The Canon EOS 3000 for Dummies
Written: Aug 24 '04
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Pros: Great pictures, user-friendly, lots of features, looks fancy, did I mention the GREAT PICTURES?
Cons: Weird (expensive) batteries, some parts may break and are difficult to find replacements for
The Bottom Line: This is a good-looking, easy-to-use camera with lots of features that takes excellent pictures. I highly recommend it!
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| twenty3skidoo's Full Review: Canon EOS 3000 Kit 35mm Film Camera |
Let me warn you that what I know about photography could fit in the tiny zippered side pouch of my camera bag. With room for a couple of rolls of film! So as I write this review, while I will include any technical stuff I can find, I may not know exactly what it means. For a more technically-oriented review of this camera from someone who sounds like he actually knows what he's doing with it, you can go to... http://www.epinions.com/content_122957368964
Instead of trying to pretend that I am a professional photographer, I will attack reviewing this camera from my own real point of view... someone who got it as a gift and loves it!
My sister-in-law has had this camera for several years now. She has always loved it, and her pictures are fabulous. This could have something to do with the fact that she's an artist, but you know. So when I got tired of the not-so-great prints that were coming out of my Advantix camera and started whining about it to my husband, he took the hint and got me this camera for Christmas (which means I've had it for 8 months now). I couldn't be happier with it!
1. Just for looks- To me, this is a very good-looking camera. It's all black, and compared to the cameras my other mommy-friends tote around, it's very professional-looking. It has two metal rings on the sides where you can attach a camera strap (Except that then your husband might make fun of you like mine did!). It also has lots of buttons and dials, which I know little about, but will attempt to tackle here in a moment. Suffice it to say that this camera looks pretty good, and it will make you feel like a good photographer by simply carrying it in your hand.
2. The pictures- I am no photographer. Or at least I didn't used to be. The difference in my photo albums before Christmas and after Christmas is incredible. You wouldn't even believe it. Thanks to all of the great automatic settings offered by this camera, even those like me who know little about picture-taking can come out with amazing photos. It kills me that all the pictures of my son are so great, while my daughter's baby pictures aren't. I wish I had had it back then! The pictures are almost always in-focus and perfectly lit.
3. Ease of Use- This camera has to be pretty easy to use if I manage it. I never have had any luck with 35 mm cameras in the past, simply because I have issues loading them. This camera makes it very easy. You just open the door on the back, unroll 3-4 inches of film, tuck the end in, and close the door (making sure the camera is on any setting but off) and it unwinds the entire roll all by itself and is ready to take pictures.
It offers 5 fully automatic settings. One is just noted by a green square. It is just the all-purpose setting, and under most circumstances simply by using this and following the camera's directions about whether or not you need flash, you're going to end up with a great picture. The second, noted by a little head, is the portrait setting. I love this one for pictures of my kids. It focuses on the closest object and leaves the background slightly blurry. You can take some great pictures this way, but always look very closely in the viewfinder to make sure that it is focusing on the right thing. Sometimes I end up with pictures of blurry-faced kids and perfectly in-focus curtains, or some such nonsense. The third setting is mysterious to me. I think it might be landscape setting, it is a picture of a mountain with clouds near it. The fourth is equally mysterious, a picture of a tulip. I don't use these settings. The fifth automatic setting is the action setting, and it does pretty well, even when you are trying to take pictures of Dale Jr.'s 8 car as it flies by you at the Texas Race. (Which we managed to do this spring, with relative success).
There are also several technical settings, "P, Tv, Av, M, and A-DEP" I do not know much of anything about these except that when I try to take pictures on them, they usually do not come out to well, as I have no clue what I am doing. I know that on one setting you can set the aperture and let the camera decide the rest, and on another you can set the shutter speed and let the computer decide the rest, and even a manual mode (M) where you do everything. This usually does not work well in my case. I mostly just use the automatic settings.
4. Some features- This camera offers a timer button. It also has red-eye reduction, which I think must work, because I cannot think of a single picture I have taken with this camera in which someone had red eyes. It shines a light before taking the picture to make the person's pupils contract, so that when the flash goes off they are ready and look normal. Speaking of the flash, there is a lift up flash that you must raise yourself. The camera will warn you when it thinks you need it by flashing it on the little computer screen area when you look in the viewfinder. It will take the picture anyway, though, even if you don't raise it which can be good and bad. If you forget it and don't mean to, the picture might come out bad, but sometimes you might not want flash, and you don't have to have it with this camera (something my Advantix gave you no choice about). There is also a little metal clip thingie on top of the flash where you can put a fancier one, should you so desire.
There are several other buttons, which while I'm sure they offer some purpose, I do not know what it is. There is also a cushioned eyerest on the viewfinder, which recently broke on my camera. It kept falling off. You can take pictures without it, but it bugs me. I am told by various camera shops in the area that it will not cost very much to replace, but good luck tracking down anyone that has one!
5. Seeing clearly- While I am sure there are many lenses out there that fit this camera, my husband chose one with 38-76mm zoom. I thought that this was great, and it really is plenty for casual use, but after using my friend Kim's camera that had more zoom with it, it made me wish I had more as well.
The lens is very easy to attach. You just push a button and twist it on. It also offers the option of automatic or manual focus, which is great, unless you unintentionally leave it on manual. The camera does not warn you and you might not notice for several pictures, which all come out less than great.
6. Maintenance- I have had this camera for 8 months and probably gone through about 20 rolls of film or so. The only maintenance I have had to worry about is keeping the lens clean and replacing the film and batteries. I have only had to replace the batteries once, but it was terribly inconvenient. When my husband gave it to me, the batteries were already in it, so I didn't know what kind it took. They worked great until we went on vacation to Chicago. We were at Navy Pier when the camera died and wouldn't work any more. I went into a souvenir shop to get the batteries and opened the camera up... and they were these little short weird lithium thingies. That, in the souvenir shop anyway, were almost TEN DOLLARS EACH. And I needed two. I went ahead and bought them, because we were on vacation, but jeez.
Weird batteries aside, this really is a great camera. While I may not be a professional photographer, between the way this camera looks and the wonderful pictures it takes, I feel like one! I highly recommend this camera for both those who know what they're doing (my sister-in-law does and she loves it) and those who don't. While it may seem intimidating at first, it is very user-friendly, and the automatic settings make it a cinch to come out with the best pictures of your life. You and your photo albums won't regret it!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): gift
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Epinions.com ID:
twenty3skidoo
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Member: Kori Daniel
Location: Fayetteville, AR, US
Reviews written: 75
Trusted by: 10 members
About Me:
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined." -H.D. Thoreau
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