Rating: 
Summary: great, reliable entry-level SLR!
Review: I've had my Elan IIe since 1998, bought on the advice of my former roommate who's also a part-time pro, and it's done exactly the job I needed it for. Much more sturdy than the EOS/Rebel line, the Elan IIe's got a good solid but lightweight frame (aluminum, I think). I wholeheartedly recommend paying the extra 100-200 USD or so to get into the good low-end SLR market without going too cheap (don't forget, buy cheap, buy twice!).Autofocus technology has improved over the last few years; but although I hear the Elan 7 is nifty with seven autofocus points to the IIe's three, I haven't seen one to say if it merits the bang for the extra buck. Of manufacturers, Canon has had the best autofocus tech reputation for years. The IIe has quite good eye control on 3 autofocus points, if occasionally finicky. It adapts to individual users' eyes, with or without glasses. Unlike one review I saw elsewhere, I have had plenty of use for the autofocus on landscapes or other nature shots requiring depth of focus. Want to go manual for closeups, portraits, specific situations? It's a flick of a switch on a Canon EF lens. I agree that spot metering is quite limited, but this puppy has three different metering settings that break up the field of view in different balances. I also dig the main dial setting for aperture-size priority while the camera automatically adjusts for shutter speed (to be sure, almost all automatic SLRs now have this option as standard). Bracketing exposures is also fairly easy (and necessary to get that precious photo just right over three exposure possibilities), and can be done manually or automatically. If you can't spin all of one or two easy-access dials, what are you doing playing with SLRs? For the techologically-intimidated or situations where you have no time to adjust, the main control dial has several easy to use modes that require no thought/adjustment. A little time spent with the camera will quickly and easily help you graduate from the point and shoot hordes. The manual is one of the clearer gadget manuals I've ever seen. Add my emphatic vote to those who advise going for deals with an upgrade possibility on a Canon 28-105mm zoom, and do *not* get stuck with a 28-80. The former is just a great all-around lens. Traveling as I do, I've discovered the need to add over time two other Canon lenses, a 75-300 mm (f 4.0-5.6, USM) telephoto zoom, and a 24mm wide angle (f 2.8) fixed lens (nice and sharp!). Sure, you might get a little sharper with Nikon lenses, but you'll pay another few hundred dollars for the privilege, not to mention the significantly greater weight of a more expensive Nikon body. For amateurs like myself, I can't justify that modest extra bang for the buck, especially given the utility and value of my setup while hiking in parks or stomping around fascinating East European cities and countryside. I try to take care of gear, but my Elan IIe did take a few heart-stopping bounces down some concrete stairs. While some nearby Montenegrins may have picked up several new English obscenities over the next five minutes, this camera picked up just a few scratches on the body and much more importantly, kept the lens alignment. Naturally, I strongly, strongly advise against trying to repeat such a heart-attack-inducing experiment, and probably got exceedingly lucky, but was impressed with the durability of this camera. Like I say, this entry-level camera rocks; you should only look at the next step down to see what you should skip.
Rating:
Summary: excellent camera
Review: I've owned my Elan IIe for about 4 years, and love it. Although it's been upgraded to the Elan 7e, I see no need. The IIe has such distinct features and ease of use, I haven't used another camera that compares. Excellent construction, and very durable.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Begginer/Intermediate SLR
Review: I've used my Elan IIe regularly for the past 2 1/2 years, with excellent results. This is a great camera for the beginner/intermediate photographer, including every feature a beginner/intermediate photographyer could want with 2 exceptions. First, the Elan IIe does not include spot-metering, and instead includes a metering mode which meters the center 10% of the viewfinder. For any photographer moving to advanced level and wanting to learn and apply spot-metering, this deficiency can be frustrating. Second, the user can trigger depth-of-field preview only through eye activation, instead of with a push-button on the body. The eye activation can be a bit finicky, but more imporantly, doesn't work in every focus-mode, so this can be quite frustrating. Incidentally, the lack of any depth-of-field preview on the Elan II makes the Elan IIe the obvious choice between the two, even considering the extra cost. The new Canon EOS 7 does include a depth-of-field button, but unfortunately lacks spot-metering. In the same class, the new Nikon F80 includes both a depth-of-field button and spot-metering and may be worth a look. In summary, this is a great camera whose limitations are only noticed when moving to an advanced level in photography.
Rating:
Summary: Just a Great Camera
Review: In short this is a great camera which worth all the money. I realize this is not the site for lengthy reviews, so I am just going to add a couple points that I feel strong about. 1. The control layout is just superb, far better than that of Nikon's. You pay a lot money for those features. If they are not easily accessible, you will probably end up not using them at all. 2. The eye controlled focus point selection is a nice feature. I feel it worth the extra $50. 3. If possible, get the 28-105 USM lens.
Rating:
Summary: I'm in love
Review: My first nice camera was a Canon F1 that dates back to 1975 (and which is still operating nicely, thank you). I resisted buying an automatic camera all this time because the electronics weren't good enough, or not intuitive enough -- in short, I wasn't going electronic until it did what I want. After all, if I want to fiddle around, I've got a perfectly good manual camera. Then I found the Elan IIe. I love this camera. There are still a couple of things I prefer to do with the manual camera, but for most situations, this thing takes some fabulous pictures. It's light, it's reasonably durable, the batteries last halfway to forever (after 50-some rolls of film, I'm still using the original camera battery), and you can't beat the eye control (trust me -- calibrate it properly, and practice it with a roll or two of film, and it will not fail you). I've become especially fond of the IS lenses -- rather more expensive than the non-IS, but I can't believe how good they are.
Rating:
Summary: Nice camera, good system
Review: The Elan II benefits from Canon's EOS system's advantages, like great lenses and speedlites. I've been using this camera to photograph from wildlife (mainly macro) to rock concerts (28-105 sigma lenses) and have been pleased to find that this camera really meets my needs. It's fast, reliable and obbeys your commands, even if you tell them with your eyes! :)
It's a good buy and can be used by pros and amateurs.
Rating:
Summary: excellent camera
Review: The Elan II benefits from Canon?s EOS system?s advantages, like great lenses and speedlites. I?ve been using this camera to photograph from wildlife (mainly macro) to rock concerts (28-105 sigma lenses) and have been pleased to find that this camera really meets my needs. It?s fast, reliable and obbeys your commands, even if you tell them with your eyes! :)
It?s a good buy and can be used by pros and amateurs.
Rating:
Summary: My first-choice SLR
Review: The EOS Elan-IIE (EOS 50E in Europe and Africa) should be top of the list for the first-time SLR buyer, amateur or semi-pro photographer. It is at the same time a well-priced, feature rich SLR - with all the conveniences of fully automatic modes for the amateur - and an investment in Canon's world famous EOS family of lenses, bodies and accessories used by more pro photographers than any other brand (and for good reason, may I add). I bought the Elan-IIE together with the standard EOS 75-300 and 28-80 USM (Ultrasonic) lenses in September 1998 and haven't looked back since. The camera has been flawless in every exrecise I've put it through (and living in Africa with a travel bug in my bonnett, you can bet there were many). I've only used two replacement batteries so far for well over 2000 shots - not a bad return considering I'm not shy with the flash. I've also bought the battery pack for the Elan-IIE (a must buy for the serious photographer), but haven't had much use for its extra capacity or AA-battery support as yet. Although the Elan-IIE features Eye Control focusing, I've rarely used this feature, and find the camera's three-point autofocus system (set to manually select the centre focus point) more than efficient for most situations. I've also found the camera's exposure settings extremely accurate, even in difficult lighting conditions, although a spot meter or the EOS 3's advanced exposure settings would come in handy for the more serious enthusiast. Regard the Elan-IIE as your ticket to Canon's photo family and you won't be dissapointed. Just make sure you invest in quality glass (Ultrasonic or a similar technology from 3rd party manufacturers is a must) and even when you upgrade one day to the latest and greatest EOS body, the Elan-IIE will stay with you as your backup of choice.
Rating:
Summary: Great Semi-Pro Camera
Review: The fabulous thing about the Canon Elan IIe is its ease of use. Even a beginner should be able to pick it up and with minimal reading, take good pictures. With experience, this camera is easily one of the best I have ever used. I have taken photos under very damanding conditions and have always been pleased with the results. Many will tell you the automatic eye controlled focus is a gimmick. Don't listen to them! It's one less thing to worry about when composing the picture, and you can always override should you wish to do so, and unlike the A2e, the focus works in both vertical and horizontal positions. The controls are simple and conveniently arranged, the thumb dial is perfectly positioned, and everything on this camera makes sense. My only regret is that the Canon Elan IIe lacks the more substantial body of the A2 models. While the additional plastic makes it lighter, it might compromise the camera if you're rough on your equipment. I don't find this a problem, but it's worth mentioning. Once I added the BP-50 vertical grip, I was more pleased iwth its balance and feeling of stability. All in all, it's the camera I use the most.
Rating:
Summary: Great product
Review: This camera is very easy to use, and it has a wide veriety of features.
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