On Thu Sep 19, 2002 4:14 am Howard wrote: > A few weeks ago I had asked about using an Elan7 with 600mm lenses and some >discussion ensued > about the 3 vs 7 in regards to metering and autofocus but I am not sure that there >was a clear > conclusion to these 2 aspects. I was wondering if there is real info to answer: > > Is the autofocus on the 7 any faster or more accurate than the 3 because of advances >in technology > (I know about the difference in focusing points)? > > Does the 7's evaluative metering provide any better or more accurate exposures in >tougher lighting > situations than the 3 because of the thiety something metering zones in the 7 as >compared to 21 > in the three (as well as the possible impact of improved metering algorithms? > > I am curious because I was thinking of picking up a new or used 3 and know about all >its advantages > but would hate to spend that much only to get autofocus and evaluative metering that >is not as good > as that on the 7. > > Howard
Hi Howard, The 3 is optimised for fast AF with lenses of f2.8 or larger max aperture. With lenses of smaller max apertures the 3 is still very good, but maybe the 7 is better - I'm not sure - past opinion seems divided on the matter. I can't say I noticed any appreciable differences when using f4 or slower lenses with either camera. I *can* say that the low light AF performance of the 3 is leaps and bounds ahead of that of the 7! The main reason I no longer own an EOS 30 (7e) is the poor low light AF. I have no complaints about the AF speed or sensitivity on my 3. When the Elan 7/7e was released, Canon touted it as having the fastest eye controlled focusing response - not the fastest AF. I'd have to agree that the 7 AF point system selected the focus point more quickly and accurately (and needed less calibration) than the 45 point AF system on the 3. But I don't believe Canon ever claimed that the 7 AF'ed faster than the 3 (someone will correct me if I'm wrong!). The evaluative metering though - the 7 has a simple 5 x 7 grid arrangement and is basically the same as that used in the 300 (rebel 2000). The 3's metering segments are arranged in such a way that large areas of sky etc have less impact on the metering (I know that the algorithm for the 7 would take that into account) but I found that either of them generally did a good job, but the 3 handled tricky exposure better. Of course there's no substitute for spot metering and manual exposure in really tricky shots, but I digress... Regards Gary This mail has passed through an insecure network. All enquires should be directed to the message author. * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
