420EX with a EOS 3 and EOS Elan 7E

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Hello out there.

I am thinking about replacing my 650 with either the EOS 3 or the Elan 7E. I would prefer to not have to replace my flash since I am very pleased with my 420EZ. Does anyone know if the older 420EX will still work with the EOS3 and the Elan 7E?

Also, as I am still on the fence between the 3 and the 7E, I would appriciate any input anyone can give about these two cameras that might influence my decision.

Thank you very much,

Jonathan A. Papillo

-- Jonathan A. Papillo (papillo-j@erols.com), November 25, 2001

Answers

Yes, the old 420EZ will fine, but only in A-TTL or TTL mode. E-TTL mode will not be available. The AF assist light only covers the center AF sensor, so you'll need to disable the surrounding sensors when it gets dark. However, you should be able to set flash exposure compensation from both camera bodies (the flash lacks these controls). I own both the EOS 3 and the Elan 7E. There's both fine cameras but have individual strengths and weaknesses. The main advantage of the Elan 7E is it's small size and lightness, making it ideal for travel, hiking, etc. Of course, this also makes feel toy-like. It's almost silent in operation. The EOS 3 feels and performs as a precision photographic tool. It feels good in your hand. If you're picky and need to be in control, this is the lightbox to own. It has better AF and exposure systems, a steeper learning curve, is sealed and built to take rough treatment. It's also Canon's loudest camera! I wrote short reviews of both cameras:

http:// alaike.lcc.hawaii.edu/frary/toolbox.htm



-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), November 25, 2001.

As Puppy Face said, the 420EZ will work fine on both the 3 and 7E and you will also gain flash exposure compensation (FEC). You may still want to upgrade the flash to an EX series just to get things like Flash Exposure Lock (FEC) and high speed sync (FP Flash) for daylight fill flash. The flash metering is also a bit better at times with the E-TTL capable EX's.

I've owned a couple of 650's and while they were a great camera in their day, either the 3 or the 7E are a big step up in autofocusing speed. They are also easier to operate & use than the 650 (especially the 7E), but since you are used to the 650 there will be some re-learning to do.

-- Jim Strutz (j.strutz@gci.net), November 25, 2001.


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