Excellent mid-level SLR with great ergonomics.
Written: Jun 21 '02 (Updated Oct 25 '03)
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Pros: Ergonomics, durability, extremely fast focusing.
Cons: None, unless you try to make it do something it wasn't intended for.
The Bottom Line: Excellent consumer-oriented SLR that is very capable of capturing professional quality images.
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| jvandegr's Full Review: Canon EOS Elan IIE Film Camera |
For reference, I'm an advanced amateur photographer who shoots primarily landscape and science documentary-type photography. 99% of my shots are captured on slow speed slide film (i.e. Kodak Ektachrome 100 VS, etc.)
Manufacturer's Specifications:
- Type: 35mm vertical-travel focal-plane shutter SLR
- Lens mount: Canon EF mount (fully electronic signal transfer)
- Lens: 28-80mm zoom
- Viewfinder: Fixed eye-level pentaprism, 0.7x magnification, LCD
- Focusing screen: Laser-matte
- Mirror: Quick-return half mirror
- Eyepoint: 19mm
- Shutter speed: 1/4,000 to 30 seconds
- Viewfinder information: 3 auto focus frames, eye-activated depth-of-field check mark, AE lock symbol, flash-ready indicator, high-speed synch, shutter speed and aperture, red-eye reduction lamp on, in-focus indicator
- Autofocus system: TTL-CT-SIR (Secondary Image Registration)
- Film speed: ISO 25 to 5,000
- Film loading: Automatic take-up; advances to first frame
- Film transport: Choice of single-frame or continuous shooting
- Film rewind: Automatic rewind at end of roll
- Flash: Built-in, retractable TTL automatic, covers 28mm lenses
- Recycling time: Approximately 2 seconds
- Power source: One 6-volt lithium battery
- Width: 6 inches Height: 4.25 inches Depth: 2.75 inches
- Weight: 20.5 ounces without battery
Camera Feel:
This camera replaced my Pentax ME Super, but not until I had pushed the Pentax to its limits. I spent a lot of time researching and testing before deciding on the Elan IIE. It feels great in my hands, and this is not to be considered as trivial. Photography involves a lot of mind-body interaction and muscle memory, so the way a camera feels in your hands can easily affect your picture quality. The grip is deep and well-textured, giving a feel of confidence. However, I would prefer a slightly longer (taller) grip that doesn't leave my little finger with nothing to hang on to. With the optional battery pack (BP 50) attached, it has great vertical shooting feel, especially for my large hands.
Camera Body:
The polycarbonate body is light and strong - I've abused my only slightly, but it has come through every time. Considering the type of photography I usually do, a stronger, more professional body (such as the EOS 3) would be more appropriate. However, I was so delighted with the ergonomics, relatively low price, and the near-professional level set of features of this camera that I decided to give it a try. I have never regretted this decision. The ergonomics allow me to keep my mind on what's happening in the scene, rather than what's happening in the LCD on the camera. The body (and lenses) have been able to take several bumps, a little rain, and a range of temperature extremes with only one minor repair: the control dial on the top of the body broke off, likely after I set my hip pack on a sharp rock in the mountains of Colorado (thankfully, at the end of the trip). Otherwise, everything continues to work as expected. Cold weather photography quickly drains the batteries, but this is more of a general battery problem than a fault of this specific camera.
Features and Performance:
The eye-controlled focus and USM lens combination is the best focusing system I've ever used (including Nikon, Contax, etc.). Calibrating the eye-controlled focus is the key to making it work properly so spend a little time with this and you'll be fine. I've shot over 1000 slides with this camera using a 28-105 USM II lens and I've never had a mis-focused slide. I've been very impressed by the consistency in both the image quality and how the camera has performed. The infrared focusing system is able to quickly "lock on" to the subject at least 95% of the time - extremely dark objects can give it trouble, so I usually set the lens to manual focus when this occurs.
Although I don't use Canon's "creative zone" modes much, they are very handy when I need a quick photo and don't want to worry about shutter speed vs. aperture, etc. The few times I have used these modes, they've worked almost perfectly. In low light situations, they will automatically activate the pop-up flash, which is sufficient to illuminate a surprisingly large area. Most of the time, I shoot in aperture priority mode, which means I set the f-stop and the camera adjusts the shutter speed according to the amount of available light. All of these modes are easily selectable via the command dial. I also do lightning and astronomical photography. This requires setting the command dial to manual mode and selecting the bulb setting. Here, I can hold the shutter open with the remote control (purchased separately) for any length of time.
I very seldom do action photography, but the servo mode works great when I do, shooting at somewhere around 3 frames per second. This mode is easily selected via the other main dial located on the top of the camera. The predictive autofocus works in servo mode to provide a series of perfectly focused photos of an object moving at high speed. In this mode, the Elan II can shoot at a rate of just over 3 frames per second. Although this rate and the maximum shutter speed (1/4000) is a little too slow for some professional applications, it works fine for the type of photography I do.
An additional advantage of the BP 50 battery pack is the ability to use AA batteries instead of the usual camera body. I use Rayovac Renewal batteries, which are rechargeable alkalines that work good in low temperatures (but not extreme low temperatures) and save me a lot of money on batteries. In extreme cold, lithium ion batteries have worked quite well.
Other optional accessories are also available from Canon. Unfortunately, the remote shutter releases (one wired and one wireless) are both proprietary, so you have to shell out the big bucks. I guess this is how Canon makes more money. Besides being expensive, it also reduces compatibility, thereby reducing accessibility - I wish Canon would figure this out.
Conclusions:
In my opinion, this camera is destined to become a classic for its respective level. There is very little that this camera can't handle, other than extreme environments and very fast-action sports photography. For its price, there is no better deal.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 500
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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