Durability of Canon EOS Elan 7?

[Markok765]

How durable is it compared to say, a spotmatic type camera?

 

[walter23]

It will never break if you keep it in your bag, hang it around your neck, photograph with it, bump it around on a tripod, or schlep it around on hikes.

It will break if you hit it with a 20 lb sledge or drop it from a second story balcony.

Does that answer your question?

 

[Markok765]

What if I drop it on the ground, or use it in heavy rain?

 

[Pinholemaster]

"What if I drop it on the ground, or use it in heavy rain?"

It WILL break.

These things are mostly plastic, remember.

 

[Kilgallb]

I dropped my Spotamatic II in the Bow river and bought a K1000 body to replace it. I used the original screw mount lens with a K adaptor. A year later I went overboard with the K1000 in the Kitimat river. I put the camera in the bag and did not look at it again. That was 25 years ago. I pulled that K1000 out about two years ago and it works perfectly. I have been getting excellent results since and have stopped using my EOS Elan. The LCD display hates the cold weather.

 

[Travis Nunn]

I have an EOS Elan II that I've had for 10-12 years. I've banged the crap out of it along the way and it still keeps on working. I've never dropped it from more than a height of 2-3 feet, however. I've also used it in the rain, but I wouldn't say it was heavy rain.

 

[Bill Mitchell]

I'm still using the original EOS Elan, purchased in the early 1990s. No problems, so far.

 

[Mark Fisher]

I have an original Elan that my nephew is using in school right now (20 years old?). I also have a Elan 7 I use right now. I don't think it will last as long as the 70's era manual cameras simply due to the availability of spare parts. If you want an autofocus camera with great, modern lenses, the Elan is a good choice (of course a low mielage Canon 1-series would probably be much more durable than either one).

 

[RoBBo]

My roomate dropped his Elan 7IIE from about a 3 feet up and the back popped open and the latch that holds it closed snapped.
Out of commission.
He got a Voightlander R3A to replace it, and as confident as he is about it, I doubt it would survive a much higher drop either.

I've bounced my HEXAR down a flight of stairs, dropped it in shallow water and various other unthinkables and the thing just keeps on truckin like the day it left the factory.
Same was true for my FT-1 (Until the battery contacts broke like they do in all those cameras...) and I'm sure the same would be true for most cameras of that level and vintage.
I'd agree with Mark about the Canon 1 series if you really want something durable with AF.

 

[maxim]

K1000

I dropped my Spotamatic II in the Bow river and bought a K1000 body to replace it. I used the original screw mount lens with a K adaptor. A year later I went overboard with the K1000 in the Kitimat river. I put the camera in the bag and did not look at it again. That was 25 years ago. I pulled that K1000 out about two years ago and it works perfectly. I have been getting excellent results since and have stopped using my EOS Elan. The LCD display hates the cold weather.

Yeah the Pentax K1000 is legendary
.
I read of even worse abuse and yet it comes back again for more.
Too bad they stopped making them but I read somewhere that some
East German company is making them under their brand ...forgotten
the name but its quite popular in Britain.....

and its VERY CHEAP TOO