Film-Camera Reviews

I've been a many years user of Canon cameras. My latest EOS 630 served me very well for the last 12 years.

Needless to say i was very excited when I got this one. The user interface is very well done. The controls are very easy to use and located in convinient places.

The film advancing motor is very quit, in fact the shutter door sounds much louder then the film advancing.

Build-in flash works very well. The red eye feature is much better than on any other camera, since it doesn't flash the flash light but uses a special bulb for that.

I highly recommend to get 28-135 IS USM lens with it. The image stabilization worth the extra money, since it allows you to take pictures in very low light without flash or tripod.

I didn't found the eye-controlled AF very usefull. It's nice as a toy, but you can live without it.

I read the previous reviews and agree with most everything. This is a great camera that can be easily used by a beginner but has the features wanted by experienced pros.

The one thing I was disapointed in is that it did not say anywhere, until I already purchased the "E" model and read the manual, that the EYE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK IF YOU WEAR CONATCT LENSES. The "E" model was a waste of money for me due to this and that is the reason I gave this camera 4 out of the 5 stars.

I purchased this camera almost a year ago after my old manual Canon was stolen. I was very hesitant to switch to an autofocus/autoexposure system after using a totally manual SLR for a few years. But I have to say that the Elan 7E has totally won me over and is now my favorite camera.

The eye controlled focus works great, it will amaze you. For best results be sure to calibrate it under a variety of circumstances - the more you calibrate it, the more accurate it will be. I love this feature so much - it is definately worth the price difference between the 7 and the 7E. While the regular autofocus is good on it's own, I've discovered that the eye control feature can really be helpful under circumstances that fool the regular autofocus. I leave the eye controlled focus on all the time now.

This is a dependable, fairly rugged camera for serious amateurs or aspiring pros. It has tons of features, half of which I haven't even had the time to experiment with. The controls and the layout of the buttons are well designed and intuitive, and it's comfortable to hold in your hand. My only gripe is that the depth of field preview button is too small and hard to find. I tend to use the DOF preview a lot when shooting macros and I always fumble when I'm trying to find it. I wish the button was either bigger or located on the back of the camera.

Overall this camera is a dream to use and I would totally recommend it to anyone. As for the USM lens that comes with this kit, it covers a good focal distance range and the USM lens are fast at autofocusing and much quieter than others I've tried. I can't comment specifically on this lens as I bought this camera elsewhere and chose different lenses to go with it.

I bought this as my first (and as of now, only) auto-focus SLR. I'm generally pleased with the camera: the metering is fine and it's fairly problem free.

I do have one gripe: low-light focusing. Unless you have an attached flash (I use a 550 Speedlite), low-light focusing is a pain. It doesn't come with a built-in infra-red light for such situations and instead, fires the flash like a strobe. Not exactly inconspicuous.

Other than that, a good camera for more experience amatures like myself.

After living with a manual focus camera for 20 years, I'd splurged and bought myself the Canon Rebel and a couple lenses. I was happy with it, but it lacked some features I was seeking. Enter the Elan 7. Oh my! Once I learned how to use the multiple frame feature, there was no stopping me! I stopped getting so-so shots of my sons in their soccer games, and was getting at least one spot on perfect out of the two or three. This alone makes the camera worth its price for me, but there are other aspects I like as well.

The camera just feels solid to me. My Rebel was lightweight, but I always worried that came with a price. I use my camera often in an active way, hiking in our bluffs, riding my bike through the wetlands and cross country skiing in the rare years we get enough decent snow cover. The camera can handle these kinds of conditions, and I've always had nice photos come back to me. I also appreciate the very high shutter speeds it affords me. I've nearly stopped the action of hovering hummingbirds with this camera, it's that fast. It's also fairly quiet as SLRs go, another plus for those who need that feature. The rewind is almost silent, which helps when I am stalking birds and my film runs out, as it invariably does.

There were a few little glitches in going from the Rebel to the Elan for me. Although they are both EOS cameras, one can't assume that the Elan is just a more expensive Rebel and will operate as such. For one thing, the film counter system is completely reversed. The Rebel counts down, the Elan counts up.
The benefit to this is that I always get 25 exposures with my Elan, whereas 24 was the max with the Rebel. Yes, film is cheap, but it does add up!

Also, the creative controls work differently. I'd become very used to setting the Rebel to under or over expose, and needed to relearn the way to set that with the Elan. On the plus side, with the Elan, there is a setting that will allow for autobracketing, so that you can achieve the same thing with less thought, once you know that setting.

The kit lens was a nice plus as well. My Rebel had 35mm as its widest angle, and the 28mm allows a little more range for me. I've had my Elan now for three years, and I am still learning to take full advantage of all it has to offer. From a camera junkie, that is high praise indeed.

The Elan 7 is an excellent, high quality SLR camera for amateurs, particularly those who are learning more advanced SLR techniques. One of the things I appreciate the most about the Elan 7 is that it switches easily between manual and automatic modes for those times when the amateur needs to have the reliability of an automatic mode. Also, there is a broad range of Canon lenses available for this body which also switch easily from manual to automatic for such occasions. I've found that I've been able to hand my Elan 7 off to others (who can sometimes barely use an automatic 35mm camera) while traveling and still get excellent photographs. On the other hand, the control offered by this camera in manual mode is unparalleled by other consumer SLR cameras such as the EOS.

The Elan 7 is the best SLR I've owned. While I've not owned an EOS, I have used an EOS. I highly recommend spending the extra money for the Elan 7 for those amateurs who strive to test their abilities with the more advanced manual modes. The EOS, however, may make a better "first" SLR camera for those who are trying SLR photography for the first time.

I bought this as my first (and as of now, only) auto-focus SLR. I'm generally pleased with the camera: the metering is fine and it's fairly problem free.

I do have one gripe: low-light focusing. Unless you have an attached flash (I use a 550 Speedlite), low-light focusing is a pain. It doesn't come with a built-in infra-red light for such situations and instead, fires the flash like a strobe. Not exactly inconspicuous.

Other than that, a good camera for more experience amatures like myself.

After living with a manual focus camera for 20 years, I'd splurged and bought myself the Canon Rebel and a couple lenses. I was happy with it, but it lacked some features I was seeking. Enter the Elan 7. Oh my! Once I learned how to use the multiple frame feature, there was no stopping me! I stopped getting so-so shots of my sons in their soccer games, and was getting at least one spot on perfect out of the two or three. This alone makes the camera worth its price for me, but there are other aspects I like as well.

The camera just feels solid to me. My Rebel was lightweight, but I always worried that came with a price. I use my camera often in an active way, hiking in our bluffs, riding my bike through the wetlands and cross country skiing in the rare years we get enough decent snow cover. The camera can handle these kinds of conditions, and I've always had nice photos come back to me. I also appreciate the very high shutter speeds it affords me. I've nearly stopped the action of hovering hummingbirds with this camera, it's that fast. It's also fairly quiet as SLRs go, another plus for those who need that feature. The rewind is almost silent, which helps when I am stalking birds and my film runs out, as it invariably does.

There were a few little glitches in going from the Rebel to the Elan for me. Although they are both EOS cameras, one can't assume that the Elan is just a more expensive Rebel and will operate as such. For one thing, the film counter system is completely reversed. The Rebel counts down, the Elan counts up.
The benefit to this is that I always get 25 exposures with my Elan, whereas 24 was the max with the Rebel. Yes, film is cheap, but it does add up!

Also, the creative controls work differently. I'd become very used to setting the Rebel to under or over expose, and needed to relearn the way to set that with the Elan. On the plus side, with the Elan, there is a setting that will allow for autobracketing, so that you can achieve the same thing with less thought, once you know that setting.

The kit lens was a nice plus as well. My Rebel had 35mm as its widest angle, and the 28mm allows a little more range for me. I've had my Elan now for three years, and I am still learning to take full advantage of all it has to offer. From a camera junkie, that is high praise indeed.

The Elan 7 is an excellent, high quality SLR camera for amateurs, particularly those who are learning more advanced SLR techniques. One of the things I appreciate the most about the Elan 7 is that it switches easily between manual and automatic modes for those times when the amateur needs to have the reliability of an automatic mode. Also, there is a broad range of Canon lenses available for this body which also switch easily from manual to automatic for such occasions. I've found that I've been able to hand my Elan 7 off to others (who can sometimes barely use an automatic 35mm camera) while traveling and still get excellent photographs. On the other hand, the control offered by this camera in manual mode is unparalleled by other consumer SLR cameras such as the EOS.

The Elan 7 is the best SLR I've owned. While I've not owned an EOS, I have used an EOS. I highly recommend spending the extra money for the Elan 7 for those amateurs who strive to test their abilities with the more advanced manual modes. The EOS, however, may make a better "first" SLR camera for those who are trying SLR photography for the first time.

I have to say I am completely disappointed with this product. I purchased it from Best Buy the day before I left for a trip to Utah. The first roll: it stopped taking pictures after the 17th one. I had to put in a new roll. The second roll: it stopped functioning after the 22nd picture. I was devastated. I developed the pictures and most of them have red eyes, and the quality is horrible. I am shocked that this product passed Canon's quality controls. I have another Canon camera that I am crazy about. I have returned the new one; I wish I had read the reviews on Amazon.com before buying it. Trust me...DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA!

I bought the Z3 because of its extremely compact size and basic ease of use. I previously owned one of the higher-end Olympus Stylus cameras and found its performance 100% excellent, but too bulky to carry around. When it finally broke down (my fault, unfortunately) I bought this camera hoping to replace the other with one equally as good. I am here to tell you that the quality of pictures I have gotten so far from the camera is quite poor. If a subject (particularly, but not limited to, people) is more than five feet away the picture is without exception blurry and poorly lit. I am very disappointed with the camera, although in all other senses (e.g. film loading, size, and good looks) it is fine. However, since the photographs are the most important factors in a customer's satisfaction level, and indeed, the reason WHY we buy cameras... the Canon Elph Z3 is a bad deal and I wouldn't recommend it unless you needed a camera on the side for quick pictures. I carry it in my purse at all times (it is very tiny) which is convenient, I admit, for those Kodak (excuse me... Canon) moments you would have missed otherwise. But if you want great pictures, run screaming and tell your mom what the Canon company told you about the camera. Isn't it sad when companies market products that don't live up to their descriptions?

I'm not sure what has caused people to complain so much about this camera, it is the best I have ever owned and believe me, I KNOW cameras! I've taken hundreds of pictures (literally) and have competed in several shows with great results. And I tell you, Canon Elph is a tiny camera that packs a punch!

I bought this camera two years ago for a trip to Europe. I wanted to have something small with special features. The zoom, panoramic, dates and special subject lines, easy load small film, etc. I was TOTALLY impressed!

I took 30 rolls of film in rapid succession, within a period of 3 weeks. I didn't develop any of the film while in Europe, and even after ALL of my film, exposed and unexposed, passed through all the metal detectors of different airports, palaces, etc. it had FANTASTIC quality! In fact, the pictures of me are some of the best ever taken, other than some childhood shots and my high school senior pictures taken by a professional! These Elph pictures, held next to 35mm pictures from both my old Pentax and my Canon manual professional camera, were not any different. Mixed up, no one could tell which pictures were taken by what camera!

I loved how the film was just drop and load. It was harder to get dirty or install wrong and IMPOSSIBLE to accidentally expose to light. NOT so with my old Pentax 35 MM autofocus camera! Plus, the neat thing with Advantix film is that you can take a few pictures, rewind the film, load a new roll for different types of pictures, rewind that and load the other roll of film only partially used! With this feature, I was able to keep castles on one roll, statues on another, paintings on yet another roll!
The camera was dropped more than once, nothing broke! The metal corner bent (that's how bad the fall was) and the picture quality was not affected at all! The sliding face wasn't a problem for me to get used to, just don't slide it fast! Slide it just a little ways back towards the lens when you want to shut it off and it will recede back into the camera then you can close it fully.

I have now used this camera often for the last two years, including a family reunion. Every picture has been great (except the ones I personally messed up like not turning on the flash when needed) and I have recommended it to my friends. Nothing has been grainy, no red eye, nothing! Everything has been clear and bright! Just remember to use 400 or higher speed film, 200 and 100 definitely reduce the picture quality. I used Kodak and tried to get MAX, not regular.

I hope to join an art study program and go back to Europe next summer. The Elph will definitely be going along! Cute and functional!

This camera went with me on several vacations and has survived the elements, including a good thrashing against rocks in Class 4 Rapids. The pictures came out great, though the lense did fog up a bit on a few occasions. The underwater shots with flash came out much nicer than those I'd previously taken with another camera costing double. The sharp focus on a foreground object can be amazing, I took the most amazing photo on an eagle in flight. It looked as though the eagle was still but the background was moving. Drawbacks are in design: sometimes when you give the camera to someone else to take a photo they turn it the wrong way a shoot a pic of their face. Sounds stupid, but the front doesn't protrude much and it has happened too many times. People tend to grab the camera in such a way that their fingers get prints on the lense as well. Also, it is easy to get your fingers in the way of the lense. Improvements would include a lense cap and ZOOM, if possible.

My camera has really stood up to the elements and multiple beatings. It has worked well for me taking pictures underwater and in the surf, and has also been to the top of multiple 20,000+ feet mountains. Dropped countless times on rock, snow, sand, and also dunked as much into water. I have learned to force the flash on anything but super sunny days - the pics come out a bit dark in conditions other cameras would have no problem with, and i've found it could really use a filter in intense light situations. Nothing you wouldn't expect from a specialty use camera. Just bought a second spare one for when the first one finally does give up - which i don't think will be for a long time.
Good camera and good value!

If you are considering buying an APS camera, then you should look no further. Note, however, that APS film is a bit more expensive than regular 35mm film, but it is much more versatile (standard Normal, Group, and Panoramic modes, etc). The reason why this camera so great is most obviously its design. The case is waterproof as well as shockproof. After taking it with me hiking, I tripped three times, each time with the camera in my hand (in its little case), and showed no signs of damage, and still worked great underwater. For me, this is great, as I usually end up losing things in my messy room, and hence they usually get banged around. This camera is durable, and therefore there is no worry. Its waterproofing is great feature, as I am constantly taking pictures on my boat, at the beach, or outside where there is always the chance of rain. You don't have to worry about keeping your camera dry, nor does it become a problem if you leave you bag with the camera in it someplace where it might accidentally get wet. The design is extremely easy to use, and the pictures are great (use 400 speed film, its the most versatile). The only bad thing is that you have to fairly responsible about cleaning the camera after salt-water use. Now, I have never done this, and the camera still works fine. Furthermore, this thing is tiny, suprisingly smaller than the most compact 35mm's. You'll be suprised at how small it is (it's not too small though). It also has bumps on the back to help you grip the camera with one hand. To anyone who is concerned about zoom, on most compact camera, APS or 35mm, they barely make that much of a difference. And to anyone considering going digital, I say just get a scanner. Your picture quality will be much better. Recommended without reservation. Its the kind of camera you can just throw in your bag and never have to worry about. One last thing, when you first put it underwater, you will see bubbles coming out. I was concerned, but found out it was just air on the outside of the waterproofing.

I've been using the Canon Elph 370z for almost 2 years, having taken and exposed around 300 pictures. Here are the strengths of this camera:
1. You no more yell out "I AM A TOURIST" by having your camera hanging from your neck or arm; keep it in your pocket.
2. Group pictures come out GREAT with the panoramic feature.
3. The picture quality is also great for a point-and-shoot camera, especially when a 400 film is used.
4. The battery will let you down only after you take at least 200 pictures.
5. The 3x zoom function is MORE than enough for the average amature photographer.
6. The digital display shows only what you really need to know.
7. The flash is not the strongest you'll ever see in a compact camera, but it does its job.
8. The "red-eye-reduction" function will substantially reduce the red eye phenomenonon, and may even elliminate it. If you keep the button half-pressed for a couple of seconds, you should have no red eyes in any of your pictures.

The camera DOES have some weak spots, too.
1. The "slider", which turns the camera on and off, also retracts the flash light. When you first attempt to turn this camera on, it comes natural that you try to move the slider with your thumb. By doing so, you place your index finger on the flash, thus preventing it from coming out. With one finger you try to open the camera, with the other you make sure you keep it shut! I could not turn on the camera the first time, I thought it was broken. Other people who used my camera also did the exact same thing. I just have to open the camera myself before giving it to somebody else.
2. The shutter actually operates quite some time after the button is pressed. I quickly became aware of this, so I just keep a steady hand until I hear the shutter closing. But some people think that the picture is taken at the moment the button is pressed. The relatively long time between the button "click" and the shutter "click" resulted in some blurry pictures.
3. The camera is really small, and the fingers of the operator can get in front any of the sensors or the flash, resulting in dark or unfocused pictures.

All of the above conditions happened only a couple of times and only when the camera was used by somebody other than me.

I suggest that you buy this camera if it will be mostly YOU that will operate it. You will soon learn how to by-pass these minor problems and make the best out of the camera. Once you learn how to avoid the little traps, you can take very good pictures. However, if you know that random people may operate this camera (say... in a party), be prepared for just a few "not-so-good" exposures.

I bought the Canon Elph 370Z in 2000. After 3 years of heavy use the camera had to go in for servicing last summer because an error message (H) had appeared in the LED. The cost for repairs was about 1/3 of the original price. Several months later the same thing reoccurred and Canon fixed it free of charge. This is the first camera that I've ever had repaired. All my previous cameras have also eventually broke down from use. But this is the only one that I liked enough to have fixed. Photo quality is excellent considering the size of the camera, plus the convenience of APS. The quality of the camera is very good, too.

If you want a point and shoot camera that you can carry in your bag or throw in a shirt pocket so that its always available, then this may be the best camera for you. While its not deep on features, it has the ones that are most important for convenience: a decent flash, 3x zoom (better for wide angle shots than telephoto closeups), and APS film.

Make no mistake, you do not get the flexibility (shutter speed, apeture, optional lenses, external flashes, white balance) that SLRs and more expensive camera can offer, but what you do get is not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes (that's not politically correct, is it?).

I looked at a pretty broad set of cameras, including the other ELPH cameras, before selecting this one because I liked the zoon range and the size of the camera. I was pleasantly impressed by surprisingly good picture quality, and my wife can testify to its extreme ease of use. This ELPH is all about size, convenience, and simplicity. If that's what you want then buy it.

I've just started scanning film, and after setup, this scanner is very simple to operate. However, if you are either inexperienced with installing hardware and/or software, or are looking to scan slides, I would suggest a different scanner. Personally, I believe a flatbed with a film scanning adapter is comprable in quality.

I do have Windows 2000, and managed to get this scanner working on it, although it claims it doesn't have the components to install the driver on my OS. But that's definitely not something you want to deal with, if you can help it.

You need to have photo editing software to adjust the scans properly. It sometimes has the tendency to turn out a little orange.

Software included: Acquisition program, Adobe Photoshop Limited Edition (an extremely LIMITED edition), Presto! PhotoAlbum, Presto! Mr. Photo (basically, to arrange your personal photos- I did not install them, so cannot recommend).

Good product (3 stars) but no driver available for use with Windows XP. I found this out when I moved from a Windows '98 system to an XP system. Planned obsolescence from our friends at Canon.

I have had this scanner for a year adn a half and have put nearly 5000 slides through it. I am happy with the overall quality of the scans for what I paid for this. I use this as a proofing tool-- I only get my negatives developed (when I shoot prints) and then scan them to proof them. Or if I shoot slides and want to put them on the internet or retouch them. The scanner will make up to an 8x12 at 400dpi. which is okay. Again you must look at what you are paying. The neat scratch removing features that the upper models have would be nice but again repeating for the price this is a great little scanner. I have been happy. I even got it to work in XP but it did take some research. Info for installing in XP or 2000 can be found [online.]