The third in the Elan series of semi-professional cameras released by Canon and the direct successors to the original EOS 650, but why not call it the Elan III? Well, that’s because Canon makes weird choices with their camera names. In the case of the Elan 7, the number seven has nothing to do with the number of models but rather the seven focus points in the new AF module installed in the camera. Unlike my previous Elan camera, the IIe, the Elan 7 I’ll feature in the review is the model without eye control. But the difference between the IIe and the 7 is night and day; with a sleek black build and far more metal in the construction than the previous model, it is a far more reliable and robust camera and certainly is a high-water mark at the end of the 35mm era.
Camera Specifications
Manufacturer: Canon
Model: EOS Elan 7
Alternate Names: EOS 33 (Europe)
Type: Single Lens Reflex
Format: 135 (35mm), 24x36mm
Lens: Interchangeable, Canon EF-Mount
Shutter: Metal Vertical Travel Focal Plane Shutter, 30s – 1/4000s + Bulb
Meter: TTL 35-Zone SPD Sensor, EV1 ~ EV20 @ ASA-100, ASA-6 – ASA-6400
Autofocus: TTL-SIR CMOS Sensor, 7-Point, EV1 ~ EV18 @ ASA-100
Dimensions (WxHxD): 146.7x103x69mm
Weight: 580g (Body Only, No Batteries)
Power Source: 2x CR123A Batteries, 4x AA Batteries with the BP-300 grip
Year of Manufacture: 2000-2004
Background
Founded in 1933 as Seiki K.K., the company aimed to produce a high-quality precision 35mm rangefinder in Japan. The company purchased a Leitz Leica II rangefinder, disassembled, studied and built a prototype in 1934. Not a perfect copy, with enough differences to keep legal issues at bay, the production copy, the Hansa Canon, and later the Canon, hit the markets in the mid-1930s. Initially released with Nikkor lenses, these were replaced with Seiki-made optics by 1937. Rangefinders were the standard for Canon (renamed in 1947) through the mid-century. In 1959, Canon released its first SLR, the Canoflex, a fully system camera with interchangeable lenses based around a breachlock bayonet system called the R-Mount. The R-Mount would be modified twice and, in 1971, became the FD-Mount. Canon would cautiously approach autofocus after the release of the Minolta Maxxum 7000 in 1985. While they had already produced an autofocus point-and-shoot in 1985, the Canon AL-1 added a unique ‘quick focus’ or ‘focus assist’ system. A trio of CCD sensors and an especially etched mirror can help the photographer know when a single point of the image is in focus using indicators in the viewfinder. The system developed for the AL-1 was ported over to the T80, the first autofocus SLR from Canon; the lenses used internal motors and electronic contacts to use the quick focus system and then set the focus. The lens mount, officially called the AC-Mount, is just a modified FD-Mount. The T80 lasted only a short time because, in 1987, Canon introduced the Electro-Optical-System, or EOS, with the initial camera being the EOS 650. The 650, aimed at the advanced consumer market, did away with any mechanical linkage between the camera and the lens; everything done through electronic impulses, and each lens had a built-in focusing motor. The 650 proved successful and launched a long series of cameras; Canon discontinued the 650 in 1989.
In 1989, Canon replaced its flagship New F-1, with the EOS-1, a professional camera body in the new EF-Mount and EOS architecture; the EOS-1 added an improved autofocus module and, more importantly, added a second quick access or thumbwheel, to help make adjustments easier for professional photographers on the film door back. Further autofocus improvements went into the EOS 10s, which also added a unique module. The EOS 10s used a barcode system, where you would buy a reader and a booklet that allowed you to scan in the setting for a difficult photography situation, like a back-lit portrait, and the reader would pass that information onto the camera and make the needed adjustment. When 1991’s EOS Elan (EOS 100) hit the market, it featured the new autofocus module, barcode reader from the EOS 10s, and the quick access thumbwheel of the EOS-1: these additional features but the Elan directly in the market segment for the advanced consumer and semi-pro photographers. Canon developed a new five-point autofocus sensor, which went into 1992’s Canon EOS A2; they also produced a new focus assist system called eye focus, where the photographer would look at the focus point they wanted the camera to focus on; this appeared on the A2e, a variant of the A2.
In 1995, Canon released the successor model of the Elan, the Elan II. The Elan II featured a new body style and a five-point autofocus sensor. They also released the Elan IIe, a variant of the II but with an improved second-generation eye focus system. The new camera was smaller and lighter than the original Elan but continued to be aimed at the advanced consumer market segment. The new eye focus module also worked better in both portrait and landscape modes and could store two different calibrations for those who worked with and without glasses. But the Elan II(e) suffered from build quality, especially around the battery compartment; it would lose connection if you didn’t get a properly sized 2CR5. It was not until 2000 that a replacement came along; the Canon Elan 7 completely revamped the idea of a semi-pro SLR. The name Elan 7 came from the new 7-point CMOS-based autofocus sensor, and it was the first camera to use the new module. It also carried the ability to use predictive focus, a similar system found in the professional level EOS-1v: a new 35-segment lightmeter and plenty of other custom functions and capabilities. The Elan 7e added a new generation of eye focus control with the ability to store five calibrations. The new camera body featured more aluminium in the frame and body panels for a robust build quality that did not add too much extra weight. The Elan 7 proved instantly popular and when a new lightmeter and flash system came out in 2004 for the EOS 10D, the Elan 7n and 7ne added that module for a minor update without changing the body style or structure.
Impressions
Canon did their homework when designing the Elan 7, a giant leap forward compared to the Elan II. It’s a sleeker design that fits with the modern design choices of Canon SLRs—an all-black design with clean lines and good control surfaces. Thanks to a stronger internal frame, the camera is much heavier than it appears. Despite this, Canon did leave the door latch as a plastic nub that could break. You can also see the design evolution from the IIe to the 7, as both share a similar body shape and style, but the 7 has a much sleeker appearance. The controls are clean and well laid out, and the angled shutter release and the primary control wheel are well-placed and give excellent feedback. The rear thumbwheel is also well-placed, allowing you to operate without taking your eye off the viewfinder. The single control dial for all the functions is again well placed, with an excellent safety lock, and again provides good feedback. All your controls are visible, with nothing hidden behind doors. However, there are some cases where you have to push buttons multiple times to access some functions that could have been better suited to having a separate control, mainly the ISO. Still, at least the metering mode is a separate button. Honestly, this camera does not need to have the optional BP-300 battery grip, and I’m hoping to run it that way for some time, but I will eventually invest in one because I like that chunkier look and feel to my cameras.
Experiences
The Elan 7 is a photographer’s camera, and if you have any experience with any modern Canon SLR, both 35mm and Digital formats, you’ll be able to use the Elan 7 out of the box. You can load film, mount a lens, set the exposure modes, and shoot a roll. The design and layout are intuitive and familiar; the viewfinder is big and bright and displays enough information to make it easy to keep your eye on the finder. Loading film is easy, although I would be gentle with the film door as if you break it, you will remove the connection to the controls on the back and, yes, even the latch. The autofocus is fast, no matter the lens you have mounted and is nearly silent, and you have plenty of modes to choose from. For the most part, I stick to a single focus point, but I have tried out both the AI Focus and AI Servo focus modes, which are lightning-fast and act faster in tracking objects than the eye-focus did on my IIe. And did it all without an annoying setup. The metering is also superb; even shooting a hard film like Harman Phoenix, the camera didn’t miss exposure, and the only limits were that of the film itself. While heavier than the IIe, the camera is easily carried with a well-contoured grip, making it comfortable in my hands and not taking up too much space, allowing for more film and lenses. The best part is that with the 40mm f/2.8 STM lens, you could easily fit the camera in a large pocket as it does not protrude past the pentaprism. Some of the troubles I’ve had are that I accidentally set an EV adjustment without knowing it, and it took a while to figure out what I did and how to fix it. And that’s the trouble with the Elan 7 and other contemporary cameras, which is that for more custom settings and such, you do need to read the manual. Thankfully, I was able to fix it and promptly turned the thumbwheel off to prevent it from happening again. One of the excellent extra functions is the ability to rewind the film and have the leader left out, which, as a home developer, is a lovely bonus. The Elan 7 is an easy-to-use camera that delivers results with minimal effort, a transparent camera, so to speak.
Optics
If the lens is an EF-Mount it will work on your Elan 7. It’s that simple, any EF lens will work no matter the age of the lens from the original versions to the modern lenses. The one thing to avoid is the EF-S and RF-Mount lenses as these are dedicated lenses for digital cameras. EF-S lenses will cause damage to your camera if you try and use them as they are dedicated to crop-sensor digital SLRs. And RF-Mount lenses won’t even fit on the Elan 7 as they are dedicated to Canon’s mirrorless digital offerings. If you’re looking to get a good one-and-done lens for your Elan 7, then the USM 28-105 is a great choice for an elevated kit lens, merging super-fast autofocus and decent optics for a kit lens. A lesser choice would be the basic 28-80, but it doesn’t fit the overall look and feel of the camera, but in a pinch it works. Personally I love working with prime lenses, they fit the look and feel of the camera well, my number one choice is the 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens, it’s so small and light that you can easily handle the camera with one hand. But you also have the options of the 50mm and 28mm lenses both of which are fairly inexpensive for older models. But don’t limit yourself to these lenses, the EF mount has a wide range of amazing optics available to the user. The trouble is that the EF mount is still used today and some of the focal lengths I would love to add to my collection cost a pretty penny these days, I’m talking the 85mm, 100mm, and 35mm focal lengths. But I’m starting to be comfortable with my kit where it is now, but that doesn’t stop me from looking.
Lowdown
If there is one takeaway from this whole review, Canon nailed the design of the Elan series with the 7, so much so that the next entry, the 7n changed little about the overall look and feel. The 7 proved to be among some of the final 35mm SLRs built by Canon in an age where digital was starting to take on dominance and the design linage is carried through with the semi-professional digital SLR offerings that still are sold today. The Elan 7 also flies a little under the radar as most people will go for the 7e, 7n, and 7ne before looking at the humble 7, which makes it an affordable options, the body only without a grip or lens can be had for between 100 to 150 dollars on the used market, more if there’s the grip or lens, but not a significant price increase. The batteries are pricey, taking a pair of CR123A, but these aren’t too bad these days and are far more readily purchased as most hardware will sell the batteries. Of course, you can use 4 AA batteries but you need the optional BP-300 grip, which I don’t see myself needing, but might will pick up at a later date. Honestly, the Elan 7 is a solid reliable camera that despite a few flaws is a solid option for people with an existing catalogue of EF-Mount lenses to get into 35mm film photography without going too far down the line of EOS cameras. And most are running at only a little over 24 years old at the eldest these day, which is saying something.
Further Reading
Don’t just take my word on the Elan 7; you can check out the reviews by other awesome camera reviewers!
35mmc – Canon EOS 33 Review: An Overlooked Treasure
Philip Greenspun – Canon EOS Elan 7
Inverse – Canon EOS 7 Review: An Incredible 35mm film camera in 2021