Canon EOS REBEL T2 / 300X 35mm Film Camera
- Battery Type: 2 x 3V Lithium Battery (CR-2)
- Film Type: 35mm
- Lens Mount: Canon EF
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Very advanced 35mm film camera
Pros
Easy to use, lightweight, allows lots of artistic creativity, easily upgradeable, great value
Cons
lesser quality lens, upgrades expensive, initial cost
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If someone is looking for the ability to take quick, easy snapshots AND wants to play creatively with their photos WHITHOUT carrying 2 cameras this one will do the trick.
Let me start by saying I am no professional photographer. I have a digital camera that I love and I have a nice point and shoot 35mm that I enjoy using on occasion but I have always wanted a camera that would let me be a little more creative with my photography. The idea was to have a nice digital camera for basic snapshots and such and a nice film camera for my more 'creative' side. After all of the wrapping paper had settled on Christmas my wife and I found we had enough money in gift cards to get a nice film camera.
Since my wife is not very interested in learning all about the details of 35mm film photography I knew the only way this would work would be if we could find a camera that was both FULLY automatic and FULLY manual. I think we found a perfect match in the Canon T2.
There are a lot of features on this camera and some may be old hat to serious photographers out there, but for someone who hasn't picked up a manual camera in 10 years I discovered I had a lot of learning to do. I'll try to walk through everything as quickly as I can.
This is directly from the Canon USA website:
The EOS Rebel T2 brings together everything you want in a 35mm camera. It has the latest automation, a "souped-up" selection of powerful features, expanded shooting modes and state-of-the-art E-TTL II autoflash. It's what makes the Rebel T2 the most advanced SLR in its class. A masterpiece of form and function, its luxurious design is both lightweight and ergonomic to make it truly user friendly. See for yourself, why the Rebel T2 is a camera that will change your expectations.
Fully Automatic 35mm Autofocus SLR
7-point High-Speed, Wide-Area Selectable AF w/ Advanced 35-zone Metering
Ergonomic Design with Secure Grip, Cross-Key Selector & Large Backlit LCD
Safety Shutter-Release Lock and Camera Shake Warning
Advanced E-TTL II Autoflash and Enhanced Built-in Flash
Compatible with 50 EF Lenses
OK - let's break this down a little.
Features
This camera is essentially the same as the Digital Rebel XT only in a film format instead of the digital format. It uses the same DIGIC II image processor; it has the same features, and nearly the same body style. You have 7 'Automatic' settings which are:
Full Auto
Portrait
Landscape
Macro
Sports
Night
No Flash
Each provides special settings for that type of photography. It will automatically adjust aperture and shutter speed to change depth of field and bokeh for those specific situations. I have used most of these and I find that they work quite well. For Christmas I wanted to take some family shots so setting the camera up on the tripod and selecting the 'Portrait' setting allowed me to make some great family shots.
You also have 5 'Manual' modes that allow you to experiment and make changes to the shutter or aperture values. They are:
'P' - Similar to full auto but allows more flexibility in selecting Auto Focus point, high speed synch with a Speedlight external flash, Bracketing, and other features
'Tv' - This mode allows you to select the shutter speed (faster shutter speed for a 'stop motion' effect or slower for a 'blurred motion' effect....) and the camera automatically compensates by adjusting the aperture value.
'Av' - This mode allows you to select the aperture value for varying depth of field and the camera compensates by adjusting the shutter speed accordingly.
'M' - This mode allows you to make all settings and adjustments manually
'A-DEP' - This mode automatically adjusts aperture and shutter values to maintain the depth of field you desire.
This camera also uses Canon's new E-TTL II autoflash. This is a 'Through The Lens' (TTL) feature that evaluates flash intensity and distance based on measurements taken through the lens other than from a simple meter located on the face of the camera. I really do not know THAT much about it other than these two points.
1 - The pictures I took with the flash came out sharp and clear. The background was still visible and the subjects were not overexposed.
2 - This camera is compatible with all of Canon's EX Speedlight series flashes which is great - if I wanted to spend 300 on a flash....
The rear LCD screen is a wealth of knowledge and it shows at a quick glance which camera mode you have selected, number of shots on the roll, shutter speed and aperture value. This is handy to help you compose your picture BEFORE you start looking through the lens.
Use
Using the various buttons and settings took some getting used to for me. If you are in the 'M' mode for example and want to adjust the shutter speed and aperture values you have to press the shutter button down 1/2 way with your middle finger, you rest your index finger on the 'jog dial' located just behind the shutter, and you press various buttons with your thumb on the back of the camera to cycle between shutter and aperture value settings. While this sounds really complex, it seemed to make sense within a couple of rolls of film. After taking 10 rolls with this camera I can say that the use of this camera has become quite natural. I rarely have to take my eyes off the viewfinder to see what button I have to press to get what effect I am looking for.
The viewfinder is crisp and clear and includes focal adjustments for those of us who have to wear glasses. The display is clear and the information regarding shutter speed, aperture value, and exposure levels is easy to read in any lighting conditions. The viewfinder also shows the 7 auto focus points and they will flash when you press the shutter 1/2 way and achieve focus lock. You can manually select one of the 7 AF points if you desire to compose a more unique shot which I find is helpful. For example - let's say I want to get a picture of my wife standing next to the Christmas Tree. I want my wife to be in sharp focus so I select the AF point closest to her and allow the camera to ensure she is sharp even if the tree is the actual center of the frame. This also adjusts exposure metering so the camera will adjust to make sure she is exposed correctly and the tree - with all of the lights - will be a little BRIGHTER than her - just the way it is in real life.
The lens is a decent basic 'kit' lens. Actually - the lens is really my only complaint with the whole system. While the lens is OK it certainly could be sharper. Of course that is the beauty of an interchangeable lens system. You CAN buy a new lens for the camera and by doing so EXPAND the capabilities of the camera. The lens has a large rotating cuff that adjusts zoom from 28mm up to 90mm. I find this is a good 'average' focal length and would take this lens while traveling (unless I get up the courage to spend $500 to get a really good lens from Canon). There is a switch on the lens that allows you to turn off automatic focus if you want. If you twist the front ring on the lens you could then focus the camera yourself.
You have a maximum f stop of 4-5.6 depending on focal zoom. While that is not too bad, a really good lens would have a larger maximum. Overall the lens is smooth and easy to operate. Unless you REALLY dig in to photography this lens will treat you pretty well.
Overall
Overall I really like this camera. My wife says it is easy to use even for someone who has only used 'point and shoot' cameras their entire life. I find it easy to adjust the aperture and shutter values to get some really unique shots. The flash works well in most situations and the overall quality of the camera is outstanding.
There are some drawbacks though. I think the first drawback is the lens. Again this lens is a GREAT starter lens and for a good portion of people out there this would be all the lens they will ever need. HOWEVER if you want to dive further into the artistic possibilities of photography you will see that you'll want a new lens.
Another drawback is cost. While $300 is cheaper than the same camera in a digital iteration (over $1000 for the Digital Rebel XT) $300 is still a lot of money. That being said - I think it is a good VLAUE for that $300. I plan on keeping this camera around for 30 years and the quality of the product tells me that it will still take wonderful pictures in the future.
Since my wife is not very interested in learning all about the details of 35mm film photography I knew the only way this would work would be if we could find a camera that was both FULLY automatic and FULLY manual. I think we found a perfect match in the Canon T2.
There are a lot of features on this camera and some may be old hat to serious photographers out there, but for someone who hasn't picked up a manual camera in 10 years I discovered I had a lot of learning to do. I'll try to walk through everything as quickly as I can.
This is directly from the Canon USA website:
The EOS Rebel T2 brings together everything you want in a 35mm camera. It has the latest automation, a "souped-up" selection of powerful features, expanded shooting modes and state-of-the-art E-TTL II autoflash. It's what makes the Rebel T2 the most advanced SLR in its class. A masterpiece of form and function, its luxurious design is both lightweight and ergonomic to make it truly user friendly. See for yourself, why the Rebel T2 is a camera that will change your expectations.
Fully Automatic 35mm Autofocus SLR
7-point High-Speed, Wide-Area Selectable AF w/ Advanced 35-zone Metering
Ergonomic Design with Secure Grip, Cross-Key Selector & Large Backlit LCD
Safety Shutter-Release Lock and Camera Shake Warning
Advanced E-TTL II Autoflash and Enhanced Built-in Flash
Compatible with 50 EF Lenses
OK - let's break this down a little.
Features
This camera is essentially the same as the Digital Rebel XT only in a film format instead of the digital format. It uses the same DIGIC II image processor; it has the same features, and nearly the same body style. You have 7 'Automatic' settings which are:
Full Auto
Portrait
Landscape
Macro
Sports
Night
No Flash
Each provides special settings for that type of photography. It will automatically adjust aperture and shutter speed to change depth of field and bokeh for those specific situations. I have used most of these and I find that they work quite well. For Christmas I wanted to take some family shots so setting the camera up on the tripod and selecting the 'Portrait' setting allowed me to make some great family shots.
You also have 5 'Manual' modes that allow you to experiment and make changes to the shutter or aperture values. They are:
'P' - Similar to full auto but allows more flexibility in selecting Auto Focus point, high speed synch with a Speedlight external flash, Bracketing, and other features
'Tv' - This mode allows you to select the shutter speed (faster shutter speed for a 'stop motion' effect or slower for a 'blurred motion' effect....) and the camera automatically compensates by adjusting the aperture value.
'Av' - This mode allows you to select the aperture value for varying depth of field and the camera compensates by adjusting the shutter speed accordingly.
'M' - This mode allows you to make all settings and adjustments manually
'A-DEP' - This mode automatically adjusts aperture and shutter values to maintain the depth of field you desire.
This camera also uses Canon's new E-TTL II autoflash. This is a 'Through The Lens' (TTL) feature that evaluates flash intensity and distance based on measurements taken through the lens other than from a simple meter located on the face of the camera. I really do not know THAT much about it other than these two points.
1 - The pictures I took with the flash came out sharp and clear. The background was still visible and the subjects were not overexposed.
2 - This camera is compatible with all of Canon's EX Speedlight series flashes which is great - if I wanted to spend 300 on a flash....
The rear LCD screen is a wealth of knowledge and it shows at a quick glance which camera mode you have selected, number of shots on the roll, shutter speed and aperture value. This is handy to help you compose your picture BEFORE you start looking through the lens.
Use
Using the various buttons and settings took some getting used to for me. If you are in the 'M' mode for example and want to adjust the shutter speed and aperture values you have to press the shutter button down 1/2 way with your middle finger, you rest your index finger on the 'jog dial' located just behind the shutter, and you press various buttons with your thumb on the back of the camera to cycle between shutter and aperture value settings. While this sounds really complex, it seemed to make sense within a couple of rolls of film. After taking 10 rolls with this camera I can say that the use of this camera has become quite natural. I rarely have to take my eyes off the viewfinder to see what button I have to press to get what effect I am looking for.
The viewfinder is crisp and clear and includes focal adjustments for those of us who have to wear glasses. The display is clear and the information regarding shutter speed, aperture value, and exposure levels is easy to read in any lighting conditions. The viewfinder also shows the 7 auto focus points and they will flash when you press the shutter 1/2 way and achieve focus lock. You can manually select one of the 7 AF points if you desire to compose a more unique shot which I find is helpful. For example - let's say I want to get a picture of my wife standing next to the Christmas Tree. I want my wife to be in sharp focus so I select the AF point closest to her and allow the camera to ensure she is sharp even if the tree is the actual center of the frame. This also adjusts exposure metering so the camera will adjust to make sure she is exposed correctly and the tree - with all of the lights - will be a little BRIGHTER than her - just the way it is in real life.
The lens is a decent basic 'kit' lens. Actually - the lens is really my only complaint with the whole system. While the lens is OK it certainly could be sharper. Of course that is the beauty of an interchangeable lens system. You CAN buy a new lens for the camera and by doing so EXPAND the capabilities of the camera. The lens has a large rotating cuff that adjusts zoom from 28mm up to 90mm. I find this is a good 'average' focal length and would take this lens while traveling (unless I get up the courage to spend $500 to get a really good lens from Canon). There is a switch on the lens that allows you to turn off automatic focus if you want. If you twist the front ring on the lens you could then focus the camera yourself.
You have a maximum f stop of 4-5.6 depending on focal zoom. While that is not too bad, a really good lens would have a larger maximum. Overall the lens is smooth and easy to operate. Unless you REALLY dig in to photography this lens will treat you pretty well.
Overall
Overall I really like this camera. My wife says it is easy to use even for someone who has only used 'point and shoot' cameras their entire life. I find it easy to adjust the aperture and shutter values to get some really unique shots. The flash works well in most situations and the overall quality of the camera is outstanding.
There are some drawbacks though. I think the first drawback is the lens. Again this lens is a GREAT starter lens and for a good portion of people out there this would be all the lens they will ever need. HOWEVER if you want to dive further into the artistic possibilities of photography you will see that you'll want a new lens.
Another drawback is cost. While $300 is cheaper than the same camera in a digital iteration (over $1000 for the Digital Rebel XT) $300 is still a lot of money. That being said - I think it is a good VLAUE for that $300. I plan on keeping this camera around for 30 years and the quality of the product tells me that it will still take wonderful pictures in the future.
