Canon 3/30/300

Eid · Aug 1, 2010

Hello everyone,

I've been shooting for 3 years now, using my Pentax K100D, after that an K20D. After some time I switched to a lended Minolta system, and now I need to give it back, so I was thinking of getting myself a Canon 35mm system.

I was wondering does the AF system differ much on autofocusing in dark areas between the 3, 30 and the 300 EOS'es? I don't care about the speed, but the accuracy.

PJL · Aug 1, 2010

I have the Elan 7 (EOS 30). It hunts quite a bit in the dark, unless you use the on-board flash to assist in auto focus, at which point it strobes and causes your subject to go into an epileptic fit. The EOS 300 has the same AF system, so you can expect similar results. When it does finally decide to lock on, it usually gets it right. You can reduce hunt time and increase accuracy in AF by selecting the specific AF point you want to use.

The EOS 3 has the most advanced AF system of the 3, using a 45-point system.

Eid · Aug 1, 2010

That AF lamp helps? I've seen them both on the 3 and the 30, I wonder.

I've been thinking if I should go with the EOS system or the FD now, yes FD doesn't have an AF, but the lenses are much better for the buck, and I could only get an 50mm f1.8 for my budget atm with the EOS.

PJL · Aug 2, 2010

I use both systems, and I really love my Canon AE-1P. I use it extensively for wide-angle work, and as you said lenses are cheap. For telephoto, though, I prefer auto-focus. Since I wear glasses, it's hard for me to see the aperture info on the left side of the viewfinder while keeping my eye completely centered in the viewfinder. This isn't a problem for a 28 or 50mm lens, but for telephotos, I get the problem of half the viewfinder blacking out, which makes precise focusing more difficult. In a lot of ways, I also find the Elan 7 more intuitive to use than the AE-1P, and I do take advantage of the 1/2000 and 1/4000 shutter speeds, which the AE-1 doesn't have, when using high-speed film. Modern shutter design is also less prone to developing problems than the old cloth curtain style. However, I do feel a little more "connected" in some metaphysical sense to my photography when I'm using an older manual focus camera. So there are pluses and minuses to either approach.