I discovered that the latch on my fantastic plastic Canon EOS Elan 7E had deteriorated, and the door had sprung open, exposing that roll of film (grumble, grumble.) Repair was an easy process, after acquiring a replacement latch off eBay. There’s a full howto write up on J. David Buerk’s website. Essentially you have to remove the latch cover (2 screws) and the front faceplate (5 screws), pop the old latch out and the new one in. I had to move the electrical contacts to the new latch as well, as those weren’t included on the new latch. The metal piece was welded on to the latch, so I used a couple dots of superglue to keep the contacts in place. Reassembled, and now everything seems fine. For reference, the Elan 7E is cross marketed as the EOS Elan 7 and EOS 33.
Tag: Canon
Canon RF 24-105mm f4 L vs f4-7.1 STM [Reddit]
From my reply to a discussion in r/canon on Reddit.
I’ve had both lenses. The STM delivers good image quality, excellent IS, and is relatively compact. It also costs significantly less than the L. The real downside is the variable aperture with the relatively slow f7.1 at the long end, but that doesn’t mean it’s not capable of delivering very good images. It’ll make a decent travel lens, especially if you take along a fast prime for when you need something with a wider aperture.
The L, on the other hand, has higher build quality, including weather sealing. The image quality is sharper across the frame and throughout the focal range, but the STM is pretty good in that regard. There’s also less chromatic aberration with the L. The constant F4 aperture is it’s biggest strength, though this comes at the cost of more weight and of course more cost. The wider, constant aperture gives the L lens an advantage with portraiture and in some lower light situations, or when capturing action. That being said, f4 doesn’t make it a very fast lens, and low light will quickly force a higher ISO or longer shutter speeds.
I got the STM as part of the R6 kit, and I already had the L that I had been using with my RP and R. I liked the STM a lot on the RP because the size matched it well. Both the R and R6 have a more substantial grip, so the heavier L wasn’t an issue. I ended up selling both the STM and the RP.
Look up Gordon Laing’s review of the STM lens, with comparisons to the L. Without knowing more about how you intend to use the lens and your budget, it’s hard to recommend one over the other. The L is certainly the better lens, but if you’re on a budget, the cost can be a limiting factor. In that case, the STM might just be good enough.
On Canon EF lenses and the holy trinity of zooms [Reddit]
From my reply to a discussion in r/canon on Reddit.
Get rid of the idea of a “holy trinity” of lenses. It’s a stupid marketing gimmick (I’ll probably trigger a lot of people with that statement). It makes sense for professional event photographers, who need maximal flexibility from their kit. And for a lot of amateur photographers who shoot a bit of this, that, and everything, a do-all set of relatively fast zooms seems attractive. The problem is that they’re big, heavy, and expensive. And in some ways, they offer too much choice.
Instead, build your own “trinity.” You shoot portraits, animals, and flowers. Ok, so get a kick-butt portrait lens, a decent telephoto with a bit of reach, and a macro. You’d do well with a 50mm, 100mm macro, and a 135mm, for example. It’s a smaller kit that would allow you to focus (ba-dum-dum) in on the things you love.
But what if you’re on a trip and you want to take a landscape? Use the 50. Or learn to do landscapes with the 135. Sure, you won’t get wide sweeping vistas, but that’s ok. Learning to use limited tools to capture the images you want is what will define your art and images.
Now don’t get me wrong, zooms aren’t a bad idea for a lot of people. Maybe you’re one. Maybe your 24-70 is your defining lens. If that’s the case, then accept and even embrace its limitations. You’ve got one of the best normal zooms of all time, so you don’t need a 50 at all. Instead, maybe add reach with a 70-200. Or again, compliment it with a prime like the 100mm macro L or 135mm f2 (both of which are absolutely amazing and versatile lenses).