Canon EOS Elan 7E/Elan 30 Review

Overall Rating

Lots of useful features for the money.

Nice size-neither too large nor too small.

Low power consumption; easy on batteries.

Optional Battery Pack/Vertical Grip lets you use AAs.

Overall ergonomics-with the exception of the DOF button.

High 4fps framing rate for those in need.

Swift AF in bright light.

Too much polycarbonate for my taste.

Partial metering area imprecisely marked on viewscreen.

AF crippled in low light without annoying strobe assist or shoe-mounted flash's infrared assist.

DOF preview control inconveniently placed.

Top deck LCD unlit.

Not enough information on the viewfinder LCD display-no frame count, no metering mode, no exposure mode. More comprehensive in-finder info would help compensate for the unlit top deck LCD.

This camera, like so many consumer Canons, offers lots of features for the price. It's also pleasant to hold, easy to figure out, and offers outstanding functionality among its peers. However, while I can't complain of any compromise in performance as a result, I don't care for Canon's extensive use of polycarbonate in the camera chassis. Nor do I find the Elan 7/7E/30's light weight reassuring. Neither gives the impression of durability, though to be fair none of the Canons I've owned have ever experienced a structural failure related to the use of this engineering plastic.

The 35-zone evaluative meter works fairly well for ambient light and flash with one qualification: that you either use the eye-control feature to place an AF point in the vicinity of the subject or you do so manually. This is crucial because the system weights exposure at the active AF point, so if your subject is at extreme left, but your active focusing point is at the center where the EV is, say, significantly higher, you'll probably end up with an underexposed image. The centerweighted meter works as expected and should prove reliable for those willing to learn or already skilled in its application. The partial meter, however, I find frustrating because of its too-broad (IMHO) coverage as well as lack of precise indication on the viewfinder screen. AF is silent with USM lenses and speedy in bright light. The viewfinder, while commendable across its entire field compared to similar Nikons and Minoltas, is a little on the dim side, offers just adequate eye relief, and, sadly, shows less of the on-film image than the previous Elan II/IIE/50/50E.

Overall, a good little camera that could easily be great with just a few functional enhancements and more metal than plastic in its structure.