EOS 3 or EOS 30v

[akdwivedi]

Hi

I wish to downgrade my current film camera.. But I need some help from you guys.. Given the option to choose between new eos 30V and EOS 3, which one would be a better buy.. the prices for a used eos 3 and eos 30v are almost similar..

regards
Addy

 

[Kit]

Hi

I wish to downgrade my current film camera.. But I need some help from you guys.. Given the option to choose between new eos 30V and EOS 3, which one would be a better buy.. the prices for a used eos 3 and eos 30v are almost similar..

regards
Addy

Are you sure? Last time I checked, a used 3 goes for slightly over 1k while a new 30v goes for $730 at MS colour. Quite a difference if you asked me.

 

[jeff49er]

Hi

I wish to downgrade my current film camera.. But I need some help from you guys.. Given the option to choose between new eos 30V and EOS 3, which one would be a better buy.. the prices for a used eos 3 and eos 30v are almost similar..

regards
Addy

Hey Addy

Take the 30V :thumbsup:

The newly improved 30v shares some qualities of the AF found in the 3 and even the 1v.

Heard that the 33v may be in Sg.

 

[oeyvind]

The newly improved 30v shares some qualities of the AF found in the 3 and even the 1v

7 pts AF vs 45 pts AF same? :dunno:

 

[Ah Pao]

Downgrade from which model?
How much are you willing to spend?
What are your shooting needs?
From you current model, what features are you willing to give up?

Find a balance to the above and you might have a better idea which model to downgrade to.

 

[agape01]

The moment you get one of those things by selling your current cam assuming that it is a 1v, then I would say that it is not worth it.

Tell me, what is stopping the manufacturer from making another pro level film SLR? I'm sure that they would be willing to do it if there is demand for it.

 

[ST1100]

i was going to say it was a no-brainer, but decided to do some homework before shooting my mouth off. Anyway, i did some homework and here are what i think are the key differences:

- EOS 30V has ECF with diopter. EOS 3 has not diopter, which was a real pain for me. Unless you have perfect eyesight, the diop is, IMO, quite important. Esp if you ever use manual focus.

- 30V has no spot meter. This is another (again IMO) very impt feature.

- 30V has ETTL II, the new whiz-bang flash algo that uses subject distance. Canon's flash tends to be a little 'all over the shop' in tricky conditions, so this may prove a worthwhile upgrade.

- 30V has focus-assist, though it is the irritating white one, not the red one. i didn't check, but i believe EOS 3 has greater AF sensitivity without assist. 30V range is 1-18EV. If you AF-assist, using a red light from an external flash is a better idea - doesn't irritate your subjects. If you don't AF-assist, the EOS 3 is the better camera.

- 30V claims (according to Canon Museum) "predictive AF performance equivalent to Canon’s flagship 35mm AF SLR-model EOS-1V", and that its "eye-control function realizes a reduction in response time of approximately 15% compared with the high-end EOS-3, distinguishing the model as the fastest eye-controlled camera in the EOS series." i found the ECF in the EOS 3 to be a joke, but i wear specs, and some folks swear by it (the ECF, not the specs).

i don't think the other differences are impt - fps, etc. One thing not mentioned though: the EOS 3 is pro-build. While the 30V would come with a one year warranty, i think the EOS 3 will last longer and go through more punishing conditions, plus holding a better resale value.

i think you should stick to your 1V unless you're dying to try ECF.

 

[akdwivedi]

Thanks for all your responses.. specially ST1100 for the detailed analysis.. I am using a 1V and was thnking of downgrading it and use the extra cash for a DSLR later sometime.. I have tried the ECF before on my EOS 5 and it works with me all the time.. I loved it.. The reason I was looking at EOS 3 was that the AF mechanism is almost similar to EOS 1V and I wont miss a lot except for the build and weather sealings.. On the other hand the EOS 30V has the newer technology and would stay relevant for a longer time.. I would be shooting slides once in a while only and plan to move to DSLR for most of day to day shootings..

 

[sriram]

I am not recommending anything to you but just sharing my experience:

I used to shoot with some expensive gear and had an EOS-3 at one point in time. It was excellent for what it did. The viewfinder is big and bright, shutter response is superb and focusing is great. However it is one of the noisiest cameras I've used. It's heavy, and the ECF almost never worked for me, though it works well on the 50E and 30 for me.

I downgraded to the EOS-30 because of many reasons. The 30 is incredibly quiet, specially compared to the rifle shot of the EOS-3. It has true mirror lockup and a DOF preview which I use for macro. It has all the flash features of the EOS-3 such as wireless multi-flash setup with ratio control, etc. One important factor was the built in flash. One day when I was shooting macro with the EOS-3 I saw a sunbird 1 foot away and couldn't shoot because there wasn't enough light and my 550EX was far away in the bag. The 30's built in flash would have saved the day.

I expected the longer shutter lag of the 30 would make me miss shots, but no such thing. It's almost as fast as the 3 and *much* faster than the older models like the EOS-50 etc. I haven't found the lack of a spotmeter a hindrance. I make do with the partial meter, and it has given me correct results even when shooting a white lily against a black background on Velvia.

Unfortunately, I was not very happy with the evaluative metering on the either the 3 or the 30. Centre weighted and partial are much more reliable once you get used to how it works. I somehow found the more primitive 6-zone eval meter on my old EOS-50E was much more accurate.

Out of curiosity I did an indoor low light AF test with and without AF-assist (from the 550EX). Without the AF assist both the 3 and 30 struggled equally bad. With the 550EX assist, the 30 seemed to start focusing and acquire focus a little quicker than the 3! I was not sure, so I re-tested this again and again, and this behaviour was consistent.

Hope this helps.

 

[clive]

if u want a real downgrade then go for eos 30

1v->3 not much diff from the way i use it

or downgrade to 1n :thumbsup: u lose high speed sync, ETTL but ergonomics and AF speed wise u lose virturally nothing