Canon EOS 500

 Another camera that can be found littering car boot sales and charity shops, the EOS 500 was one of those cameras that I never thought i would end up buying mostly due to their prices going around £15-£20 which I wasn't sure I wanted to pay. I had already the EOS 300V which is a newer camera and it didn't seem to me that the EOS 500 could satisfy any user's need. Got this one for £2.50 and it is in great condition though... what the hell, i usually spend this amount of money for a sandwich and coke.

 

The EOS 500 was the very successful successor of the already very successful EOS 1000FN, a consumer grade camera that placed Canon on the top of the sales in the very lucrative category of consumers AF SLRs. The EOS 1000FN was almost revolutionary back at its time if you consider its small dimensions (which are not very small if you see it today) and it sold like hot cross buns on Great Friday before it was replaced by the EOS 500 that i am reviewing here. With the EOS 500, Canon managed to fit everything that a 1000FN had, inside a tiny body while at the same time improving the AF accuracy and speed. The dimensions of the EOS 500 remained pretty much unchanged until the EOS 300V reviewed in my blog too.

 

The EOS 500 is a comfortably small AF SLR. It has every feature you will probably need and the AF speed and accuracy is quite good although it does not reach the levels of sophistication or refinement of the later models (mostly the EOS 300V). With the standard EF 50 f/1.8 works very fast and locks easily into focus although it does seem to hunt in low light. The camera has three AF sensors that are not selectable by the user and form a centre and wider zone in the viewfinder - a sort of  [  ()  ]  if you see what i mean. The evaluative meter uses six zones that are connected to the AF zones and it is accurate. And here is something worth mentioning. I always found that the meter on my EOS 300V was heavily biased towards the AF spot that was used. The EOS 10D that I have, has the same metering system. I find myself many times trying to re-adjust the exposure reading in both EOS 300V and 10D by using the exposure compensation. I think that the older EOS models (EOS 5 included) are more straightforward to use as it seems that the AF zones do not influence the meter reading that much. Anyway, Canon aficionados can write and tell me their views on it. The EOS 500 has the good old Canon interface that I feel at home with. Just a control dial on the left and a input wheel dial on the right. This camera reminds me a lot of Minolta's 500si but the Canon appears to be more sophisticated, allowing a greater degree of customization and offers more features. As a cheap walkabout SLR, i would definitely prefer it over the Minolta 500si (which anyway i ended up selling eventually).

 

The EOS 500 is a camera that looks better in person than in pictures. It is small and light, has a nicely rounded body and it balances well in my hands. Despite being slightly bigger than the EOS 300V, i prefer the way it feels in my hands. What surprised me positively is how quiet the camera is, the mirror is well damped and the motor is almost as silent as in the EOS 5. And just like its newest sibling (EOS 300V), the EOS 500 will rewind all film on the take up spool when you load the camera with film and will store each picture you take in the film canister for safety. Something else worth mentioning is that this is a "Made In Japan" Canon and the fit and finish of this camera is streets ahead compared to the EOS 300V. Please note also that the EOS 500 uses two CR123 batteries while the EOS 300V uses two CR2 batteries. I cannot find any mentioning about which camera is more battery efficient but i would guess that it is the EOS 500 since the CR123 batteries have bigger capacity and the camera itself does not have that big LCD screen glued on the camera's back.

 

 

Conclusion

 

The Canon EOS 500 is a consumer grade camera that back in the early '90s represented a fantastic value for money. Today this camera will appeal to Canon users who want a cheap and light AF SLR as a walkabout kit. With the EF 50 f/1.8 it is only a tad bigger than an zoom compact and it is silent and very effective to use. Compared to its younger siblings, this camera is not as refined but it does have something that makes it grow in you. The more you use it the more you like it.

The EOS 500 must be judged on its own merits over the newer EOS 300V. It has a better styling, better user interface and a more consistent and predictable exposure system. The EOS 300V on the other hand has a much improved AF module, selectable focus points, metal lens mount and a 3 fps winder.

Now, the choice is yours.