The ultimate bargain SLR?
With endless 35mm SLR cameras to choose from to suit all budgets, this is my ultimate bargain choice. Everyone has their own preference on the big name brands, whether it be Nikon, Canon, Minolta etc, but for some reason this camera seems to be practically worthless on the good old eBay!
I won mine for the grand sum of £2.99 for the body only! It was listed as tested & working, and indeed it was when it arrived a few days later. I could not believe that nobody else was prepared to pay more and bid it up. Obviously it helps if you have a selection of suitable lenses, but even with a lens they are still not a lot of money.
Let me introduce the Canon EOS 500…
Canon EOS 500
Introduced in 1993 this entry level SLR has everything you could need. The shutter speeds go from 30s-1/2000 of a second, an LCD, shooting modes plus auto, it’s quiet, and dependable. I own and have used quite a few of the EOS line, with varying levels of enjoyment - I found the 500N uninspiring, the 1000f clunky and boring, the 700 really annoying with no information on the tiny LCD, and the 3 was too good! On the other hand I love my 5 and 300V.
I bought the 500 as an additional travel body so I can have colour and b&w options and only carry one set of lenses. The other body is the excellent EOS 300V.
The 500 is very light, mainly as it is made of plastic - but that is a good thing as I travel with just a rucksack.
Canon EOS 500 - Ilford HP5 (pushed to 800) - London
This is the second EOS 500 I have, the flash doesn’t work on the first one, hence the need to fork out the £2.99 on a replacement!
Obviously there are better EOS cameras available, but I am not going to carry two EOS 3’s or 5’s on a 7-day foreign trip. The weight is the biggest selling point when you consider in my rucksack is two EOS bodies, two lenses, a medium format (Kodak 66) and my Nikon DSLR - plus an old 500 gram telescopic tripod, several rolls of film, and some clothes. I have learnt the hard way that travelling with too much gear is not much fun when wandering the streets of Istanbul for 8 hours, or climbing Mount Vesuvius! So take my advice and travel light…