A2 Great Starter
Written: Apr 16 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Great pictures, versatility
Cons: Pricey
|
|
|
| jnelson's Full Review: Canon EOS-A2 Film Camera |
My first SLR was a Canon A2e, back in 1996. First things first, do not let the salesman talk you into an A2e. The "e" is not worth it, and you will never use it.
Second things first, don't use a salesman. Go look at the local strip mall, but when you are ready to buy go to either www.cameraworld.com or www.bhphotovideo.com. Trust me, you'll save a ton.
Now about the A2: it is a fantastic amateur camera. This camera is great for learning the basics of photography (I learned on it) all the way up to photojournalism. You will take many great pictures with this camera.
It has many different modes, which makes it well suited to beginners. You can set its rotary dial to the green box, and all you have to do is focus and release the shutter. Or you can choose one of the set activity modes, such as action, landscape, close-up, etc. There is also a manual mode, for when you want complete control.
Metering is great, with three different modes to choose from. Start off with the broadest metering program, and move towards the spot meter. Once you understand how light works in photography, you will get the best results using the spot meter on an object that has the density the meter is looking for.
This camera is very light. Without any external batteries, you can get 5 frames a second. I recommend the VG-10, the vertical grip. While it doesn't have a battery pack, it does allow you to hold the camera vertically while taking your pictures. It has a shutter release and a control dial. Your pictures will thank you if you get in the habit of choosing between vertical and horizontal compositions.
The camera is also very quiet. The rewind is silent. This camera is great for taking pictures unobtrusively. I know several pros who keep an A2 around to take pictures when they don't want people to know they are taking pictures.
Now the most important reason to choose this camera: Canon glass. The camera body is only as good as the lens you choose to put on it, and Canon makes some very good lenses. Even after writing this review of the A2, I would still recommend buying a cheaper camera like the Rebel and buying a more expensive lens, like the 85 1.8. You will get better pictures.
A good starter lens to get with the A2 is conveniently packaged with the A2 by Canon. You can buy the A2 with the 28-105 3.5-4.5. This is a very good lens, and you will get good results with it.
Enough with my ramblings. My A2 has survived four years of steady use with nary a hiccup. I highly recommend it.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
jnelson
|
|
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 3 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.