I am looking to but a new camera and am thinking of buying one of the following: Canon Eos Elan 7E,Eos A2, or a Nikon N90, N80. Which is the best camera with the best usable features for the value and cost?

-- Karl Brozyna (kbrozyna@yahoo.com), April 29, 2001

Answers

Well, since you are asking this on a Canon forum, you will probably only get Canon biased advice. Of course if you have also asked on a Nikon forum, I suspect the answers there would go the other way.

The N90 and A2 are both old designs. The Nikon costs more and has a better flash metering system. The A2e has eye controlled focus and is quieter. Otherwise they are quite similar in features & both have spot meters. I wouldn't buy either. They are dated products. But they are about equal except when it comes to price.

The N80 and Elan 7e are priced about the same. Again the Canon adds eye control, but this time it really works great & fast. The canon has a better/faster auto focus system even without the eye control, but with it, it's a killer. The new Canon flash system is probably the equal of Nikon's 3D system and works with all Canon lenses, unlike the Nikon system. The N80 has a true spot meter while the Elan 7e has partial area metering. The Elan 7 also has several other neat features not found on the N80, and it's even quieter than the A2.

You also have to consider you're buying into a system, not just a camera body. They both have an extensive number of lenses. Some are cheap, some are good and some are a little of each. Canon offers better autofocusing with the lens motors being built into the lenses. This becomes noticeable when using lenses with real USM motors in them (not the cheap micro USM in the 28-80/90 or the 75- 300). With real USM you get Full Time Manual (FTM) focusing. A great feature that Nikon is just now putting into some of it's top of the line glass. Unless you can afford the most expensive stuff that Nikon offers, Canon is a better deal.

Canon also has Image Stabilization (IS) in many lenses. This allows you to hand hold the camera in much darker situations than before. Again, Nikon is just now coming out with a new 100-400mm Vibration Reduction (VR) lens. Unfortunately at $1600 it's a bit overpriced for it's image quality. Canon's 100-400 USM IS lens is sharper and much faster focusing, as well as $100 less expensive.

One of the best reasons to buy a Nikon is to be able to use some of the great older manual focus Nikor lenses for less money than the newer AF lenses. Unfortunately the N80 won't meter at all with them. The N90s will though.

So there you have it, a thoroughly biased Canon over Nikon opinion.

-- Jim Strutz (jimstrutz@juno.com), April 30, 2001.

Jim Strutz wrote: So there you have it, a thoroughly biased Canon over Nikon opinion.

I second every word of it, too. To expand a bit on Jim's old Nikon lens owner theory: You have to own them to fully utilize Nikon's line of thinking regarding their really nice and really sharp (that's from a *CANON 'TIL I DIE* guy) old Nikkors on the newer AF bodies. But they are old and if you don't have any, what's the point? I went through the same dilemma. I didn't have any old Nikkors, so why buy Nikon AF bodies for MF lenses I didn't have? I bought Canon...

The 7e is wonderful, but B&H is sold out at the moment. The EOS3 has come down over $850 since release. Now only $805 after $75 rebate. Interested? :)

-- Colin Miller (ckmiller@pond.net), April 30, 2001.

I also go with the Canon guys. I sell both Nikon and Canon and I have to admit while Nikon does have some nice stuff, Canon's Elan 7 is better than the N80 both in value and features. In fact, it is unfair to compare the Elan 7 to the N80 because it has more features, but the prices are so close that most people do make the comparison and unless they are die hard Nikon fans, opt for the Canon. (At least in my store.) Both the N90 and the A2 are super cameras, just long in the tooth as far as features and software. Both will take excellent photos and will last a long time. They will be classics in their own right. But you can get a better, well made camera for less than what you would pay for them new today. Usable features -- I find that people have different opinions for what is usable. I tell them to look for dependability, ease of use, available accessories, and quality of the lenses. Both Nikon and Canon are tops in these areas so its now a matter of choice. Either way you can't go wrong.

Good Luck.

-- Marcus J. Wilson Sr. (marcus.wilson@dtra.mil), April 30, 2001.

Thank you everyone for the prompt postings. I have narrowed my choices between getting the canon eos elan 7e and the nikon n80. My only concern about these two cameras that has been bothering me is the metering systems between these two products. I personally have been leaning towards getting the Canon system however I would like to have some feedback about the two systems. I want to know how much inferior the canon metering sytem is if any, and how much of a concern I should have with this and the metering accuracy. Any information regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

-- Karl Brozyna (kbrozyna@yahoo.com), April 30, 2001.

Why would you think that the Elan 7e has an inferior metering system? On the older EOS cameras (A2, etc.) the Nikon flash metering system was better, but not any more. The N80 has a spot meter compared to the Canon's partial meter but that's it's only advantage. When using the usual metering; Canon's Evaluative or Nikon's Matrix, I don't believe you will see an advantage to either.

-- Jim Strutz (jimstrutz@juno.com), May 01, 2001.

Nikon user here.

Between the N80 & the Elan 7/e, I'd go with the Elan 7. The N80 gives you none of the advantages of going with the Nikon system -- won't meter with older lenses (or even extension tubes), and the viewfinder kind of stinks (dim, no great shakes for eyepoint).

The N80 doesn't seem to be junk, but it doesn't seem to be a good deal to me.

-- John O'Connell (boywonderiloveyou@hotmail.com), May 01, 2001.

Thank You for all of your postings. I have decided to buy the Canon Eos Elan 7E since the benefits of this camera far out way the N80's. I do not own any Nikon lenses and therefore not concerened abut switching systems. The Canon EOS-A2 seems very intersting but my budget at the time is keeping me in the $600-$700 range, maybe in the future I will upgrade from the 7e or go into the medium format category altogether. I am excited about this sytem since it will be my first autofocus system.

Thanks

Karl Brozyna

-- Karl Brozyna (kbrozyna@yahoo.com), May 01, 2001.