EOS IXE (chụp film từ - Advantic)

Canon EOS IXE • In Japan the EOS IX is called the EOS IXE and sports eye controlled focus (ECF). Canon should dump the G1 and G2 designs and use this body style for a consumer-level digital SLR.

Major Features

The EOS IX is a strange cross between the EOS 10S, Elan II, Rebel G and Elf:

Three-point wide area auto focus was borrowed from the Rebel G and 10S. The center sensor is a cross-type sensor while the outer sensors are vertical sensors. Unlike the EOS 10S, the AF rectangles dont flash red then activated. Instead, gray rectangles materialize when AF lock is achieved. Otherwise, the AF rectangles remain invisible. The AF modes include One-Shot AF, AI Servo and AI Focus. Incidentally, low light AF is noticeably better than the Elan 7E.

Viewfinder. The roof mirror viewfinder has an amazing 95% coverage (the manual specs say pentaprism with roof mirror). Thats better than most cameras, including the EOS 3, A2E Elan, Elan II and Elan 7E. Unfortunately, the viewfinder is rather dim and small (.6 x magnification vs a typical .7-.75 x). The viewfinder boasts a full information display: print format, AF sensors, AF confirmation, shutter speed, aperture, flash, DEP mode display, exposure compensation scale and manual mode exposure scale.

Film Transport. The extremely quiet--not silent--motor drive zips along at 2.5 frames per second. The mirror slap is surprisingly soft, softer than any SLR I have used, including the the Elan and Elan 7E. The drive is capable of both single shot and continuous drive modes.

Shutter Speeds. 1/4000 to 30 seconds in 1/2 stop increments. Bulb and self timer ability. 1/200 flash sync.

Three metering patters: 6-zone evaluative, center weighted and partial (6.5% of frame). No spot meter but the 6.5% partial is tighter than the 10% partial of the Elan 7. Like the 10S, meter patterns cant be independently selected: M mode uses center weighted and all other modes use Evaluative. Partial metering is engaged by pressing the (*) AE lock button in the Creative Zones.

Multitude of exposure modes: programmed PIC modes (sports, night, portrait, etc.), programmed AE, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual and depth of field. These modes are accessed by turning a clearly labeled dial on the the back. Moreover, you may override P, AV and TV modes with -2 to +2 of exposure compensation or auto bracketing.

E-TTL Flash Metering. Youll need the 420EX or 550EX external flash for E-TTL features like High-Speed Sync (FP), Flash Exposure Lock (FE Lock) and wireless multiple Speedlites. The built-in flash and older flashes (430EZ, 540EZ, etc.) use TTL metering with this camera.

Drop-in Film Loading. Open the film hatch, drop the film cartridge in and close the door. The camera automatically sets ISO and advances to the first frame. If needed, you may manually over ride ISO settings. Thus, there are no worries about exposing the film, putting your finger through the shutter curtain or exposing the cameras interior to the elements. The EOS IX loads from the top and, subsequently, is easier to use than bottom loaders, especially when on the run or using a tripod.

Midroll Film Change (MFC). You may rewind the film before exposing all the frames and reload the film later. The camera automatically advances to the correct frame. MFC is handy when you want to organize film according to subject or use faster or slower film for special conditions. You may also exchange partially exposed film with other APS cameras.

Information Exchange. A magnetic track records the date, time, print format, picture orientation, scene brightness, illuminant type (flash, daylight, fluorescent, or tungsten) and exposure settings. This information is used by the printer to detect print format, improve print quality and to imprint data on the front or back of the print.

Stainless Steel Body. The interior is mostly polycarbonate but the stainless steel outer body gives it great rigidity, durability and beauty. The EOS IX looks and feels extremely solid and well made. My A2 and Elan feel like plastic toys in comparison.

EOS IX LCD • Rear mounted display is packed with information

Whats missing from this feature list? A selection of Custom Functions like second curtain sync, mirror lockup, flash reduction defeat, etc., would be nice. Unfortunately, theres no dioptric adjustment either. However, you can buy corrective viewfinder lenses (difficult to find). A vertical grip/battery pack or brushed aluminum grip extension would be nice but is unavailable.

The EOS IX, like the A2 and Elan, have a feature that later EOS SLRs lack: shiftable DEP mode. DEP mode refers to depth of field autoexposure. By focusing on the nearest and farthest points desired in focus, the camera automatically sets hyperfocal distance and aperture to render everything within those two points sharp. The EOS A2, Elan and IX allow you to shift the program to increase or decrease depth of field (I normally increase depth of field). I miss this feature on my EOS 3 and Elan 7E! To get the same result on these cameras, I use the DEP mode, note the aperture setting, disable AF (so the hyperfocal distance wont change), change mode to Av and set a stop or two smaller aperture.

The APS image size is smaller than 35 mm and, thus, angle of view is reduced at any given focal length, a magnification factor of 1.25 x. For example, a 24 mm lens on an APS camera has the same coverage as a 30 mm lens on 35 mm. If youre into telephotos this is great, but its a bummer to lose your wide angle lenses. Digital SLRs like the EOS D60 or 1D suffer the same dilemma.

APS images are 56% the size of 35mm images. Therefore, images must be enlarged more to produce standard print sizes, e.g., 4 x 6 or 8 x 10. Thus, its crucial that the camera be held rock steady. No more one handed shooting from trees! Camera shake is also a major problem with digital point n shoot cameras, most of which have tiny 1/4 inch image sensors.

There is one mildly disappointing feature of the EOS IX: the irritating AF assist light. But, hey, thats better than no AF assist light. The EOS 1V, 3 and Elan 7E have nothing. Why is it irritating? A bright white automatically light flashes in low light thereby blinding and confusing your subjects before you take the picture. Yuck! The near-infrared AF assist light of the Elan and Elan IIE is discreet and elegant. You may disable the AF assist light by covering it with electrical tape (elegant solution). Even with electrical tape over the AF assist light, low light AF is better than the Elan 7E. Fortunately, with an external flash, the camera defaults to the Speedlites AF assist light.

The EOS IX sports a retractable flash above the pentamirror. The retractable flash uses 3-zone TTL flash metering linked to all 3 focusing points. In other words, flash exposure is adjusted depending on what is under the active AF sensor, so lock-AF-recompose is not recommended with flash. If you cant live without lock-AF-recompose, you can still do it with an external Speedlite and get great flash exposures if you use FE Lock (see below).