I just bought a canon eos 888 camera kit for $300at a local camera shop. I don't know too much about cameras but need a good photo of my cat for a magizine ad. I havn't seen this camera selling on the net or listed on the canon web site. have I been taken.?

-- howard Walker (howard849@aol.com), March 06, 1999

Answers

It's not a US EOS model. I think the 888 is sold only in the Asian market, so someone (other than Canon) imported it to the US. I think it's the equivalent of one of the Rebel models, but there are now so many of them, I've lost track of which is which!

-- Bob Atkins (bobatkins@hotmail.com), March 10, 1999.

It is actually the EOS5000 marketed as EOS 888 in the Asian market (except Japan). So is the latest EOS 88. Incidentally, "888" sounds like "prosper-prosper-prosper" in Cantonese (a popular Chinese dialect). Probably the reason the name given. I remember it being launched during the Chinese New Year period. Some info on the cameras can be found at http://www.canon.com.sg/ http://www.canon.co.jp/camera-museum/fifth1/f5-1-eos-5000.html

Personally, I will go for the better EOS500N. The EOS888 does not have Aperture Priority.

-- Loh Koah Fong (kfloh@ntu.edu.sg), March 23, 1999.

I too have an EOS 888 (also known as the EOS 5000 outside of Asia). This camera is no longer in production and has been replaced by the EOS 88 (3000 outside Asia) in 1999 (if my memory serves me right). It is a fairly good camera and capable of taking as good pictures as any other EOS. The only drawback is that it has no manual mode. Manual mode comes in handy when you want to control the exposure yourself. But for general photography, the 888 has all the features you will ever need. However if you wish to advance into photography the you will need a camera with a manual mode. The popular selling (in the 80s) AE-1 Program has the same features as the 888 but with the addition of manual exposure but does not have the PIC (portrait, landscape, sports etc) modes the 888 has which are great for a beginning photographer. I would suggest a shoe mounted flash since the 888's built in flash is really lacking in range (it has a range of about 3 meters on ASA 100 film with on f4). Just take care to purchase a dedicated flash that will work for EOS . Vivitar, Sigma and Sunpak (as well as Canon) make flash units that are inexpensive. Choose a unit that provides the flash range you need. The more powerful the unit, the greater the range. Stay away from small units which are just slightly more powerful than the built-in flash you have on your 888. In the Philippines where I live, the 888 is still being sold in stores and in the Canon Shop.

-- Ramon Jalandoni (jrj@pacific.net.ph), January 02, 2001.

I just also bought the same eos model here in the philippines. Its easy to use and take good pictures, just make sure that you use the right program mode in a particular subject or you may switch to shutter priority to manipulate the aperture. The built in flash is good at 3 meters and in portrait mode. If you are just a beginning photographer, you will appreciate its program modes. Use 28 to 105 mm ef lens-very good on close ups

-- louie chaneco (chaneco@hotmail.com), January 08, 2001.

Hello Again, I contributed a short artcile (if yo may call it that) for the 888 last Jan. 2. Since then I have grown to love the 888 more than my other cameras (I now hat 17 in all). I never thought it would stand up to rough use but it recently fell from a 5 foot high table down to a cement floor!!!!! I thought the camera was a gonner but to my surprise, everthing functioned perfectly with no damage at all to the 888. Talk about durability!!!!! Thanks!!!!

-- Ramon Jalandoni (jrj@pacific.net.ph), February 11, 2001.