Over the last few days I've put the Canon EOS Rebel 2000 through its paces. It has also put me through my paces. I ran two rolls of film through it: a 24-exp. roll of 400TX, and a 36-exp. roll of Fujicolor Superia X-tra ISO 400 (which I developed in b&w chemicals). I would have ended my tests after the roll of Tri-X except for one thing: in examining some of the frames with a loupe, I discovered what I at first thought were film-transport scratches. This would have meant that I could not use the camera, because you can't use a camera that scratches your film. That is why I continued my tests, running a 36-exp. roll of Fuji Superia, ISO 400 color print film through the camera as well. I'm glad I did.
I remember saying that I would never love the EOS. That, however, was before I had used it. I put it down for having a polycarbonate body, but in use, the lightness this affords is very welcome. You do, though, have to get used to this camera. For example, you can fire off single shots, or you can shoot continuously. Several times I took two or three pictures when I only wanted one. I had to remember to lift my finger.
The camera does not have a cable-release socket; you have to use the self-timer. If you use the self-timer in the "P" mode, you are not forced to use the internal flash, but if you use it in the mode that is represented by a small rectangle, you are, indeed forced to use the flash if conditions warrant it. There are a lot of little things like that to get used to. That being said, exposures and focusing are right on the money. The camera allows both aperture-priority and shutter-priority auto-exposure, and the autofocus system is the same one that Canon used on their much more expensive Elan 7 camera.
I tried different exposure modes, and the various focal lengths of the 28-80mm zoom lens, and everything worked perfectly. I would say, though, that at 80mm the negatives seemed to be a bit thinner and less contrasty.
By the time I started shooting the color film, I knew how to operate the camera, and it was a joy to use. Shooting is very fast when all you have to think about is zooming to frame the picture the way you want it. Shooting so rapidly with an SLR made me feel a bit like David Hemmings in Blow-Up. But of course, this camera didn't exist in 1966,
Anyway, to make a long story shorter, the Fuji color print film I developed in D-76 is quite usable (and I paid half what TX would have cost me). I developed it at 105°F, but I really had no idea what the time should be in D-76. I kept it in the developer for 6-1/2 minutes, but I clearly overdeveloped it somewhat. I think six minutes would have been better. Here are a few sample shots:
Just by way of comparison, here is a digital shot using the same setup and light source:
The digital image appears flat. It does not have the pronounced shadows (see the shadow behind my shoulder) or over-all depth that the film pic has. Here are a couple more:
I'll definitely be using this camera again, but preferably with real, black-and-white film.
(to be continued)
Text and images Copyright © 2022 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.
