I got my 7e about 11 years ago, used, possibly from KEH. My primary camera before then was a first generation Elan, which I was quite fond of, a factor in my choosing the 7e. Another was the desire for a camera with ECF - back then, even a used A2e, the camera I
really wanted, was priced over my budget, and the EOS 3 was
way out of my reach.
I had two issues with the 7e. First, I couldn't calibrate the ECF; tried the procedure as described in the manual several times, with no success. Second, I picked up one of the battery pack/vertical grips (BP-30?) for it, but couldn't get the combination to operate with AA batteries. Well, at least I had the vertical shutter release, another feature I
really wanted, even if I was stuck using CR123 batteries.
Within a couple of years, I found my way to a D-Rebel, and set the Elan 7e aside.
When I resumed shooting film last summer, I loaded a fresh set of 123s into the BP-30, and the 7e fired up as if the long layoff never happened. Maybe it saw the A2e I scored for $5.50 plus shipping on eBay (with VG-10 and a homemade battery pack cable fabricated by its original owner hanging out of it that probably scared off competing bids). Since I'd somehow managed to calibrate the ECF on the A2e without difficulty, I was able to do the same on the 7e at last, then enjoyed running a roll of slide film through it. I was particularly pleased with the 7e's ETTL flash exposures and FP flash sync capabilities in my floral close-ups with fill.
I sold off my original Elan - as good as it was, and as well as it served me, the 7e has a lot more going for it. Now I'll either have to figure out why the BP-30/7e combo doesn't work with AA batteries, or just stock up on CR123s. I'll probably just take the easy way out, since the 123s are now dirt cheap on line.
Sometimes I wonder why Canon never saw fit to include ECF on its D-SLRs . . . but it passes quickly.
