----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Eastwood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 8:54 AM
Subject: are all EOSs EOS?
Hi
<philosophy>
some time ago I aquired a 20D, and I've been gradually comming to terms with
how to make the most of this camera, but owning it has revealed some things
that I hadn't quite picked up on from just browsing specifications.
For some time, one of the advantages of the EOS cameras over other 35mm
cameras has been that everything in the range has been inter-usable. The D
EOS has sort of changed that, for how I see things at least. I'd be
interested to hear any other thoughts on this perspective.
The first thing that comes up is lenses. I've been using 4x5 and 5x7 for a
bit, and I'm familiar with the fact that film formats make different views
from the same lens, and apart from the 1D and the 5D the others are a
different 'film' format than the rest of the EOS cameras (ok, and the IX,
but I'm not sure if there were many of those sold). Natually if you're a
wildlife photographer the smaller film format is very nice, as it gets you
just what you really wanted (closer to that thing), but if youre a wide
angle person (I've got a 24mm TS-E that I use for quite a many of my shots)
the loss of 'edges' is quite frustrating.
In this case I feel that they're just not quite as 'compatible' apart from
the ability to mount and operate the lens.
<That is the definition of compatibility. They mount, meter and focus.>
The next thing that comes up is flash. I've been using the EZ series of
flashes for some time, and have some 190's and off camera cables for multi
flash use, and a 430EZ as a main flash. The D EOS cameras don't support TTL
flash (as far as I know) and further introduce issues such as E-TTL I and
E-TTL II incompatibilities. To me, the inability to use my existing flashes
makes this highly frustrating, and expensive if you have to change
equipment.
<You've hit on one that bugs me, too. My 540EZ doesn't even fire on a
Digital EOS camera. But a 420 EX isn't that expensive, although a 580 EX
is.
I'm not sure what else I'll find, in the future, but so far I've not found
that the D cameras are significantly more compatible with the range than F
or T series cameras.
<I'd say the difference is significant. The EF mount lenses won't mount or
meter on the old F or T series cameras, nor the A series, either. If you
don't find that significant, you're being a bit rigid.>
Canon was critisized when introducing the EOS range just after starting
people on the T series with the FD mount. Personally I am happy that back
then I didn't invest in a F1, or a T90, and went with the then highly
featured 630 (which I still own btw). I thought that the move to an
electronic mount made sence, and AF was definately the way of the future.
Even at that time the T series flashes could be used on the EOS cameras,
although many FD series lenses were not easily adaptedto the EF mount. Nikon
scored some points back then in this area by keeping their mount system
reasonably compatible.
If a camera body is only part of a system (and I've found the EOS system to
my liking so far) then it seems to me that if we should call the D series
cameras EOS, then it has in in some way undermined the compatibility that
has previously been a strength of Canon EOS.
<Why? Everything but the flashes work as advertised. If you miss getting
the corners of the image, then get a 1Ds or 5D. Then those corners will be
there in all their soft, 1-stop under glory. (I can say that, because I
have s 5D and the corner/edge "issue" isn't one for me...)>
Note, I've avoided the issue of film VS digital here, as I feel its a
seperate question, and perhaps not EOS related. I use digital quite a bit,
more than film these days, so I'm not at all 'anti digital' ... I just wish
that Canon could have increased the compatibility between the systems, as
the "leaverage off the investement you have in EOS system" has for me not
been so strictly true with the D EOS cameras.
<Again, besides the flash issue, what increase is possible? "Full frame"
sensors are still expensive to produce, though the price is coming down,
and, again, that's not an issue with the 1Ds, 1Ds mkII and 5D.>
Skip Middleton
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