My Canon EOS 5 is disappointing

Bon Hambley · Nov 7, 2014

I have switched from using my EOS 300 to an EOS 5. However, I am having problems with it - chiefly the battery life. I can only get it to last for two films (less witn the flash), its big bulky and unwieldy and i am generally struggling with it. Does anyone use this / has used this camera? Is the short battery life normal? I thought i was improving by switching from an EOS 300 to an EOS 5 but right now i am thinking of going back to the 300.

Poisson Du Jour · Nov 7, 2014

Yes, it is a problem.

Much of my portfolio production work using transparency from 1994 to 1999 was made using an EOS 5. The battery power issue with the weak 2CR5 battery is well known and an enduring frustration. For some photographers, they will get less than four rolls through the camera before exhausting the battery — a far off figure from the 20-30 rolls Canon quotes in the manual!

The battery drain problem is the least of what could happen. Another, more sinister problem lies in wait the moment the camera is exposed to wet/cold/very humid conditions: it will kill the display driver circuit, resulting in the display fading out over a couple of hours and remaining out, seemingly until conditions are more favourable. Among other irritations with this particular camera is the mode control dial stripping its pawls, rear cover latch vulnerability and skipped frames. It is a very good camera but I think investing in an EOS 3 1N or a later model would be a better idea, aside from your own of returning to the EOS 300. The thinking is the robustness built into these cameras compared to the troublesome EOS 5 (and its largely gimmicky single-form eye control focus). Keep in mind that overhauling these (now) old cameras is not a simple task (much more difficult again with the higher EOS 1-series models) and is costly. The display driver circuit was replaced in my EOS 5 twice. The mode control dial twice too. The back cover latch twice. After the camera "blanked out" I ditched it immediately and moved totally to the EOS 1N (still in service).

Bon Hambley · Nov 7, 2014

Poisson Du Jour said:
Yes, it is a problem.

Much of my portfolio production work using transparency from 1994 to 1999 was made using an EOS 5. The battery power issue with the weak 2CR5 battery is well known and an enduring frustration. For some photographers, they will get less than four rolls through the camera before exhausting the battery a far off figure from the 20-30 rolls Canon quotes in the manual!

The battery drain problem is the least of what could happen. Another, more sinister problem lies in wait the moment the camera is exposed to wet/cold/very humid conditions: it will kill the display driver circuit, resulting in the display fading out over a couple of hours and remaining out, seemingly until conditions are more favourable. Among other irritations with this particular camera is the mode control dial stripping its pawls, rear cover latch vulnerability and skipped frames. It is a very good camera but I think investing in an EOS 3 1N or a later model would be a better idea, aside from your own of returning to the EOS 300. The thinking is the robustness built into these cameras compared to the troublesome EOS 5 (and its largely gimmicky single-form eye control focus). Keep in mind that overhauling these (now) old cameras is not a simple task (much more difficult again with the higher EOS 1-series models) and is costly. The display driver circuit was replaced in my EOS 5 twice. The mode control dial twice too. The back cover latch twice. After the camera "blanked out" I ditched it immediately and moved totally to the EOS 1N (still in service).

You spent five years using this camera? I can't even imagine that! This camera is heavy and bulky - did you develope large triceps and finger muscles? I guessed the batteries i have been purchasing may be old stock and have taken one apart to try and re-incert two new CR123 cells. However, from your reply, I'm not sure that i will do that. Life is too short. My cameras have to earn their keep by being FUN! and the EOS 5 is anything but.

Poisson Du Jour · Nov 7, 2014

Bon Hambley said:
You spent five years using this camera? I can't even imagine that! This camera is heavy and bulky - did you develope large triceps and finger muscles? I guessed the batteries i have been purchasing may be old stock and have taken one apart to try and re-incert two new CR123 cells. However, from your reply, I'm not sure that i will do that. Life is too short. My cameras have to earn their keep by being FUN! and the EOS 5 is anything but.

"Heavy and bulky"?? Strange observation. For a person of my slight build with mild muscular distrophy, I have managed to carry the EOS 5, 50E, 1N, 5 lenses, a flash and a tripod (variously, over a long period of time). I don't consider the EOS 5 to be a heavyweight at all. I do consider the EOS 1N (which I have hauled around for more than 20 years) to be a heavyweight (depending on what lens it is wearing, too). The heaviest camera of all is my Pentax 67 all 3.8kg of it, then the pack containing lenses (all up, 13.4kg). Oh, nearly forgot: add the tripod. That's c. 15kg all up. Sometimes I will pack a Mars Bar or some chewies. Then lunch. Oh, plus water. I move slowly, but I go...

So...you were saying...?

Bon Hambley · Nov 7, 2014

Alright, I will concede to being a lightweight! I guess i was comparing it to the 300. I also own a 50E and it was great until the shutter curtain jambed! I use a 35 - 80mm lens and a 50mm prime lens but nothing heavier than that. My only venture into medium format to date is my Browie Cresta II (Albeit not in the same league or anywhere near it). I did however, venture into super 8 which i just love! My holiday snaps this year were taken on a £5 purchase Olympus is20. It did really well except when we visited a cave!! It just gave up after a few exposures!! Is the EOS1N as good as your Pentax 67?

Poisson Du Jour · Nov 7, 2014

Bon Hambley said:
[...]Is the EOS1N as good as your Pentax 67?

The EOS 1N is certainly the stayer over the long haul! But the 67 has the edge in imaging quality: I won't be parting with either any time soon. The 1N is mostly just used for star-trails now with its intervalometer back. The 67 handles all the challenging stuff (100% transparency shooting) since I weaned myself off any camera that wants to make decisions for me. I'll probably need a bigger car to carry everything soon, with an Ebony SV45TI on my bucket list for 2015...

Hatchetman · Nov 7, 2014

I use an EOS 3. The battery life isn't great, but certainly not that bad. Maybe 15 rolls? I never counted. I suspect a big autofocus zoom lens will drain the battery.

Poisson Du Jour · Nov 7, 2014

Hatchetman said:
I use an EOS 3. The battery life isn't great, but certainly not that bad. Maybe 15 rolls? I never counted. I suspect a big autofocus zoom lens will drain the battery.

The use of an image stabilized lens on the EOS 5 will very dramatically reduce battery life. Not so much a problem on many other EOS bodies with multiple battery choices.

Bon Hambley · Nov 8, 2014

Hatchetman said:
I use an EOS 3. The battery life isn't great, but certainly not that bad. Maybe 15 rolls? I never counted. I suspect a big autofocus zoom lens will drain the battery.

I'm using a 35-80mm zoom lens. I only got two rolls (just) from the last battery. I was using shooting indoors and used the built in flash. However, I expect to get more than two rolls use from a brand new battery. I am suspecting the batteries i bought as being old stock sold as fresh. Overall, i'm not having a lot of joy with my EOS 5 because i thought i was grading up from the 300 and that is where my disappointment lies.

Have we not all at some time 'graded up' to something only to find we prefered what we had to begin with?

j-dogg · Nov 8, 2014

I have not one, but two EOS 5's, they were branded as the Elan A2 here. Interestingly enough, I upgraded from a 300 which I still have.

I have had no such problems with battery life, I put a new 2CR5 in each one when I bought them 5 years ago and have had no issues since, one is a little low because I use it as a slave to trigger a couple of external flashes when I'm shooting d*****l.

I really love it, it feels great in my hands and I've put several rolls of film through both of them on the same battery.......true story they were both stolen from me two years ago and recovered when the knucklehead who stole them posted them for sale on Facebook, imagine the look on his face when I showed up with the keys to unlock the hardcase he took that housed them, anyway I got them back without an issue (he went to jail) and both of them were still powered on just as I had left them a year earlier, with them film still in both, with no additional exposures. I've shot 4 rolls since in one.

I've never heard of this issue, usually the big problem with the A2/5 is the mode dial always breaks, both of mine were broke when I got them.

Poisson Du Jour · Nov 8, 2014

My experience tells me that I would not recommend the EOS 5 for serious use, like the years of hard landscape/scenic work that I did in all conditions from close to freezing to more than 45°c. For that you will benefit from the additional robustness afforded by the later, higher end cameras. As I've said in a previous post, it's a great camera for light use, around the house and casual photography, but the weaknesses of construction (a lot of soft plastic that can break e.g. rear cover latch, mode control dial, lens release button...) and electronic reliability, together with the known battery consumption issue weighs heavily in preference of something with a more proven pedigree. You may or may not benefit long term in going back to the 300.

flavio81 · Nov 10, 2014

Bon Hambley said:
I have switched from using my EOS 300 to an EOS 5. However, I am having problems with it - chiefly the battery life. I can only get it to last for two films (less witn the flash), its big bulky and unwieldy and i am generally struggling with it. Does anyone use this / has used this camera? Is the short battery life normal? I thought i was improving by switching from an EOS 300 to an EOS 5 but right now i am thinking of going back to the 300.

I have not experienced battery issues with my EOS 5. In fact i'm rather pleased at the battery life i get with that camera. Certainly more than two films, of course. I shot my sister's wedding, three rolls, using some flash as well, the battery life indicator didn't move a notch.

I wonder if perhaps there is something wrong with the cameras that have bad battery life. For what it's worth, i don't use image stabilization lenses nor ultrasonic lenses.

I like the camera very much, despite the plastic construction. As per the size or supposed "weight" of the camera... It is a light camera, people who complain of it being heavy should perhaps use their smartphones instead.

Bon Hambley · Nov 10, 2014

flavio81 said:
I have not experienced battery issues with my EOS 5. In fact i'm rather pleased at the battery life i get with that camera. Certainly more than two films, of course. I shot my sister's wedding, three rolls, using some flash as well, the battery life indicator didn't move a notch.

I wonder if perhaps there is something wrong with the cameras that have bad battery life. For what it's worth, i don't use image stabilization lenses nor ultrasonic lenses.

I like the camera very much, despite the plastic construction. As per the size or supposed "weight" of the camera... It is a light camera, people who complain of it being heavy should perhaps use their smartphones instead.

I took my camera to a car musuem. I had used one film on a fresh battery and inserted a second film but only got about 20 or so exposures. I did not have a back up battery cell (or back up camera) with me and so came away not being able to have the fun photographing vintage cars that i anticipated having. It had done the same thing previously but i assumed buying new battery cells from a different supplier would be the solution. I want to like this camera too.

johnha · Nov 11, 2014

My experience wasn't great - I thought an EOS 5 would be better than my Pentax Z-1 and bought the body, VG10 grip & 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. In all I shot a handful of rolls through it before the mode dial broke and haven't used it since. The camera felt bulky (not particularly heavy) and I couldn't get to grips with the controls (maybe I have 'Pentax hands'). The eye-control AF didn't really work for me (I wear glasses) and I traded the lens (too bulky and too slow aperture) and bought a 50/1.8 which felt much better.

To be fair though, it would shoot at 5fps using just the 2CR5 battery (all other Canons - 1/1n/3 etc. needed a booster battery to shoot that fast).

flavio81 · Nov 12, 2014

Bon Hambley said:
I took my camera to a car musuem. I had used one film on a fresh battery and inserted a second film but only got about 20 or so exposures. I did not have a back up battery cell (or back up camera) with me and so came away not being able to have the fun photographing vintage cars that i anticipated having. It had done the same thing previously but i assumed buying new battery cells from a different supplier would be the solution. I want to like this camera too.

That camara surely has a problem. For example on typical battery-powered electronic appliances, there are diodes fitted for protection of the circuits. If you fit the battery with the wrong polarity, these diodes "save" the circuit from destruction, but the diodes themselves get wronged and thus, from now on, they will drain current all the time. Thus battery life goes totally down.

Perhaps there is something like that going on on your Canon.

Loulou · Nov 13, 2014

I must have been lucky with my Canon 5, I never had any issues with battery life whether using IS or auto-focus. I shot some of my best photographs ever with this camera, I really loved using it. It did eventually develop a light leak and had to go to camera heaven. I replaced it with a 1V which is an even better camera.

film_man · Nov 13, 2014

I never counted as they last forever but my impression is that I get at least 20+ (maybe 30?) rolls with a 2CR5 on my EOS 3. I only have manual focus lenses and I turned the AF highlight off (no point with a manual lens!) so that must help a bit. Most of the time I forget to switch it off. I also only use fresh Panasonic 2CR5 batteries, don't know about other brands.

2 rolls per battery sounds like something is wrong with the camera.

benjiboy · Nov 13, 2014

There must be an electrical fault that's causing this excessive battery drain, I suggest you have it looked at by a camera service technician.

sagai · Nov 13, 2014

You could go end get a mechanical one. Well, it will not be eos however may deserve a try to be battery free
Steal springs work more or less forever

flavio81 · Nov 13, 2014

sagai said:
Steal springs work more or less forever

I don't want to work forever, so i will not steal any springs.

Jokes aside, i never had any electronic SLR camera die on me. They all had enough battery life. I've used Canon AE-1, A-1, EOS 5, Nikon FE, Nikon F3, and Nikon FE2. The one with the worst battery life was the A-1 and it still was pretty much acceptable to me.

Batteries are so small, you can always carry a spare, in any case.

benjiboy · Nov 13, 2014

flavio81 said:
I don't want to work forever, so i will not steal any springs.

Jokes aside, i never had any electronic SLR camera die on me. They all had enough battery life. I've used Canon AE-1, A-1, EOS 5, Nikon FE, Nikon F3, and Nikon FE2. The one with the worst battery life was the A-1 and it still was pretty much acceptable to me.

Batteries are so small, you can always carry a spare, in any case.

I've only used 4 PX 28L Lithium batteries in my Canon A1 in over 20 years, cameras that excessive drain batteries need professional attention.

Manwithacam · Nov 13, 2014

This screenshot shows the supposed battery life

Taken from http://www.cameramanuals.org/canon_pdf/canon_eos_5.pdf

Poisson Du Jour · Nov 13, 2014

flavio81 said:
I don't want to work forever, so i will not steal any springs.

Jokes aside, i never had any electronic SLR camera die on me. They all had enough battery life. I've used Canon AE-1, A-1, EOS 5, Nikon FE, Nikon F3, and Nikon FE2. The one with the worst battery life was the A-1 and it still was pretty much acceptable to me.

Batteries are so small, you can always carry a spare, in any case.

The 2CR4 batteries are neither small nor cheap. For the price of one you could typically by 4 x AA lithium batteries. The 8xAA lithium batteries in my power drive booster attached to the EOS 1N are marked as having been replaced in 2006. That is what I consider excellent battery life.

flavio81 · Nov 13, 2014

benjiboy said:
I've only used 4 PX 28L Lithium batteries in my Canon A1 in over 20 years, cameras that excessive drain batteries need professional attention.

Hi Benjiboy, what happened with my A1 is that i always used it on a context where i'd be half-pressing the shutter watching my subject for most of a 2-hour or 3-hour concert. Thus the LED display was draining the batteries. I know, you can turn off the display but I needed it. In any case, the batteries lasted long enough for me -- about 1 new battery each 2-3 months or so.

The Nikon F3's batteries seem to last forever.

As for the Canon EOS 5, the manual cited above claims 40 rolls per battery pack and I believe them. It's fair to me.

film_man · Nov 13, 2014

Poisson Du Jour said:
The 2CR4 batteries are neither small nor cheap. For the price of one you could typically by 4 x AA lithium batteries. The 8xAA lithium batteries in my power drive booster attached to the EOS 1N are marked as having been replaced in 2006. That is what I consider excellent battery life.

I always find it funny when people complain about battery costs. A £3-4 battery (that's what a 2CR5 costs at most) will last you 20 rolls of film yet it costs less than 1 roll of film and that's just the film purchase price, I'm not even going to dev/scan/print costs.

As for weight...last time I checked a 2CR5 is a bit shorter and fatter than a roll of film and a lot smaller/lighter than 4 or 8 AAs, let alone some power drive booster needed to use those AAs.

My Canon EOS 5 is disappointing

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