[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

Canon EOS Elan 7NE Camera Body (9353A002) Review

nice advanced 35mm SLR

"I picked up EOS Elan 7NE a few days ago; I noticed that 35mm film cameras in advanced hobbyist/enthusiast range are getting rare, and I'm a dedicated film shooter. I plan using Elan alongside my trusty AE-1's; I just wanted something more modern, with AF etc. and what won't brake the bank. 7NE definitely fits the bill; I ordered this body with EF 28mm-105mm f3.5-4.5 II USM lens that is supposed to be better then entry-level 28mm-90mm that comes with available Elan 7NE body + lens kit.Camera is feature-packed; luckily the 100-page small booklet manual is well written and consistent in giving enough info to get you going. I'd like to add that the camera is somewhat bigger then I thought, however shouldn't be a drawback by any means. Overall it feels very solid and is easy to hold, controls are well laid out, and I have good feel about it. I shot a test roll of B&W PlusX with it the other day both indoors and outdoors, and it came out decent even on full-auto mode. I also tried the eye-controlled focus, and yes it works as advertised, so I’m glad that I didn’t go with the marginally cheaper 7N model that doesn’t have the eye control feature.[...] I wanted to get a spankin new, 100% functional & dent-free camera so there wouldn’t be any surprises; since the 7NE body is affordable, why not to buy brand new. You may be able to buy dozens of DSLR’s in the future, but not many 35mm film SLR’s remain on the market. Some retailers carry only top of the line professional SLR bodies, overpriced Leica and similar rangefinders, or entry level basic SLR’s. The “advanced SLR” breed is getting harder to find, so why not to grab one right now?"