EF (electronic focus?) is the AF mount, as opposed to FD (et al) for the
manual focus lenses. Eye control focus works very well for me (I wear hard
contacts), and I use it most of the time.
As for why I chose Canon:
As I said in my first response, I used a pair of X-700's with MD-1 drives,
and really enjoyed the size of the grip and the heft of the camera.
Obviously, lighter is better to a degree, but when I look at the Minolta
line (roughly equivalent to the Elan IIe which was my first EOS body), I
found the XTSi to be similar in features but TINY, much too small to be
comfortable for me. I also found that what seemed to be MOST of the Minolta
(consumer) lenses had cheap, polycarbonate mounts, strange flash shoes with
slots in them, and not a lot of used stuff except the very early AF stuff. I
never could overcome that "cheap" feeling.
This was before the Maxxum 7 and 9, which both look very interesting, but
I'm too many $1000's and too much learning with Canon to want to trade now.
Nikon was a brand I considered to be on par with Canon, and they touted the
single lens mount between MF and AF as a feature, but since I owned
MD/Rokkor-X lenses, chances are I wouldn't ever need or want to use an old
MF lens on my nice AF body.
Lastly, I asked around at the three camera shops in my immediate area here
in Dallas that I trusted, those being Competitive Camera, Arlington Camera
and KEH. Given my budget at the time (about $1200), all three suggested
Canon would give the the best value. By then, I'd researched all of the
brands a lot and decided NOT to buy locally. I spent all my $$$ at the OTHER
reputable NYC camera store (sorry Henry, I did switch later), and got the
24-85, 75-300 USM's, an IX and IIe body and a 380EX flash. I added a 35-135
USM 50mm 1.8 from KEH a little while later and that was my kit for a couple
of years.
I still have the two bodies and the 50 and the 35-135, and I never had a bit
of problem with any of it (so far), and it's now a breeze to use and I would
never think of changing brands (although I do still like the looks of an
X-700 when I see one!). Would I have been as happy with Minolta? Decidedly
not. A friend at work has the XTSi, and it's been very reliable but the
technology is way behind Canon in terms of build quality, AF speed, features
(Eye-Control Start really seems silly to me) and because it's less popular,
the prices tend to stay higher.
If you do end up buying Minolta, I've got lots of 55mm filters for you, I
never did manage to get sell them, with the other stuff on *Bay!
Tom P.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kumakichi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, September 03, 2001 8:54 PM
Subject: RE: EOS AF Cannon vs. Minolta
> Hmm...what does IS and EF stand for? Something to do with the lenses?
>
> I'm just an amateur enthusiast so while Canon has a greater selection of
> lenses, I won't have a need for all that.
>
> I've been looking at the A2E and the Elan 7E. The eye focus thing seems
> intriguing but I wonder how practical it is in actual use. I looked at
the
> Maxxum 7. I haven't looked at Nikon yet.
>
> As a former X-700 user what did you like the most about the Canon AF's?
I'd
> imagine the additional bells and whistles :) Do you still use an MF from
> time to time?
>
> Thanks
>
> Kuma
>
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