without the features until I can upgrade to the N80 next year. I tried the F100. Best camera in the 35mm world, all things considered, but it will never be in my price range. For someone who can choose either system, I think it will be real hard to pass up the N80 for the Elan IIe, once the N80 is established. It has all the features, plus better flash and 5-year newer AF/metering technology. So what if you can't eye-control.

Customer Service

Never used, even on my old Canon FD gear.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N60, N70, F100, Canon Rebel 2000, A2e

This camera is loaded with features that allow an ameteur photographer to grow. It is light in weight and easy to handle. I used this camera to cover millennium celebrations in Canada, and the camera allowed me to work very fast. The eye-controlled autofocus is easy to use. The built in flash is good enough when you use ISO 400 or 800 films. You can always control the flash output to maintain a natural look. If you love a journalistic style, this camera will satisfy your needs.

Eye-controlled depth-of-field (DOF) preview is not a smart feature. I found that it was difficult to activate. The camera does not have a manual operated DOF. I have been having a little problem with it whenever I shoot for landscapes.

If you want a camera with an easy operation and lots of features, this is your best bet. The price is affordable. The best amateur SLR camera in the market.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS1

This is just a fantastic camera. I used the Minolta X-700 for 13 years, and moved up to the Elan II. This camera's meter seems to be right on for almost every situation, even flash exposures are almost always accurate.

I have the AA battery pack and it just doesn't eat the batteries like other people told me. Don't get the battery pack unless you do more than 5-10 rolls of film per month. You won't need it (unless every shot is flash).

Ergonomics of the camera are great. Every button just lands where your fingers are.

none I can think of.

Don't get the higher models of these cameras unless you really need those special features, or you just have a lot of money to burn. This camera has so many features built-in.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

X-700
Canon Rebel G

It's very easy to use, with an incredibly fast and accurate autofocus.

It's a little awkward to hold/use with the 540EZ flash on the hotshoe.

This is my first 'serious' camera, and while it was a significant investment (two lenses, flash, tripod, etc.) it has worked perfectly and has always delivered great-looking pictures with ease.

Customer Service

Terrific: very helpful on the one little problem I encountered (and it was just me forgetting to read the instruction manual!!)

Similar Products Used:

Nikon