Which AF Canon Film Camera?

Ruffmeister

Ruffmeister

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Hi All

I am looking to get an AF film camera (Preferably Canon)

The two that have caught my attention for fairly good money are the EOS 5 and EOS 3.

How do these two compare and are there any better alternatives for similar money? I know a lot of people praise Nikon's F100 however I think I prefer the ergonomics of Canon, having used a 5Dc in the past.

Be good to hear your thoughts.

Thanks

Dan
 
Doesn't matter what you want, Brian will still batter you to death with a Canon T70......:D




I suppose it depends if you already have some kit you can use with a film camera
 
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The EOS 1n will have a similar feel to the 5D mk1 you've used in the past, they go for around £100 but are built incredibly well.
 
joxby said:
Doesn't matter what you want, Brian will still batter you to death with a Canon T70......:D




I suppose it depends if you already have some kit you can use with a film camera
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I don't have any lenses that I would be able to use on a Canon film camera. My plan was to just get a 50mm 1.8 / 1.4

I have a Nikon 50mm F2 AI lens which wouldn't work of an AF body unless I used it as manual focus.
 
robhooley167 said:
The EOS 1n will have a similar feel to the 5D mk1 you've used in the past, they go for around £100 but are built incredibly well.
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If I could have something which handled like the 5d then I would be really pleased. I haven't looked at the 1n I must admit. The EOS 5 seemed to be well rated but looked a bit plasticky to me.
 
1n or the 3. Pretty much either of 'em feel much the same as the 5D mk1, only with far better AF on the film cameras.
 
TheBigYin said:
1n or the 3. Pretty much either of 'em feel much the same as the 5D mk1, only with far better AF on the film cameras.
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Thanks for that. Good to hear. Is there much difference between the EOS1 and the 1n?

Interesting point you make about AF on film. I didn't think it was particularly slow on the 5D I had. Are you saying its quicker / more accurate on the film variant?
 
The EOS 5 is rather old now. The command button had a habit of coming loose, most will have been done or might need doing unless canon solved the issue. I have an EOS 33, I've found that to be a nice camera, they come up on the bay now and then and seem to go under the radar.
 
Ruffmeister said:
Interesting point you make about AF on film. I didn't think it was particularly slow on the 5D I had. Are you saying its quicker / more accurate on the film variant?
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It's basically the same multipoint (45 point iirc) AF that was in the 1DmkI and II... so, pretty much, yes it is... and with the EOS3, there's this really nifty (if you can get on with it - not everyone can - especially glasses wearers) Eye-Controlled AF Point selection.
 
TheBigYin said:
It's basically the same multipoint (45 point iirc) AF that was in the 1DmkI and II... so, pretty much, yes it is... and with the EOS3, there's this really nifty (if you can get on with it - not everyone can - especially glasses wearers) Eye-Controlled AF Point selection.
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Aaah nice I didn't realise that. I have heard about the Eye controlled AF point selection on the EOS 3. Unfortunately I am a glasses wearer :( so I wont worry too much on that. Now looking around at 1Ns.
 
I know I'm being devil's advocate here, but a 5Dc isn't that much more than some of the higher end Canon AF SLRs these days...
 
freecom2 said:
I know I'm being devil's advocate here, but a 5Dc isn't that much more than some of the higher end Canon AF SLRs these days...
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Around £300-350 for a good one?

I did like the 5Dc I must admit.
For digital files, they needed minimal tweaking to get a nice look.
I use an XPro1 for digital now and at the time sold the 5Dc to fund some new glass.
Do I regret it? Yes and no. Iv since discovered the joy of film :)
 
Obviously more than the AF SLRs, but prices have definitely settled down. Fair enough, they're all going to be much more bulky than the X-Pro but as long as you know that in advance!

(No love lost for 90s film cameras for me)
 
freecom2 said:
Obviously more than the AF SLRs, but prices have definitely settled down. Fair enough, they're all going to be much more bulky than the X-Pro but as long as you know that in advance!

(No love lost for 90s film cameras for me)
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Definitely get that. If your after full frame digital then a 5Dc is ridiculously good value for money IMO.
 
Eos 3 is the Canon AF film camera, perhaps with the exception of the 1v (never used that one). For me the 3 is far superior to the 1n, the AF is better, with more focus points, the metering was better, and it handled slightly better. With the addition of the booster grip it's a complete beast as well!

I still have one, it's battered and bruised (as it was when I bought it) but it still carries on. The eye focus is very cool when it works but as a glasses wearer I can't get it to work consistently :(
 
raathistle said:
Eos 3 is the Canon AF film camera, perhaps with the exception of the 1v (never used that one). For me the 3 is far superior to the 1n, the AF is better, with more focus points, the metering was better, and it handled slightly better. With the addition of the booster grip it's a complete beast as well!

I still have one, it's battered and bruised (as it was when I bought it) but it still carries on. The eye focus is very cool when it works but as a glasses wearer I can't get it to work consistently :(
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Nice one. Looking at specs I don't think id go wrong with either a 1n or a 3. Both are similarly priced with or without grips. Definitely gained some good insight over what to go for from this post so thanks all.

Yeah I don't think I'd get in too well with the eye focus as a glasses wearer as well.
 
Kevin Allan said:
You can get an EOS300 for peanuts - I paid £7 for a second body including postage.
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True enough. What are you planning on shooting Dan? Do you need lightning fast AF and high FPS from your intended body?

I used to have a 1N [flogged it to Rob actually] but still have a 50E and 300, I also had a Nikon F5 but sold that too as I really don't need daft FPS etc from a film body but your needs may differ. Bottom line is, I guess, don't overlook some of the lower spec bodies as there are bargains to be had.
 
Deckard said:
True enough. What are you planning on shooting Dan? Do you need lightning fast AF and high FPS from your intended body?

I used to have a 1N [flogged it to Rob actually] but still have a 50E and 300, I also had a Nikon F5 but sold that too as I really don't need daft FPS etc from a film body but your needs may differ. Bottom line is, I guess, don't overlook some of the lower spec bodies as there are bargains to be had.
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I'm not so worried about fast FPS especially with film although fast AF would be good. The only thing that draw me towards the EOS 3 originally was it's tough solid body and the fact it didn't look too disimilar handling wise to the 5Dc I had a while back. I wouldn't be worried on a grip as it just adds to the bulk for me.

I know Canon along with Nikon made a few lower spec bodies at the time which got hit and miss praise based around reliability and build which is whats kinda swayed me away from looking at them.
I guess if your looking at only £10 - £30 though then you don't really have a lot to lose if it fails. I mentioned the EOS 5 earlier as I have seen a few of these for around £50 however the issues of build come up again and have been mentioned as well in this thread.
 
Eos 3 is a brilliant camera - i'd say it was probably the best af slr canon ever made - although the eos 30 wasnt too shabby and actually i have a soft spot for the eos 5 for its inordinately quiet shutter
 
I had an EOS30 for a while and it felt very similar to my 40D and 5D. In use, the AF performance was pretty much the same and I really enjoyed the eye control too once I had 'trained' it. If I still had any canon lenses I'd be tempted to pick up another one as it handles well and looks slightly more modern than the 3/5, although 'modern' in F&C is turn of the century ;0)

https://flickr.com/photos/8476499@N02/sets/72157640071005416

Cheers
Steve
 
stevelmx5 said:
I had an EOS30 for a while and it felt very similar to my 40D and 5D. In use, the AF performance was pretty much the same and I really enjoyed the eye control too once I had 'trained' it. If I still had any canon lenses I'd be tempted to pick up another one as it handles well and looks slightly more modern than the 3/5, although 'modern' in F&C is turn of the century ;0)

https://flickr.com/photos/8476499@N02/sets/72157640071005416

Cheers
Steve
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Thanks for that Steve. Great set of pics too.

The EOS 30 I must admit looks tempting especially at the price. Few good ones around for circa £50. That along with a 50mm could be got for £100 or just over. How is the meter in the 30?
 
The metering was as good as I found on the 40D/5D to be honest. After a while I forgot I was actually shooting film as the controls and AV priority felt the same as digital. In some ways, that's why I didn't keep it because I shoot digital as well so I didn't feel I was getting much benefit from shooting 35mm AF film too. I now only shoot Medium Format film as it gives me a different result to digital. However, an EOS30 paired with a nifty fifty would make a nice cheap portrait combination..

Cheers
Steve
 
stevelmx5 said:
...After a while I forgot I was actually shooting film as the controls and AV priority felt the same as digital. In some ways, that's why I didn't keep it because I shoot digital as well so I didn't feel I was getting much benefit from shooting 35mm AF film too.
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That pretty much goes for the EOS3 as well - I'll be honest, I tend to use it when I'm shooting in combination with digital - say shooting a band, where they've asked for some "gritty B&W shots" - so I'll load up film in the EOS3 and shoot the B&W on that one, and the color work on the 7D. That way I can take 1 set of Lenses along, and not have that instant of confusion thinking "oh, it's film, I need to..." - effectively they just work interchangeably and seamlessly. I know that's not exactly what some people may want from a film camera - I know there are times when it's not what I want - but for those times, i've got pinhole cameras, folding 120's, the Bronny, 35mm Rangefinders...

ETA: Have to echo the thoughts on the EOS30 as well - I have a pretty much pristine example of one myself - and it's pretty damned good - if you compare the EOS3 to the 5d, then the EOS30 would definitely be on a par with the eos450 build quality/size wise (but obviously it's full frame) and it works wonderfully with the EF 50m f1.8.
 
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Thanks for your comments, really appreciated. Cheers for your input on the EOS 30 as well @stevelmx5 and @big soft moose

I ended up picking up a nice example EOS 30 this afternoon on eBay after seeing the comments here . With the exception of some light marks to the tripod mount, the rest of it looked mint and set me back £45! :)

The reason I was after a film AF camera was mainly convenience. I shoot fully manual with film so having an AF camera to the set would be really handy, especially as I am starting to enjoy working with film a lot more than digital. The digital comes out when I'm more on the move or with others as it's just quick to work with.

Don't get me wrong I love using my XPro1 however I never feel as happy with the files straight out as I do with film scans. They aren't rubbish or anything like that, for SOOC digital JPEG they are really good, but with the scans I have got, I feel theres minimal to be done to them (if anything) to achieve that "look" or "character" It's a hard one to explain. I feel that I am sometimes frauding it by overusing VSCO plugins on most of my digi images. Be interesting to see how I get on with the EOS 30. Just need to pick up a 50mm lens now.
 
I shot a wedding once with my eos 30 - I didn't half get through film (13 rolls iirc) but the results were decent - and I only looked at the back to try and check the histogram twice :lol:
 
big soft moose said:
I shot a wedding once with my eos 30 - I didn't half get through film (13 rolls iirc) but the results were decent - and I only looked at the back to try and check the histogram twice :LOL:
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:LOL: I remember doing that when I first shot film.

It's crazy how much you can pick these cameras up for now. Even when you look at MF cameras etc. You can get some really nice kit for your money.

I felt I have learnt and appreciated photography a lot more since I got into film. I don't think it's going anywhere soon (hopefully not anyway)
 
joxby said:
Doesn't matter what you want, Brian will still batter you to death with a Canon T70......:D




I suppose it depends if you already have some kit you can use with a film camera
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:D :D Ah! In that case I wont do a review of the T70 in the "conventional camera review thread" as I know you wont read it :D:D

But I wish I had chosen a Canon AF slr instead of Nikon as the 401 was a waste of money although the Sigma 80-200 zoom with it was useful for the F90x I bought after, but the problem was cheap Nikon lenses, I could have had a cheap Canon 28-80mm lens from the bootie long ago and had to wait 6 months to get a Nikon 28-80 AF for a reasonable price of £20 on the bay. erm well it's on it's way to me now and lets hope it's OK for some remaining sunny days shooting the grand children.

Anyone interested:- took about 18 shots of moving grandchildren with F90x and 80-200mm lens recently and only two were slightly OOF, so I'm sure a Canon would be the same and a AF camera is very handy if having a problem with focusing on moving things.....yeah I know it's obvious to many but it's the first time I've really used an AF SLR.
 
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excalibur2 said:
:D :D Ah! In that case I wont do a review of the T70 in the "conventional camera review thread" as I know you wont read it :D:D
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That thread will not be complete without a Brian review of the T70, y'can ask Yinny but I doubt its even optional.....you have to do it.....The End.

excalibur2 said:
But I wish I had chosen a Canon AF slr instead of Nikon as the 401 was a waste of money although the Sigma 80-200 zoom with it was useful for the F90x I bought after, but the problem was cheap Nikon lenses, I could have had a cheap Canon 28-80mm lens from the bootie long ago and had to wait 6 months to get a Nikon 28-80 AF for a reasonable price of £20 on the bay. erm well it's on it's way to me now and lets hope it's OK for some remaining sunny days shooting the grand children.

Anyone interested:- took about 18 shots of moving grandchildren with F90x and 80-200mm lens recently and only two were slightly OOF, so I'm sure a Canon would be the same and a AF camera is very handy if having a problem with focusing on moving things.....yeah I know it's obvious to many but it's the first time I've really used an AF SLR.
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Y'know, most gear is gonna struggle with moving kids without fast AF and lenses.
For budget Nikon, ie, staying away from AFS glass, I'd shoot the AF 50 and stand closer :)
 
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