Canon EOS 50 E

Having read a number of ‘reviews’ by my fellow Ciao members of Digital cameras – of varying quality – it got me thinking about a cheaper alternative. A Good old fashioned REAL Camera. That is not meant to decry the fact that there are now many top quality Digital cameras with all kinds of super functions, but the bottom line is, the vast majority still cannot hold a candle to the image quality produced by even a medium range 35mm SLR. Ah, I hear you shout “What the hell is an SLR?” SLR = Single Lens Reflex – meaning basically that when you look through the camera viewfinder, you are looking ... more

The 50E is an old fashioned Single Lens Reflex camera (that's look through the lens to you and me) which has been around for 5+ years now. It is know as the Rebel in the US and other countries but is basically the same. The camera would be an excellent budget buy for a beginner, or a good second hand buy for those wanting a cheaper option or second camera. It can come with a range of lenses - depends on package/store. I bought this with a 35-80mm Canon USM lens and later bought a 35-300mm Tamron lens to enable all shots from one lens. Reliability ------------- Had this for years now with not a ... more

I purchased my 50e new several years ago with a Canon 28-80 zoom lens as a replacement for a fully manual Practica SLR. One of the main selling points at the time was the eye controlled auto focus. This enables the camera to sense which of three focus points your eye is looking at and focus accordingly. The eye-control works extremely well and operates with the camera in the horizontal or vertical position. Once calibrated to your eye it is usually quicker than manually selecting a focus point. A depth of field preview can also be activated using eye control by looking at a small square in the ... more

The EOS 50e, also known as the Elan IIe, is often overlooked in favor of newer models. However, after many years this camera has not even begun to show its age. Anyone considering making the leap from compact to SLR should search for this gem. The 50e is most often sold with the standard Canon 28-80mm lense and the usual accessories, and that's what I ended up with. Features include all the expected Canon goodies, with 3-point focusing being the only feature that falls short of today's standards. The controls are perfect - the dual wheels for controlling aperature and speed are placed ... more

I have used this camera for 2 years as a semi-pro photographer. I went to a residential course last year and had perfect exposures in all 36 transparencies of 10 films (unlike some of the students with > £1000 cameras). I cannot recommend this camera enough for anyone who is considered taking up photography seriously. The eye-control focus is very easy to use and very helpful (if for speed of focusing only.) It has all the features I think you need in a modern camera (although spot metering would be helpful). The bad side of the camera has to be the evaluative metering. It really is s**t ... more