Hi. I'm new to the list and just purchased an Elan 7E. I've been shooting
with the original Elan since it came out about 8 yrs ago.
Here are my comments and one question to anyone who can help:
Ergonomics -
Pluses camera's weight and balance
Location,size, ease of use of most controls excellent.
Intuitive and easy to learn w/dials (like most other canons)
Minus: Rear control dial has the new arrows buttons that can be used to
manually set focus point -a good idea, but placement is problem for small
thumbed people - hard to reach the left button . I need to use the infamous
"middle finger" for shutter to extend thumb to proper position. (Actually I
find I get better overall balance this way as opposed to index finger.
Eye control/Focusing : Some of you have asked about this. I wear
"progressive" bifocals, but have had NO PROBLEM getting quick, accurate eye
control, even in fairly low light. This is a pleasant surprise given all I'
ve read about EC on past models.
Questions for all you users -
1 When I used custom function to set focus points using the top
control dial, I can't figure out how to get to top and bottom focus points.
(I.e. the cycle goes left to right, then "all lit up" (which I guess means
auto select which I never use).
2 One of the focus indicators(top of center) doesn't lite up as
brightly as the others.is this a "defect"
Another question : Why did Canon place the focus points in a straight line?
Haven't they heard of the "rule of thirds"? I see Contax has such an
arrangement. I suppose in 3 years, they'll let you place the focus points
anywhere in the "Elan 11"
Sound - The quietest camera I've ever used.
Mirror lock up. A huge improvement over the Elan
FOCUS ASSIST NEGATIVE- The ABSURD USE OF THE PRIMARY FLASH as the focus
assist light.
I almost never use the built in flash indoors or in low light - only as
outdoor fill. Yes, I can use a custom function to pop the flash and use it
ONLY as a Focus Assist, but
who wants your subjects to feel like they're at local PLANETARIUM LASER
SHOW!
Totally annoying and useless. I suppose I can strap on my new 550EX
speedlight, which weighs a ton, and use the near infrared light as focus
assist (with custom function)
I guess Canon wanted to save a few $$$, but I wonder if they ever tested
this with real photographers who photograph people, not intimate objects.
That's all from here.
Sam
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