A perfect mid level SLR !!
Written: Dec 06 '01
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Pros: Eye control focus, Accurate metering -perfectly exposed pictures, Well placed controls
Cons: AF assist flash light very annoying, no spot metering
The Bottom Line: Feature packed, very good value for money - this is the camera to buy if you are starting out in photography or are an advanced amateur.
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| andy318's Full Review: Canon EOS-30 35mm Film Camera |
This is an excellent camera. If this your first time buying an SLR, go for this camera. It will help you grow into an advanced amateur. Good points of this camera -
1. Default metering type (35 zone evaluative) is very accurate for perfectly exposed pictures. Additional metering types help you get the right exposure settings for trick shots.
2. Eye control focus is very useful. It makes composing the picture much easier and faster.
3. Silent operation (supposed to be the quietest Canon SLR) and fast frame rate advance (4 fps) make the camera more useful in scenarios like churches and sport photography.
4. Mirror lockup - This is a feature missing in more advanced Nikon cameras which is very useful if you are using a super zoom lens like 300mm+ or while doing macro photography.
5. Option to keep the film leader out after a midroll rewind is great because you can switch back and forth between different films - example - you could use 100 speed film most of the time and temporarily switch to 400 film when needed.
6. Camera controls can be customized to a fair degree allowing you to use the camera in a way more convenient to you.
Some things missing in this camera + things that could have been done a little better -
1. To focus in low light, the camera uses the built in flash to emit pulses of light which is very annoying. This can be overcome by buying an external flash unit like the Canon Speedlite 420EX. This is something that you need to get anyways if you are serious about low light photography.
2. Built in flash should pop up a little higher. It would have improved the flash lighting and made it usable even if a hood was attached to the lens.
3. Does not have a spot meter. It has a partial meter (9.5%) which can be used as a spot meter in some cases by zooming into the subject to get the meter reading, but it would have been nice to have that.
4. I wish this camera allowed for exposure compensation in 1/3 stop increments. With a spot meter and this feature, this camera would have shot up a notch to the pro level (in my opinion).
5. Auto focus does not work all the time in low light conditions. This is not such a big deal because it is not a problem with this camera in particular. A brighter lens would not cause this problem (but they are sooo expensive).
In conclusion, this camera offers very good value for money. The only things that prevent it from attaining pro level status are - spot metering, 1/3 stop exposure increments, 100% viewfinder coverage and rugged all weather construction.
These are not the things you need unless you are a professional nature photographer or a photo journalist.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 540
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Epinions.com ID:
andy318
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Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 2 members
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