Best Camera for $300

[usayit]

Make sure you are considering speeds of the cards. The 1gig card my camera came with is twice as slow as the 8 gig ultra that I bought.

Speed of the card is a consideration but don't go overboard and pay a premium for the fastest cards. The Rebel's write speeds are not "that" fast. As for size, I prefer smaller cards depending on the size of the RAW files produced. Why? Cheaper and most importantly, I'd rather loose 1 or 2 gig of files rather than 8gig in the event of loss or damage.

I looked up specs and the 1v(Film) compares to(IMHO) the 1ds(Digital).

Would you say the Elan is relatively close to the 5d?

The 1vHS (1v + High Speed 10fps grip) is practically a film twin of the 1d and 1ds cameras. Similar AF performance, metering, build quality, and same controls. You can switch between the 1v and the 1d(s) without having to do a mental switch on their operation. The Elan is probably a tiny step better than the rebels but I'd still say the over quality/performance of the 5D is much better than the Elan Film cameras. Before Canon reduced its film line, there was actually another camera body that was a closer film twin to the 5D. It was called the "EOS-3". If you are considering a high end film camera, a used EOS-3 or or EOS A2 are excellent choices. Of course the 1v is available but they are still relatively pricey.

I never really was a fan of the feel of the Rebel line both film and digital. One of my favorite cameras (control layout and function) was the Canon Elan II(e). It was my first EOS camera body and I still have it to this day. I kinda wish Canon would bring back the dual rotating dial layout... so much easier and quicker to change settings than the cameras they produce today.