Canon EOS RT
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| Pro | No black out mirror. Great for portraits where the question of did they close their eyes or not when the flash when off gets answered. The RT is ideal for the wedding environment where quiet is needed. This camera provides you with all the basics and then some. It retains it's value because of it's fixed mirror attributes. I personally like the camera because it has no black attribute of a rangefinder camera while retaining the advantages of a SLR, not to mention a lower system cost. | ||
| Contra | No black out mirror. With everything good there comes a price and this one is a little light loss to the film. While the camera is quiet, the Elan is just as quiet and can be used instead. Focusing of the RT is great outdoors but tends to be sluggish indoors under low contrast and low light levels. But do not assume that the camera with a fixed mirror is silent, the shutter and film advance motor can be hear. But then again neither is it's larger and more expensive cousin. | ||
| Thoughts | When the RT was first released it was a true low cost fixed mirror camera that provided the state of the art auto focusing. Of course over time this state of the art (this years model) technology was superceeded and appears outdated by comparison. But this is not to say the camera is useless, not by any measure. It is specialized and has it's place for those shots that require a quiet lightweight AF camera. As such is still sought after by amateurs and pros alike. But make no mistake about it, today's digital cameras make no sound by comparison and over time make nearly all film based cameras mere collector's items. | ||
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| Pro | The camera has a fixed semi-transparent mirror which transmits 2/3 of the light towards the viewfinder and 1/3 towards the film. Therefore there're no mirror virations whatsoever. Really *Smmoooooth!* This actually overcompensates the light loss on film level thus improving handholdibility. In RT mode the release delay is extremely short. Quite robust body compared to today's amateur class bodies. | ||
| Contra | Totally outdated AF. No AE lock. No backdial. Cumbersome exposure compensation. | ||
| Thoughts | This camera is dated and it shows. By today's standard the AF performance is ridiculous especially with slow lenses. Nonetheless it is the cheapest option to enter the real-time (RT) world. Once you press the shutter release button it doesn't really feel anymore like an outdated SLR but more like a super-smooth rangefinder. Therefore highly recommended! | ||
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| Pro | -No Blackout! -Solid yet lightweight body -Fast Reaction 0.008 seconds from time you press shutter -Auto depth-of-field preview | ||
| Contra | -OK everyone I got one with a manual, it's a 2/3 stop light loss through the pellicle mirror. -Autofocus is archaic compared to new Canon stuff and servo AF not available in RT mode -Metering is just acceptable | ||
| Thoughts | It's a one trick pony, but that trick is sooooo nice when you need it. It works like this, press the shutter 1/2 way-the camera focuses, meters AND stops the lens down to reduce camera reaction time. Useful at times you never anticipated! Love mine! Worth paying for a "like new" one. It's not a primary camera and it's definitely not for beginners but it's a fantasitic and affordable tool. | ||
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| Pro | Solid and reliable body construction Backlight LCD and fixed semi-transparent mirror! | ||
| Contra | light loss because of the semi-transparent mirror very noisy... | ||
| Thoughts | I love the "no blackout" feature! At first, I bought this camera for sports events. But now, I specifically use it for macro pictures thanks to the semi-transparent mirror. I also owne a eos A2 and 3, but this RT is very special to me. Try it, and you won't be disappointed. | ||
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| Pro | No mirror blackout. Great for portrait work as you can see if anyone blinks. Light,fast handling. | ||
| Contra | single focusing point. | ||
| Thoughts | Would like a 1NRS but can buy three or four RT's for the same price. Of course the 1NRS is much more advanced but I'm speaking about the "no blackout" It is outstanding for portrait work. | ||
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| Pro | Fast,responsive with no mirror bounce or blackout.The RT mode is a plus.Balences very well,and is as quiet as a rangefinder 35mm,plus the absence of a mirror enables handholding in low light situations. | ||
| Contra | Flash sync only 1/125.Slightly dimmer finder image,but not a problem w/ AF lenses.Light loss of 1/3 stop because of semi-transparent pelicle. | ||
| Thoughts | My RT has been in use in a newspaper environment for 10 years and is still going strong.Fantastic for sports and fast action assignments,and the ability to hand hold in low light ia a definite plus. Wish Canon had kept it in production longer. | ||
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| Pro | No Blackout due to mirror movement. Ease of use. Fast response on pressing the shutter | ||
| Contra | Discountinued | ||
| Thoughts | I use two bodies for animal photography. Mainly high speed hound races. You can see direct if picture is oke. Save a lot of film. Should buy a third body | ||
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| Pro | - | ||
| Contra | - | ||
| Thoughts | A rare camera thats increasing in value rapidly! You lose about a 1/2 stop because of the pellicle mirror , you also notice a darker viewfinder making it a little less desirable for low light shooting.For the trade you get a camera that lets you know exactly what you got when you trip the shutter. I used this camera extensivly doing model shoots and portrature.The Real Time feature is great for catching a really fast sports play with a shutter release lag time of 6ms. The detracting features are,125 flash sync speed ,2000sec max shutter speed and in my opinion the worst thing about the camera is one vertical auto focus sensor! The current price is very unstable ranging from around 235.00 up to 450.00 for a as new in the box sample.Still much cheaper than a 1NRS "The only camera being made that has a pellicle mirror". | ||