Best canon film camera?

[Heidia]

Let's say I love film so much, I want to invest hundreds of dollars on a canon film camera. One that will work my ef lenses too. What would you recc and why? And, what happens when you buy a film camera that is no longer made...what do you do about service? Would this be a reason to ditch canon alltogether and go with a camera that is still being offered? Thanks!

 

[maarten m]

any analog eos-camera will work with your EF-lenses (not EFs!).
top-models are eos 1, eos 3, eos 5, ...

maarten.

 

[Heidia]

any analog eos-camera will work with your EF-lenses (not EFs!).
top-models are eos 1, eos 3, eos 5, ...

maarten.

Thanks!

 

[Laurent]

I'd get an EOS1-V, because it was the top of the line, with 100% viewfinder, etc... Also because it's recent, and therefore I'd expect it to last longer. But I'd try to know what it was used for, as I guess pros may have abused theirs.

My second choice would be an EOS3, for the same fact that it would be recent. I own one and it's the best Canon camera I've ever owned. (The second would be my T90 but it's using FD lenses and does no longer work !).

What I'd love to have would be an EOS3 WITHOUT :

• all modes but Av, Tv and manual
• All measuring modes but spot
• All AF sensors but the center one

This would make my life even simpler, and I wouldn't regret using only 10% of my camera's features...

 

[dnjl]

Eos 1v. I don't think it gets much better when it comes to canon's analog lineup.

 

[Heidia]

Thank you all. The eos 1-v looks very nice.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I wouldn't worry about support for these cameras for any meaningful period of time yet. Canon is still in business, still making cameras (albeit digital) that are otherwise fully compatible with the lenses and accessories the EOS film cameras used, and still making a full line of accessories that are compatible with these cameras. In my years of selling 35mm film cameras, some of the most durable cameras I ever handled were the Canon cameras. I'd also recommend looking at the A3/EOS 3 (depends on where you're located as to what they're called), because it has most of the features of the EOS 1n / 1v, but is much more likely to have been used gently.

 

[hpulley]

The Canon EOS-1V is still current. You can still buy them new and I believe Canon will still service them. Canon will still service EF lenses as well, as long as they are of the current generation. For older ones the AF and IS motors are already out of production and Canon has run out of some so older generation lenses may be non-repairable by Canon though independent shops will still give them a shot.

I have a Canon EOS-1N RS and really like it though the 1V is better. The 1V is just still fairly expensive today, more than I wanted to pay.

Your other alternative these days is to go medium format. You can get kits for next to nothing at the moment. Get them while they still make 120 film...

 

[SilverGlow]

I own two 1V's and three 3's. Both models are awesome, but I would suggest the 1V. It is just a better camera, and used and in good condition they can be had for a few hundred bucks. The 1v has a much better flashing algorithm; the E-TTL and it works great with the 550ex, 580ex and newer flashes. Nikon no longer can boast they have the best flashing system. Canon's E-TTL is very predictable, but like Nikon's not perfect. The 1V is a fantastic buy used! Don't go cheap on a body that you can use for decades....

 

[j-dogg]

I'd like to toss one in the hat for the Elan 7Ne, as a back up perhaps, if you're shooting a 1 or a 3. I wanted an EOS 3 but found a good deal on an Elan 7Ne and I have been loving it ever since. It's kind of like the 50D of the film world (it was the EOS 30 in Japan) it even has similar dimensions and shapes to my bud's 50D. I saw the top part of it on a table and for a second thought he also had a 7Ne.

 

[walter23]

I really liked my Elan 7n when I had it. No longer shoot 35mm or I probably would have kept it; it's a really fantastic camera in every respect.

 

[heespharm]

I bought a 1n so I could have a high end body to use with all my L glass that I use with my 5D.... but in the end I use the canonet ql17 gIII the most


If i were to buy another film body it would be the eos 3 hands down.. just for ettl capability

 

[munz6869]

Another vote for the 1V - I am astonished at it's all-roundness and have not owned a camera with as useful AF and AE...

Marc!

 

[Edtog]

I used an EOS-1 for years, never had a problem.
I borrowed it recently from my friend who I sold it to, to shoot a roll of Kodachrome, was almost as nice as using my 1dsmk3.

 

[mr rusty]

I'm presuming that you have a d******l canon camera and a load of lenses and now want to try film. When the shutter is open there is only air between the lens and the film - the camera doesn't make better pictures!

If you want to try out film with EF lenses, why not pick up an EOS300V/Rebel Ti. less than $50, and certainly has most features you need. If you like film, *then* think about something more towards the professional end

 

[Tony Karnezis]

Horses for courses

The answer to your question depends on several factors, including what and where you intend to photograph. Hiking and travel? Street photography? Sensitive locations (e.g. theaters, churches, sketchy neighborhoods)? Still life? Macro? Sports? Inclement weather? What is suitable for one task may be less suitable for another. In other words, what do you value more: portability, durability, frame advance rates, weatherproofing, mirror lock up, discreet/quiet operation?

What about ergonomics? Do you have small or large hands? Do you prefer dials or buttons? Do you wear glasses?

I used an Elan 7E for years. It was a great camera, and the eye controlled focusing worked very well.

 

[hpulley]

I'm presuming that you have a d******l canon camera and a load of lenses and now want to try film. When the shutter is open there is only air between the lens and the film - the camera doesn't make better pictures!
...

Well, you are aware that EOS cameras do something before the mirror goes up, right? And various EOS cameras do a better or worse job at metering or autofocusing so if you care about those things then you care about which body you get. After the mirror goes down they also advance the film faster or slower which may or may not be a consideration for you. With AE/AF bodies they are not simply light tight boxes.

 

[film_man]

If you don't care about money just get a 1V. If you think it is too expensive, get a 3, which is 90% of the 1V for 1/3 of the price. If you think that's expensive get a 30V/33V for £50-70.

As for service, the 1V/3/1N are still easily serviced. The lower models can probably still be serviced and in any case, they are so cheap you could just get another one.

All EOS cameras will take your EF lenses (but not EF-S ones) and all EX flashguns will work with them too.

 

[tokengirl]

You don't need to invest "hundreds of dollars". I bought a LNIB Canon EOS 630 from KEH for $94.00. Works like a champ. It does not have 52 zillion autofocus points, just one in the middle. But that's all I need.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

The EOS 1V will have the same longevity as all the EOS pro-line bodies before it, the 1N, 1NRS et al. And they are much easier to service than the 1V which commands a rather ghastly pull-apart for just a basic investigation (not that it should need one!). Do you really need a camera that can munch 36 exposures in 3 seconds when all you are lining up is the old oak in the park up the road? Best of all, the old bodies, on the proviso they've been reasonably well looked after over such a long period of time, are cheap, reliable and will take any EF lens (but TS-E lenses are best used with a power drive booster due to limited clearance for shifting down). Not all flashguns will work on each particular body but it's not too difficult now to match an old EOS body with its own dedicated flashgun e.g. 540EZ for all the 1N variants. Things like custom functions have lead many a befuddled lensman/girl on the path to sheer madness: ensure that you have access to a published resource (also online) for custom functions, and set only those that are definitely useful e.g. with tele lenses mirror lock-up and 2-sec self timer.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

Good and old

If you didn't say you needed a body for your EF lenses, I would recommend a F-1(n). Built like a tank. But will only take FD lenses though. I've had mine for over 20 years and it's still going strong. It has a titanium shutter.

 

[Tony-S]

I love the A2E. The eye control focus is fabulous. I wish my Canon D-SLRs had it.

 

[andrewc]

EOS 1v, hands down the best from Canon ever!

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

I love the A2E. The eye control focus is fabulous. I wish my Canon D-SLRs had it.

Historically, despite causing a stir at Photokina where it was first exhibited in 1992, the fundamentally flawed ECF in the A2E was considered very much a novelty. To their credit, Canon clawed back ECF credibility with the much improved retro-look EOS 50e in 1995 and again upped the ante in 1997 with the beefy mid-range EOS 3 — literally a compendium of stepped refinements and improvements under one cover. All well and good but ECF hasn't found entrenched, long-term favour among professionals, and it has been passed over in digital cameras in favour of tacked-on gimmicky functions and ever-more layers of complex technology. Having said that, if ECF EOS bodies appeal to a photographer, the EOS 50e or EOS 3 is a much better investment than the comparatively blighted A2E. Otherwise, pro-level bodies remain a wise investment in timeless quality and reliability.

• For more information on Canon EOS bodies go to the mir.com.my dedicated Canon EOS site

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

If you're tied to EF lenses and want autofocus or a modern metering system, then one of the EOS-1 series cameras, but despite the many attractive features of these cameras, I still prefer using my New F-1. I don't use autofocus and pretty much always spot meter and shoot manually, so none of the automatic features are of interest to me, and the New F-1 just feels mechanically more solid to me and is better designed for accurate manual focus, particularly with regard to the focusing screen and the pitch of the focusing helicals on the FD lenses.

That said, I'm having fun with my new (to me) pellicle mirror EOS 1N-RS, with it's extremely low shutter lag. On the one hand this makes the camera feel very responsive, and the film seems to zip through the camera effortlessly, but on the other hand the shutter button feels a little plasticky, and it's harder to sense the halfway point than on the New F-1.